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Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles #2)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 42,714 ratings · 1,038 reviews

Dune Messiah continues the story of the man Muad'dib, heir to a power unimaginable, bringing to completion the centuries-old scheme to create a super-being. "Brilliant...It is all that Dune was, and maybe a little bit more." --Galaxy Magazine

Paperback, 331 pages

Published June 15th 1987 by Ace/Berkley Publishing (first published 1969)

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Nov 19, 2012 Eric Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dune Messiah
By Frank Herbert

A Dune Retrospective by Eric Allen

Four years after the publication of Dune, those who cried out for a sequel were finally answered. Frank Herbert returned to Arrakis for a book that was very different from the action packed first volume of the series, but at the same time, still held a lot of the familiar. When I tell people that I actually enjoyed the sequel to Dune more than the original, the answer I get from the overwhelming majority is, "Wait . . . Dune has a seq...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sci-fi fans who are willing to read the series entire

Recommended to Kerry by: Mom

Shelves: scifi, messiah_complex

The whole thing with Paul being able to (view spoiler) still cool. But on this, my third or fourth reading, I'm realizing there's not much to this book. It simply bridges the first and third. No Jessica, no war, no revolution, no emergence of a new messiah . . . eh.

Also Alia has the potential to be such a fascinating character, but she's underused and underwritten. And I already know that in the next book she's going to be crazy and retconned ha...more

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Sep 21, 2007 Melee Farr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd have been amazed if this one was as phenomenal as the first, and it wasn't. It was, however, Frank Herbert, who surprises me with his philosophy and world vision all the time. Compared to Dune, though, this book just lacked a lot of protein. Perhaps it's because the incredibly rich new world of Dune/Arrakis was already in place, and I wasn't the wide-eyed, amazed traveler through it any longer, but it wasn't the page-turner of the last for me. Still, I'll read them all, and wish Frank Herber...more

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Sep 05, 2007 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

So I thought Dune was the best thing since the bound codex, right? And I read it about five times over the course of my young-adulthood. And then I read Messiah and was pretty much completely dissatisfied. Not enough to give it a poor rating, since it is interesting (I mean, we all still care about Paul, even if he is a whiner) and it did keep my attention.
You haven't seen foreshadowing until you've read Dune Messiah. It takes that to a whole new, grotesque level. And pretentiousness. Thought Du...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Traci rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I liked Dune. But in some ways it was actually better. I love Dune but I love the world, the language, and the over all experience. And even though I like the minor characters, I just never connected with Paul or really any of the leads. Actually I found most of them to be arrogant and manipulative. But this sequel, which is more like an added end chapter, I found some of what I was missing. Paul become more human, questioning his role and his right. An...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Myles rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, mom

I've avoided the sequels to Dune before this because I was afraid something would go wrong. And, to an extent, something did. Dune Messiah lacks a lot of the action that helped move the original along, its replaced by a lot of philosophying and talk talk talk talk talk. The chapter headings also felt off, as if Herbert didn't have the confidence to do with them what he did for Dune, revealing matters of plot and putting the events of the book within the context of a stable future looking back at...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Casey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, made-into-tv-show, epic

After re-reading Dune recently, I decided to finally get around to reading Dune Messiah - the sequel to Dune and the bridge to Children of Dune. Unfortunately, Dune Messiah is a whole lot of standing around and talking for the entire book. It took me a long time to read because I just couldn't find the motivation to keep wading through dense dialogue, and when I did reach the end, I found it sadly to be short and quick, which didn't make up for the long, long drawn-out nature of the book.

I liked...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

You know what it's like. Every decision seems so obviously sensible, but one thing just leads to another. We've all had it happen to us.

So, last time I had my family murdered by our hereditary enemies, I went into hiding in the desert too, and linked up with the tough native fighters there. I mean, who wouldn't? Since I had psychic powers, it seemed pretty crazy not to use them to gain some respect. Before I knew what had happened, I was the clan's leader. And, you get some momentum, you want to...more

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Jan 17, 2008 Kirt rated it 4 of 5 stars

I finally read Dune Messiah, the second book in the Dune series, after years of only having read the first book.

