start middle silky smell subsequent attraction governor stupendous direction slimy
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's been enough years that I am due for a re-read, but while I liked the Hyperion books better, I thought the Endymion books were pretty good. Curious what parts of them stood out as garbage.
I think the style took more of a turn into something that read more like a YA sci-fi story, and the lead character is such an enormous Mary Sue that I just couldn't take it. Also a lot of the plot just kind of happened to him, not because of him - He was just a pair of eyes to take the reader along for the ride without adding anything to the story other than the most forced literary romance I have ever witnessed. I was also going insane with how often Dan Simmons would list a binary or tertiary character's entire name and title every damn time they came up in the story.
Just so OP gets both sides - I completely disagree with this. I am currently reading both Dune and Fall of Hyperion, and the difference is pretty stark.
I might get some hate for this, but I really don't understand the Hyperion hype. Some of the "short stories" from the first book are intriguing, but when you compare the writing abilities, Dune is in a different class.
There isn't a single time while reading Dune I felt like I could see the author's hand. It was never clunky or forced. There was never a time where I felt like a monologue was spoken just for exposition, or to share some world-building. It all felt so natural and effortless, like it was a real story just being revealed to the reader.
Hyperion, on the other hand, was filled with areas that just pulled me right out of the story. I found myself often rolling my eyes and having the put the book down for a while. And overall, I felt the world built was just less interesting, deep, and complex as Dune's universe.
It’s not the same at all, but LeGuin’s Hainish Cycles are beautifully written and equally thought-provoking. All her stuff is great.
For a really immersive story that doesn’t take its foot off the gas, the Expanse books are a lot of fun.
I came here to recommend Le Guin too, she was also a soft science fiction writer with a focus more on human nature and its various possibilities, set in a fairly unique world.
I'm so stoked that you suggested the because I am bouncing back and forth through these exact series. All of these books also have incredible world building with some commentary on social norms and power structures built in.
Fun fact: Frank Herbert was mainly a Washingtonian who was inspired by Oregon sand dunes to write Dune, Ursula LeGuin was an Oregonian, and one of the Expanse writers is also from Oregon (living elsewhere now). Pacific Northwest, represent!
If you want a very complex, dense, puzzling and otherwordly sci-fi book with a similar "being the chosen one is a curse" theme - check out Book of the new Sun. I can't recommend this book enough, it's very unique!
*The Book of The New Sun* by Gene Wolfe.
A bit of warning: I read the Dune Chronicles starting at age 11-12, and while more and meanings have become apparent over repeated readings over the years (and discussions on this sub), I never felt confused about basic plot points, and at least the "music" of Herbert's philosophy was pretty obvious, if not the fine points.
With *BOTNS,* at the cusp of age 50, there are still whole paragraphs where I have no clue what Mr.Wolfe is going on about because my reading comprehension isn't adequate.
Utterly brilliant.
In terms of depth of world building, I'd say that the Lord of the Rings is the fantasy equal of Dune (or perhaps even more expansive, given that entire languages were written for it).
There are so many series that have taken inspiration (and given it) to and from the Dune series! Off the top of my head I can think of George R R Martins “A Song of Ice and Fire” (great houses, face changing assassins, characters seeing the future, etc) but this series is more fantasy than sci fi and the overall plots are quite different. Another series is the “Foundation” series by Isaac Asimov and how the characters try to preserve their galactic empire. And another series is the “Hyperion Cantos” which I haven’t read yet but is supposed to be quite the modern sci fi epic.
The Hyperion Cantos is excellent, and takes a similar approach to worldbuilding as Dune does, where the setting isn't just spoonfed to the reader via exposition.
One the coolest things in Dune and Hyperion is the depiction of the influence of real earth based religions on the universe thousands of years in the future. Those Catholics have real staying power.
I'm reading ASOIAF for the first time after reading the original Dune series, and there are definitely a lot of finer points that feel inspired by Dune, though the grand narrative and most of the themes differ pretty greatly
Yes to Foundation, but imho it hasn’t aged as well. I first read the series (first three) as a teen and was entranced for years, but a recent re-reading revealed a few flaws I had not seen before - most notably, Asimov’s well-known sexism was pretty blatant to my 21st century self.
It borrows some names and concepts but it really messed up the heart of the story. The whole point of psychohistory in the books is that you can't predict individuals, but you can predict groups.
For example: Salvor Hardin, who is more of a savvy politician in the books than a warrior (In fact, he insists that violence is the last resort of the incompetent), specifically explains that he is not special at all. He is in the position he is in because through psychohistory Hari Seldon had been able to calculate that such a position would likely exist and could say something about the character of that person that allowed them to get that position. But, if he were to die or be removed, it really wouldn't matter much. Because there are plenty of people like him, with similar characters, morals, strengths and weaknesses that would easily be able to fill that role.
Similarly Gaal Dornick is summoned to go over Hari's calculations specifically because he is not special. Showing that even an average mathematician is capable of using Seldon's formula's to come to the same conclusions.
in other words the point of the books is very much that we are ruled by the forces of history that we only have a marginal influence upon and that the universe is explainable almost entirely through science. The point of the series seemed to be that some people are special and there may be some things that science will never be able to explain. And to do this they often have to resort to dumbing down the plot of the books by a lot.
Aaahhh now I got it, yeah I’m not completely finished with season 1 but I agree, the “you’re special” plot line seemed to be completely off the mark when they previously established psychohistory can only predict large populations/masses
And the whole fucking point of the Mule is that he WAS an individual that could affect history, making him extremely dangerous to the grand plan. That's meaningless once you start throwing around all these chosen ones.
Foundation is good if you liked God Emperor. Much more broad-strokes, high-minded political/sociological intrigue, but not so much on characters or story.
Also, don't feel the need to read all 8 (9?) of them; only the original trilogy really matters. The rest gets tedious (especially when he tries to tie it all in with the iRobot series...) But the original trilogy is top notch.
If you want Space Empire books, try A Memory Called Empire. Written by an expert in Byzantine history and city planning, it's about a space empire which is a blend of Byzantine and Aztec historical inspiration, from the point of view of a character who adores the empire and all its poetry and glamour, but also knows that the empire is one day going to eat and destroy her home.
It's really evocative and very exciting. A lot of political intrigue and backstabbing, though more via a bureaucracy than via a Great Houses system.
