Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Berkley Books
Pages
279
Description
Dune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known -- and feared -- as the man christened Muad'Dib. As Emperor of the known universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne -- and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence. And even as House Atreides begins to crumble around him from the machinations of his enemies, the true threat to Paul comes to his lover Chani and the unborn heir to his family's dynasty ....
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1969
Physical description
279 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0425055035 / 9780425055038
Other editions
Dune Messiah (Dune, #2) by Frank Herbert (Paperback)
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member johnxlibris
Frank Herbert's second installment of the Dune saga begins twelve years after the overthrow of the empire. The jihad of Paul Atreides and his Qizarate legions has brought the name of Muab'dib to the every sector of the galaxy. The novel opens with scenes of conspiracy and theories of history:
Unlike the first book, Dune Messiah centers less on action and more on contemplation. It locates Paul on the edge of expected (self-) destruction. The jihad has led him inextricably to this point. And now he waits, hoping to disengage. But the inevitability of the future is tempered by Paul's foreknowledge, his spice-induced ability to see what approaches. Perhaps this is why some readers are "bored" by this book: there is little expectancy from Paul while there is an absurd paranoia among the other characters. We can't align ourselves with the paranoids, but to stand with Paul precludes the energy of expectancy. So what are we left with? Where can we go?
In a way, this novel is a discourse on the nature of fate and foreknowledge, A Boethian exploration of one man's place in a seemingly fixed course of events. Like Boethius's god, free will is not compromised by Paul's foreknowledge as he sees the course of the events he set (and continues to set) into motion. But because he knows where this will lead him, he rides the wave rather than swims.
Perhaps the question we should be asking is why Herbert decided to take this direction. Why deal with the question of free will and fate in the context of political conspiracies and galactic power struggles? Except Paul is never the victim of these forces! His only power struggle is with his own past and present.
All in all, the novel is primarily transitory: it sets the stage for future works while conveniently dispatching Book 1's hero honorably and philosophically. While it doesn't carry quite the same "umph!" as the Dune Part 1, there is merit to be found in its elegant simplicity.
Show More
simulacrum of real action. The planet of Arrakis, indeed the entire Atreides empire, vibrates with explosive potential but is, for the moment, quite still.Unlike the first book, Dune Messiah centers less on action and more on contemplation. It locates Paul on the edge of expected (self-) destruction. The jihad has led him inextricably to this point. And now he waits, hoping to disengage. But the inevitability of the future is tempered by Paul's foreknowledge, his spice-induced ability to see what approaches. Perhaps this is why some readers are "bored" by this book: there is little expectancy from Paul while there is an absurd paranoia among the other characters. We can't align ourselves with the paranoids, but to stand with Paul precludes the energy of expectancy. So what are we left with? Where can we go?
In a way, this novel is a discourse on the nature of fate and foreknowledge, A Boethian exploration of one man's place in a seemingly fixed course of events. Like Boethius's god, free will is not compromised by Paul's foreknowledge as he sees the course of the events he set (and continues to set) into motion. But because he knows where this will lead him, he rides the wave rather than swims.
Perhaps the question we should be asking is why Herbert decided to take this direction. Why deal with the question of free will and fate in the context of political conspiracies and galactic power struggles? Except Paul is never the victim of these forces! His only power struggle is with his own past and present.
All in all, the novel is primarily transitory: it sets the stage for future works while conveniently dispatching Book 1's hero honorably and philosophically. While it doesn't carry quite the same "umph!" as the Dune Part 1, there is merit to be found in its elegant simplicity.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Cecrow
After Villeneuve's second Dune movie, I'm probably not alone in blowing the dust off my decades-old copy of this series and reminding myself of what happened next. Paul Atreides requires only twelve years to conquer the galaxy with his Fremen and control of the spice. Rebellious elements take the
Somewhere I got the idea Herbert had intended this as the ending of the prior novel and gave it new life as a sequel instead, but I can't find a source to back that up. I'm in accord with Villeneuve, that the first book's story is incomplete without this sequel's emphasizing the fallout and its surfacing of the central theme: beware who you deify. The Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilaxu knew the danger of not being able to control the figurehead they wanted. The Fremen did not, and here we see how their civilization was transformed for the worse: religion as government, innocents of the desert become world destroyers, and internal division.
