To many Dune by Frank Herbert is the book that unarguably defines the science fiction genre. The story begins with the house of Atreides accepting the Dukedom of the planet Dune. The former Baron has been ousted by the Emperor, and no longer matters. Or, that’s how it initially appears. Very early on it’s revealed that the whole thing is a political ploy to bring the house of Atreides down.

The Fremen are the natives of the desert planet and know best on how to survive its harsh conditions, mainly through their extremely conservative use of water. When Dune was ruled by Baron Harkonnen, he was extremely disrespectful of their customs, however when the Duke comes he is much more respectful of the Fremen’s way of life.

Paul, the Duke’s son, is the protagonist and the prophecy’s chosen one. When he eventually gains the trust of the Fremen they allow him to choose a Fermen name. He calls himself after their most revered prophet: Muad’Dib. They accept this and follow him as their leader. Thus, Paul becomes their savior, meaning he receives heaps of character development through this book. He goes from boy to the respected leader of a nation. The Fremen, like Paul, want the evil Baron Harkonnen gone from their planet. They don’t want a cruel oppressor who is ignorant to their ways. I think the imagination behind the Fremen culture is really amazing. They have efficiently adapted to survive their harsh planet.

The plot was very complex, and intriguing. I went into this book expecting an action-packed adventure, but found a book more focused around the struggles of coming of age while the fate of the universe is on your shoulders. Herbert focuses more on the politics, cultures, religion, and philosophies of a world that has an abundance of the most valuable resource in the known universe, but barely has anything else.

Aside from Paul many of the characters are dynamic and well rounded. His mother is to be the new revered mother of the Fremen people, which for someone of her age is quite remarkable. There is also the captain of Duke Leto’s household guard who is a very deep and honorable individual. As much as I came to like these characters I was still frustrated with the writing of them in the beginning. In almost every chapter the perspective shifted characters with no warning, and the reader was left to figure out whose internal thoughts they were reading.

This book took me over four months to read, which is longer than anything else I’ve ever read, due to the incredibly frustrating writing style. I had to read whole chapters again so I could get the gist of the plot. I could barely follow its scene after scene of dialogue referencing people and places and events, all with no explanation or context. It felt like I was just dropped into the middle of a book, and everything had already been explained elsewhere.

Because Dune is written in such a sophisticated way, I don’t think that I was able to truly appreciate this book for all that it is. While Dune is unlike any book I’ve ever read, from the futuristic world setting, to the weird names, to the extremely detailed description of, well, everything, it definitely isn’t for some people. Reading Dune requires a certain level of maturity in order to fully comprehend and sympathize with Paul, and everything he’s going through. It is a book for avid sci-fi readers, for people that are more interested in the politics and characters of a book rather than the plot.

Overall, I thought the idea behind this novel was utterly fantastic. However, I think the confusing writing style limited my enjoyment of this book, along with the age that I read it at. I’ll probably reread Dune in a couple of years, but as of right now, it’s not one of my favorites.