One reason Dune was so compelling (I say this as someone not attracted to science fiction in general) was that it wrapped its strong character development and multi-layered plot lines around an engaging balance between mysticism and philosophy. Dune Messiah tips that scale more toward philosophy. While I loved the first book, I still thought that this altered focus in the second book made for an interesting shift in tone that worked very well -- especially in relation to Paul's continued character development. In book one, Paul discovered that he may be immortal; in book two, he found respite in the fact that he was not.

I would have given Dune Messiah five stars, but for the abruptness of the Hayt/Idaho shift. The book was unfortunately weakened in that the core identity of a central character who will obviously continue to play an important role in the series, had the most important moment of his existence boiled down to one paragraph.

Still, I'm really looking forward to book three. Don't tell my wife.