Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Berkley (1983), 423 pages
Description
Millennia have passed on Arrakis, and the once-desert planet is green with life. Leto Atreides, the son of the world's savior, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib, is still alive but far from human. To preserve humanity's future, he sacrificed his own by merging with a sandworm, granting him near immortality as God Emperor of Dune for the past thirty-five hundred years. Leto's rule is not a benevolent one. His transformation has made not only his appearance but his morality inhuman. A rebellion, led by Siona, a member of the Atreides family, has risen to oppose the despot's rule. But Siona is unaware that Leto's vision of a Golden Path for humanity requires her to fulfill a destiny she never wanted--or could possibly conceive....
User reviews
LibraryThing member shelterdowns
I hated this book the first time I read it. Hated every person in it, did not understand why anyone acted the way they did. Now its one of my top-ten comfort reads, and I see so much in Leto I want for myself.
Dune was the perfect hero book, and then Herbert turned the perfect, clever formula of
Herbert could have left us there, many thought he would when he finished his “Dune Trilogy”. Instead, he published his most difficult and daring book yet. In Emperor, we discover that the boy’s plan to save humanity from tyranny is... to become the ultimate Tyrant, and Predator of humankind. Yeah, I’m with you. Just say “huh?” and get it over with. I can’t explain without giving a lot of plot away, and you really just have to read it to get it. Emperor is a masterpiece of philosophy, and the best book in the series, but I wouldn’t blame you if you stopped somewhere in the middle and stuffed it to the back of your shelf for ten years before you gave it another chance. Who am I to argue? I did.
Dune was the perfect hero book, and then Herbert turned the perfect, clever formula of
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“boy becomes Messiah and saves the noble people” on its head with Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. In those two volumes, everything that was assumed and trusted becomes so much sand, and a son must destroy his father Messiah’s legacy to save the universe from religious genocide and tyranny. We close on the boy becoming yet another saviour and have only a vague, yet very hopeful idea of what he intends to do next. Herbert could have left us there, many thought he would when he finished his “Dune Trilogy”. Instead, he published his most difficult and daring book yet. In Emperor, we discover that the boy’s plan to save humanity from tyranny is... to become the ultimate Tyrant, and Predator of humankind. Yeah, I’m with you. Just say “huh?” and get it over with. I can’t explain without giving a lot of plot away, and you really just have to read it to get it. Emperor is a masterpiece of philosophy, and the best book in the series, but I wouldn’t blame you if you stopped somewhere in the middle and stuffed it to the back of your shelf for ten years before you gave it another chance. Who am I to argue? I did.
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LibraryThing member Nialle
Well.
Now I know where some of the stupider ideas in "evolutionary psychology" came from.
The idea of creating a suburban empire for the purpose of collapsing it and forcing the people to compete for survival so that the most creative come out on top: ridiculous and terrible. Competition does not
The representation of women, especially Yoko Ono, I mean Hwi Noree: appalling. Not even the fact that the eponymous God Emperor was supposed to be foibly excuses the garbage he spouted about "sex differences," let alone were any of the female characters anything other than caricatures.
What happened? Seven Pillars of Wisdom With Spaceships, a/k/a Dune, was so brilliant. How did it devolve into Dr. Jekyll's Lonely Hyde Club Band?
Now I know where some of the stupider ideas in "evolutionary psychology" came from.
The idea of creating a suburban empire for the purpose of collapsing it and forcing the people to compete for survival so that the most creative come out on top: ridiculous and terrible. Competition does not
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necessarily favor the best, especially if the best don't have a damn clue how to exercise creativity because a big symbiotic man-worm with legions of badass-gun-toting "willing" rape victims "bred" them for three thousand years during which he eliminated all but his own history of the universe, which was not, in any of the excerpts presented therefrom, even slightly concerned with stuff like how to run a business, how to break up a monopoly, what forms of government work on what scales with what types of populations in what sort of geographies, how to meet as diplomats or ecumenical councillors, etc. In fact, competition favors the lucky first, the bully second, and the sycophant third.The representation of women, especially Yoko Ono, I mean Hwi Noree: appalling. Not even the fact that the eponymous God Emperor was supposed to be foibly excuses the garbage he spouted about "sex differences," let alone were any of the female characters anything other than caricatures.
What happened? Seven Pillars of Wisdom With Spaceships, a/k/a Dune, was so brilliant. How did it devolve into Dr. Jekyll's Lonely Hyde Club Band?