Excellent. Dune and Dune Messiah, together, form a reasonably complete story. Some of it is invalidated and/or retconed by subsequent books (I'm reading Children of Dune right now), which is unfortunate, but in reading Dune Messiah, it's obvious that many elements of the setting, which seem like standard Space Opera color, such as the feudal system, were carefully chosen so nothing wou...more

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Oct 11, 2007 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

I devoured this book in just 3 days, it is simply that compelling. What more can I say about the most-read sci-fi epic ever written? The Dune series has everything I want in an epic: politics, humanity, religion and space. While the first book deals with revolution, noble families and the fulfillment of prophecy, this second part deals with the personal struggle of the new leader of humanity and the emotional ramifications of being the figurehead of a jihad being waged in his name.

What happens...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Nate Woodard rated it 3 of 5 stars

A few too many unanswered questions and/or plot holes to put this on par with the first book (which, to be fair, I consider a masterpiece of the genre). That said, it's enjoyable on the whole and a good continuation of Paul's story. A nice bridge to the next book, "Children of Dune."

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Jul 03, 2010 Bryan added it

Great Sequel, last of the good Dune novels: 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, th...more

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May 05, 2013 Idan Carmeli rated it 3 of 5 stars

A good friend recently told me that a good way to experience the Dune books is to stick to the odd-numbered books and skip the others. Judging by the first sequel to Dune (which no need to repeat is a masterpiece), Dune Messiah, this is a decent piece of advice.
Dune Messiah is a confusing book. What struck me as oddest, was how different Paul is here compared to the conclusion of Dune. 12 years have passed in the Dune universe, but it feels more like eons. Dune Messiah paints Paul as the absolut...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Lucinda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An epic science-fiction saga which is so outstanding that it shines among the stars and galaxies

Frank Herbert’s DUNE series has to be the most remarkable creation within the sci-fi genre, for he literally takes this popular genre to new heights. The epic that began with the Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel DUNE continues in ‘DUNE Messiah’, wherein this inspired creation continues to astonish and dazzle. There is a reason why the DUNE series has sold more than fifteen-million copies worldwide;...more An epic science-fiction saga which is so outstanding that it shines among the stars and galaxies

Frank Herbert’s DUNE series has to be the most remarkable creation within the sci-fi genre, for he literally takes this popular genre to new heights. The epic that began with the Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel DUNE continues in ‘DUNE Messiah’, wherein this inspired creation continues to astonish and dazzle. There is a reason why the DUNE series has sold more than fifteen-million copies worldwide; simply because it is a fantastical creation of such imaginative vision that it literally takes your breath away, when you contemplate the scope of Herbert’s world-building.

In DUNE Messiah Paul Atreides; ruler of a thousand planets, great victor of a holy war, prince turned revolutionary leader and Messiah of a fanatical religious sisterhood, is brought low by the very forces which created him. Yet, foreseeing the plans of his enemies allows him to drive on towards his own, shockingly different, vision of the future…

This battle of wills brought to mind the impassioned rift between Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (aka. Who turned into Darth Vader), as the heated rivalry is quite intense. Frank Herbert is a modern master of science-fiction, with his lifetimes work on DUNE nothing short of a spectacular success which also his son Brian helped continue on. Reminiscent of JRR Tolkien’s dedication to his creation, I am so impressed by a writer who is a true master of his craft and who puts such energy and vibrancy into his writing ~ his passion is evident. DUNE is such an intriguing world with every single planet, race, civilization and great battle among the stars something so bewitching as to make you gasp!

This small volume (only 221 pages) pocket-sized book took me an hour or so to read, for this is a sci-fi world in which you can easily loose yourself within very quickly. Greatly ambitious and magnificent, I would recommend the DUNE series to all who love science-fiction.
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Mar 24, 2013 Dwain rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just like the original "Dune", Herbert created in "Dune Messiah" a complex plot set within a strikingly complex universe. I have to say though, that I was a little disappointed with this book. I will probably earn the ire of hard-core Dune fans with this review!

