Sound Judgment audio book review: ‘Dune’

World-building is a concept central to the fantasy and science fiction genres. Many stories take place in a far-off fantastical land or a future version of Earth, where events take place to create the world into which we, as readers, are dropped.

If an author wants us to understand the world where a story takes place, he or she must set the stage – telling us where we are and how we got there and giving us the ins and outs of the world where we find ourselves. The act of doing this is what is known as world-building.

Some authors do it better than others, and some build a world so memorable that it defines a book just as much as the story itself. Frank Herbert does just that in his novel “Dune.” Winning both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel in 1966, “Dune” has proven itself many times over as a story that can stand the test of time, earning many sequels, multiple movie adaptations, spin-off TV series and more. Much of the series’ success can be attributed to the rich universe presented to us as we learn about the water-barren world of Arrakis, as well as its inhabitants, resources and the power struggle that defines the story.

“Dune” follows the story of Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto Atreides, as they leave their home planet of Caladan to take control over the desert planet Arrakis after the emperor has awarded it to them. They arrive to find that the previous rulers, the Harkonnens, are unhappy with this arrangement and will do anything to take that power away from Duke Leto and his family as they attempt to take control of Arrakis. As the situation develops and the prophecies known to the Fremen, the inhabitants of Arrakis, come to light, we learn the role that Paul is to play in the coming conflict – as well as the true power he holds.

While this audiobook comes in at around 21 hours, it is by no means the end of the story of the Arrakis and their struggles. Herbert himself wrote six books, most of which are 15-20 hours, and the series in total spans 29 books. The first book establishes the setting and characters while also setting up the conflict that the rest of the books cover in more detail. This can leave you with a feeling of incompleteness as the first book wraps up, but if you intend to take the journey through the rest of the series, you will be rewarded.

The 17-time Audie Award-winning narrator, Simon Vance, is our guide for most of this book, and he does a wonderful job of injecting emotion when the story calls for it. The trouble comes when a full ensemble of narrators is introduced as well. There are times Vance reads the narration and dialogue for all characters – quite wonderfully, I might add – changing his inflection and keeping his voices consistent across characters. But occasionally and seemingly without reason, the audiobook switches to having the full cast speak their respective character’s dialogue while Vance sticks purely to narration.

This approach left me confused at times and downright lost at others. Although the narrators all have fine performances and would have served the story well had some different choices been made, they ended up being my biggest issue throughout my time listening.

But overall, “Dune” is worth a listen and will have you guessing where it’s going at every turn. The only question is how to consume this story. If the narrator issues I’ve described don’t seem all that daunting, then the audiobook would probably work for you. If they seem insurmountable, though, I would advise reading the physical book, which is how I plan to continue the series from this point forward. LL

Check out additional audiobook reviews from Sawyer Jacobs.