Author: Frank Herbert One of the bestselling science-fiction novels of all time, Frank Herberts Dune is the first in a series of six novels the others being Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune. The story itself revolves around the Atreides, a noble family which has been granted stewardship over the planet Arrakis, a desert planet which contains the only known reserve of Melange in the universe. Somewhat of a precursor to George R.R. Martins Game of Thrones, the plot of Dune revolves around feuding noble families, tactically manoeuvring themselves and shifting their allegiances, scheming to overthrow one another in order to broker certain advantages, and just generally plotting each others violent deaths. As well as being positively rife with political intrigue, Dune is very much an adventure story at heart, epically told and wonderfully conceived. Though the novel emphasises the political elements of the story, the more fantastical and often downright bizarre features of the novel are still given plenty of room to breathe, and the result is something truly special.
