Dune

Ah, Dune. The classic scifi novel that paved the way for so many more scifi novels, films, and games. The planet with the giant worms eating through mountains of sand. I'd heard about it, but I'd never read it. I'd debated buying the book at some point, but there were novels by Frank Herbert and Brian Herbert and so many novels with something like 'Dune' in the title that I wasn't sure where to begin. Well, with the one that is simply called Dune, apparently. One of my friends put her copy on the 'must go' pile in a fit of Marie Kondo'ing, so I somehow lucked into actually owning the book.
Apart from the giant worms, I didn't actually know anything about the novel. The blurb told me it was something to do with dukes having a vendetta, one duke killing the other and their son plotting for revenge. This all sounded more medieval than futuristic, but then again, classics are all about the core of the human experience. And on the whole, that is basically what this novel is about. Sure, there is lots of talk of 'stillsuits' and 'lasguns' and some interplanetary travel, but on the whole, it is the story of a boy trying to revenge his fathers death.
But then with a whole universe built around it. Literally. Frank Herbert must have spend more time inventing the languages, religions, corporations, peoples, customs, all the stuff that goes into world building, than he spent actually writing this story. I was very thankful for the appendix at the back of my copy, otherwise I would have been horribly lost several times. In that way, Dune reminded me of that other classic, The Lord of the Rings (incidentally also provided with sequels and prequels by Tolkien's son based on the huge amount of notes left behind after his father's death). Maybe this is why the both became classics, because so much attention to detail went into the crafting of their worlds, their history and the people that live in them.
The story was eventful, sometimes lagging where there was a bit too much exposition on technology or background lore, but on the whole there was a nice bit of scheming going on, feints in feints in feints as one of the characters likes to think. I didn't expect such a thick political layer, maybe that's why I couldn't quite follow all of the motives and espionage, but it was a fun read nonetheless. The story did feel a bit open ended, which explains the 5 sequels Mr Herbert himself wrote, and the dozens of auxiliary stories by his son. Maybe I'll look into some of the 'official' sequels at some point.
There is a film in the making, due to come out in December, which I'm now really looking forward to. Earlier adaptations all seem to have flopped, the way that Lord of the Rings films also flopped until a mayor fan took a hand in directing the intricate story in a huge universe. I'm hoping this Dune film also gets the attention it deserves. maybe spiking a renewed interest in mid-1900s scifi. If it does, let it be noted that I was an early adopter, for once.