Part of this disappointment is unfair. A new series, especially one so creative and complex, benefits from a novelty factor. Every in the first book is new and fascinating. A series subsequent books don't benefit from this novelty factor...more Just like the original "Dune", Herbert created in "Dune Messiah" a complex plot set within a strikingly complex universe. I have to say though, that I was a little disappointed with this book. I will probably earn the ire of hard-core Dune fans with this review!

Part of this disappointment is unfair. A new series, especially one so creative and complex, benefits from a novelty factor. Every in the first book is new and fascinating. A series subsequent books don't benefit from this novelty factor unless the author can successfully incorporate a lot of new settings, technology, spells, themes, etc., without appearing to be making up as he/she goes. At the risk of speaking what many will consider blasphemy, this is the feeling I got in the second half of the Harry Potter series. Herbert does NOT give this feeling, but I did get the second-book let down that comes with a comparative lack of novelty.

I also think that part of this disappointment was deserved. The plot was engaging, but seems convoluted, rather than just complex. I grew frustrated because Herbert seems to preserve suspense by just not explaining what is happening, rather than by weaving a suspenseful plot. In addition to this, I actually felt a little deflated by the ending. Herbert inflates expectations with liberal doses of fear mongering--spending way too much time talking about the horrifying consequences of various actions, and the inevitability of Paul's decisions, and appalling nature of the various futures Paul chooses from. The plot then resolves itself in a very straightforward way. I won't give away details, but although the consequences of Paul's decisions were grave to him personally, it didn't seem to live up to the hype Herbert creates.

After saying all that, I should also say that I intend to read the third book, "The Children of Dune." I still enjoyed the book--even the ending. Despite not having my expectations quite met, the ending was impressive enough that I was still glad to have read the book.

The major theme of this book is destiny and choice. Herbert explores in depth how much of our decisions are made because of various forces at work in our lives and how much of our decisions are truly the result of free will. If you enjoy such philosophical themes, you will probably enjoy this book, whether or not you are particularly a science fiction fan. As with "Dune," Herbert's strength is in the plot and does not depend upon flashy technology or action sequences.

In sum, anyone who enjoyed "Dune" will probably enjoy "Dune Messiah" as well.(less)

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Nov 13, 2012 Priscila Jordão rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: americana

It's a relief to read all those reviews from people who also found Dune Messiah a little bit disappointing, such as I did. At many moments while I was reading it I felt really stupid for not fully understanding some details of the plot or the puzzling and never ending dialogues between characters.

As someone said below, a kind of pretentiousness from Frank Herbert makes us feel that all the characters are smarter than us or something… and why do they have to speak always through hints, even amon...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Klytia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 19, 2012 Nicholas Armstrong rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like this, I really did, but there were some thing I found issue with, as with the first. It wasn't a matter of entertainment, for I was very entertained. In fact, Herbert did an amazing job of keeping the tension and emotion ratcheted into high gear. The plots were interesting, the turmoil of the characters fascinating, and the mystery of Paul's visions captivating. It would be hard then, to imagine that there is little to complain about. Well, not exactly. See, J.K. Rowling weaves an enterta...more I like this, I really did, but there were some thing I found issue with, as with the first. It wasn't a matter of entertainment, for I was very entertained. In fact, Herbert did an amazing job of keeping the tension and emotion ratcheted into high gear. The plots were interesting, the turmoil of the characters fascinating, and the mystery of Paul's visions captivating. It would be hard then, to imagine that there is little to complain about. Well, not exactly. See, J.K. Rowling weaves an entertaining yarn too, but that doesn't make her exempt from plot holes or inconsistencies either.