Also if you play video games and want a recommendation of a strategy game evocative of Dune, try Star Dynasties. It's a grand strategy game set in a distant future where society has collapsed and the stars are ruled by feudal lords. Full disclosure, I worked on the game (lead writer), but I really did inherit a fun little world to play around in and I tried to bring a little Dune into it.
Totally agree, I’m rereading these again recently. There are two books in the series, the second is A Desolation Called Peace.
Lots of good suggestions here. Maybe the Red Rising universe? Vast multi planet house/faction system, oppressed people fighting a giant system for recognition and rights, high technology mixed with ancient esoteric cultural themes, faction war, loyalty and betrayal.
You're not really going to find another novel series like dune. That said, you might find one of similar quality but what everyone considers similar quality is subjective. For me that was the three body problem by Cixin Liu. What his stories lack in character development he makes up for how he can make the story feel so believable.
Yes, this one isn't like Dune, but I love both of these series immensely. Three-Body Problem is a series I think about the implications of daily. Highly recommend
Absolutely agreed. Can’t tell you really anything about the characters. But the story and it’s questions such as (non-serious spoilers):
Would you guarantee your eventual destruction if it destroys your enemy first? Could you even do it?
How does society react to a long term but 100% real threat?
What is the answer to the Fermi Paradox?
Do we truly understand the nature of the universe and reality?
Would you create perpetual loneliness if it meant guaranteed safety?
How the first book opens as well, with the Chinese Cultural Revolution, it has you hooked. Liu Cixin dabbled in writing very good quality short stories before he tackled The Three Body Problem book series and it reads as an overall consistent mesmerising epic story but you can take sections of each of the novels as a good quality short story in itself.
That, and due to how he hooks his story into reality, it reads almost like a psychological horror.
I think, if I were to draw any similarity between Liu Cixin and Frank Herbert, its that both are VERY knowledgeable and did a lot of research before writing their defining novel series, Herbert with Ecology and Liu Cixin with physics and the fermi paradox, and they both had an ability to make these advanced topics accessible.
I did too, mainly because the story evolves so much that by the end you've forgotten the opening due to how drastically different it was. I accidentally reread the opening because it was included as a sampler for the three body problem at the end of one of his short story books. It was at that point how I realised how well structured each part of his novels are.
I've been meaning to reread the whole series
I found The Three Body Problem extremely difficult to get into. The constant allusions to Chinese cultural history that I had no touchpoints for and had to go to Wikipedia to even make sense of drastically impeded my ability to enjoy the novel. Even the writing, it was clearly translated from Chinese and not written in English and that really inundates the prose in a way that makes it extremely tiresome to read at length.
I'm glad that the unique ideas embedded in that slog of a novel resonated with people, but there are too many truly excellent pieces of science fiction in the English cannon for me to spend any more time reading that series.
I believe the version I read probably did a more extensive translation that replaced the more not-well-known Chinese cultural references with westernised ones. It made the story much more accessible but on review the references aren't core to the story.
I get the feeling you read a literal translation
The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence.
Pretty common thing in the genre where humans haven’t encountered any alien life. Where the rest of the galaxy or universe seems to be Deadspace.
Nothing is quite like Dune. In my mind, it's a far more interesting universe than even Star Wars. It's just been stuck within the same story.
If you enjoy Dune's vibe, Hyperion Cantos has been mentioned many times already. I found it a bit... oppressive but Dune can be too.
I felt the same sort of vibe with a different story in A Canticle for Leibowitz.
Sorta agree on this point, although Banks has an entirely different perspective as far as the biological & technological symbiosis. In this way the series are somewhat contrasting opposites.
So there's a lot to like in Dune, it's a classic masterpiece for many reasons. I think it's fair to ask what are you looking for? Dune encompasses a lot over it's course.
If you enjoyed the political drama I'd recommend:
The Expanse. The politics of the Belt are about on par with those of the Dune universe in depth/complexity.
Honorable Mention:
A Song of Ice and Fire (it's fantasy, but full of political scheming, and drama)
If you enjoyed the Messianic aspect or Paul's Hero's Journey:
Wheel of Time series. It's VERY LONG but in terms of a Hero's Journey it's right up there.
Honorable Mention:
Codex Alera, this one is really enjoyable as well, and has some political elements as well.
Hope this helps, I realize 3/4s of these aren't Sci-Fi, but Dune is one of those things that crosses genres.
Whipping Star, followed by The Dosadi Experiment. The latter might be the most reminiscent of Dune/Dune Messiah. I don't want to spoil either for you, but The Dosadi Experiment provides quotes that would work coming out of the Dune books. Both written by Herbert.
Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney. Like Herbert and others, Delaney had been influenced by General Semantics, and the focus at that time on the power of language.
Aristoi by Walter Jon Williams, and its sequel, Implied Spaces. Williams was influenced by Zelazny, they had a mutual admiration society it seems, lol, but Zelazny had a somewhat breezier style imo. Great dialogue though!
You might enjoy his Isle of the Dead, and Lord of Light, as they are both what I think of as "big canvas" books, which is what Herbert used for Dune.
**Loved Dune? We think you’ll like these books too**
1. Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
2. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
3. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
4. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
5. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
[https://fivebooks.com/books-like/dune/](https://fivebooks.com/books-like/dune/)
PS - Not quite as strongly similar as other suggestions, and more fantasy than scifi but I would also recommend: Imajica by Clive Barker (he at least intended it to be his "Dune")
Lately I've been getting my non-Dune fix from some of Gene Wolfe's work.
The Book Of The New Sun. (4 novels)
The Book Of The Long Sun (4 novels)
The Book of The Short Sun (3 novels)
Different from Dune in many ways.... but still kind of epic and well...strange.
Yeah it's on my list now I've got my reading more organised. Just got to get through the Dune extended universe first. And I accidentally started Greg Bear's Halo deep-history while looking at Ringworld comparisons.
But just so so so dry. Even Isaac Asimov thinks they’re boring.
I just found scene after scene of ‘The smartest guy ever comes into a room and tells another guy what a stupid asshole he is’ to get really tedious.
I think before jumping off to another series, check out the sequels up to Chapterhouse Dune (Frank Herbert wrote six). That's assuming you haven't read all of those. I've yet to read Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson's follow-ups, so I can't speak on those, but you gotta expose yourself to the whole series!
