DUNE MESSIAH

Frank Herbert is something else. While reading this book my mind is drawn and quartered a thousand times. It is pushed and pulled this way and that. I am like a child grasping for meaning, knowing it is there but just out of reach. On the edge of understanding, I sit, in awe of what might be on the other side. Comprehension, just out of reach and yet in the back of my mind, it has been there the whole time. The words are new but they make sense, like some dream that tries to incorporate elements that seem, at first, to be disconnected, only to discover later, maybe after a day or two of contemplation, that the meaning was there amidst the confusion. Then, he brings you back. Frank Herbert, the man that sent you down the rabbit hole is there holding your hand and makes everything clear. Dune Messiah is the second in the Dune series and it is a wonderful rollercoaster. One minute I'm trying to follow the story and figure out what is happening, what might happen, and then the next minute I'm lost in the jargon and intrigue of a world I barely know. The internal ruminations of the characters, the dialogue, and the world that Frank Herbert created is so thoroughly it's own that it is like turning on a documentary from an alien world at an alien time. As much as it is unfamiliar it is just familiar enough to cause a fury of excitement and suspense. The intrigue is palpable and enticing. It keeps you going and gives you hope. In this, the second story about the desert planet known as Dune, we take up the story of Paul Atreides, AKA Muad 'Dib AKA Usul, AKA the ruler of the known universe. The book starts about twelve years after the end of the first Dune book. We find that with the help of violence, religious ideology, his prescient sister Alia, his Fremen soldiers, and his monopoly over the invaluable resource known as melange, Paul has brought his form of justice and leadership to all. He is known by some as a god and by others as a devil. He is not unaware of this duality and is plagued by his own doubt about the legacy that he is creating. Paul tackles internal and external threats to his dynasty but with his powers of foresight, he seems to be one step ahead of his enemies. While he attempts to root out the spies in his midst he is also dealing with the matter of his succession plan. Chani, his concubine and true love, is pregnant and there are many who want to take advantage of her vulnerability and Paul's potential weakness toward her. He knows who to trust but he doesn't always know if he can trust himself and by the end, the true plot is revealed. Will Paul fall to the wiles of his enemies or will he continue his violent conquest? Read to find out!

Reviewing a "Dune" novel is, in many ways, pointless. Thousands of gallons of print ink has already been spent analyzing, raving, griping over, ranting, and worshipping Frank Herbert's sci-fi opus that more reviews are not required. But I'm a first-time reader who has a fresh perspective, so consider the source. There are plenty of more informed takes elsewhere. But I liked "Dune Messiah," even as it frustrated me a bit. "Dune Messiah" takes place twelve years after the resolution of Herbert's epic "Dune." Paul is now the emperor of the universe, and the Fremen soldiers have killed literally billions in their interplanetary jihad. As has been said, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Many Fremen have abandoned their Spartan desert existence and enjoy the trappings of wealth and power, while other Fremen are frustrated that Paul has led them astray from their holy ways. Many defeated factions also plot revenge against Paul, and in the most diabolical of ways. Paul, blessed and cursed with prescience, has been horrified by his murderous jihad, but he has also been powerless to stop it. Paul's life is now an effort to seek the best worst option. That includes starting a family with his concubine, Chani, because he knows that her inevitable fate will be triggered by her pregnancy. But Paul knows that he can't prevent this fate from occurring, so he tries to delay it as long as he can. The problem with prescience is that you can't simply tell everyone what the future is and take steps to prevent the inevitable. Many have complained that in "Dune Messiah," Frank Herbert made Paul more of a villain (and Paul very much aware of his villainy) than he had appeared as the triumphant champion at the end of "Dune." But I understand that this was Herbert's goal all along - he wanted us to be afraid of charismatic leaders because they can lead the fanatically loyal astray. Herbert's problem is that he hid his intentions too well in "Dune" so the shift in "Dune Messiah" is a bit jarring. This isn't to say that Paul has suddenly become a Snidely Whiplash character - but his reign has led to the murder of literally billions and the installation of a severe theocracy that has also corrupted many of his beloved Fremen. I like this storyline and it makes Paul far more interesting. What bothers me about "Dune Messiah" is that, even more so that in "Dune," this is a book for talking and thinking. So much of the action occurs offstage. Herbert does a magnificent job of getting inside his characters' heads and they think interesting thoughts, so it's not a bad thing, but this is a sci-fi epic, after all. I wouldn't mind a little more action. Herbert does not subscribe to the notion of "show, not tell." Plenty of things happen in this book, but you're told about most of them after the fact. So my quibble is minor compared to the rage that so many others have brought to reviews of "Dune Messiah." I don't worship at the altar of Dune, unlike others, but this is a very interesting, entertaining read.

An impactful story full of eloquences. Doctrines of philosophies. Visions, visceral actions, the unwinding development of flawed characters. Carefully crafted, emotively symbolic, a fluid, pulsing plot. One is consumed and compelled by its mysteries and myth. The heart constricts and flowers by the entirety of the experience.

Inte samma kvalité som första boken men sen var förväntningarna skyhöga. Men väl läsvärd.

Product arrived in great shape!

I have one regret. That unfortunately the children of dune book isn't in a similar format available. as a result I might make this a present to one of my nieces and buy the 3book deluxe boxed set.

I thought as good as the first. Got really good towards the end and couldn't stop reading.

A good successor to the first Dune book. Absolutely worth a read.