J.R.R. Tolkien Couldn’t Stand DUNE and He Admitted It in a Brutally Honest Letter

Few authors have built worlds as influential as J.R.R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert. One gave readers Middle-earth, complete with its own languages, songs, histories, and legends. The other created Arrakis, a harsh desert planet at the center of one of science fiction’s most ambitious and politically layered sagas.

Because of their shared love of intricate world-building, fans have spent decades comparing The Lord of the Rings and Dune. Some have even described Dune as the science fiction equivalent of The Lord of the Rings.

But while readers continue to debate the similarities between the two iconic franchises, Tolkien himself apparently wanted no part of that conversation.

As it turns out, the legendary author had a surprisingly strong reaction to Herbert’s sci-fi story, and it wasn’t a positive one.

Tolkien first introduced readers to Middle-earth with The Hobbit in 1937 before expanding that universe with The Lord of the Rings, beginning in 1954. His fantasy setting became famous for its staggering depth, featuring detailed histories, cultures, mythology, and languages that Tolkien meticulously crafted over decades.

Roughly ten years later, Herbert delivered something equally ambitious with Dune. Set thousands of years in the future, the novel centered on political factions battling for control of the Spice Melange, a resource essential for interstellar travel and found only on the desert world of Arrakis.

Like Tolkien, Herbert built an expansive mythology filled with unique terminology, political structures, religions, and historical lore. He eventually followed the original novel with five sequels that expanded the saga even further.

Given those similarities, it’s easy to understand why readers often placed the two works side by side. Apparently, many of Tolkien’s friends did as well.

According to a letter Tolkien wrote to his friend and admirer John Bush in 1966, several people had encouraged him to read Dune, even sending him copies of the novel. The letter was later referenced in Tolkien's Library: An Annotated Checklist and resurfaced online thanks to the @SecretsOfDune account on X.

Tolkien tried to approach the subject diplomatically, acknowledging that authors can have difficulty evaluating the work of fellow writers operating in similar creative territory. But even with that disclaimer, he made his feelings very clear:

"Thank you for sending me a copy of Dune. I received one last year from [Sterling] Lanier and so already know something about the book. It's impossible for an author still writing to be fair to another author working along the same lines. At least I find so.

“In fact, I dislike Dune with some intensity, and in that unfortunate case, it is much the best and fairest to another author to keep silent and refuse to comment. Would you like me to return the book as I already have one, or to hand it on?"

That’s about as close as Tolkien ever came to publicly reviewing Herbert’s novel, and he certainly didn’t leave much room for interpretation.

What makes the letter especially interesting is that Tolkien never explained exactly what bothered him about Dune. He simply stated that he disliked it "with some intensity" and chose not to elaborate further.

One possible explanation as to why Tolkien hated it so much lies in the radically different philosophies at the heart of the two stories.

Tolkien, a devout Catholic, often explored themes of faith, hope, sacrifice, honor, and the struggle against evil. While his stories contain darkness and tragedy, they ultimately lean toward the belief that goodness and courage matter.

Herbert took a much more skeptical view of power structures, especially religion. Throughout Dune, religious belief is frequently shown as something that can be manipulated for political gain.

The series digs into corruption, fanaticism, genocide, holy wars, and the dangers of charismatic leaders. Its outlook is far more cynical and morally complicated than anything found in Middle-earth.

Whether those thematic differences fueled Tolkien’s dislike is impossible to know for sure, but they certainly highlight how differently the two authors viewed the worlds they were creating.

The debate between The Lord of the Rings and Dune remains alive today, perhaps more than ever. Peter Jackson's adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit became some of the most successful fantasy films ever made, while Denis Villeneuve has turned Dune into a modern sci-fi phenomenon with his acclaimed film series.

Both franchises have also expanded onto television with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Dune: Prophecy bringing their respective universes to streaming audiences.

In the end, there’s no definitive winner in the Lord of the Rings versus Dune debate. They’re aiming for very different things.

Tolkien’s work is rich with mythology, language, culture, and the enduring power of friendship and honor. Herbert’s saga is sharper, more political, and deeply interested in how power, religion, and resources shape civilizations. One offers a journey through a legendary past. The other peers into a troubled future.

I personally prefer The Lord of the Rings, though.