LOTR is usually quoted to be the epitome of world-building. I disagree.
Dune was a first-date suggestion, and let's face it, the date went well. To imLOTR is usually quoted to be the epitome of world-building. I disagree.
Dune was a first-date suggestion, and let's face it, the date went well. To impress the said first date, I started reading it.
There were a lot of names thrown around in the first few pages. Who is the Emperor? What the hell is melange? Who are Bene Gesserit? And, why do all the names and terms have a mid-Eastern tinge to them? Jihad? Prana-bindu?
A couple more pages and I was hooked.
Frank Herbert does world-building much better. He builds his world with care, brick by brick, infused with philosophies. Between the pages, you are left wondering about something as inane as ecological transformation to the ethos of time travel. When you read Dune, you don't just get a sci-fi novel with hallucinogenic drugs and futuristic technology, but you also get the aristocratic nuances of governance. You get a strange clash between individual and collective morality. You can almost feel the tinge of spice in its pages, and it sure is addictive as the lore goes.
If you are one for a layered storyline with deep pristinely written characters against a background of some good old political drama, this is the one.