Dune

The story of Dune is very hard to adjust to. The writer throws all the characters at you right at the beginning and doesn't even try to fill in any blanks that you are missing. Throughout a good portion of the first third of the book I felt like I was missing aspect of the book. As if I wasn't understanding or comprehending plot. Toward the end of the book everything does try back together and I noticed this is just the writing style. This type of fantasy style does not just deliver you answers on a silver platter, you have to involve yourself to speculate. Like from the beginning when the Reverend Mother tests Paul and thinks that he is going to be the supreme ruler; I knew that Paul would end up being so. I love the reality of Dune's universe; that Melange gives certain groups the power to fold space or to give the Bene Gesserits their power. Even on the concept f the Water of Life and how so many have died trying to drink the water. The universe constructed by Frank Herbert is very stable and well thought out to not be broken like so many universes that explain odd happenings as "its just magic". Every strong force has an opposing negative.

Oh when I originally picked this book I chose it because of my interest in sand dunes. What I find most ironic is that the author was influenced by the Florence Dunes; the same dunes I go ATV riding during the summer with my father. I have lived for several weeks in the dunes that the author was influenced by. I have been stuck alone with a broken-down ATV having to walk over a mile to get help and have experienced firsthand the brutality of the hot desert during the summer. Possibly a biased reason why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. Haha.