'Dune' is excellent, and works perfectly as a standalone...

Felix What are you currently reading? I need inspirations

🧞 Bit Dune. It's a great book and the time I spend at home now made me feel less intimidated at the size

🟩 Koralatov 'Dune' is excellent, and works perfectly as a standalone book. Depending how much you like it, the sequels are well worth a read. I think 'God Emperor of Dune' the best of the entire series, with 'Dune' itself a close second, but 'God Emperor' is very love-it or hate-it.

4y, 23w 3 replies

Joseph Gilmore For me it was a pretty linear decrease in quality across the series. God Emperor and whatever the next one was we're good but it makes them seems worse because the first is so amazing

4y, 23w 2 replies

😾 Oskar Herbert is brilliant thinker and terrible writer. First book reads like classic SF novel with additional twist of deep societal analysis. Last three are just his thoughts on long trajectories for society (Leto II is literally an embodiment for those), which can be boring. I love last 3 most.

4y, 23w reply

🟩 Koralatov I can see that side of it too. I think, as @ow says below, Herbert is a better philosopher than writer (I wouldn't say he's "terrible", though). I think a reader's enjoyment of the following books hinges on whether they're interested in the *philosophy* Herbert explores, or the *universe* he built; when it's the latter, they're much weaker books.

4y, 23w reply