This second novel often disappoints those wishing for another large-scale epic adventure tale like the first. Herbert is introspective here, overtly challenging his own creation and all of our beliefs about the role of a mythic hero figure. The Dune series dates from a time when the creator's vision was paramount, long before there was focus on what will earn the most "likes". As literature, it is stronger for it.
Show More
form of conspirators among the Bene Gessserit, Spacing Guild, Bene Tleilaxu and recruit his wife Irulan. But Paul's worst enemy is his own guilt and fear about what he has become, or may yet become. It's a book filled with smart people talking, aided by the fact that several of them are experts in reading one another's emotions to the point where dissembling is practically impossible - and yet dissemble they do.Somewhere I got the idea Herbert had intended this as the ending of the prior novel and gave it new life as a sequel instead, but I can't find a source to back that up. I'm in accord with Villeneuve, that the first book's story is incomplete without this sequel's emphasizing the fallout and its surfacing of the central theme: beware who you deify. The Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilaxu knew the danger of not being able to control the figurehead they wanted. The Fremen did not, and here we see how their civilization was transformed for the worse: religion as government, innocents of the desert become world destroyers, and internal division.
This second novel often disappoints those wishing for another large-scale epic adventure tale like the first. Herbert is introspective here, overtly challenging his own creation and all of our beliefs about the role of a mythic hero figure. The Dune series dates from a time when the creator's vision was paramount, long before there was focus on what will earn the most "likes". As literature, it is stronger for it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bardsfingertips
I recently finished Dune Messiah. I enjoyed the book, but it had left an odd feeling with me. It felt like a long, closing episode of a novel that was missing its first two acts. In a sense it was presented as an endgame for the characters I have grown to enjoy from the first novel Dune. There were
What I did enjoy was the exploration of what happens when an individual becomes as powerful as a god; and how his very existence influences people far and wide to commit acts of violence for what is essentially the good of what is considered the truth. Sound familiar? It also explored that even though Paul has the ability of prescience he is still flawed; there is nothing infallible about him, and it is that aspect that is denied by his followers. Once again, sound familiar?
I think that I will continue to explore the Dune Universe; after all, my curiosity has not been quenched.
Show More
two issues I was having with it when I began the novel: first, where was Lady Jessica? Second, where was Gurney? Well, Jessica's presence, though mentioned briefly in the beginning, was momentarily touched on and explained in just a few lines. Gurney's existence and fate was never explained save for a couple of lines expressed by the once-deceased Duncan Idaho. It was a fascinating read insomuch that I just want to know more of what happened…but it did not satisfy my curiosity. What I did enjoy was the exploration of what happens when an individual becomes as powerful as a god; and how his very existence influences people far and wide to commit acts of violence for what is essentially the good of what is considered the truth. Sound familiar? It also explored that even though Paul has the ability of prescience he is still flawed; there is nothing infallible about him, and it is that aspect that is denied by his followers. Once again, sound familiar?
I think that I will continue to explore the Dune Universe; after all, my curiosity has not been quenched.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LauraDragonWench
I think most people don't particularly like this book, but I'm not sure why. Is it because Paul-Muad'Dib, Messiah, Emperor, God, is shown as a flawed human? Is it because we see that even with his awesome powers, he's still unable to map the future, to escape the future, the same as any ordinary
Show More
human? We know Paul was never going to be perfect, was never going to be an angelic being or benevolent emperor; Frank Herbert told us that in "Dune." We know that Paul knew his destiny, knew the consequences of his actions, from the earliest moments; we can speculate that he might've even had the power to change the outcome, to escape the jihad fought in his name, to fling off the mantle of power that weighed upon him and turned his friends and companions into slavish minions, willing to do anything in the name of Muad'Dib. And yet he didn't. He continued on his course of actions, perhaps because, in his arrogance, he began to believe too much in his own mythology--Muad'Dib, the Kwisatz Haderch, the Lisan al-Gaib; perhaps he even grew to enjoy the trappings of power, underneath his disdain. And perhaps that is what truly destroyed him, in the end: recognition of his human-ness underneath the godhead. I found this book to be just as powerful as "Dune" as it explores what happens to the messiah once he is accepted and the changes he's wrought become routine and ritualized. It wasn't about the world-shaking changes he brought to everyone else; it was about the psyche-shaking changes his role brought to himself, the dark side of power that defines who and what we become. Show Less
LibraryThing member ed.pendragon
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
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.