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LibraryThing member stvslayer
Book 4 of Frank Herbert's incredible Dune series. Though it is necessary to read this title to understand the full scope of the series, it is a bit plodding at times. Herbert delves into philosophical commentary a little too much for my taste in this installment. Once again you do need to read this
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book (or a really great summary) to move on to book 5 in the series. Books 5 and 6 really pick up, so it's worth trudging through this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
I make a lot of reading promises. You want me to read your favorite book? Sure, I'd love to. Let me add it to my list and I'll probably get around to it sometime in the next decade. I have the best intentions, but when it comes to books, I get easily distracted.
Thus the promise I made to my
All along, my brother-in-law told me that I needed to make it to God Emperor of Dune, that while the fourth book was one of the least popular in the original series, he believed I would enjoy it the most. So I say all that to say this: there was some anticipation going into what would be my seventh Dune novel, but there was considerable apprehension. Would God Emperor of Dune actually be my favorite in the series? Would it continue to blast me with an arduous and unbelievable future? In short, yes and yes.
God Emperor of Dune is the most cohesive and intelligently written novel in the series. While earlier books jump from one plot point to another, God Emperor... is focused. This is the story of the penultimate act of the Emperor Leto II's reign. There are some other threads floating around, but they ravel around this main focus. Following a 3500 year reign, Leto has a few thoughts on power and government. As such, this book repeatedly tackles these subjects. This Dune novel isn't like its predecessors, all action and dialogue. In fact, there isn't much action in this entire volume. This is a story full of philosophical discourse, but one which never stops feeling like a story. This is one worm-man reflecting on 30,000 years of human existence, but the plot works around this person. And while he has some backward ideas regarding gender and homosexuality, he's nevertheless an interesting mind to behold. If this doesn't sound like your kind of thing—and obviously it's not for many—then this may be the most difficult book in the series to make it through.
God Emperor... does become a bit tedious in the second half. Philosophical musings become repetitive rants. And the fabulously crafted revolution led by Siona fizzles into bland familial melodrama. Still, most of the characters actions and inactions feel more organic in this story—you sense, occasionally, that they and not the author are in control of their lives, a vast departure from the earlier volumes.
So I made it. Will I ever read another novel from the Dune universe? Unlikely, but certainly within the realm of possibility. If I do, it'll most assuredly be the final two chapters from the original series. But that may be some years down the road. In the meantime, I've got a dozen other promises to keep.
Thus the promise I made to my
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brother-in-law to read seven Dune novels may have been overly ambitious. This was ten-plus years ago. And to get through all seven required slogging through some terrible writing at times and some monotonous babble at others. First, as he'd suggested, I made my way through the Dune prequels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. House Atreides and House Harkonnen in 2008, followed by House Corrino in 2012. There was some great story in these three novels, moments that were extremely vivid and haunting—scenes I remember to this day. But the writing left so much to be desired: it was repetitive, filled with juvenile symbolism and minimal character development. In 2013, I got around to the original book that started the series, Frank Herbert's Dune. The writing in this classic was better, but I struggled quite a bit with these futuristic feudal clashes with swords while spaceships roamed the galaxy and women were subject to male approval. Could the future really be so medieval? Later that year I read Dune Messiah and in 2015 I read the third of the originals, Children of Dune. I found much the same in them, only not as exciting.All along, my brother-in-law told me that I needed to make it to God Emperor of Dune, that while the fourth book was one of the least popular in the original series, he believed I would enjoy it the most. So I say all that to say this: there was some anticipation going into what would be my seventh Dune novel, but there was considerable apprehension. Would God Emperor of Dune actually be my favorite in the series? Would it continue to blast me with an arduous and unbelievable future? In short, yes and yes.
God Emperor of Dune is the most cohesive and intelligently written novel in the series. While earlier books jump from one plot point to another, God Emperor... is focused. This is the story of the penultimate act of the Emperor Leto II's reign. There are some other threads floating around, but they ravel around this main focus. Following a 3500 year reign, Leto has a few thoughts on power and government. As such, this book repeatedly tackles these subjects. This Dune novel isn't like its predecessors, all action and dialogue. In fact, there isn't much action in this entire volume. This is a story full of philosophical discourse, but one which never stops feeling like a story. This is one worm-man reflecting on 30,000 years of human existence, but the plot works around this person. And while he has some backward ideas regarding gender and homosexuality, he's nevertheless an interesting mind to behold. If this doesn't sound like your kind of thing—and obviously it's not for many—then this may be the most difficult book in the series to make it through.
