Storyline: 5/5 
 Characters: 4/5 
 Writing Style: 4/5 
 World: 5/5 
 I'm 35 years old, a science fiction fan, and I've never read Dune. I know, I know...somewhere, something went awry, and I left that gaping hole in my reading collection. But please indulge me in my short defense. I have reasons - other than the usual procrastination and desire to read something newer and flashier - and its not only that the Dune universe is a sprawling, daunting series that threatened to appropriate months of my reading time were I to decide to read on after the inaugural tome. No, the greatest deterrent was my fear that I wouldn't like Dune. You see, too many classics have disappointed me (I'm glaring at Asimov for Foundation and browbeating Heinlein for Stranger in a Strange Land here). If, somehow, it turned out that I couldn't find worth in Dune, then I knew the powers that be would revoke my sci fi credentials and disregard my opinion forevermore. I feared the censure. So I put it on my list. Down there somewhere where I wouldn't get to it soon, but close enough that I would happen upon it sooner rather than later. And, finally, Dune's turn came up..... And now...I feel like an idiot for missing out on what is rightly acclaimed as one of the best science fiction books of all time! I'm appalled that I was ignorant of all the influences and relationships between other greats (view spoiler)[ from Lucas's cinematic Star Wars to Jordan's grand Wheel of Time (hide spoiler)]. I've missed out on so much for so long, and I'm relieved to now be in the family. 
 This had what was perhaps the greatest world-building I've ever encountered. There are some other contenders for the title, but few that were written as early as 1965, and none that clearly win out. It was not only expansive, but it was also thought-provokingly complex. Herbert was spinning several different storylines at the same time, the obvious hero-and-villain one centered and others that threaded in and out giving glimpses and meat to the greater Dune universe. Herbert had a remarkable talent for knowing when more was less and when to dole out answers and connections. 
 I understand now why some insist on treating Science Fiction-Fantasy as its own genre. I myself prefer clear delineation; hard lines. Sort it - stick it in one and don't look back. If forced into the dichotomous categorizations, I'd slot Dune in fantasy. The book isn't about how technological advances change society; it is about a society in the far future that happens to be more technologically advanced. The story is about the world: ecology, politics, genetics, religion, and culture. What is so remarkable and rewarding about the book is that so many details are clues to hinted at puzzles and fragments of alluded-to histories. It is a serious book; it really is about environmental management, concerned about the role of religion in politics, confronting eugenics and ethnocentrism, calling out those that would manipulate religion, and illustrating the flexibility of culture. It is such a rich, fantastical world that it would be worth reading even if the plot was uninteresting. But the story was satisfying and enjoyable. It is not simply a diatribe, thinly veiled allegory, or a lecture. Herbert pulls it all together, weaving a final product that engages one at several different levels. If this were newly published today, I'd still think it was great. That it was published 50 years ago and is still so relevant makes it masterful. 
 I see that I'm the 11,186th person to put their review on Goodreads. Still, I'm going to play my role as the critic and note the few things that I saw as weaknesses in the book. Sadly, I never really connected with the main character. In part, this is because I'm really tired of the Messianic chosen one figure. I know this is unfair to Herbert since most of the tales that have worn my patience were published after and influenced by Dune. I thought many characters were great and well-developed, but Paul simply was not one of them. The four appendices and the glossary at the end also blunted my fervor a little. Either spread out the information through the novel or leave it out entirely. Encyclopedias are not particularly fun to read, even (or perhaps especially) fictitious ones. Herbert came close to undermining the wonderful mystique he had built up through the novel with those last pages and the hurried ending. Overall, though, this really was one of the greatest science fiction and/or fantasy books I've ever read. I won't rush to the sequels, but I happily look forward to returning to Dune.