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cedargrove
How long it has been since I first read the first of the Dune novels, and how close I felt then to Chani, royal concubine, who was closer to the role of wife than the princess that bears that title, and certainly more loved. In spite of obvious differences, that identification continues through the
For amid the twisted power-plays, and the complex political and religious scheming, lies the true tragedy of a man, who once set upon the path, continues inexorably onward toward his own terrible grief, a grief that he knows is coming, and he cannot in all of his conscience deviate, not even for love, to avoid that terrible loss.
It's a masterful piece of writing, which presents the reader with an omniscient view into the thoughts and fears of all of the characters. Nothing is hidden, and like Paul we see the instrument of all those little stabs of pain that lead up to the ultimate break in the expected future as laid out for us by Paul's visions, (and Herbert's writing), and it truly is heartbreaking.
Anyone who's ever grappled with the question of whether fate is preordained or the product of the path we walk in reaching our future – anyone who's ever wondered, 'if I knew what was coming would I try to change it' and anyone who's ever found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, or being a slave to the circumstances of their 'creation/moulding' will find a companion in this book, in truly thought provoking ways.
And in me, I find it hard to say what – aside from Chani's life and death, (I did mention that the Dune series is epic, didn't it?) – truly touched me, except perhaps the quoted words of Chani.
You may have eternity. I have only now.
Show More
second, more heartbreaking novel.For amid the twisted power-plays, and the complex political and religious scheming, lies the true tragedy of a man, who once set upon the path, continues inexorably onward toward his own terrible grief, a grief that he knows is coming, and he cannot in all of his conscience deviate, not even for love, to avoid that terrible loss.
It's a masterful piece of writing, which presents the reader with an omniscient view into the thoughts and fears of all of the characters. Nothing is hidden, and like Paul we see the instrument of all those little stabs of pain that lead up to the ultimate break in the expected future as laid out for us by Paul's visions, (and Herbert's writing), and it truly is heartbreaking.
Anyone who's ever grappled with the question of whether fate is preordained or the product of the path we walk in reaching our future – anyone who's ever wondered, 'if I knew what was coming would I try to change it' and anyone who's ever found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, or being a slave to the circumstances of their 'creation/moulding' will find a companion in this book, in truly thought provoking ways.
And in me, I find it hard to say what – aside from Chani's life and death, (I did mention that the Dune series is epic, didn't it?) – truly touched me, except perhaps the quoted words of Chani.
You may have eternity. I have only now.
Show Less
LibraryThing member littlepiece
I was once standing in a bookstore having a "buy 3, get 1 free" paperback sale with every Dune sequel they had in my arms. My father had asked if there was anything there that I liked. He looked at me. "Did you *read* Dune?" he asked. I nodded vigorously. Then, a small squint and the follow-up
It honestly took me some time to get to the rest of them. Dune Messiah is not the strongest book in the series. I read about halfway through twice but always got hung up on the tedium. Paul is older, the universe has changed, some conspiracy, some baby blues, blah blah blah. Then I reread Dune for a course over the summer and plowed through books 2-4 in a week. I only stopped for lack of book 5, which I just received for my birthday this morning. I will now continue.
Having read two-thirds of the published Dune titles, I firmly believe the series is worth reading. Dune Messiah is a slow place in which Herbert retools the initial standalone points of Dune to fashion a foundation for a much longer series. It's not a bad book, but it's certainly not a great one. It's there to get readers from Paul's bold military coup to the following millennia in the fate of humankind. There are some good moments. The ensuing series makes up for the rest.
Paul has not aged gracefully. I truly wish Chani had been able to play a more complex role than Paul's sihaya. Irulan becomes less of a pawn. Things do ultimately come together. And it can be interesting to follow events in light of partially-revealed prophecy, trying to figure out how Paul's actions could possibly lead to any end he would willingly choose -- and whether the limitations of his prescience have ultimately gotten the better of him. If you intend to dedicate yourself to the full six volumes, Dune Messiah should pay off. I don't think this book of all books can be approached with casual "take it or leave it" indifference.