Herbert did one of the things he did with his first novel, which is what I'll call the disappearing character trick. Essentially, characters that seem very important will vanish for large swathes, or in the case or Irulan and the other conspirators minus Scytale, entirely. This is one of Herbert's greatest weaknesses, and I say that with understanding and sympathy because it is easy to forget a small plot device or characters as a writer is going, but it is almost impossible to forget them to the observant reader. Why, a reader must ask, did Paul say the Reverend Mother could save Chani, and that he would broker a deal for such a thing? The question goes unanswered (or at least I think so. As always, I could be wrong). It is interesting too that they know Scytale impersonates the woman he pretends to be, and yet Paul walks into the trap knowingly. This is vaguely eluded to in some 'vision, oracular' powers, but it isn't really explained why Paul discovers this character is lying and then forgets about them entirely. Similarly, Chani discovers she has been slipped contraceptives, and the issue dries up as quickly as it arose. Paul mystically says Irulan must be spared, but he never says why, not even to us.

The book is plagued with Paul's visions leaving everyone, including the reader, out of them. I'm left with far more questions than I have answers, and it is a bit irritating.

The final thing is Herbert's characters. The turmoil of Paul and Alia, the mystery of Hayt, are all extremely good and interesting ideas, but I fear Herbert's execution is less than perfect. Characters turn into philosophers at a moments notice, and in one scene Hayt is a riddling smooth talker on a thopter ride, the next conversation he has with the dwarf, the roles are reversed. Suddenly, Hayt can't keep up and his dialogue mirrors (nearly identically) Paul's frustration when speaking to Hayt. The cryptic talk, in fact, is donned by nearly every character in the novel at one point or another for reasons I can't exactly fathom and which doesn't entirely make sense. Edric, as another example, is portray as an idiot by Scytale, and is consistently spoken down to, and yet, in his conversation with Paul, he has become a smooth, double-talking master.

All of these, though, are faults attributed to people to be some of the greatest writers though. Shakespeare is known to make a shallow character or two, and Faulkner routinely had characters speaking alike and acting out of character. The point is that these writers were trying for a feeling for their work, and if characters had to talk a certain way to get it, be damned, they were going to talk that way. I don't particularly like it, and at the end of a novel it makes me feel a little less that everything wasn't rounder, more polished, but I can easily see how people overlook such things for the overall feel of a novel and, just like with J.K. Rowling, the entertainment of them.(less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Daniel Delgado rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When the introduction starts by saying "Dune Messiah is the most misunderstood of Frank Herbert's novels," you know you're not in for a good time. Still, because I enjoyed Dune so much, I decided to read the book anyway. I guess I understand why Paul had to be toppled. I guess I can even appreciate how cleverly it was done: in such a way as to perpetuate his legend; to make him immortal in the memories of his followers. BUT that doesn't mean I have to like it!

Also, it felt like far too much of t...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Matt Luedke rated it 4 of 5 stars

A legitimate sequel (avoid anything that says "Dune" but isn't actually written by Frank Herbert!) that is mostly inferior to the classic first book, but actually has a few things up on it too.

The main thing is that it actually feels like it's not trying to do quite as much as the first book. This is good, because that is a tough act to follow. So while it doesn't have enough new concepts introduced to be a classic itself, the story is more straightforward. Not so straightforward that all themat...more

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May 08, 2012 Stephen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, pop-lit, science-fiction

1.5 Stars, really. I was fantastically underwhelmed by Dune Messiah, especially after coming off the particularly good Dune. Whereas the first book in the series seemed well-structured and thought out, it’s follow-up seemed to rely much more heavily on cobbled together circumstances, none of which seemed nearly as dire as they were being made out to be.

The first book was thick with detail, intonation, and suggestion, but in spite of this, the careful reader always had a clear understanding of th...more 1.5 Stars, really. I was fantastically underwhelmed by Dune Messiah, especially after coming off the particularly good Dune. Whereas the first book in the series seemed well-structured and thought out, it’s follow-up seemed to rely much more heavily on cobbled together circumstances, none of which seemed nearly as dire as they were being made out to be.

The first book was thick with detail, intonation, and suggestion, but in spite of this, the careful reader always had a clear understanding of the implications of actions and events and where the narrative was progressing. In the sequel, though, the intonation and suggestion remained (the detail, not so much) but there was no real thing to connect these elements to—nothing substantive in the narrative department.

