Dune managed to put me off 80 pages into the second book, in no small part due to the preface written by Herbert's son. The guy seemed to have minimal understanding of how Dune played out, and hearing that he actually wrote shit after his father died was a guarantee of infuriating mediocrity. The first book had its moments (dinner scene in particular sticks to mind) but Herbert drops the ball repeatedly, and I got shaken out of the story by this particular moment:
>The Emperor’s smile was calculating. “Anyone accepted into the Imperial company is a member of my entourage.”
>“You have the word of a Duke,” Paul said, “but Muad’Dib is another matter. He may not recognize your definition of what constitutes an entourage.”
And then I couldn't continue even past the few chapters of Messiah. Now I'm thinking I should do what this guy >>13750 did.