God Emperor... does become a bit tedious in the second half. Philosophical musings become repetitive rants. And the fabulously crafted revolution led by Siona fizzles into bland familial melodrama. Still, most of the characters actions and inactions feel more organic in this story—you sense, occasionally, that they and not the author are in control of their lives, a vast departure from the earlier volumes.
So I made it. Will I ever read another novel from the Dune universe? Unlikely, but certainly within the realm of possibility. If I do, it'll most assuredly be the final two chapters from the original series. But that may be some years down the road. In the meantime, I've got a dozen other promises to keep.
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LibraryThing member penwing
After reading The Great Dune Trilogy, this is odd. Focusing on Leto II very specifically and abandonning the previous style examining all the cultures/organisations/interested parties. I preferred the more political scheming going on in other books, Leto's Peace kinda dulled the world. Having said
I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest.
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that, the fate of the Museum Fremen really moved me. So sad to see their ways die without being allowed to.I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
And, at this point, we have the 'Dune Syndrome': author writes a great book, author follows it up with a never-ending stream of garbage to cash in. I won't bother to read any of the remaining books, of which there are eight or so.
LibraryThing member hume
This is the fourth in the Dune series. The god emperor leto II is beset by the machinations of IX, the bene gesserit and his once loyal guardian duncan idaho. In leto II we encounter a tyrant who is unable to enjoy the comforts, his rule should afford him. who is constantly reminded of his duty to
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humanity while he gradually loses his. the tragedy of leto's circumstance and the gholas he has created for himself illustrate the full desperation of his plight. The author could've compromised this novel and made it more reader friendly, less of a thesis on the human condition. Though, what work of literary excellence has ever benefited from playing to the crowd. Show Less
LibraryThing member kristykay22
3,500 years after the end of the third book in the series, God Emperor of Dune shows us the (very long) continuing reign of Leto II -- son of Paul Atreides / part-man, part-sandworm / ruler and deity for the known universe. Leto is, to be honest, a little bored. He passes the time by noticing
The finale on this one is pretty great, but after a bit, the reader becomes just as bored as Leto about his philosophizing and cute references to ancient Earth history. This one also continues Herbert's well-meaning but rankling exoticism of Arab and Asian cultures, and adds in some kind of weird ideas on female sexuality to boot. Still, this is a worthy and interesting continuation of this series, and I'm in so deep that I'm looking forward to books 5 and 6 to see what these crazy Atreides do next (and I hope the sandworms come back).
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changes in his ever-evolving body, dipping into his ancestral memories, setting up a complicated breeding program to improve the Atreides line, keeping a *very* close eye on the universe, and getting some techies on another planet to create clones of his number one fave from the old days, Duncan Idaho. The problem is that what makes Duncan so great (his impetuousness, constant questioning, irresistible sexuality, and knowledge of the past world of Dune) also make him a bit of a liability, and Leto has to keep killing his Duncans. This very long game is all, of course, in service of the Golden Path -- a way through the complete annihilation of life in the universe foreseen by both Leto and his father. Leto's solution, as revealed in his secret journals, appears to be making the people of the universe so irritated and antsy for some personal freedom and creative control that after he is gone they won't turn to another despot / spiritual leader. The finale on this one is pretty great, but after a bit, the reader becomes just as bored as Leto about his philosophizing and cute references to ancient Earth history. This one also continues Herbert's well-meaning but rankling exoticism of Arab and Asian cultures, and adds in some kind of weird ideas on female sexuality to boot. Still, this is a worthy and interesting continuation of this series, and I'm in so deep that I'm looking forward to books 5 and 6 to see what these crazy Atreides do next (and I hope the sandworms come back).
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LibraryThing member themulhern
This is the novel in which Frank Herbert tries humour. A brief conversation between the God Emperor of Dune and one of his most devoted soldiers is quite entertaining. There is one aphorism, about young people, difficult decisions, and violence, which, unlike all the other aphorisms in this book
This novel gets an extra half star for its sheer pretentiousness, which is sort of admirable.
The character of Siona is kind of ridiculous. She is the leader of a rebellion with secret cells, a rebellion that gets people killed, but Leto knows all about her and encourages her. Duncan is a bit more interesting, due to the way he keeps recurring. I could not fathom the importance of Malky.
