1. A common trait of science fiction is to push a contemporary idea or thread of thought to a logical extreme, then examine it through an extreme situation. This can be both a strength—as it is here—and a weakness—as it is in the work of Ayn Rand. It's a strength here because oil is not the sole topic—he examines many other topics: mono-crop agriculture, nature vs. nurture, the influence of blood, public vs. private life, cultural aspirations, tribalism vs. empire, mysticism vs. science, and there's probably a bunch I'm forgetting. Yes, it is all about oil; but it is not 100% oil, and the rest of these themes tie into oil and start to explore a deepness to the subject that is fascinating. Though these other topics may not be explored to the depth that oil is, their breadth and variety pull the book out of pulp fiction and into literature.
2. The question I still struggle with the most is this: is he esoteric to a fault? I think the pace of information is appropriate in the book, as is the scope of it. And, at some level Dune really works, so perhaps that should prove that he does not over do his esoteric revelations. But I wonder at the things brushed over, revealed and forgotten, and think I may have liked Dune better if some of these were illuminated more—Alia and the raid that captured her, Leto II and the raid that killed him, Guild Navigators, the Sardaukur. Explaining these in-depth would have been too much for one book, but a little more might've been nice. I think what I'm trying to say is he is not esoteric to a fault here, but as later books in the series show, this is a difficult line to draw.
3. The two main criticisms consistently level at Dune from a storytelling perspective, involve the Bene Geserit and Leto II.
—The Bene Geserit are powerful female characters, but they're witch-like and their ultimate goal is to meddle in others' affairs long enough to use their sexuality to create a man worthy of entering their ranks and lead them to glory. I cannot argue against this point: the Bene Geserit here are laughable and ridiculous when distilled. However, I do think that there are three female characters that do not fit into this oversimplification: Chani, Alia, and Harah. I further think that the Bene Geserit fit exactly what Frank Herbert was wanting from that part of the story. But I do share a wish for strong, non-Bene Geserit females in the novel.
—As to Leto II dying forgotten off screen, I believe this is used to show Paul's biggest flaw—the single mindedness and preference for thinking about the future that deny him mourning for either Leto. But I don't think that is enough of a justification for what is a startling and disorienting moment for the reader. I still wish that the raid that killed him was illuminated on scene in a chapter.
4. My main criticism would simply be that the dialog is not great. Characters often sound too similar throughout. Of course this complements the premise that actions speak louder than words, but more distinction between character voices could've been a positive addition to the book without subverting this premise.
5. There is a revelatory aspect missed by people reading it for the first time today. Herbert was on the cutting edge of radical ecological research for five years before writing this. But today these ecological ideas are widely accepted: desertification, de-desertification, hippie water collection techniques, green power, and living with the land rather than on it or off it. These are commonplace today, stealing some of Dune's thunder for new readers.
6. I think this is one of the greatest works of science fiction: it straddles the line between a pulp page turner and literary rumination in an accessible, important, and exciting way. It has wide appeal in its political intrigues, conflicts, and coming of age messiah plot. It does not bog down in over detailed world building. It does science fiction well. It also came out in the right place, at the right time: this messianic, anti-government, ecological health novel about oil released in 1965, when the baby boomer hippies were hitting their stride, and that really solidified Dune as an import and influential novel. And lucky for us, it's a well told story that is also well written.
7. So many works today are written for a sequel, leaving too much unsaid in favor of hooks open for a series of novels, or leaving too many lose threads for further investigation in later novels. Here he seems to mostly leave out what is not important to the story being told in this novel. The explanation for these things becomes future sequels, but in a way that doesn't ruin Dune. And I think this is the real enduring secret of Dune: he manages to find that balance in everything—all of the contradictory themes, esoteric and exoteric revelations, plot action and character introspection, contemporary problems and eternal human concerns. He brilliantly balances so many contradictory ideas and characteristics that the novel ends up working well for a wide variety of readers.
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