Did you know that Dune was originally published by Chilton, the company best known for all those car repair manuals?  They were the only ones willing to take the risk. FH had submitted it to over 20 other publishers that rejected the manuscript.  Also please keep in mind that this is a work that is over 50 years old, many of its themes are now widespread throughout current science fiction.  One fell in love with CJC because her works have a similar density in plot and world building.

I don't believe so, Spence.  I read the ones that Frank and Beverly collaborated on after Dune, and after Frank died, the series was kind of undertaken by his older son, Brian and Kevin Anderson.  They wrote the books based on Frank's notes. There were "prequels" and "sequels" to Dune, many of them do not take place on Arrakis, and that planet is only mentioned in passing. 
I always felt Herbert's main focus was on how societies (whether it be human or animal) adapt under extreme stressors.  I started that conclusion when I read "Under Pressure" (also known as "Dragon in the Sea"), but other people believe he was focusing on ecological aspects.  I can see their points, too, but my feeling is still that it's how societies react and adapt to stress, after having read as far into the series as I have.  I stopped at that point, because I felt that they were getting to be much too far from the original idea and more and more into oppressive societies.  Maybe that's their intent.
 

Having read Whipping Star and The Dosadi Experiment, featuring Jorj X McKie and the Bureau of Sabotage, I would agree with the societal aspects of his story.  Stopping after reading Dune is certainly acceptable. FH did say that parts of Messiah and Children were already part of the plotted storyline by the time Dune was published. Serialized works have long been science fiction mainstays, you read them or not as the case may be.  There are more than enough works out there to be read that you have to choose wisely where to spend your time.

Kokipy wrote:

I remembered liking  whipping Star and the Dosadi experiment (Jorj is a lawyer, iirc)  even on rereads some years back, probably because I am a lawyer. I still think there is a lot to be said for the first three Dune books, even though I found them annoying this last time. It might just be my time of life, I don’t know. I liked Heretics and Chapterhouse a bit, but am really thinking I can walk away from the rest of this universe at this point.
having said all of that, I stil think the movie was pretty good. I enjoyed it a lot. 

McKie is qualified to practice law before the Gowachin bar, but I don't know that he's considered a lawyer for human courts.  There is a short story where he sabotages Bildoon (the Chief of BuSab) with a Jacuzzi stim, as a means of temporarily replacing him, and pleads his case just like a lawyer. 

Surtac wrote:

Kokipy wrote:

I remembered liking  whipping Star and the Dosadi experiment (Jorj is a lawyer, iirc)  even on rereads some years back, probably because I am a lawyer. I still think there is a lot to be said for the first three Dune books, even though I found them annoying this last time. It might just be my time of life, I don’t know. I liked Heretics and Chapterhouse a bit, but am really thinking I can walk away from the rest of this universe at this point.
having said all of that, I stil think the movie was pretty good. I enjoyed it a lot. 

Having now researched the film a little and realised just how good an ensemble cast it has, I've decided I will risk a theatre to see it on the big screen when it gets here.  And I will definitely will try to reread the first book before I do so.
 

I will be interested to hear how you find the book all these years later