Dune Messiah begins twelve years following the conclusion of Dune and the Jihad has taken place and Paul and his Fremen followers rule the universe. Would that this meant anything to the reader. There’s simply no effort made to explore what this means or what the implications are. It simply is.

We also find Paul increasingly stricken by his powers of prognostication, and I think Herbert does a decent job of trying to emphasize the pain and stress suffered by one who sees future outcomes, and how reliant you can become on these visions. Still, while the novel tells us on one hand that Paul essentially sees all things, the plot hinges on him not seeing some things (although at times he seems clearly aware of them). At other times, his visions are incomplete—flawed. There really seems no consensus on where his power lies or whether he uses it appropriately or not.

Lastly, the relationships between characters (which was such a strength in the first novel) are hardly addressed at all. Relationships that would necessarily be strained to the breaking point are only hinted at. Motivations are unknown. Emotions are not expressed. In a novel where all the characters live inside themselves, there can be no communication between them. And if that’s the state of the relationship, then who cares?

I’m debating whether or not to continue with this series. I’ll likely try to read through Children of Dune, but if I start reading it and see more of the same that existed in Dune Messiah, I’ll be hanging this one up for good.
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Apr 26, 2012 Mitali rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I loved Dune, so of course I wanted to read the sequels. After reading Dune Messiah, I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the sequels. The majority of this book is a chore to get through, and only the last third of it is interesting. Even so, there is very little that can be called a story in this book, as a large portion of it seems to be spent on describing the political situation and Paul's visions, or on reiterating the same things over and over again until I wanted to scream. The only...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Smcleish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in November 1998.

The second book in Herbert's Dune series is a bit of a disappointment. Dune itself is a major classic of the science fiction genre, and succeeds admirably with its portrayal of a galaxy full of political and religious manipulation, complicated rules and conventions, Byzantine plots and schemes. But Frank Herbert never managed to repeat its success (in the literary, rather than the sales sense); the closest he came was in a completely unrelate...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Nicolas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Main Character's flaw: Paul Maud'Dib, the Kwisatz Hederach or "supreme being" bred by the secretive Bene Gesserit has one major flaw. As head of a religion that is practiced by billions and the ability of prescience, he is considered a complete god. Unfortunately, he is now doomed to kill billions. This because that as a god, he cannot leave office for political reasons and live a life of boredom. Therefore, all his followers are dedicated to protecting him, and "cleanse" the galaxy in religious...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reading this book made me feel utterly stupid. Perhaps I am... but I just don't appreciate the reminder! Regardless, Frank Herbert's genius is prevalent in this book just as it was in Dune; however, Dune had more relatable situations and characters one could get to know and love (or hate). I only made it through this book because I already knew and cared for those characters. Reading this book reminded me almost exactly of a college course I once took on statistics - not that the subject matter...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Alexandra Rolo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Doze anos depois do início da Jihad, Paul Atreides, Usul, Muhad’Dib é o Imperador mais poderoso de sempre.
Depois de não ter conseguido impedir a Jihad que o atormentou, espera agora que consiga evitar o caos sob o seu nome.
Vemos neste segundo capítulo da série Dune ser abordado um tema frágil como o da ligação Estado-Igreja e o quão frágil pode ser esse modo de governo. Por entre mentiras e intrigas palacianas, Paul vê-se com o problema da sucessão do trono. Chani não conseguia engravidar e ele...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

I must confess my heart sank when I began reading this, the sequel to Dune, to find it seemed to be, not just more of the same mind games played between key characters that its predecessor relied on, but also relatively devoid of action of any kind. There was the usual psychological power play conversations indulged in by powerful individuals who were either human computers, psychics, drug users with heightened prescient awareness, shapeshifters or revenants, in fact nary an ordinary human being...more I must confess my heart sank when I began reading this, the sequel to Dune, to find it seemed to be, not just more of the same mind games played between key characters that its predecessor relied on, but also relatively devoid of action of any kind. There was the usual psychological power play conversations indulged in by powerful individuals who were either human computers, psychics, drug users with heightened prescient awareness, shapeshifters or revenants, in fact nary an ordinary human being among the lot of them. How would it be possible for the reader to make an empathic connection with beings who are palpably superhuman?

