The first chapter of Dune can be pretty rough but don’t get up! This novel by Frank Herbert is well worth it! Here are 7 tips to read Dune:
1. Listen to the Audiobook
The audiobook can help with pronunciations. This novel is definitely in the fantasy genre, and there are plenty of made-up words in Dune! Also, the audiobook can help with understanding which character is talking. In Dune, there will just be quotes, and it can be confusing which characters is speaking.
2. Watch the Movie Trailer
The trailer can also help with some of the pronunciations. For those of you who are not visual people, this will help you start to put faces to names and have a baseline understanding of some of the basic concepts/ideas/people mentioned in the book which are mentione over and over again.
3. Sometimes You Will Have To Go Back
Some characters have multiple names. Some characters are referred to by their first names and then called by their last names. Some characters have multiple names, and there are many characters. Don’t be afraid to go back and reread Dune.
4. Take a Look at The Glossary
There is a glossary at the back of the book (at least in the version I read). As mentioned above, there are many made-up words in Dune, and the glossary is incredibly helpful. There is also a map and sections on the ecology of Dune, the religion of Dune, and the motives and purposes of the Bene Gesserit in the back of the book.
5. Just Move Past It
There were some words for which I searched the glossary, and they weren’t there. I kept on reading anyway. The book overall was really meaningful to me, and I am glad that I didn’t get hung up on what I didn’t understand and give up.
6. Read Dune at a Steady Pace
One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book was much is that I read it fairly quickly. If I read this book over a three-week timeframe, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. Dune is complicated. If you read a bit of subtle foreshadowing, you may not remember it if you read this book over a long period of time.
7. Be Kind to Yourself
Everyone has different styles. When thinking back to some of the greatest books that I have read, I can usually glean something new with each reading. No one says that you have to be a Jedi Master of Dune on the first read.
What are your tips to read Dune? Want more? Check out my Dune review on GoodReads or watch my spoiler-free Dune review on YouTube.