Dune is my pick. I’ve read both and I’ve gone back to dune time and time again but only read Hyperion the once. Just my personal preference. Both were amazing but for me dune had better reread value.

Dune. And it’s not even close.

Read the first book of each series and see how you feel about them. No need to commit to the whole series until you’re sure you like one. Both are great in their own way. But it is worth noting that Dune gets really different after the first book and books 3 and 4 of Hyperion are like a whole different story. You might consider reading the first book of Dune, then Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. Then see about the rest.

Dune. Just so you can participate in the buzz generated by the films, and have a greater appreciation of their adaptation attempt.

Hyperion is my favorite of the two, but I don’t think you could go wrong with either. If you are interested in audiobooks there is one for Dune that is very good.

I would say Dune first but give Hyperion a shot. I actually just finished the Hyperion cantos the other day and am still working through the 6th Dune book.

I personally think Hyperion has some cool ideas and concepts but just never really hit greatness for me.

Just keep in mind that they’re very different books. You might not even like both of them - personally, I really struggled to get through Hyperion, but Dune is an all time favorite.

Dune, but both are excellent.

Here are some of my subjective rankings:

Foundation is the front runner of “Epic” sci-fi, by far. It’s relatively easy to follow. Some of the individual stories are memorable, and a few are less memorable when compared to the others. Foundation is my favourite sci-fi series of all time.

Dune is epic when compared to any series apart from Foundation. The earlier books are more memorable, but the later books are still excellent. I prefer the more nuanced political plots in Dune compared to Foundation.

Hyperion is more about some top-tier stories that spill over in to epicness. Some of these stories are more memorable to me than the individual stories in Foundation and Dune. Political intrigue is developed later and isn’t as central to the overall plots.

Whichever you pick you win.

That is a very hard question.

Hyperion first, because it’s nice and will give you momentum.

Dune is beautiful, but dense, and especially later it starts sapping energy, in fact quit after God-Emperor, the last 2 don’t have that much to offer.

Hyperion, then Dune. Hyperion is really awesome but its gonna pale in comparison to Dune, IMO

The first Dune book is amazing. The last book has some interesting philosophical ideas but is pretty over the top.

I read the middle books and they’re not great tbh.

I always felt Dune was boring and overrated. Hyperion I loved though.

both are a must read but Dune is my favorite by far

I loved Hyperion, I'm thinking about rereading it. The original Dune has been my favorite since I was 13 years old. I'm going to get flayed alive for saying this, but I honestly enjoyed most of the prequels his son and Kevin J. Anderson wrote.

Just out of curiosity, when you say Foundation universe do you also mean Empire and Robots books? Because if not, I’d get on that before I move on to anything non-Asimov.

For my money, Dune is by far the better book. But I’d personally stop reading after about the 4th one in the series max (might even stop at 3). They don’t hold up well after that I don’t think.

Can‘t comment on Dune, but the Hyperion Cantos starts awesome, becomes a bit dull later and then has a surprisingly emotional ending in Fall of Endymion.

Hyperion

They both so good but have different vibes. If you want aliens and tech and the Zerg- Hyperion. If you want worms and sand and magic and ancient dynasties go dune. You can go wrong with either!

Dune over Hyperion all day. But you should really read A Deepness in the Sky. Everyone should.

I love both series from first to last book. Hyperion is a fun blend of genres and ideas, whereas Dune is epic fantasy in space. They are VERY different, but equally amazing.

Dune all day any day

Dune but if you get a few chapters in and feel the writing style is too dense that will not change. It is my favorite series but not everyone likes the style.

Hyperion is more meaningful. Dune is more of an epic.

Both of these are premium examples of book series that start out amazing and then start cicling the drain in book two. Add in “Ender’s Game” for the trifecta.

I expect downvotes.

Dune. Hyperion was really cringey, I didn’t even finish it.

Dune!

I’m hyped to see Dune pt 2 when it comes out, and it’s more enjoyable to read the book beforehand to me. You know the deeper lore and appreciate the movie director’s take on the book.

I read Dune and havent read Hyperion yet. Hyperion has to be better because watching paint drying is more appealing to me than rereading Dune. It doesn’t make sense and the characters are flat and horrible.

Dune!

Yes

Hyperion is one of my favorite books. It’s uneven, but very good. I’ve read the whole series and after the first one, they are fine, but nothing to write home about. You can easily stop after the first book if you want something else.

Dune’s complete series is worthwhile, but I don’t really care for Herbert’s writing style. The universe is very rich and the series explores some of the great ideas in science fiction, but it’s like an RPG sourcebook masquerading as a novel to my tastes.