And yet it didn't take long for me to be sucked into this Machiavellian and claustrophobic world of bluff and counter-bluff, political machination and character assassination. It is all patent nonsense, of course, but even though the individuals involved, from Paul Atreides the galactic Emperor to Bijaz the dwarf with a memory like blotting paper, are rarely if ever attractive personalities I found myself increasingly intrigued by how the shifting allegiances and startling revelations would allow the plot to be satisfactorily solved by the final pages. And, despite the twisted logic, it is indeed resolved in a rather satisfying way.

As befits a Dune novel there is a lot of cod philosophising and mystical pretentiousness. The eco message of the first novel has been replaced by occasional meditations on the morality of near-absolute power combined with jihadism which I feel is inadequately addressed except in a very oblique way: for example, what morality is there in the acquiescing in the deaths of billions of beings on other worlds, and how does that impact on our sympathy with the apparently well-meaning elite who presided over it? I also am not persuaded by the pseudo-scienctific and technological attributes of this universe; and I regard the Dune novels as really fantasy which happen to be placed in a science-fiction setting. Still, Herbert's attempts to create a plausible apparatus for his future scenario are largely consistent within its parameters (the literary quotations heading each chapter, the historical legacy emanating from the Earth of millennia ago which allows the incongruous mix of once competing religions and beliefs on worlds unaware of and uninterested in their original context, and so on).

Central to Herbert's plot is the concept of prescience which, combined with genetic predisposition, is bound up with the use of the 'spice' melange (in truth an addictive drug). This is clearly a product of ideas prevalent in the sixties, and must have been, as much as it remains now, a laughable proposition to most readers. Providing the reader accepts this premise (and it is a big proviso) Dune Messiah ends up an optimistic tale despite its atmosphere of Oresteian tragedy.(less)

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Sep 19, 2011 Scott Gray rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's hard to add anything to what's been said about Frank Herbert's "Dune" in the 45 years since it first appeared. "Dune" was already a classic when i read it in 1981, and unlike many SF books from the cusp of speculative fiction's New Wave, its impact remains as timeless now as it did then. Herbert grounded his sprawling tale of imperial politics and ecological revolution in a character story worthy of Tolstoy, downplaying the nuts-and-bolts aspects of his milieu's technology in a way that pre...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dune was a hard act to follow, and Messiah does it admirably. It sticks with the universe the first book set up and tells a compelling story in it, taking the saga to its next logical progression. Perhaps this is where it succeeds and fails. Very little about this novel caught me off-guard. It takes the world of the first book and doesn't really expand on it much. We know most of the pieces already, now they're just doing something a little different. The politics are simplified. The characters...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some Spoilers follow...

The second volume in Frank Herbert's original Dune series. This one finds us 12 years after the end of Dune. The Jihad that Paul Muad'Dib Atreides had feared has been unleashed upon the Imperial Galaxy, leaving over 6 billion dead. Paul himself has ascended to near-divine status, ruling through a theocracy that reveres him as a quasi-god, his mother as a sort of Virgin Mary, and his Sister Alia as an almost demonic force of nature. At the same time, the ecological changes...more Some Spoilers follow...

The second volume in Frank Herbert's original Dune series. This one finds us 12 years after the end of Dune. The Jihad that Paul Muad'Dib Atreides had feared has been unleashed upon the Imperial Galaxy, leaving over 6 billion dead. Paul himself has ascended to near-divine status, ruling through a theocracy that reveres him as a quasi-god, his mother as a sort of Virgin Mary, and his Sister Alia as an almost demonic force of nature. At the same time, the ecological changes begun by Pardot & Liet-Kynes have been accelerated, starting the generations-long transformation of Arrakis from desert wasteland to water-rich world. As Paul struggles to find a way out the present-future his prescient visions have created, various forces in his imperium -- the Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit, disillusioned Fremen, and the newly introduced Bene Tleilax -- are working against him, trying to assassinate him and end the Atreides reign.

