Dune

Why did I pick this book?
I saw the movie, it was amazing. And I saw from the movie that Herbert had done a tremendous deal of worldbuilding, which I wanted to know more about.

What did I think of it?
I was not disappointed by the worldbuilding. It is really amazing what Herbert has done, with a believable future for earth and the human race. How humanity has evolved, the butlerian jihad and use of computers, the evolution of religion; it's really refreshing to learn about.

I've heard several people have a gripe with Herbert's writing style, and I can relate to that. I can imagine people coming to these books after Game of Thrones and you can expect a similar level of different storylines interwoven together. Both books focus heavily on interactions and conversations between people. However, in Game of Thrones the battles and struggles in between are told in great detail as well, where Herbert can just glance over them and skip 2 years in time between chapters.

Herbert will shift between perspectives between sentences. Starting with the viewpoint of Paul and shifting in the next sentence to his mother Jessica. I really love this, as he can capture subtle signs, interactions and emotions really well, but it can be really confusing as well.

My recommendation
I loved this book for its worldbuilding; the ecology of Arrakis (the planet), how religion has evolved, the politics, etc. I also loved the subtle emotions. If you like this I would also suggest The Night Angle Trilogy by Brent Weeks.

If you liked the movie, also watch the 2006 movie The Fall. It has the same cinematic scenes.