Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles, Book 2) by Frank Herbert
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Book Reviews of Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles, Book 2)
Book Review: Over sixty-one billion people have died in my name....
Summary: 5 Stars
The great cosmic Jihad has swept across the known universe. Everywhere the Fremen legions are victorious. The old corrupt order is gone or driven into the shadows. However, this has not been done without a cost: 61 billion dead, 20 planets sterilized, 500 planets totally broken and demoralised, the followers of 40 religions exterminated....But the greatest tragedy, perhaps, is that Paul Muad'dib has been enthrowned and deified by the legions and the new priesthood. Blood rights are being practiced in his name. His sister, St. Alia of the knife, is also worshiped as a virtual battle goddess. For all his powers, Muad'dib knows that not even he can renounce godhood once bestowed. He also comes to realise that while his legions love him, he doesn't necessarily have total control of them or "his" priests.
Yet, he also knows that it could have been even bloodier without his guidance. Indeed, if he flees into exile, or even dies, the future will become unimaginable worse- without someone with his superhuman powers to moderate the storm. He truly holds a tiger by the tail.
Yet the old dark powers still exist in the galaxy. They plot and hunger to overthrow the new Emperor and his sister. Perhaps, such clever and ruthless enemies can be used to advantage....
Book Review: The Messiah has come
Summary: 5 Stars
The second book in the great Dune series. The first was pure classic. The second continues the tradition of great story telling and cliffhangers that you cannot stand to read (or should I say not read). Dune Messiah has a vivid string of plots going on that force you to think for once, unlike many other books. Dune Messiah sends the characters from the original into more deep adventures, all of which will surprise you and maybe even make you emotional. There is the dark temper and the colorful areas of the book, though this universe can be described as dark. Muad'Dib leads the long book which introduces many new things (such as the Ghola, which you all will learn about later). The ending is just so good that I cannot give you the slightest hint of what will happen, but I can tell you it will compell most readers that like this genre to go on to the next book. Dune Messiah is more like a new chapter of the story than a sequel. The excellent late writer Frank Herbert includes conspiracy, action, suspense, and a small level of romance into this epic tale which can never be finished. If you are one of those people who like to see the movie versions instead of read the book, don't. Dune cannot be filmed, you NEED the book for the full experience.
Book Review: Continuation...
Summary: 5 Stars
but strangely short--given the first book's gargantuan size. The book also seems as tho' it didn't have Herbert's full attention. He seemed tacitly to admit this once when he said that "parts of Children of Dune were written before Dune was finished." It also suffers from the fact that it was first serialized in a SF magazine. It seems as tho' it were "remixed" after the fact.Although Herbert continues to use the Prophet Mohammad's life as a scaffolding for his story, he departs widely from the Koran's account while still retaining an essentially Arab flavor to the story. (These books are, by the way, incredibly popular in the Muslim world.)
Those minor criticims aside, the story continues towards its headlong conclusion in the Golden Path. To say much more would spoil it for the uninitiated. If you liked Dune, read this one just to get to "Children" and, the piece de resistance, "God Emperor of Dune" where Herbert's mastery becomes complete and the Golden Path is revealed to us in all its terrible majesty.
The last two books before cancer and grief killed him were almost after thoughts. After Leto II, what was there to say?
Book Review: Great Sequel, last of the good Dune novels
Summary: 5 Stars
Is Dune Messiah as good as the original? No, it is not, but it's still a great book.
**Spoilers**
Dune Messiah takes places a little time after Dune, when Paul's Jihad is sweeping the known universe, and Paul is now the Emperor of the Theocracy build around his own mythology. Paul in this book is happily married to Chani, who is having trouble conceiving a child. He haas to deal with the many people who don't like how Paul has brought water to Dune, thiking it has made the culture weak. Many who have lost loved ones in the Jihad wonder why they followed who seems to be now just another megalomaniacal tyrant.
The tragedy is that Paul does not want to be where he is, and really wants only to escape, leaving the future path to his heirs. The ghola Duncan, a blast from the past, only worsens his psyche but he can't destroy him, even as he knows the ghola is programmed to kill him. He's not completely helpless in the novel, as there are many plans up his sleeve as well.
The ending is a satisfying conclusion, and it's recommended that you don't bother with the rest, as they become practically unreadable after this Messiah.
Book Review: Herbert did it again.
Summary: 5 Stars
The epic story of the Atreides line is continued with Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah. Although the origional Dune was far better, this book still stands out as one of the greatest science fiction works of all time. Herbert creates a world so far advanced in the future that it boggles the mind. Dune Messiah places a slightly larger emphasis on the vast abilities of the mind, especially with Paul's ability to see through oracular vision after he was blinded by the stone burner. Herbert appears to become estranged from the action adventure themes of Dune and more involved with philosophy. This makes it harder to read, as opposed to the effortless flow of Dune. However this book is nessecary for anyone who read Dune, to satisfy their craving for the rest of the story. This is where most of Herbert's acclaims origionated. I beleive he saw this as an immediate reacction to the work, and decided to leave the reader in just as much suspense as before at the end of the book. This ending makes up for any of the flaws contained in this book when compared to Dune, and I am now on the third book in the series, Children of Dune. It's looking about the same.