Dune

I tried reading this book in high school but I didn't finish it because I couldn't understand what was going on. Now, about 25 years later, and after watching the new films, I decided to give it another try. There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said before. The book is that good and it still holds up to this day. The amount of ideas, themes, and characters Herbert was able to competenly weave into the story is amazing. Melding sci-fi, fantasy, philosophy, religion, politics, magic(?), into one (relatively) cohesive narrative, it is remarkable the story didn't collapse under its own weight. All this accomplished with an unconventional writing style I haven't seen in modern fiction. I have a feeling he was sleeping with a thesaurus under his pillow.

The book isn't perfect though. The middle section is a bit of a drag and the ending is a bit anticlimactic. There are some inevitable differences between the book and the films. The dinner chapter is completely ommited from the film. As are a few characters. But I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.