Dune

I always thought I'd not go the easy way and watch Sting playing Paul when he was way younger to discover this classic Sci-Fi book. However, this was one of the books which took me ages, if not decades, to read. I heard about it when I was only in primary school; I knew it was famous worldwide, and also that Sci-Fi was "weird".

Thanks to that prejudice, I didn't open any Sci-Fi or Fantasy books till I was about 16. Then, this strange blockbuster Lord of the Rings introduced me to this kind of literature. But that's another story.

As for Dune, I always had in mind those used books you find in dusty second-hand bookshops; either that or the movie being broadcasted again on TV.

And then, when I moved in with my beloved one, I saw that Dune book on my bookshelves everytime I was picking something to read. Given the state of the book, I could see it had been much loved. With a sigh, I decided it was time to give it a try.

So what were my impressions? I haven't been raised in a Sci Fi culture as I said, and coming from historical novels or essay background, it has been an interesting dive into a whole new kind of literature. I can't pretend I wasn't a bit sceptical by reading about giant worms and Lady Jessica. I mean, to me it was as if Galadriel had been christened Britney in LOTR. However I could only stick to what had been previously said about it; it's addictive and very nicely written. But as always when you're very much looking forward to being impressed, it somehow failed leaving me with this sweet bewilderment I look for when reading a new book.