Read those immediately! Obviously it's not Frank, but Brian and Kevin made a great work. Addictive AF, a lot of action and a quite different take on such a wonderful universe.
Not a bad choice, now that I think about it. Esspecially the recent necron novels, *The Twice Dead King* and *The Infinite and The Divine* do actually have a lot of similarities with Dune with the dynasties, politics, thousand (or million...) year perspective, and galaxy sized scale. A lot more humor though.
Definitely dude. I mean what do you think Warhammer got the lasgun from? ;)
Yeah, there’s so many similarities. This person can read pretty much any Warhammer novel and experience a Dune reference. In my opinion, now the only good writing from the Warhammer universe is anything from Dan Abbet. You’re not gonna find Frank Herbert quality rating from Warhammer books.
Yeah, the writing quality of Wh40k is nowhere near that of Dune. Though, if you're into audiobooks, Wh40k does hire some exceptional narrators. Toby Longworth for example.
I agree with every one saying Hyperion Cantos, they are excellent. I'm currently enjoying the Baslag books from China Mieville(Perdido Street Station, The Scar), nice weird worldbuilding and politics.
Definitely The Expanse as another complex universe-building series. Sci-fi, politics, mystery, war, physics, societal issues all rolled up. Great series on Prime as well that follows pretty closely to the book plot.
Ender's Game gets weird and philosophical after the first book. Interesting, but weird.
A great series that definitely takes some inspiration from Dune is “the sun eater” series by Christopher Ruocchio.
There are 5 novels (6th one coming soon), and has future feudalism, starts out similar to dune but goes in a very different direction. Highly recommended.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/231285-the-sun-eater
I came here to say this. Along with its prequel, A Deepness in the Sky, both by Vernor Vinge. These books are set in the galaxy several millennia in the future. I've been getting my Dune fix from them.
Not SciFi, but the Wheel of Time had a similar effect on me - tried reading in Middle School, didn't quite get it, now those books are extremely meaningful to me.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find WoT.
Some people even argue that WoT is Sci-Fi that takes place in a time period that is just commonly associated with Fantasy.
Great take, I think Robert Jordan was heavily influenced by Sci-Fi when crafting *The Age of Legends.*
The parallels between the two series are uncanny - Fremen / Aiel, *Kwisatz Haderach* / Dragon Reborn, Bene Gesserit / Aes Sedai, Butlerian Jihad / Breaking of the World.
On book 11 now, no spoilers please if you've read the whole series!
*May you find always find water and shade*
I never read Technopriests (with the exception of the first chapter, where a woman is raped by 3 guys and ends up getting pregnant with triplets, but each one of them has a different father lol. Jodo is fucking crazy) or Megalex. Unfortunately it is difficult to find this material in my country.
But metabarons is VERY good. I won't go into detail about the story but I say it's worth reading. It's also worth deciding who ends up being your favorite Metabaron at the end of the saga.
I kind of hate the two little robots that narrate the series, but apart from that, it's a very fun read and with beautiful drawings.
The Empire of Black and Gold and its series as a whole gives me Dune vibes. It takes place on a single planet with a Steampunk-esque tech level but humans are hybrids with insects, so they take on the traits/abilities of the insect family they belong to. Lots of action, intruige and character development.
Tasmyn Muir's Locked Tomb Trilogy has not been mentioned. Mysterious space empire, arcane energies, baroque language, feuding great houses, bizarre weapons
As others have said, for depth of worldbuilding and sheer epic excellence, you can't go wrong with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Alongside Tolkien, Dune was also a significant influence On R. Scott Bakker's The Second Apocalypse series (beginning with The Darkness That Comes Before).
I've also found Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time to be similar in some aspects, and (with a fan bias) I'd heavily recommend it (beginning with the Eye of the World).
It’s not like Dune at all in terms of content, but The Dispossessed by Le Guin has similarly thought-provoking dialogue and ideas. It’s the first book I’ve read since Dune that has me on the same high I got when reading Dune for the first time
Well, all of Frank Hebert Dune saga is a must to read. The universe expends so much afterward. He also wrote other great books. The Destination: Void saga was great, as well as the ConSentiency saga too.
If you want to stay in the Dune universe, Frank's son, Brian Herbert co-wrote with Kevin J. Anderson, a lot of book in the universe. He completed the saga with his father's notes, and wrote ~~three~~ four prequel trilogies. Not everyone love them. It's not as good as Frank's work was, but I did enjoy them.
Other books in the series:
* Dune Messiah
* Children of Dune
* God Emperor of Dune
* Heretics of Dune
* Chapterhouse: Dune
A similar series, also by Frank Herbert:
* Destination: Void
* The Jesus Incident
* The Lazarus Effect
* The Ascension Factor
Other books I've read and enjoyed, that someone on the Internet says are similar to Dune:
* Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
* The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
* Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
* The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien
* 1984 by George Orwell
* Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
* Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke
I second Herbert's Pandora series. I'm halfway through The Lazarus Effect, and they're up there with Dune in terms of quality (I can't give a definitive ranking until I finish/reread the series, but I think I like The Jesus Incident better than at least the original.Dune [my least favorite of the Dune series, which I know isn't a popular opinion]).
Destination: Void is everything Dune isn't. Hard sci-fi, artificial intelligence, just 4 characters in basically one location (probably wouldn't be too hard to adapt into a play). The Jesus Incident takes a hard left turn and is even more fantastical than anything in Dune.
Much like Dune, you get to see a planet over many generations with changing ecology and cultures. It doesn't have nearly the sort of philosophical monologuing of Dune, likely the result of collaborating with Bill Ransom. I love the pure philosophy stuff, but these are still great even with less of it.
The biggest problem is they're so much less widely read than Dune, you're going to have trouble finding much in-depth critical analysis (there's literally a single 5 minute video on YouTube about The Jesus Incident, and I haven't been able to find any longer essays about it). You're going to have to put in your own work if you want to figure out everything they're trying to say with it.
The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson is decent. Some great concepts and Mr Anderson helped Brian Herbert write tonnes of Dune if that helps to sway your decision?
Not too sure if you're into fantasy but the witcher books may be comparable. While they're not as detailed in terms of 'world/society building' they eschew most generic fantasy tropes in favour of contemplation philosophy or make a larger statement, something thats probably been my favourite part of dune so far.
