Dune

Frank Herbert's seminal work, considered by many the greatest SF book. I haven't made my mind up about that yet, but it is definitely in the top 10, possibly top 5.

Set thousands of years into the future, the story revolves around a desert planet called Arrakis, also known as Dune, which is the only known source of Spice melange. This drug is the basis of all interstellar travel, commerce and power, very much like oil today.

However, Dune is incredibly harsh; giant worms "swim" through the sand, capable of swallowing whole spice processing factories. Also, the desert people, known as Fremen make life difficult for miners, prospectors and soldiers alike. And they have a dream.

Two families, the Harkonnens and the Atreides have been feuding for centuries, and when the Harkonnens conspire with the Emperor Shadam Corrino to hand over Dune to the Atreides and betray them, a series of events involving young Paul Atreides unfold that will have far reaching consequences for the whole galaxy.

The novel explores religion, politics, ecology, power and technology in an intriguing way, as villains and heroes conspire, plot and counterplot both on the battlefield and in the palaces.

In these new times of ecological awareness, this book provides food for thought, and leaves us wanting more... Fortunately Mr. Herbert wrote five sequels before his death. Afterwards, his son Brian teamed with Kevin J. Anderson to write more sequels and prequels in a manner much like the Starwars expanded Universe.