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and all previous books, seems to have the ring of truth. The enclosed world of Arrakis, and the Pharaonic splendor and stasis of the God Emperor are well realized. Echoes of Christian mythology are easily recognized. This novel sets up for the subsequent novel quite well.This novel gets an extra half star for its sheer pretentiousness, which is sort of admirable.
The character of Siona is kind of ridiculous. She is the leader of a rebellion with secret cells, a rebellion that gets people killed, but Leto knows all about her and encourages her. Duncan is a bit more interesting, due to the way he keeps recurring. I could not fathom the importance of Malky.
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LibraryThing member ebooker_ben
I just couldn't be arsed in the end. Something about old characters being remade to over throw the God like slug, blah, blah, rubbish, blah ... sleep.
The first two books are fantastic and so rocked my world. I should have known not to bother after barely limping through the third.
The first two books are fantastic and so rocked my world. I should have known not to bother after barely limping through the third.
LibraryThing member endersreads
The 4th in Frank Herbert's Dune series.
I was astounded at the fate of Leto II! Peering into the depths of his psyche through the snippets of his Stolen Journals was fascinating. I found that there are more quotes worth quoting here than in any of the 3 previous Dune novels; and with the
"Paradox is a pointer telling you to look beyond it. If paradoxes bother you, that betrays your deep desire for absolutes. The relativist treats a paradox merely as interesting, perhaps amusing or even, dreadful thought, educational." -Leto II
and:
"Unceasing warfare gives rise to its own social conditions which have been similar in all epochs. People enter a permanent state of alertness to ward off attacks. You see the absolute rule of the autocrat. All new things become dangerous frontier districts—new planets, new economic areas to exploit, new ideas or new devices, visitors—everything suspect. Feudalism takes firm hold, sometimes disguised as a polit-bureau or similar structure, but always present. Hereditary succession follows the lines of power. The blood of the powerful dominates. The vice regents of heaven or their equivalent apportion the wealth. And they know they must control inheritance or slowly let the power melt away. Now, do you understand Leto's Peace?" -The Stolen Journals
The rebellious Siona called him the Ultimate Cynic. I believe cynicism can in rare cases be healthy. I was unimpressed with Siona and her rebels. Their motives were not very clear, other than to overthrow the worm and getting at his spice hoard. I think the result will be something akin to the consequences of the revolution Lenin, Trotsky, and friends bore (note that the old Imperium is basically non-existent in the God Emperor's time). The difference here is that unlike the Tsar and Tsarina, the God Emperor planned very carefully his own demise and the rise of the Atreides who could not be seen.
It is obvious that Siona was cruel and filled with hate. I can see her playing the future role of Stalin. At the end of the novel Duncan Idaho came to an epiphany. I do not understand why he then aided Siona. I enjoyed the entire novel but for the scene in Tuono. It reminded me of the old Westerns. I was disappointed. Certainly Herbert gave us strange twisted humor here with Nayla (I would wager that in life Herbert had a bit of a Nun-fixation—and really, who does not?!). I had been expecting Leto II to at last submerge into the desert sands, releasing his sand trout. I cannot say that I am disappointed in the death of Hwi Noree. I only wished Siona had preceded her.
Now it is obvious to me that the etymology of Moneo is "Neo Moses". Neo means "new, recent, revived, or modified". In Hebrew, Moses means "he who was drawn out" or "he who draws out", in Egyptian, the word for water, mo, and the verb to save out of water, `uses'. I do hope those sand trout survive!
There is much for a Bible scholar to ponder here, as well as, of course, much Eastern philosophy. At times I became nostalgic of Machiavelli's "The Prince". I believe The God Emperor was not all evil, but mostly good. He was certainly not as evil as the aristocracy of today. As Leto II put it:
"Safaris through ancestral memories teach me many things. The patterns, ahhh, the patterns. Liberal bigots are the ones who trouble me most. I distrust the extremes. Scratch a conservative and you find someone who prefers the past over any future. Scratch a liberal and find a closet aristocrat. It's true! Liberal governments always develop into aristocracies. The bureaucracies betray the true intent of people who form such governments. Right from the first the little people who formed the governments which promised to equalize the social burdens found themselves suddenly in the hands of bureaucratic aristocracies. Of course, all bureaucracies follow this pattern, but what a hypocrisy to find this even under a communized banner. Ahhh, well, if patterns teach me anything it's that patterns are repeated. My oppressions, by and large, are no worse than any of the others and, at least, I teach a new lesson."