Show More
question. "Did you *understand* it?" I left with an armload of books and a grin. It honestly took me some time to get to the rest of them. Dune Messiah is not the strongest book in the series. I read about halfway through twice but always got hung up on the tedium. Paul is older, the universe has changed, some conspiracy, some baby blues, blah blah blah. Then I reread Dune for a course over the summer and plowed through books 2-4 in a week. I only stopped for lack of book 5, which I just received for my birthday this morning. I will now continue.
Having read two-thirds of the published Dune titles, I firmly believe the series is worth reading. Dune Messiah is a slow place in which Herbert retools the initial standalone points of Dune to fashion a foundation for a much longer series. It's not a bad book, but it's certainly not a great one. It's there to get readers from Paul's bold military coup to the following millennia in the fate of humankind. There are some good moments. The ensuing series makes up for the rest.
Paul has not aged gracefully. I truly wish Chani had been able to play a more complex role than Paul's sihaya. Irulan becomes less of a pawn. Things do ultimately come together. And it can be interesting to follow events in light of partially-revealed prophecy, trying to figure out how Paul's actions could possibly lead to any end he would willingly choose -- and whether the limitations of his prescience have ultimately gotten the better of him. If you intend to dedicate yourself to the full six volumes, Dune Messiah should pay off. I don't think this book of all books can be approached with casual "take it or leave it" indifference.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JeffV
Book 2 in Frank Herbert's series, Dune Messiah follows a deified Paul Atredies through an inescapable path of events divined through his prescience. The story picks up after the jihad that followed his overthrow of the Corrino Emperor at the end of Dune. Some 65 billion people died in the wars, and
Show More
numerous planets were sterilized. An amusing exchange compares this with the modest achievements of Genghis Khan and Adolf Hitler back on old Earth. Throughout the story, Paul is a pitiable character, he knows the unpleasant fate to come, but cannot change it. Other characters play their part, according to script. But the script runs its course...at the end, he no longer knows with certainty what is to come. The book ends with Paul wandering off into the desert, where he is destined to become the next Elvis -- seen everywhere although every knows he must be dead. Show Less
LibraryThing member sturlington
I was inspired by my recent rereading of Dune to pick up the second novel in the series, which just served to remind me why I don’t read series. The plot was muddy and confusing, the characters little more than cardboard cutouts, and to be honest, not much of anything happened during the book.
Show More
Let Dune remain a standalone novel, at least for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member iansales
The Dune series reread continues, although perhaps not as quickly as I’d hoped. It’s all down to me, of course; there’s nothing stopping me reading the books one after the other. Except I have a habit choosing something different to my last read for my next one. Probably not a great strategy
Show More
when reading a series – but given this year I also decided to have a go at rereading the Wheel of Time series, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t survive reading those books in quick succession… Anyway, Dune Messiah. Popular wisdom would have it that Dune Messiah is the best of the original Dune trilogy – or, as some would day it, the best of the Dune sequels. Which tells you how wrong popular wisdom is. Dune Messiah is not a sequel – Herbert conceived of the trilogy as a whole, although perhaps not in detail. It’s also not the best of the three. Neither, to be honest, is the first book, Dune. Which means it must be the third one… but I’ve yet to reread it. Dune Messiah is set some years after the end of Dune. Paul Atreides is now emperor and has become increasingly disenchanted with the institution he has created. Meanwhile, there is a plot to kill him, led by some Fremen who fought with him and are unhappy with the changes to Arrakis. There are also a series of sub-plots. Princess Irulan, Paul’s wife, is angling for an heir, and has joined a conspiracy with a Guild navigator, a Tleilaxu Face-Dancer and a Bene Gesserit. It’s clear they all have different objectives, and it’s a marriage of convenience, so to speak (marriages of convenience pop up a lot in the Dune books). Meanwhile, Chani is pregnant and Paul knows she will die in childbirth. Which she does. She has twins, which Paul had not foreseen. And it turns out the Tleilaxu are more interested in finding a trigger for the ghola Hayt, a clone of Duncan Idaho, to recover Idaho’s memories. While rooting out the plot to kill him, Paul was permanently blinded by a “stoneburner”, a type of nuclear weapon. It’s Fremen tradition to abandon blind people in the desert, and eventually that’s what Paul does: walks out into the desert. Some years