The story of Dune begins with Paul Atriedes, son of the Duke Leto. Leto is assigned to govern over the hostile desert world of Arrakis, the only source of melange. This “spice” is highly coveted, as consumption of it can cause, most notably, heightened mental abilities and limited foresight. However, the Duke’s acclimation of the planet was planned so that the Atriedes family might be left vulnerable. Paul must learn to navigate the new worlds of Arrakis and interplanetary politics, or his family will not survive.
This book starts out slowly, fleshing out each main character. Then the Atriedes family arrives on Arrakis, and it speeds up quickly, keeping that speed till the very end. One thing that separates it from other books is how much thought and psychology is explicitly stated, so one can easily understand its complexities without having to spend time analyzing every aspect or re-reading the book. This is especially helpful since the world is on the same level of detail and depth as Lord of the Rings. This is one of my favorite science fiction books ever, but it’s so much more than that. If you have the time, I would highly recommend picking this up.