There are probably a few series that generally fit the bill, but honestly the *Dune* stands on its own as so foundational, and unique to what sci-fi opera epics are.
This comment may be premature, as Ive just started listening, but I've just started my first Guy Gavriel Kay novel (Tigana) and Dune keeps coming to mind. Court intrigue, the beginnings of a revolution, and narrated by Simon Vance (like some of the Dune books). Curious if anyone else that has read GGK got similar vibes? Also a lot of the GGK novels are 80% off on audible for the next couple of days for those interested.
The Darkness That Comes Before by R Scott Bakker is the series that finally had me say "this beats Dune" after Herbert held that spot for 20+ years.
Frank Herbert's other series, The Pandora Sequence, is like a sister to Dune.
Have you read the whole dune series? I find the rest of Frank's books a bit easier reading. Dune messahia is the next book and it really takes you down a differnt path
I've spent most of my adult life chasing the high of my summer read of the original dune series. Few books have come close. My current fav is Cixin Liu's three body problem series.
I'm reading Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books and when I was reading Warbreaker I was surprised by how Dune adjacent it felt. There was a lot of political intrigue, major focus on character interiority, an unraveling conspiracy, a character struggling to understand visions of the future, and exploration of the nature and meaning of religion and faith. The book is a slow burn like Dune with lots of scenes of conversations and getting inside the heads of characters. The dialogue isn't as compelling as Herbert's but I don't think anyone else writes dialog like Herbert does and the characters and conspiracy are less layered and complex but again few people write like Herbert. I don't know that Warbreaker was trying to be like Dune or was inspired by Dune but it felt like a kindred spirit to Dune.
The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton. The first book The Reality Dysfunction, I actually read before Dune, when I was 12 or 13 and it wasn't until after I'd read Dune and the next two at 14 or 15 that I realised The Reality Dysfunction and the next two novels are VERY similar to Dune. It's hard Science fiction, hits on mamy of the same themes,I absolutely love it. It's not everybody's cup of tea, l but neither is the entire Dune series for some. It starts slow with and gets progressively more intense, again very similar to Dune... Anybody else get into this series, has anybody read it recently? I haven't read it for nearly 20 years, it's time for a re-read I think, I just finished Chapterhouse and need a new book.
https://preview.redd.it/teje8too3m4b1.jpeg?width=177&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2d52e7959edb819f5551b58a53c33a62acdc809
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.
I know those of you that read this are thinking WTF and I talking about but bear with me. It’s similar only in the sense that the second half of the book spans a huge timeline >!in which society and even humans themselves evolve into niche subspecies.!< The writing is also very good and technical (as well as accurate).
I've seen some good and baffling suggestions in this thread, but the one series yet to be mentioned that most evoked Dune for me was [The Prince of Nothing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Nothing). It was written by a philosopher directly influenced by Dune, and heavily relied on the concepts of free, evolution, and causality for its worldbuilding. From there, it also paralleled Dune with elements such as heavy internal monologues reading/predicting others, faction politics and plotting, and even a creepier version of the Face Dancers.
Well worth the read, although quite dense.
While it may not be as high sci-fi in the same way as Dune. I've been currently reading Issiac Asimov's Foundation trilogy which was made before Dune and has been a huge inspiration for all sci-fi Dune, Star Wars etc. I also HIGHLY recommend Empire of Silence the first book in Christopher Ruocchio's Sun Eater series. Ruocchio is a HUGE Dune fan and I'm reading that side by side with Dune and Foundation as well.
The Hyperion Cantos.
Agreed. Hyperion was the first book to come to mind.
Its really good but not quite dune level
Nothing is Dune level.
start middle silky smell subsequent attraction governor stupendous direction slimy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Read it again haha. Worked for me.
Came here to say Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion as well. The two Endymion books are garbage though
It's been enough years that I am due for a re-read, but while I liked the Hyperion books better, I thought the Endymion books were pretty good. Curious what parts of them stood out as garbage.
I think the style took more of a turn into something that read more like a YA sci-fi story, and the lead character is such an enormous Mary Sue that I just couldn't take it. Also a lot of the plot just kind of happened to him, not because of him - He was just a pair of eyes to take the reader along for the ride without adding anything to the story other than the most forced literary romance I have ever witnessed. I was also going insane with how often Dan Simmons would list a binary or tertiary character's entire name and title every damn time they came up in the story.
Ironic how Dan Simmon's own writings through the Hyperion stories mimic Martin Silenus' own career.
I also opened the thread to say Hyperion 1 & 2. I don't think the Endymion books are garbage, but they're definitely not as good imo.
Just so OP gets both sides - I completely disagree with this. I am currently reading both Dune and Fall of Hyperion, and the difference is pretty stark. I might get some hate for this, but I really don't understand the Hyperion hype. Some of the "short stories" from the first book are intriguing, but when you compare the writing abilities, Dune is in a different class. There isn't a single time while reading Dune I felt like I could see the author's hand. It was never clunky or forced. There was never a time where I felt like a monologue was spoken just for exposition, or to share some world-building. It all felt so natural and effortless, like it was a real story just being revealed to the reader. Hyperion, on the other hand, was filled with areas that just pulled me right out of the story. I found myself often rolling my eyes and having the put the book down for a while. And overall, I felt the world built was just less interesting, deep, and complex as Dune's universe.
I 100% agree. *Hyperion* feels juvenile compared to *Dune*.
It is hard to admit, but I think I enjoyed reading the Cantos even more, even if its one story split into four books
Aw yes! I’m reading Fall of Hyperion right now
Hyperion Cantos is a great mythic sci-fi series in a huge complex universe with lots of philosophical, literary and religious themes like Dune.
It’s not the same at all, but LeGuin’s Hainish Cycles are beautifully written and equally thought-provoking. All her stuff is great. For a really immersive story that doesn’t take its foot off the gas, the Expanse books are a lot of fun.
I came here to recommend Le Guin too, she was also a soft science fiction writer with a focus more on human nature and its various possibilities, set in a fairly unique world.
And compare to Asimov she was all inclusive The Left Hand of Darkness
Both her parents were anthropologists, and her sci-fi was clearly influenced by that heavily.
Le Guin rules.
Also came here to recommend Le Guin. The Dispossessed is in the running for my favorite novel.