later, a blind Fremen called the Preacher appears in Arrakeen, the capital city of Arrakis, and rants against the regency that has taken over from Paul. Is Dune Messiah better than Dune? Yes. The prose is much better-written. But then it improves as the series progresses, so that’s no surprise. But where Dune had the fifteen-year-old Paul Atriedes as its focus, a character readers, especially male teen ones, can glom onto, Dune Messiah has no one. Which means it reads as a more distanced narrative. Paul is presented as a tragic figure – in fact, no one in the book is all that sympathetic, except perhaps, perversely, Princess Irulan. (Since first reading the book in my teens, I’ve always been fascinated the most by Skytale, the Tleilaxu Face-Dancer.) Dune was definitely a book of two halves: ‘Dune World’ and ‘The Prophet of Dune’. But Dune Messiah also feels like a book of parts, perhaps because its sub-plots don’t gel especially well. To some extent, that’s down to Herbert’s decision to have a cabal of four plotters all pursuing different aims, and a plot to kill Paul on top of that. It makes for a busy narrative, and yet Dune Messiah is only 256 pages. So the plot jumps around and Herbert skimps on some of the detail. Dune Messiah reads like Herbert stringing together his favourite scenes from the story he had planned. It works – better than Dune does, to be honest – but it does feel more like a best-of than a coherent narrative. The Dune series is a science fiction institution, and is likely to be even more so in the future. After decades of trying to raise the profile of the Dune series, leading to the questionable decision to publish a series of sh*t novels by Kevin J Anderson, Herbert Limited Partnership have finally got their wish, with a two-movie adaptation of the Dune directed by Denis Villeneuve and a supporting TV series. Dune is going to be up there with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. The good news is the books are just as capable of supporting the cross-platform media giant Dune will become as Tolkien and GRRM. This is not necessarily a compliment. However, the Dune series reread continues and perhaps I will surprise myself with my re-evaluation of the following books… Show Less
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Let me just say: I am one of those people who actually enjoyed the later Dune books written by Frank Herbert. I was hooked, addicted. I needed my fix.
I got it with Dune Messiah.
Dune Messiah takes place some 12 years after Dune. Paul is the Emperor, and has conquered most of the universe thanks to
The Bene Gesserit, a group of space witches, however, do not wish to bend to readily to Paul's rule, and as such, team up with other fringe groups to dethrone Paul. Beware of Tleilaxu bearing gifts, Paul, as there is more to the Ghola (a sort of clone) of Duncan Idaho than meets the eye.
The universe is changed with all the conspirators, co-conspirators, and counter-conspirators conspiring against one another. Attempts at the life of Paul, his concubine Chani, and other members of the Atreides line are made.
This book doesn't give as much whiz as the first Dune, but is just as great for any who, like me, read Dune, and wanted more.
I got it with Dune Messiah.
Dune Messiah takes place some 12 years after Dune. Paul is the Emperor, and has conquered most of the universe thanks to
Show More
his crack team of Fremen, ready to embrace him as their messiah.The Bene Gesserit, a group of space witches, however, do not wish to bend to readily to Paul's rule, and as such, team up with other fringe groups to dethrone Paul. Beware of Tleilaxu bearing gifts, Paul, as there is more to the Ghola (a sort of clone) of Duncan Idaho than meets the eye.
The universe is changed with all the conspirators, co-conspirators, and counter-conspirators conspiring against one another. Attempts at the life of Paul, his concubine Chani, and other members of the Atreides line are made.
This book doesn't give as much whiz as the first Dune, but is just as great for any who, like me, read Dune, and wanted more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member endersreads
Well, it's 12 years after Dune and Paul's life as a religious figure has been taken over by the Fremen. The ghola Duncan Idaho has been resurrected by the Bene Tleilax and there is a nearly open conspiracy against Paul. Things become very interesting when Paul becomes blind, yet is endowed with
Show More
greater sight. I don't want to ruin this awesome sequel. You can expect all you know and love about Dune to be here and then some (condensed in a quiet retrospective manner). I shall never forget Paul's night, in which the moon does fall. It's atmosphere will burn into your memory. It is fun to watch the mystery of Bijaz unravel before your eyes. He's such a strange character I find him a little disturbing.... Show Less
LibraryThing member Coldworker
Great! I Thought this was actually better the the original. In comparison with "Dune", the story has a much clearer theme. Where I felt that the original just centered around the prophecy of Maud'dib, "Dune Messiah" really underlines a certain philosophy, which holds true here on Earth too.
