Dune

Not quite 4 stars for me, but definitely a solid 3.5!
Anyways, I am really glad that I gave this book a second chance after dnf'ing it like 20 pages in in 2020 after thinking it ‘too dry' (pun intended).
Having seen the movies (and riding the hype train, ngl) really elevated the reading experience for me.
Reading the novel gave depth to the lore, the world and characters I had experienced on the big screen, while having seen the movies granted a sort of epicness and visual brilliance to the words on the page.
Sounds fucking pretentious, I know, but I really am in awe at how well the source material and the movie adaptation complement and complete each other in a way. Especially when in 90% of the cases I catch myself saying “the book was better”.
Can't wait to read Dune Messiah with this new-found appreciation for Herbert's work (and to bridge the waiting time for the next movie).