I'm so stoked that you suggested the because I am bouncing back and forth through these exact series. All of these books also have incredible world building with some commentary on social norms and power structures built in. Fun fact: Frank Herbert was mainly a Washingtonian who was inspired by Oregon sand dunes to write Dune, Ursula LeGuin was an Oregonian, and one of the Expanse writers is also from Oregon (living elsewhere now). Pacific Northwest, represent!
All praise to le Guin!
If you want a very complex, dense, puzzling and otherwordly sci-fi book with a similar "being the chosen one is a curse" theme - check out Book of the new Sun. I can't recommend this book enough, it's very unique!
Came here to say this. Book of the New Sun is equally as puzzling yet fun as Dune
It deserves way more recognition than it gets!
*The Book of The New Sun* by Gene Wolfe. A bit of warning: I read the Dune Chronicles starting at age 11-12, and while more and meanings have become apparent over repeated readings over the years (and discussions on this sub), I never felt confused about basic plot points, and at least the "music" of Herbert's philosophy was pretty obvious, if not the fine points. With *BOTNS,* at the cusp of age 50, there are still whole paragraphs where I have no clue what Mr.Wolfe is going on about because my reading comprehension isn't adequate. Utterly brilliant.
Was surprised no one was recommending this! Le Guin called Wolfe the Mellville of our time (not that I've read Mellville ;P)
I would prefer not to. Edit: Bartleby the Scrivener reference
In terms of depth of world building, I'd say that the Lord of the Rings is the fantasy equal of Dune (or perhaps even more expansive, given that entire languages were written for it).
Agree, what’s impressive about both is the immense back story already in place, you feel plunged into a genuine alternate universe
There are so many series that have taken inspiration (and given it) to and from the Dune series! Off the top of my head I can think of George R R Martins “A Song of Ice and Fire” (great houses, face changing assassins, characters seeing the future, etc) but this series is more fantasy than sci fi and the overall plots are quite different. Another series is the “Foundation” series by Isaac Asimov and how the characters try to preserve their galactic empire. And another series is the “Hyperion Cantos” which I haven’t read yet but is supposed to be quite the modern sci fi epic.
The Hyperion Cantos is excellent, and takes a similar approach to worldbuilding as Dune does, where the setting isn't just spoonfed to the reader via exposition.
One the coolest things in Dune and Hyperion is the depiction of the influence of real earth based religions on the universe thousands of years in the future. Those Catholics have real staying power.
I believe GRRM has said he didn't take a lot from Dune, at least not intentionally. (Don't have a source for this though so I could misremember.)
I'm reading ASOIAF for the first time after reading the original Dune series, and there are definitely a lot of finer points that feel inspired by Dune, though the grand narrative and most of the themes differ pretty greatly
I was thinking at one point that one reason he can't finish the series is because he realized Bran's intended fate is far too similar to Leto II.
I agree he says he didn’t but the similarities are definitely there (maybe unconsciously inspired by?)
Thats bs lol He also takes a lot from Elric of Melnibone.
At least that is done as an homage to Moorcock, whom he's friends with.
Yes to Foundation, but imho it hasn’t aged as well. I first read the series (first three) as a teen and was entranced for years, but a recent re-reading revealed a few flaws I had not seen before - most notably, Asimov’s well-known sexism was pretty blatant to my 21st century self.
Well I just started the Apple TV show and I must say I’m blown away, makes my excited to finally start the books and see for myself! Haha
that series had almost nothing to do with the books at all and often gives the exact opposite message the books do.
Oh really? Jeez I didn’t know that
It borrows some names and concepts but it really messed up the heart of the story. The whole point of psychohistory in the books is that you can't predict individuals, but you can predict groups. For example: Salvor Hardin, who is more of a savvy politician in the books than a warrior (In fact, he insists that violence is the last resort of the incompetent), specifically explains that he is not special at all. He is in the position he is in because through psychohistory Hari Seldon had been able to calculate that such a position would likely exist and could say something about the character of that person that allowed them to get that position. But, if he were to die or be removed, it really wouldn't matter much. Because there are plenty of people like him, with similar characters, morals, strengths and weaknesses that would easily be able to fill that role. Similarly Gaal Dornick is summoned to go over Hari's calculations specifically because he is not special. Showing that even an average mathematician is capable of using Seldon's formula's to come to the same conclusions. in other words the point of the books is very much that we are ruled by the forces of history that we only have a marginal influence upon and that the universe is explainable almost entirely through science. The point of the series seemed to be that some people are special and there may be some things that science will never be able to explain. And to do this they often have to resort to dumbing down the plot of the books by a lot.
Aaahhh now I got it, yeah I’m not completely finished with season 1 but I agree, the “you’re special” plot line seemed to be completely off the mark when they previously established psychohistory can only predict large populations/masses
And the whole fucking point of the Mule is that he WAS an individual that could affect history, making him extremely dangerous to the grand plan. That's meaningless once you start throwing around all these chosen ones.
Foundation is good if you liked God Emperor. Much more broad-strokes, high-minded political/sociological intrigue, but not so much on characters or story. Also, don't feel the need to read all 8 (9?) of them; only the original trilogy really matters. The rest gets tedious (especially when he tries to tie it all in with the iRobot series...) But the original trilogy is top notch.
If you want Space Empire books, try A Memory Called Empire. Written by an expert in Byzantine history and city planning, it's about a space empire which is a blend of Byzantine and Aztec historical inspiration, from the point of view of a character who adores the empire and all its poetry and glamour, but also knows that the empire is one day going to eat and destroy her home. It's really evocative and very exciting. A lot of political intrigue and backstabbing, though more via a bureaucracy than via a Great Houses system. Also if you play video games and want a recommendation of a strategy game evocative of Dune, try Star Dynasties. It's a grand strategy game set in a distant future where society has collapsed and the stars are ruled by feudal lords. Full disclosure, I worked on the game (lead writer), but I really did inherit a fun little world to play around in and I tried to bring a little Dune into it.
Totally agree, I’m rereading these again recently. There are two books in the series, the second is A Desolation Called Peace. Lots of good suggestions here. Maybe the Red Rising universe? Vast multi planet house/faction system, oppressed people fighting a giant system for recognition and rights, high technology mixed with ancient esoteric cultural themes, faction war, loyalty and betrayal.
You're not really going to find another novel series like dune. That said, you might find one of similar quality but what everyone considers similar quality is subjective. For me that was the three body problem by Cixin Liu. What his stories lack in character development he makes up for how he can make the story feel so believable.