-The Stolen Journals
I was astounded at the fate of Leto II! Peering into the depths of his psyche through the snippets of his Stolen Journals was fascinating. I found that there are more quotes worth quoting here than in any of the 3 previous Dune novels; and with the
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multi-consciousness that made up Leto II, that would only be the logical case. Example:"Paradox is a pointer telling you to look beyond it. If paradoxes bother you, that betrays your deep desire for absolutes. The relativist treats a paradox merely as interesting, perhaps amusing or even, dreadful thought, educational." -Leto II
and:
"Unceasing warfare gives rise to its own social conditions which have been similar in all epochs. People enter a permanent state of alertness to ward off attacks. You see the absolute rule of the autocrat. All new things become dangerous frontier districts—new planets, new economic areas to exploit, new ideas or new devices, visitors—everything suspect. Feudalism takes firm hold, sometimes disguised as a polit-bureau or similar structure, but always present. Hereditary succession follows the lines of power. The blood of the powerful dominates. The vice regents of heaven or their equivalent apportion the wealth. And they know they must control inheritance or slowly let the power melt away. Now, do you understand Leto's Peace?" -The Stolen Journals
The rebellious Siona called him the Ultimate Cynic. I believe cynicism can in rare cases be healthy. I was unimpressed with Siona and her rebels. Their motives were not very clear, other than to overthrow the worm and getting at his spice hoard. I think the result will be something akin to the consequences of the revolution Lenin, Trotsky, and friends bore (note that the old Imperium is basically non-existent in the God Emperor's time). The difference here is that unlike the Tsar and Tsarina, the God Emperor planned very carefully his own demise and the rise of the Atreides who could not be seen.
It is obvious that Siona was cruel and filled with hate. I can see her playing the future role of Stalin. At the end of the novel Duncan Idaho came to an epiphany. I do not understand why he then aided Siona. I enjoyed the entire novel but for the scene in Tuono. It reminded me of the old Westerns. I was disappointed. Certainly Herbert gave us strange twisted humor here with Nayla (I would wager that in life Herbert had a bit of a Nun-fixation—and really, who does not?!). I had been expecting Leto II to at last submerge into the desert sands, releasing his sand trout. I cannot say that I am disappointed in the death of Hwi Noree. I only wished Siona had preceded her.
Now it is obvious to me that the etymology of Moneo is "Neo Moses". Neo means "new, recent, revived, or modified". In Hebrew, Moses means "he who was drawn out" or "he who draws out", in Egyptian, the word for water, mo, and the verb to save out of water, `uses'. I do hope those sand trout survive!
There is much for a Bible scholar to ponder here, as well as, of course, much Eastern philosophy. At times I became nostalgic of Machiavelli's "The Prince". I believe The God Emperor was not all evil, but mostly good. He was certainly not as evil as the aristocracy of today. As Leto II put it:
"Safaris through ancestral memories teach me many things. The patterns, ahhh, the patterns. Liberal bigots are the ones who trouble me most. I distrust the extremes. Scratch a conservative and you find someone who prefers the past over any future. Scratch a liberal and find a closet aristocrat. It's true! Liberal governments always develop into aristocracies. The bureaucracies betray the true intent of people who form such governments. Right from the first the little people who formed the governments which promised to equalize the social burdens found themselves suddenly in the hands of bureaucratic aristocracies. Of course, all bureaucracies follow this pattern, but what a hypocrisy to find this even under a communized banner. Ahhh, well, if patterns teach me anything it's that patterns are repeated. My oppressions, by and large, are no worse than any of the others and, at least, I teach a new lesson."
-The Stolen Journals
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LibraryThing member DCArchitect
The chance to once again inhabit Mr. Herbert's universe makes up for the lack of momentum that 'The Chronicles' exhibit after 'Dune.' While 'Dune' is required reading for any Sci-Fi fan (and highly encouraged reading for everybody) only dedicated sci-fi readers will need apply here.
LibraryThing member Waianuhea
WEIRD but good! I love how Herbert got around characters dying by having gholas around. I'm fine with that though, seeing as Duncan Idaho is my favorite character right up there with Jessica.
LibraryThing member AndyWol
I can't agree with the majority of 3-5 star reviews of this book. The first book is in a different league to this one - which seems to have less characters, who you care less about, scattered across what at times is a book that drones on for the sake of padding out the word count. I would go along
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with the first paragraph of 'shelterdowns' review; and don't have the time or energy to re-read this book when there is so much more better stuff out there - including the original novel (which I've re-read about 5 times). Trust me, stick with the first three. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnotherPartOfMeLost
Though this one could easily be found boring, I liked it a lot. It's role in the timeline is significant. The Golden Path always there, with the duncan ghola's playing a important part, which later on is thankfully used to end the timeline (no spoiler, now is it?).
