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I'm sure other Powell's employees have chosen Dune as a staff pick, and for good reason: It's a science fiction classic. It is densely written and almost prophetic in nature. The spice, and the desert wars over it, sound so very much like our current situation regarding oil in the Middle East. Tinged with the supernatural, filled with believable characters, and laced with the very spice it is about, this book is an unparalleled work of science fiction. Herbert manages to create a whole new and possible galaxy. The only thing holding Dune back from "graduating" to the literature sections of bookstores is that it is too much a science fiction novel, though I feel it is as well written as any piece of great literature. I recommend this to any and all readers (even those who despise science fiction). I believe it should fall into the same category as 1984, The Great Gatsby, or To Kill a Mockingbird: a classic.