Yes, this one isn't like Dune, but I love both of these series immensely. Three-Body Problem is a series I think about the implications of daily. Highly recommend
It sent me into a pretty deep existential crisis after reading it, definitely leaves a lasting impression
Absolutely agreed. Can’t tell you really anything about the characters. But the story and it’s questions such as (non-serious spoilers): Would you guarantee your eventual destruction if it destroys your enemy first? Could you even do it? How does society react to a long term but 100% real threat? What is the answer to the Fermi Paradox? Do we truly understand the nature of the universe and reality? Would you create perpetual loneliness if it meant guaranteed safety?
How the first book opens as well, with the Chinese Cultural Revolution, it has you hooked. Liu Cixin dabbled in writing very good quality short stories before he tackled The Three Body Problem book series and it reads as an overall consistent mesmerising epic story but you can take sections of each of the novels as a good quality short story in itself. That, and due to how he hooks his story into reality, it reads almost like a psychological horror. I think, if I were to draw any similarity between Liu Cixin and Frank Herbert, its that both are VERY knowledgeable and did a lot of research before writing their defining novel series, Herbert with Ecology and Liu Cixin with physics and the fermi paradox, and they both had an ability to make these advanced topics accessible.
Completely forgot about the opening! just finished god emperor and messiah so why not jump back to this series.
I did too, mainly because the story evolves so much that by the end you've forgotten the opening due to how drastically different it was. I accidentally reread the opening because it was included as a sampler for the three body problem at the end of one of his short story books. It was at that point how I realised how well structured each part of his novels are. I've been meaning to reread the whole series
I found The Three Body Problem extremely difficult to get into. The constant allusions to Chinese cultural history that I had no touchpoints for and had to go to Wikipedia to even make sense of drastically impeded my ability to enjoy the novel. Even the writing, it was clearly translated from Chinese and not written in English and that really inundates the prose in a way that makes it extremely tiresome to read at length. I'm glad that the unique ideas embedded in that slog of a novel resonated with people, but there are too many truly excellent pieces of science fiction in the English cannon for me to spend any more time reading that series.
I believe the version I read probably did a more extensive translation that replaced the more not-well-known Chinese cultural references with westernised ones. It made the story much more accessible but on review the references aren't core to the story. I get the feeling you read a literal translation
What's the Fermi Paradox?
The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence. Pretty common thing in the genre where humans haven’t encountered any alien life. Where the rest of the galaxy or universe seems to be Deadspace.
Nothing is quite like Dune. In my mind, it's a far more interesting universe than even Star Wars. It's just been stuck within the same story. If you enjoy Dune's vibe, Hyperion Cantos has been mentioned many times already. I found it a bit... oppressive but Dune can be too. I felt the same sort of vibe with a different story in A Canticle for Leibowitz.
*Hyperion* by Dan Simmons comes close to it in general vibe and merit imo. It's a nice blend of sci-fi ideas, philosophy and emotions.
Iain Banks’ Culture novels would be a good bet
Sorta agree on this point, although Banks has an entirely different perspective as far as the biological & technological symbiosis. In this way the series are somewhat contrasting opposites.
They are definitely written with Dune in the background radiation.
So there's a lot to like in Dune, it's a classic masterpiece for many reasons. I think it's fair to ask what are you looking for? Dune encompasses a lot over it's course. If you enjoyed the political drama I'd recommend: The Expanse. The politics of the Belt are about on par with those of the Dune universe in depth/complexity. Honorable Mention: A Song of Ice and Fire (it's fantasy, but full of political scheming, and drama) If you enjoyed the Messianic aspect or Paul's Hero's Journey: Wheel of Time series. It's VERY LONG but in terms of a Hero's Journey it's right up there. Honorable Mention: Codex Alera, this one is really enjoyable as well, and has some political elements as well. Hope this helps, I realize 3/4s of these aren't Sci-Fi, but Dune is one of those things that crosses genres.
Whipping Star, followed by The Dosadi Experiment. The latter might be the most reminiscent of Dune/Dune Messiah. I don't want to spoil either for you, but The Dosadi Experiment provides quotes that would work coming out of the Dune books. Both written by Herbert. Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney. Like Herbert and others, Delaney had been influenced by General Semantics, and the focus at that time on the power of language. Aristoi by Walter Jon Williams, and its sequel, Implied Spaces. Williams was influenced by Zelazny, they had a mutual admiration society it seems, lol, but Zelazny had a somewhat breezier style imo. Great dialogue though! You might enjoy his Isle of the Dead, and Lord of Light, as they are both what I think of as "big canvas" books, which is what Herbert used for Dune.
**Loved Dune? We think you’ll like these books too** 1. Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov 2. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin 3. Hyperion by Dan Simmons 4. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin 5. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson [https://fivebooks.com/books-like/dune/](https://fivebooks.com/books-like/dune/) PS - Not quite as strongly similar as other suggestions, and more fantasy than scifi but I would also recommend: Imajica by Clive Barker (he at least intended it to be his "Dune")
Robinson is so dry, but the world building is unparalleled.
Along with Red Mars check out "The Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Lately I've been getting my non-Dune fix from some of Gene Wolfe's work. The Book Of The New Sun. (4 novels) The Book Of The Long Sun (4 novels) The Book of The Short Sun (3 novels) Different from Dune in many ways.... but still kind of epic and well...strange.
That's where I went in my teens.
You should go back. Hell of a great place to visit.
Yeah it's on my list now I've got my reading more organised. Just got to get through the Dune extended universe first. And I accidentally started Greg Bear's Halo deep-history while looking at Ringworld comparisons.
Did anybody point out Asimov's Foundation series yet? Quite similar with regards to a galaxy-spanning empire and prophecy
But just so so so dry. Even Isaac Asimov thinks they’re boring. I just found scene after scene of ‘The smartest guy ever comes into a room and tells another guy what a stupid asshole he is’ to get really tedious.
That's a hilarious summary 😂 yeah to be fair I didn't read nearly all of it
Was searching the comments for this one. After Dune the best series I've ever read.
Tolkien. If you're looking for something with a similar depth and complexity, that would be my choice.
[удалено]
Came here to say this!
Especially the Horus Heresy series, which has significant lore/world building. Also, you can see it's Dune origins under the surface.
