Dune by Frank Herbert was originally published on August 1, 1965, as two separate serials in Analog magazine. It won both the Hugo Award in 1966 (tying with Roger Zelazny’s This Immortal) and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. Frank Herbert went on to write five sequels; his son Brian teamed with author Kevin J. Anderson to pen fourteen more. 1984 saw the release of David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune, and a 3-part miniseries premiered on Syfy in 2000. There have been video games, an acclaimed board game (which has just returned to print this year,) and December of 2020 will see an all-new feature film adaptation of Dune directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Paul Atreides is the hero of Dune, the heir to a powerful feudal house that is awarded stewardship of Arrakis, a desert planet notable for being the only source of the spice melange, a powerful drug that makes interstellar travel possible. The great feudal houses war both overtly and covertly over control of Arrakis, and House Atreides falls victim to the conflict. This epic story follows Paul as he survives the destruction of his house, meets the mysterious Fremen and discovers the secrets of Arrakis, the planet also known as Dune.
There’s much, much more to the story than that brief synopsis I’ve provided. But I’m not writing a review of a 54-year old classic; there’s plenty of others through the years who’ve written reviews, theses and whole other books on Frank Herbert’s masterpiece. Let me just say that if you haven’t yet read Dune, you should definitely make it a priority.
What I am reviewing is this new hardcover edition of Dune from Ace. Is this the definitive copy to have on your bookshelves? Let’s take a look:
There’s some truly evocative imagery on the book jacket, thanks to Matt Griffin’s artwork. While this is not an “illustrated edition” of Dune, there are other lovely examples of Griffin’s art throughout. If you remove the jacket and unfold it, you’ll see this on the inside:
And there are also illustrations inside of the front cover of the book:
As well as the back cover:
And finally, a new map of Arrakis at the end of the book:
The attention to detail doesn’t stop with these illustrations though. After you’ve removed the jacket, you’ll find one of the most famous quotes from the novel embossed on the front cover:
There is also some beautiful blue edging to the pages themselves, matching the blue from the title on the jacket:
Finally, there is an interesting updated introduction penned by Brian Herbert.
If you are a fan of Dune, this is a gorgeous edition to have on your bookshelf. The art is excellent, and the quality of the paper and binding is superb. For those that enjoy reading physical books, the quality of the craftmanship will bring you great satisfaction as you turn the pages.
The Ace edition of Dune is currently available to purchase from Amazon or your local bookstore.
