God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 4) by Frank Herbert
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Book Reviews of God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 4)
Book Review: Fascinating study of a legendary character
Summary: 5 Stars
"God Emperor of Dune," hereafter referred to as GEoD, is the fourth book in the original Dune novels written by Frank Herbert. This book, in my opinion, is the best in the series and one of the best SciFi novels of all-time.
The story takes place 3,500 years after Leto II Atreides, the God Emperor, became Emperor of the Known Universe. Readers of the first three books will notice right away that this universe is vastly different and almost alien to the one depicted in "Dune," "Dune Messiah," and "Children of Dune."
A 3,510-year-old "pre-worm," Leto II is one of the most fascinating characters in science fiction literature. He is both cruel and selfless in his quest to save humanity by sacrificing himself to a long life of lonliness and boredom. By the end of the novel, I felt pity for the God Emperor, whose sacrifice was tragic but necessary, and whose fate was poignant.
One of the things I love about this novel is the slow pace, in which Herbert uses Leto II to pontificate on religion, the Army, government, free will vs. prescience, human nature, and other philosophical concepts.
GEoD is a great novel that I would recommend to anyone who loves science fiction.
Book Review: God Emperor of Dune.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is what the whole series is all about right here. Paul Muad'Dib was a failed messiah. Failed because he locked himself into a future that he could not stand to be a part of. Like his father, young Leto II also saw the path that his father fled from. But in looking deeper into that future saw the only way to save humankind from itself. The Golden Path. This book is set smack-dab in the middle of that golden path. Deeply religious and philosophical undertones drive this book right to the top of my personal best list. If I had to pick only one book that truly changed my perspective and deepened my thinking it has to be this book. Leto is a very rich character unparalled in any other series. Frank Herbert took the ideal of a higher power and what it must be like to be that power, and humanized it for all to disect and study. True Genius. If you're looking for the action of the first book, God Emperor might dissapoint you. Though there is action, it is the dialogue of this book that makes it the timeless perfection that it is. So if you want to take your mind on a consciousness expanding ride, curl up with this book and enjoy.Book Review: A Prophetic Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have a short attention span, this book won't hold your interest.If you hunger for an engaging peek into one man's insightful, if metaphoric, vision of human destiny, this is THE book to read.
Even more relevant today than at the time of it's publication, God Emperor of Dune comments on sociology, philosophy, religion and politics through the voice of it's title character Leto II. Yes, the book contains long, wordy passages, but the truths contained therein are the kind of revelations that have the power to change your world view.
The characters are all engaging and fascinating, and the plot is unparalleled in it's originality. Herbert's fiction is rooted in the (often paradoxical) reality of human interaction. He masterfully peels back the layers of pretense (that we keep as a comfort zone) to reveal the truths about ourselves that we, as a race, don't like to face forthrightly. That notwithstanding, we, as readers, can see our true selves at a distance, the medicine taken with the proverbial spoonful of sugar that are the delightful imaginations of Frank Herbert's God Emperor of Dune.
Don't miss this one.
Book Review: An eye-opener, to say the least
Summary: 5 Stars
How do I start a review of God Emperor of Dune? It simply blew me away. Leto Atreides II is the single most complex, interesting, and expertly crafted character in literary history. In fact, it seems a travesty to even call him a "character"; Leto is a person. This book is about a lot of different things, but it's mostly about Leto -- and believe me, you could write a hundred books about this guy. What really blows me away about God Emperor of Dune is how satisfying it is while still being totally open-ended. Herbert leaves you with a thousand unanswered questions, and it is by exploring these questions that you begin to truly appreciate the book. There are a few times when the psychobabble gets to be too much for even the most absorbed reader, but in the end the good FAR outweighs the bad, leaving God Emperor practically unblemished in my mind. My biggest worry is that people will start the Dune series and never reach this book...in retrospect, it's a tie with Dune Messiah for my favorite entry in the entire series. A slowly paced, terrifyingly deep, cathartic complete/incomplete masterpiece.Book Review: Come on Hollywood, Make it a Movie already!
Summary: 5 Stars
God Emperor of Dune is truly a great science fiction achievement in literature. It is the fourth book in the Dune series and it is my favourite out of all the Dune books written by Frank Herbert. The story takes place thirty-five hundred years after Children of Dune, the third book in the series. Although many people may think it's weird that there is such a big gap between the books, I think it's really cool that Frank wasn't afraid to jump ahead so many years to tell a great story because the events that happen in God Emperor are way cooler than what happened in any of the previous Dune books.
The story revolves around Lato the second, who has evolved into a giant part worm, part man and his faithful clone servant, Duncan. Lato falls in love with a woman but cannot give her physical love because of his massive, monstrous worm body. He flies into blind fits of rage often and kills many of his subjects in his anger and regrets it when he comes to his senses. This is a great book and would make an awesome science fiction movie that could compete at the box office with the best Star Wars films and blow them away.