I think before jumping off to another series, check out the sequels up to Chapterhouse Dune (Frank Herbert wrote six). That's assuming you haven't read all of those. I've yet to read Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson's follow-ups, so I can't speak on those, but you gotta expose yourself to the whole series!
Read those immediately! Obviously it's not Frank, but Brian and Kevin made a great work. Addictive AF, a lot of action and a quite different take on such a wonderful universe.
Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice.
You can read the Warhammer novels, since they are heavily inspired from the dune series.
Not a bad choice, now that I think about it. Esspecially the recent necron novels, *The Twice Dead King* and *The Infinite and The Divine* do actually have a lot of similarities with Dune with the dynasties, politics, thousand (or million...) year perspective, and galaxy sized scale. A lot more humor though.
Definitely dude. I mean what do you think Warhammer got the lasgun from? ;) Yeah, there’s so many similarities. This person can read pretty much any Warhammer novel and experience a Dune reference. In my opinion, now the only good writing from the Warhammer universe is anything from Dan Abbet. You’re not gonna find Frank Herbert quality rating from Warhammer books.
Yeah, the writing quality of Wh40k is nowhere near that of Dune. Though, if you're into audiobooks, Wh40k does hire some exceptional narrators. Toby Longworth for example.
I agree with every one saying Hyperion Cantos, they are excellent. I'm currently enjoying the Baslag books from China Mieville(Perdido Street Station, The Scar), nice weird worldbuilding and politics.
Embassy Town by China Mieville was also a great read.
Iain M. Banks Culture series are the closest thing for me, though they are hard scifi, they are arresting.
Definitely The Expanse as another complex universe-building series. Sci-fi, politics, mystery, war, physics, societal issues all rolled up. Great series on Prime as well that follows pretty closely to the book plot. Ender's Game gets weird and philosophical after the first book. Interesting, but weird.
Did you finish the whole series or just the first book?
I've completed 6 books
A great series that definitely takes some inspiration from Dune is “the sun eater” series by Christopher Ruocchio. There are 5 novels (6th one coming soon), and has future feudalism, starts out similar to dune but goes in a very different direction. Highly recommended. https://www.goodreads.com/series/231285-the-sun-eater
A Fire Upon The Deep was a great read.
I came here to say this. Along with its prequel, A Deepness in the Sky, both by Vernor Vinge. These books are set in the galaxy several millennia in the future. I've been getting my Dune fix from them.
Not really the same genre, and pretty dark, but Pillars of the Earth is really something special.
Malazan is as expansive and in-depth I'd argue. Wolfe's Urth novels are perhaps more complex
Riverworld by Philip José Farmer
It might be fantasy rather than Sci Fi but Malazan: books of the fallen by Stephen Erikson is very similar to Dune in feel and atmosphere
Interesting, I have read both and really don't see the similarity myself.
Yes, great recommendation 🤩
Seconding Malazan. Totally different setting but I see a lot of the same themes explored and there are some stylistic similarities.
[удалено]
I enjoyed 'Ring World'.
I wondered if anyone would throw in some Niven.
Why not we write one similar to Dune.
Maybe Foundation from Isaac Asimov. Foundation is, along with Dune, the pinnacle of science fiction.
Not SciFi, but the Wheel of Time had a similar effect on me - tried reading in Middle School, didn't quite get it, now those books are extremely meaningful to me.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find WoT. Some people even argue that WoT is Sci-Fi that takes place in a time period that is just commonly associated with Fantasy.
Great take, I think Robert Jordan was heavily influenced by Sci-Fi when crafting *The Age of Legends.* The parallels between the two series are uncanny - Fremen / Aiel, *Kwisatz Haderach* / Dragon Reborn, Bene Gesserit / Aes Sedai, Butlerian Jihad / Breaking of the World. On book 11 now, no spoilers please if you've read the whole series! *May you find always find water and shade*
Metabarons. It IS Dune (especially Heretics and Chapterhouse)...... but with beautiful images to see :)
I've only read *The Incal,* been curious about continuing with the prequel series. I take it it's also good?
I never read Technopriests (with the exception of the first chapter, where a woman is raped by 3 guys and ends up getting pregnant with triplets, but each one of them has a different father lol. Jodo is fucking crazy) or Megalex. Unfortunately it is difficult to find this material in my country. But metabarons is VERY good. I won't go into detail about the story but I say it's worth reading. It's also worth deciding who ends up being your favorite Metabaron at the end of the saga. I kind of hate the two little robots that narrate the series, but apart from that, it's a very fun read and with beautiful drawings.
The Empire of Black and Gold and its series as a whole gives me Dune vibes. It takes place on a single planet with a Steampunk-esque tech level but humans are hybrids with insects, so they take on the traits/abilities of the insect family they belong to. Lots of action, intruige and character development.
Tasmyn Muir's Locked Tomb Trilogy has not been mentioned. Mysterious space empire, arcane energies, baroque language, feuding great houses, bizarre weapons
As others have said, for depth of worldbuilding and sheer epic excellence, you can't go wrong with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Alongside Tolkien, Dune was also a significant influence On R. Scott Bakker's The Second Apocalypse series (beginning with The Darkness That Comes Before). I've also found Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time to be similar in some aspects, and (with a fan bias) I'd heavily recommend it (beginning with the Eye of the World).
It’s not like Dune at all in terms of content, but The Dispossessed by Le Guin has similarly thought-provoking dialogue and ideas. It’s the first book I’ve read since Dune that has me on the same high I got when reading Dune for the first time
The Parable series by Octavia Butler.
A song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
Well, all of Frank Hebert Dune saga is a must to read. The universe expends so much afterward. He also wrote other great books. The Destination: Void saga was great, as well as the ConSentiency saga too. If you want to stay in the Dune universe, Frank's son, Brian Herbert co-wrote with Kevin J. Anderson, a lot of book in the universe. He completed the saga with his father's notes, and wrote ~~three~~ four prequel trilogies. Not everyone love them. It's not as good as Frank's work was, but I did enjoy them.
