Dune by Frank Herbert (American, 1965)

Summary:
Paul Atreides, son to Duke Leto Atreides, is forced to leave his home planet Caladan. The Emperor Shaddam IV has awarded House Atreides the rule of planet Arrakis; this implies that the Atreides are now responsible for providing the Empire with melange, a drug refered to as "the spice", since it is only found in the desert planet of Arrakis, more commonly called Dune. The drug's importance lies in health and prescience improvements along with the heightened awareness​ that it provides to its consumers, making safe space travel possible. 
 However, the gift proves to be a ruse concocted by the Emperor and House Harkonnen in order to get rid of the Atreides, who were growing in power and popularity among the Great Houses. Duke Leto and his household are allowed a brief respite in the new planet before being cruelly attacked by the joined forces of the Emperor and Baron Harkonnen. While most of Leto's men are murdered, some manage to escape Arrakis, which is now under the control of the Harkonnen. 
 Presumed dead, Paul seeks refuge with the natives of Dune, the Fremen. At first reluctant to accept him due to the Empire's mistreatment, the Fremen finally accept Paul and his mother after learning both of them have Bene Gesserit abilities, which include precognition. After two years among the Fremen, Paul has become one of them, to the extent that he is accustomed to consuming the melange, which increases his clairvoyance abilities. Already skillful in combat and a cunning strategist, Paul quickly comes to lead Fremen raids in order to obstruct the spice production. Due to all his qualities, the Fremen associate Paul to their long prophesied messiah Muad'Dib. 
 Paul plans to destabilize the production of melange to get back at those who betrayed his family, but also to have the chance to transform Dune into a more suitable environment for the Fremen. Once the Emperor learns of the multiple Fremen attacks, he resolves to take his troops to Arrakis to suffocate the native rebellion. Paul's plan was to lure him to Dune in order to force the Emperor to abdicate. When the Emperor first refuses, Paul threatens to destroy the spice, something the galaxy cannot afford to lose, so the Emperor reluctantly complies.
 Once Paul is the new Emperor, the Fremen are not second class citizens in their own planet anymore.

Another summary:
The novel is set approximately 8 000 years in the future in a spatial fief. The society lives in different planets, each one has different ways of living. Nonetheless, the story focuses on two of them: Caladan and Dune, also known as Arrakis. Although the story is developed in Dune, Caladan serves the purpose of providing a contrast between the two of them. While the first has plenty of natural resources and a high life quality Dune is a desert in which problems such as water and wealth distribution are part of everyday life. Life in the fief is the representation of a government model similar to some of the ones that have already been experienced in history, but adding technological progress and religion. Despite this, the vision of the world can be seen as one worse than the one in which we currently live, ecology problems being the worse that the main characters face, and the central topic of the story. Although the political structure is not explicitly oppressive, the way the relationships of power are established and the designation of new heads of state, in this case, planet governors, suggest a non-democratic state where people are a secondary priority, thus giving an actual reason for a revolution aiming for improving life conditions at least in Dune. An essential point to consider is that corruption exists and conspiracy, plots and assassination of political leaders are ways to accomplish objectives by certain members of this world, just like in our world. The portrayal of the world, understanding world as the space not limited to a planet, is partially an analogy to the current way the world is organized, and a warning for the possible corruption of political systems and an eventual degeneration into tyranny. By current and non-biased standards such as human rights, the conditions in which the people from dune grow could be seen as inhumane and unacceptable. The main focus of the novel is on ecology issues, drought and famine. Its main purpose is to show the reader the consequences of ignoring them and the natural reactions of humans under this extreme conditions. The story has a positive view towards them and constantly proposes solutions; it directs attention to figures of authority who are convinced of the necessity of putting an end to actions that are not beneficial for the planet. Considering the recent publication of news and articles that present a unavoidable future of natural disasters, the author prefers to give hope and analyses a post natural disaster reality. We can distinguish at least four relevant institutions in the novel: the Empire, the Guild, the Bene Gesserit Order and CHOAM, a company that focuses on natural resources. In second term we recognise the House of Atreides, the Harkonnens and the Fremen. Each of them plays a different role in the story, in each of the sides, either good or evil. The empire is the biggest institution: it provides order and selects the houses that will rule over each planet. Its role regarding this is limited to choosing Atreides house to be the governors of Dune. However, they have little effect on the decisions made by the governors of Dune. The Guild is a parallel institution which helps the Empire and provides balance to certain decisions during the plot. 
 The Bene Gesserit Order is a quasi-religious group of women who train their members to develop special abilities such as mind-reading, body control of other people; according to the appendix of the book, it is possible that they created myths before the arrival of Atreides house in Dune so they could use them in their favor in case they needed to escape from the planet. The importance of religious figures in society is great. We can see a mixture of different beliefs: catholic and muslim, the CHOAM company exploits natural resources in different planets; in Dune particularly they collect the Spice, a type of valuable "plant" that provides great income. The company is an excuse for plots performed by the Harkonnen and their willing to get rid of Atreides house and their heirs. On the other hand, Atreides house is the family chosen to rule over Dune and the main character, Paul, comes from it. The Harkonnens are the enemy along part of the empire and the Guild. The Fremen are the outcast; they are part of the population who wants to make a change in their planet and make it green again. The story is divided into three books. The first places us in Caldan just before the journey of the Atreides family to Arrakeen. It presents the main character, Paul, son of duke Leto and Lady Jessica, Leto's concubine and a Bene Gesserit. After Leto is tested by the Great Mother Helena, it is granted that he is the chosen one, this is, the one who is going to free the Fremen of Dune and lead them to a better life. After arriving in Dune, Leto's family gets familiar with the costumes of the country and gets informed of certain manners that are evidence of a difficult life, for example, the elite wasting water. This has an impact in Paul's later behavior. After a plot organized by the Harkonnen and their leader, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Atreides house is taken out of the throne and now they can continue with their plans to dominate Dune. While this happens, many of Paul's teachers and some members of his family are killed. He and his mother run into exile and find the Fremen. They get involved in their ways and eventually Paul becomes their leader; after being regarded as Mentat by his mother (a person with mental powers such as seeing the future) he is now known as Muad'Dib, a figure similar to a messiah in the Fremen society. As the story finishes, we get to know that Lady Jessica is the Daughter of Baron Harkonnen. Paul kills his heir and takes again the throne despite the reluctance of the emperor, aiming for a better world, using the natural and hidden resources of the Fremen and establishing a new order which will bring more equality for the people in the world. The novel is written in third person and does not make use of many style resources as metaphors. However, it does have many neologisms and words from different languages such as Arabic, thus introducing many cultures into the story.

