The story itself is really amazing. It's a very epic story, about the merging of royalty with religions, and the constant scheming going on behind the scenes. As Herbert likes to say, "schemes within schemes within schemes." The fact it takes place so far in the future, somewhere, around the year ten thousand, is almost secondary. And unlike many other science fiction authors, Frank Herbert doesn't get too caught up in the technology, but rather delves into the religion of the time, and one man's attempt to control his own fate.

Of course, you most likely already know the basic story from the movie Dune, but the book is rather different. Many of the little details it throws in because it can add such a quality of depth, and interest to the story, I amazed at all the that the five hundred page book was adapted into a two hour movie without losing all of it's meaning.

In the end, if you're like me, and you liked the movie, but were left asking a few too many questions that were left unanswered, then you should love the book, because it answers the questions, and keeps you interested, and hooked into it's story, even though you already know it.

I forgot some of the story, but that's to be expected, but what I had trouble following was how much I had reorganized in my head. Some of that is undoubtedly due to the influence of movie and mini-series, but I think much of it is due to the epic way the story is told.

This story, even after having watched it twice, and read it once, still had much to offer. I gained a new insight into the society that Herbert portrays in the stories. It's one of a people who are almost all addicted to drugs of one sort or another. Fearful for change, they only want now to indulge themselves. Only, their religion comes back to haunt them.

Of course, that doesn't even really begin to scratch the surface. I look forward to the next books in the series now.