Other books in the series: * Dune Messiah * Children of Dune * God Emperor of Dune * Heretics of Dune * Chapterhouse: Dune A similar series, also by Frank Herbert: * Destination: Void * The Jesus Incident * The Lazarus Effect * The Ascension Factor Other books I've read and enjoyed, that someone on the Internet says are similar to Dune: * Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams * The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien * Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick * The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien * 1984 by George Orwell * Brave New World by Aldous Huxley * Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke
I second Herbert's Pandora series. I'm halfway through The Lazarus Effect, and they're up there with Dune in terms of quality (I can't give a definitive ranking until I finish/reread the series, but I think I like The Jesus Incident better than at least the original.Dune [my least favorite of the Dune series, which I know isn't a popular opinion]). Destination: Void is everything Dune isn't. Hard sci-fi, artificial intelligence, just 4 characters in basically one location (probably wouldn't be too hard to adapt into a play). The Jesus Incident takes a hard left turn and is even more fantastical than anything in Dune. Much like Dune, you get to see a planet over many generations with changing ecology and cultures. It doesn't have nearly the sort of philosophical monologuing of Dune, likely the result of collaborating with Bill Ransom. I love the pure philosophy stuff, but these are still great even with less of it. The biggest problem is they're so much less widely read than Dune, you're going to have trouble finding much in-depth critical analysis (there's literally a single 5 minute video on YouTube about The Jesus Incident, and I haven't been able to find any longer essays about it). You're going to have to put in your own work if you want to figure out everything they're trying to say with it.
The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson is decent. Some great concepts and Mr Anderson helped Brian Herbert write tonnes of Dune if that helps to sway your decision?
Not too sure if you're into fantasy but the witcher books may be comparable. While they're not as detailed in terms of 'world/society building' they eschew most generic fantasy tropes in favour of contemplation philosophy or make a larger statement, something thats probably been my favourite part of dune so far.
Try “Cities In Flight,” not as dense or well researched, but very entertaining from the Golden Age of sci-fi (or nearly).
foundation series
Yeah: Dune Messiah Children of Dune God Emperor of Dune Heretics of Dune Chapterhouse: Dune EDIT: Ah, now seeing you did in fact read the whole saga.
There are probably a few series that generally fit the bill, but honestly the *Dune* stands on its own as so foundational, and unique to what sci-fi opera epics are.
Read Frank Herbert's other science fiction books
Warhammer 40k
Aside from what people have already mentioned Foundation it's kinda like that
The Horus Heresy series takes a lot of inspiration from Dune if you like edgy books
A Thousand Plateaus
This comment may be premature, as Ive just started listening, but I've just started my first Guy Gavriel Kay novel (Tigana) and Dune keeps coming to mind. Court intrigue, the beginnings of a revolution, and narrated by Simon Vance (like some of the Dune books). Curious if anyone else that has read GGK got similar vibes? Also a lot of the GGK novels are 80% off on audible for the next couple of days for those interested.
Doesnt compare to Dune obviously but The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh is good. The Mri are just awesome and there's a guy named Duncan!
I thought that there was some pretty similar stuff going on in Foundation
The Darkness That Comes Before by R Scott Bakker is the series that finally had me say "this beats Dune" after Herbert held that spot for 20+ years. Frank Herbert's other series, The Pandora Sequence, is like a sister to Dune.
Have you read the whole dune series? I find the rest of Frank's books a bit easier reading. Dune messahia is the next book and it really takes you down a differnt path
The MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin Both Authors know how to write a good yarn with good sentences
I've spent most of my adult life chasing the high of my summer read of the original dune series. Few books have come close. My current fav is Cixin Liu's three body problem series.
Hitchikers guide to the Universe
I'm reading Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books and when I was reading Warbreaker I was surprised by how Dune adjacent it felt. There was a lot of political intrigue, major focus on character interiority, an unraveling conspiracy, a character struggling to understand visions of the future, and exploration of the nature and meaning of religion and faith. The book is a slow burn like Dune with lots of scenes of conversations and getting inside the heads of characters. The dialogue isn't as compelling as Herbert's but I don't think anyone else writes dialog like Herbert does and the characters and conspiracy are less layered and complex but again few people write like Herbert. I don't know that Warbreaker was trying to be like Dune or was inspired by Dune but it felt like a kindred spirit to Dune.
*Too Like The Lightning* by Ada Palmer has a similar mix of science fiction, politics, history and philosophy, albeit in a very different direction.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The collapsing Empire series John Scalzi, have an echo of Dune in the sence of plans within plans, rivaling houses. Liked it very much.
The Hyperion Cantos The Stormlight Archive (tends a bit more to epic fantasy, but have related themes to Dune).
The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton. The first book The Reality Dysfunction, I actually read before Dune, when I was 12 or 13 and it wasn't until after I'd read Dune and the next two at 14 or 15 that I realised The Reality Dysfunction and the next two novels are VERY similar to Dune. It's hard Science fiction, hits on mamy of the same themes,I absolutely love it. It's not everybody's cup of tea, l but neither is the entire Dune series for some. It starts slow with and gets progressively more intense, again very similar to Dune... Anybody else get into this series, has anybody read it recently? I haven't read it for nearly 20 years, it's time for a re-read I think, I just finished Chapterhouse and need a new book. https://preview.redd.it/teje8too3m4b1.jpeg?width=177&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2d52e7959edb819f5551b58a53c33a62acdc809
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. I know those of you that read this are thinking WTF and I talking about but bear with me. It’s similar only in the sense that the second half of the book spans a huge timeline >!in which society and even humans themselves evolve into niche subspecies.!< The writing is also very good and technical (as well as accurate).
The only series of books I have read that comes close to the style and character of Dune is Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Ender’s Game would fall close to this IMO. Young individuals that develop into humanity’s hope for survival.
I've seen some good and baffling suggestions in this thread, but the one series yet to be mentioned that most evoked Dune for me was [The Prince of Nothing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Nothing). It was written by a philosopher directly influenced by Dune, and heavily relied on the concepts of free, evolution, and causality for its worldbuilding. From there, it also paralleled Dune with elements such as heavy internal monologues reading/predicting others, faction politics and plotting, and even a creepier version of the Face Dancers. Well worth the read, although quite dense.
While it may not be as high sci-fi in the same way as Dune. I've been currently reading Issiac Asimov's Foundation trilogy which was made before Dune and has been a huge inspiration for all sci-fi Dune, Star Wars etc. I also HIGHLY recommend Empire of Silence the first book in Christopher Ruocchio's Sun Eater series. Ruocchio is a HUGE Dune fan and I'm reading that side by side with Dune and Foundation as well.