Books

Octavo, cloth. First edition. First novel in the Dune series, an immensely popular work which led to many sequels. "Politics and metaphysics are tightly bound into a remarkably detailed and coherent pattern; an imaginative tour de force. The series demonstrates how a good SF writer's ability to build a coherent and convincing hypothetical world can serve the purpose of making philosophical and sociological questions concrete; the series thus becomes a massive thought experiment in social philosophy." - Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-524. "What, in its entirety, does the Dune saga represent? Nearly 2300 pages -- more than a million words. A saga covering some six thousand or so years. A cast of hundreds. Dune is, undoubtedly, an epic. In its own way it achieves what earlier models failed at. It is not merely the present retold as the future. It is much more than a power fantasy. Unlike E. E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman universe, or Asimov's Foundation universe, it has depth as well as breadth. Unlike those earlier models, it grasped the concept that the future would have different modes of behavior, different motivations to our own. For all its seemingly medieval setting, DUNE is a thoroughly futuristic novel. It transcends its ANALOG origins. The Dune sequence is not, in its totality, easy reading. Like the best of anything, it requires and rewards attention. It is not wholly successful, and the later volumes are, perhaps, over-cerebral, yet in its ambitious design, the sequence does not fall short of its target. Its existence has influenced younger writers to attempt more complex schemes than they might otherwise have ventured upon. Bruce Sterling and Greg Bear are writers who can been seen to have benefitted from Herbert's trailblazing efforts. Many others would admit that Herbert's influence has added rigor to their work." - Aldiss and Wingrove, Trillion Year Spree, pp. 399-400. Winner of the 1965 Nebula and 1966 Hugo awards for best novel. Anatomy of Wonder (2004) II-524. Pringle, Science Fiction: The 100 Best Books 48. Survey of Science Fiction Literature II, pp. 647-58. A fine copy in very good first printing dust jacket (priced $5.95 on the front flap and four-line publisher's imprint on the rear flap) with wear along the top and bottom edges with shallow loss at the upper fore-edge corner of the front panel, some rubbing along folds and mild dust soiling to the rear panel. Quite a nice copy overall. (#172794).

In Frank Herbert's seminal science fiction novel "Dune," the intricate tale unfolds across a distant future where noble families vie for control over the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the highly coveted spice melange. The Atreides family, led by Duke Leto Atreides and his son Paul, assumes stewardship of Arrakis, navigating a perilous political landscape rife with treachery and ambition. As Paul adapts to the harsh desert environment, he encounters the Fremen, Arrakis's indigenous people, and discovers his latent abilities tied to their prophecy of a messianic figure known as the Kwisatz Haderach. Paul grapples with his destiny, mastering the complexities of politics, religion, and warfare while confronting personal struggles and ethical dilemmas. The novel explores themes of power, ecology, religion, and the human condition, set against a richly imagined backdrop of a desert planet teeming with political intrigue and mystical intrigue.