Let's be honest: the first half of the original Dune is weird. Not because of the Bene Gesserit, or the vaguely-alluded-to Butlerian Jihad, or how Baron Harkonnen evilness is uncomfortably correlated with his weight and sexuality (seriously, WTF).
No, it's a curious piece of dramatic writing because you're basically from the start "This is all a setup!," — Read the rest