Week 10: The Fiction of Ideas - Dune by Frank Herbert

 For this week I decided to read Dune by Frank Herbert since I had a growing interest to understand what was so amazing about it. When I first heard the title a long time ago, I thought that it was just a story about being trapped in a dessert planet for some odd reason. I instantly related it to a type of sci-fi survival book where we would see our protagonist grow as they survive the harsh climates of a dessert planet. Little did I know that what was waiting for me was a sci-fi fantasy version of Game of Thrones. Never had I expected this to be a story that talks about a battle between two families as they fight for power and wealth. This book truly was not at all what I expected since I had come into it thinking that I was going to put my Trekkie brain to use. Which this may explain why I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  

As I said previously, I expected a great scientific adventure where a lot of what was going to be explored did not exist but was based on some type of scientific theory/ I truly thought I was boldly going where no man has gone before and putting my brain into the test. Rather I was welcome by a classic tale of greed and betrayal all set in an alien planet. Paul being a naïve protagonist who slowly is forced to grow up when reality hits after realizing his destiny and powers as future ruler or prophet. For some reason everyone in this book felt very cold and inhumane to me but maybe I am just being biased since I am not a fan of this type of sci-fi to begin with. I think one of the main problems for me when it comes to this type of reading is that it is hard for me to imagine fantasy and supernatural elements unless they are explained to me in a scientific manner. This may have to do that I have been raised to be a Trekkie since birth, hence the reason why I was named after Jadzia Dax in Star Trek Deep Space Nine.  

Another reason I just could not enjoy this book was the lack of deep humane connections compared to previous book I have read for this class. It truly felt very political and like a game of chess rather than an exploration of a new world and coming to understand or accept your surroundings. It was hard to connect with certain characters which made it difficult to get through the book. 

Yet one thing that I must praise about this book is the creativity when it came to creating interest on the environment these characters lived it. I wanted to know more about their world and the society they lived in rather than the fight for power. Maybe if this story’s protagonist was not on the top of the pyramid rather someone that is experiencing what is happening at the bottom would make me gain more interested in the plot. But in the end, I think this book was not my cup of tea. I will hopefully come to read it again when I have more time or maybe after the new movie comes out in order to understand it in a more visual manner. 

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