Another summary:
This story is located in the future, ruled by a galactic empire which consists of a kind of feudal organization with lords and dukes. The story begins with lady Jessica an his son Paul Atreides whom are having a conversation with the ruler of the Bene Gesserit, all women who are considered witches since they have a special training to be wiser than the others. The conversation is about how Paul might be the Kwisatz Harderarch - a prophecy about the only male born within the bene gesserit- and lecturing Jessica since she should have a girl instead of a boy. They leave the place with a kind of a warning since they have to leave the place where they were living, Caladan, a nice place with almost all amenities, and go to Arrakis, a desertic place. Arrakis is an important place due to the fact that it has a spice named melange, which helps to prolong life and enhance the mental abilities of anyone who consumes it. However there are a few problems with it, first of all, to obtain the spice people have to dig, but by doing so there is a risk of attracting the sand worms which would eat it all. Second there is a rebel group named the Fremen who want the spice to stay at Arrakis and not to be exported, and lastly, once you have been in contact with the spice, you will always need it. 
 Once in Arrakis, Paul, Jessica and Duke Leto, Paul’s father, are getting used to living there and having to face all the inconveniences, yet Duke Leto feels that something is off, so does Jessica. At the end, Duke’s suspicions turns out to be true since the Emperor allied with the House Harkonnen - a very agressive and universally disliked family- and had planned to kill the Duke and his family. The Harkonnen attack thanks to the help of Wellington Yueh, a friend of the Duke and his family. First they go for Paul and Lady Jessica, they sedate them and take them to the desert so the sand worms can eat them, meanwhile Yueh faces the Duke and confess his betrayal but also his reason, the Harkonnen had kill his wife and this was his way of getting revenge. Now Duke Luke has to face the leader of the Harkonnen and in the right moment he has to explode a smoke bomb that has a venom in it. Now Duke Leto faces the Baron, Harkonnen leader, and explodes the bomb, the Duke dies but not so the Baron. Meanwhile Jessica and Paul are on the desert and find a way to escape, and in the end they join the Fremen. Within the Fremen there is the prophecy of a man named Muad’Dib which will set them free and will run all over the universe. Lady Jessica is fearful of the out comes, however they present them in front of another Bene Gesserit that makes her and Paul drink a special beverage which will enhance their abilities. Once Jessica has drunk it they find out she is pregnant with a girl and they do not know what the consequences may be, also she is called as the reverend mother. Paul meets a girl among the Fremen named Chani, they fall in love and have a son named Leto II. 
 There is a time jump of two years in which the Emperor and his allies have been calm, however there has been a few rumors about someone named Muad’Dib. The emperor is now in a constant panic since they could never assure him that Paul and Jessica were dead and weren’t a problem any more. The older Duke’s allies now work for the emperor under the belief that his son is dead, but one day they reunite. They all trust Paul but not Jessica since the Baron had spread the word that there was a traitor among duke’s loved ones and everyone assumed it was her. She proves them wrong presenting them her daughter and showing that Yueh left some proofs, and now they are all working together. Paul along with Helleck, his old trainer now train the fremen in order to face the Baron and the Emperor. 
 The Emperor feeling scared arrives at Arrakis and attacks the Fremen, as a result Leto II is dead and Paul’s sister, Alia, is captured. 
 While captive Alia tells the Baron that his brother will run the universe and that he will die, she knows all this because she can see the future thanks to the beverage her mother drank long time ago. Alia kills the Baron and Paul attacks at the same moment. Paul threatens the emperor to cede the throne and allow him to marry his daughter so he can run the universe or he will follow Baron’s destiny. Then Feyd-Rautha (Baron’s nephew) challenges Paul since the Baron had promised him the throne. Paul and him fight, Paul wins and the emperor cedes the throne. Paul now is known as Muad’Dib and is engaged to the princess Irulan, yet he stays with Chani.

World view: Describes in a variety of aspects and with some consistency an imaginary state or society which is regarded as better, in some respects at least, than the one in which its author lives.
Future projections: Sees the future as potential to reform a reality that once seemed unchangeable.
Ideology: The majority is oppressed by a ruling elite or an individual powergroup that come to dominate society to their own interests.
Characters, plot and writing style: The story features a rebellion against the adverse circumstances (revolutionaries may exploit newer technologies for these ends).
Classification: Non-dystopia