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For the last several years I’ve been telling myself that I need to read Dune, one of the all-time classic works of Science Fiction. And yet, I never seemed to get around to it, being distracted by other exciting sci-fi and fantasy series. So when I finally picked up Frank Herbert’s masterwork, I was pretty excited.

Admittedly, I expected quite a lot from the novel, but I was nowhere near prepared for just how amazing it would be. Herbert’s novel instantly became one of my favorites. Not only is Herbert an excellent story teller, but he writes to an intricate level of detail comprable only to Tolkien. I loved that.

I don’t think I can adequately recap such a complex story, but for those of you who still have yet to experience its greatness, here is the two sentence summary:

Dune is the story of Paul Atreides who is the son of a duke that finds himself lording over a barren planet, but one that yields one of the most powerful goods in the far-reaching galaxy. When turmoil arises, it becomes Paul’s charge to wield his own strange power against his father’s deceitful enemies.

The thing that amazed me the most was how, despite such intricate detail, Herbert was able to put meaning into every word. As I was reading, I had the distinct feeling that every detail was important and I found myself reading portions two or three times over.

I’m now very eager to begin reading Herbert’s next install in the saga, Dune Messiah. I feel like there is still so much left to tell and I’m excited to find out what else Herbert had stored in his imagination.