LibraryThing member mmyoung
My initial experience of the Dune series could be graphed as a continuous downward curve -- from the high of the initial book through the slight disappointment with Dune Messiah to more disappointment with Children of Dune and so forth. When I initially read God Emperor I quite disliked it.
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Rereadings have made me wonder if Herbert was intentionally playing with the reader by starting with a book about a hero (albeit one about whom we have misgivings by the end of the book) through successive books each deconstructing what had been held out at the end of the previous book as what remained of "hero." Show Less
LibraryThing member indiefishsteak
most interesting philosophies about government, female armies, and religion
LibraryThing member VincentDarlage
This book was difficult. Not much going on until the end but lots of philosophy.
LibraryThing member DirtPriest
The Dune series rolls along, not too many surprises in this installment, but simply a great tale. Actually somewhat plodding and there is very little action, but still...
Individually, the sequels aren't as great as Dune proper as solo works, but I consider series books like this as one story in
Individually, the sequels aren't as great as Dune proper as solo works, but I consider series books like this as one story in
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essence, and a awesome one at that. Dune as a standalone is exemplary, however. Show Less
LibraryThing member danconsiglio
The fourth book in the original Dune series takes a stark turn form the patterns established by Herbert in his first three installments. Set 4,000 years after the events of the last book, this story does not concern itself with the manipulations of multiple factions struggling for control over a
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scarce resource; rather it looks at a single entity controlling the culture of millions. Where he used to shy away from such things, here Herbert adds many descriptions of action sequence and the human body to demonstrate the horror and frustration of the humans forced to serve the monstrous and inhuman Leto II. While the imagery and narrative structure of the book is new, the themes presented are familiar. Herbert is constantly interested in the ways that history and sexuality (often unstated) feed human desire and how culture creates leaders. Good stuff! Show Less
LibraryThing member indiefishsteak
So far this is my favorite of the series. It addresses so many philosophical ideas within such a great framework of story. At once engaging and thought-provoking. In order to do a better review and really get at everything I learned, I have to read it again. It's a bit intense/dense. What can I
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say? I prefer to delve into morality and philosophy using literature. It's more meaningful to me that way, and I think entwining a beautiful story with many meanings and purposes takes a great deal of skill. What's even better is that Herbert manages to keep it entertaining. I guess my first reading almost always reflects on writing style, no matter how much I actually get out of the book, which in this case was a good deal. I will say that it puts religion and godhood into an interesting perspective. Show Less
LibraryThing member Radaghast
In this fourth installment of the Dune Chronicles, the world is under the thumb of a living god. This is a different book than the first three Dune novels, make no mistake. But that doesn't make it any less great.
LibraryThing member dgmillo
A radical departure from the previous 3 books. God Emperor takes place 3500 years after Leto II takes up the horrible burden that his father, Paul Maud'dib refused.
Half philosophical discussion, half rollicking revolutionary plot to overthrow an all seeing, all knowing, nigh-immortal god-king
I can't say I understood it all, but I certainly enjoyed the ride. Herbert creates one of his most alien yet sympathetic characters yet. The contours of Herbert's master plan for the series is coming into focus, though I'm still not quite sure what it is. I look forward to reading it again after I've finished the series. Perhaps it will make more sense then.
Half philosophical discussion, half rollicking revolutionary plot to overthrow an all seeing, all knowing, nigh-immortal god-king
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tyrant, who also happens to be the tragic hero of the book.I can't say I understood it all, but I certainly enjoyed the ride. Herbert creates one of his most alien yet sympathetic characters yet. The contours of Herbert's master plan for the series is coming into focus, though I'm still not quite sure what it is. I look forward to reading it again after I've finished the series. Perhaps it will make more sense then.
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LibraryThing member AuntieClio
Better than I expected, almost lived up to the potential Dune set. Too bad it won't stand alone without the backstories of both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Looking forward to reading what happens next.
LibraryThing member keylawk
Fourth book in the Dune series. 3500 years after the events in the original trilogy, tells the story of Leto, the son of Paul Atreides, savior of the planet Dune. Leto lives, but not as a human.
Awards
Locus Award (Nominee — Science Fiction Novel — 1982)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1981-05
Physical description
423 p.; 7 inches
ISBN
0425062333 / 9780425062333