Dune Messiah
Dune | ||||||||||||
Hardcover - USA - 1st edition. |
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Dune Messiah is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, published in 1969, and the second book set in the Dune universe. The story is set 12 years after the end of the first book. Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides is now emperor of the universe and the messiah of the Fremen whose might and reverence he used to overthrow the universe through jihad. However, by becoming a mythical figure, Paul is now powerless to stop the religious violence done in his name and a conspiracy has begun to dethrone his family.
The events of Dune Messiah, along with Children of Dune were incorporated into the Children of Dune miniseries.
Personal
Own? | No. |
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Read? | Audiobook read by Simon Vance, Euan Morton, Katherine Kellgren, and Scott Brick. |
Finished | 2019-04-19. |
As a big fan of the first book, I decided to read the second. After I finished it, I was pretty disappointed.
Review
Overall: |
— This section contains spoilers! —
Good
- I appreciate how religion is shown to be a very powerful tool of war, but, at the same time, uncontrollable, and impossible to stop once it's employed.
- I like how Paul is torn between wanting to have Hayt, the ghola of Duncan Idaho, destroyed, and by keeping him around as a reminder of his slain friend.
Bad
- Most of the book is drawn out conversations between the two factions where they plot how to defeat each other. There is very little action or science like in the first book.
- Even though the book describes complex chemistry like DNA and the ability to bring corpses back from the dead, none of the Fremen doctors are able to detect the contraceptive that Irulan is using to prevent Paul and Chani from having children, even when they would be specifically looking for such problems.
- The fact that the Fremen would have no means of determining if Hayt wasn't an assassin means they should of had him either destroyed or banished. Keeping him around was just begging for the death of Paul.
- While I like the fact that Paul becomes miserable after he loses control of his jihad and the religion surrounding him turns evil, we're reminded far too many times of this.
Ugly
- For most of the book, I was bored.
- I found several of the long drawn-out dialogues to be annoying. Paul's talk with the insolent Edric went nowhere, but I really became angry with both Alia's and Paul's conversations with Hayt. Hayt speaks mostly in vague religious proverbs, while Alia, who is supposed to have the wisdom of generations of priestesses, and Paul, who is supposed to be mildly omniscient, are taken off-guard by his babbling. Alia is so shocked, she even considers killing him multiple times. If Herbert wanted this scene to make sense, he should have come up with dialogue for Hayt that was actually meaningful or impressive instead of cryptic platitudes.
Media
Original cover artwork by Jack Gaughan.
Quotes
— This section contains spoilers! —
- As with all Priests, you learned early to call the truth heresy.
- If you need something to worship, then worship life — all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
- Often I must speak other than I think. That is called diplomacy.
- Reason is the first victim of strong emotion.
- Rulers are notoriously cynical where religions are concerned. Religion, too, is a weapon. What manner of weapon is religion when it becomes the government?