Much like Dune before it, Dune Messiah is all about plots, counter-plots, counter-counter-plots, bluffs, double-bluffs, trickery, scheming... you name it. When I first read it in high school -- over 15 years ago -- I didn't like it as much as Dune. I still find it somewhat inferior to the first book (whereas a number of reviews I've read recently actually prefer it to the first), but I appreciated it much more this time around. The tighter focus on Paul humanizes him for the readers at the same time as he is de-humanized in the world around him. His story is far more tragic in this volume; in Dune, he had been a boy coming to grips with an awesome power, struggling against monstrous forces and trying to take control of his future. In Messiah, we see that in struggling to control his future, he has trapped himself in it. Paul's story here is a story of a "great man" who doesn't move history so much as become just another tool in history's passage. The story offers us a fascinating insight into what it means to be a "messiah": a human being forced to become inhuman, looking for a moment when he can slip out of the mantle that has been placed on his shoulders. Most intriguingly, the messiah is only partially aware of the world he is meant to usher in. He knows his actions lead somewhere, but he cannot or will not see it fully.

All this makes for some rather opaque storytelling at times. The book is about mystery, as Paul's prescience is challenged by the muddying prophecies of others with a limited ability to see -- and therefore create -- the future. Each eye sees something else, but only part of the big picture. As readers, we read these competing visions, but only at the climax of the book do they begin to come together. Even then, we have the birth of the Children of Dune (the title/subject of the next volume) Leto II and Ghanima, and the hint at a grander vision beyond even Paul's Jihad and religious Empire. This can be frustrating at times -- one of the reasons why I found the book less appealing when I first read it -- but it is fundamental to what the story is about.

As for the things that bothered me, some of them still do. First is the introduction of the Bene Tleilax. They are thrust into the story without much explanation, but at the same time there isn't a whole lot of "mystery" about them -- it is as though you are just to know who they are. They do become more important in later books, but its a little confusing at first, as you feel like you've missed something from the first book. But more annoying than their sudden importance to the Dune universe is the revelation by one of the Tleilaxu that they had created a Kwisatch Haderach before -- the superbeing that had been the goal of the Bene Gesserit breeding program. A line casually tossed off by one of the Tleilaxu, this really undercuts the sense of Paul's importance and uniqueness. More importantly, though, it makes the Kwisatch Haderach seem less like an evolutionary leap in humankind and more like a science experiment. It also makes the Bene Gesserit look like idiots -- they've spent thousands of years breeding an superbeing, but the Tleilaxu somehow engineered one years before, and that one committed suicide? It really undermines the whole concept.

I was also somewhat bothered by the importance of the resurrected Duncan Idaho. In Dune, Idaho had largely been on the periphery. He rarely interacted with Paul, from what I remember, and died rather early in Paul's journey protecting him and his mother. Noble warrior and all, but a side character. He is reintroduced in this novel as a ghola, a resurrected body created by the aforementioned Tleilaxu. All of a sudden, he is Paul's closest companion. And Idaho continues to be central to the story through the next few novels. Not a big deal, but given how taken Paul is with Duncan you'd think he would have thought about him occasionally inbetween his death early in Dune and his return midway through Messiah. But, I guess Herbert wanted to bring back someone from Paul's past, and Idaho made sense, even if the lines between Paul's past with Idaho and his reaction to him in Messiah are thinly drawn.

So, overall, a very good book. Not quite as good as Dune, and I think the weakest of the first 4 (which are, in a sense, the "first part" of the Dune Saga, with Heretics & Chapterhouse being the "second part"). But still exciting and enjoyable. One thing, though: you can read Dune and stop there, but once you get to Dune Messiah, you're in the middle of a fairly continuous story that runs through God Emperor, the 4th book. So, be ready to invest a good bit of time.(less)

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About Frank Herbert

Critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author.

He is best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels. The Dune saga, set in the distant future and taking place over millennia, dealt with themes such as human survival and evolution, ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, and power, and is widely considered to be among the classics in the field of...more

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God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, #4)

Chapterhouse: Dune (Dune Chronicles, #6)

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Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles #2)

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