Dune, the novel, was originally published in two volumes over the years of 1963-1965 and has helped define some of the most core aspects of hard science fiction ever since.

Written by Frank Herbert, Dune follows the story of a young boy named Paul Atreides, the son of Leto Atreides, a powerful planetary duke who has had his planetary fief changed, by order of the Padishah Emperor  of Humanity to the arid, hostile planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. 

Herbert does an almost ludicrously good job of detailing the ecology of the planet as well as the behaviours of the indigenous fremen, a mysterious group of humans who inhabit the planet.

I can find no previous piece of major media that used the idea of mine-able spice in a sci-fi setting, something that now holds as something almost typical of sci-fi. It also, of course, has the sand worms. Giant worms that devour any mining crews attempting to mine the spice Melange from Arrakis and I must say they are done so marvellously that I can only compare world building of this echelon or magnitude to that of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. But beyond Arrakis there is the human Imperium, a strong feudal society where rival houses vie for power, such as the antagonists, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. The house wars, lusts and intrigues remind me so much of A Song of Ice and Fire  with the background sexuality and fear of betrayal help bring this world that Herbert created to life. While Baron Harkonnen is a despicable wretch whom I love to hate, I can’t help but find my self feeling sorry for him by the end, and some amount of catharsis is almost to be expected

If you want hard, real and believable sci-fi, this is one to pick up, especially if any you play any sci-fi rpgs such as Traveller or the like. There are more books set in the Dune-iverse after this and I hope to at some point read on and let the story continue..