LibraryThing member lmichet
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
The failings here, however, are enormous. You haven't seen foreshadowing until you've read Dune Messiah. It takes that to a whole new, grotesque level-- that and pretentiousness. Thought Dune was pretentious?* Hah! This one makes Dune look downright proletarian. It's as though Frank Herbert managed to make a blunt weapon out of pretentiousness and use it directly on the reader's mind.
My final impression was of just another massive philosophical acid trip consisting of a bunch of people smarter than me bandying hints and portentous minutiae in the middle of a half-realized desert wonderland for over three hundred pages. I found that didn't really care about Duncan Idaho, anyway, since he was only in Dune for about forty pages and he only spoke about twice. Telling me ten times in a row that Paul really really liked Idaho is not going to make me feel the same way about him, Frank Herbert!
Now I'm afraid to read number three.
*I did-- pretentious in a kind of familiar, loveable, stylistically-necessary way.
Show More
Paul, even if he is a whiner) and it did keep my attention. So it's a fine book in that regard.The failings here, however, are enormous. You haven't seen foreshadowing until you've read Dune Messiah. It takes that to a whole new, grotesque level-- that and pretentiousness. Thought Dune was pretentious?* Hah! This one makes Dune look downright proletarian. It's as though Frank Herbert managed to make a blunt weapon out of pretentiousness and use it directly on the reader's mind.
My final impression was of just another massive philosophical acid trip consisting of a bunch of people smarter than me bandying hints and portentous minutiae in the middle of a half-realized desert wonderland for over three hundred pages. I found that didn't really care about Duncan Idaho, anyway, since he was only in Dune for about forty pages and he only spoke about twice. Telling me ten times in a row that Paul really really liked Idaho is not going to make me feel the same way about him, Frank Herbert!
Now I'm afraid to read number three.
*I did-- pretentious in a kind of familiar, loveable, stylistically-necessary way.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
An OK sequel to a great book, Dune. If I'd never read it, I wouldn't have missed much. It wasn't a complete waste of time, either, but I really think that "Dune" stands well enough on its own. This didn't seem nearly as well written or thought out. More of a reaction to a contract.
LibraryThing member santhony
This novel was okay. Clearly not comparable to the original, but far preferable to succeeding books in the series which become increasingly philosophical.
LibraryThing member shavienda
The previous Dune novel took me quite a while to finish, but I found this one to flow much smoothly and I finished it the same day I finished the first Dune. I had read reviews and interviews with the author to see that many people apparently felt annoyed at this book for bringing the hero down
Show More
from his pedestal. I don't see how people go this view at all.I thought that all of Paul's actions were very down to earth. He had to make many difficult decisions, and at the end I recall one character even stating that the holy war done in his name was not something he could have called to a stop, it had become it's own rolling monster. His sacrifice at the end was also very touching. I feel that for the people to move on the Hero has to become a martyr. Show Less
LibraryThing member shavienda
The previous Dune novel took me quite a while to finish, but I found this one to flow much smoothly and I finished it the same day I finished the first Dune. I had read reviews and interviews with the author to see that many people apparently felt annoyed at this book for bringing the hero down
Show More
from his pedestal. I don't see how people go this view at all.I thought that all of Paul's actions were very down to earth. He had to make many difficult decisions, and at the end I recall one character even stating that the holy war done in his name was not something he could have called to a stop, it had become it's own rolling monster. His sacrifice at the end was also very touching. I feel that for the people to move on the Hero has to become a martyr. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I gave this four and a half stars because in its own right it's a fine novel with quotable lines, rich ideas, scenes with real impact and a plot whose details stayed with me decades later, and I want to indicate that here Herbert is still at the top of his game. That said, I don't think this
I think Herbert knows it couldn't, and rather teases the reader in the opening when a historian is being interrogated and insists there's more to this world than planet Dune with its extreme aridity, its savage nomad warriors its sandworms and commodity, spice, that allows interstellar travel and prescient visions.
Maybe not--but that is a lot of what made the experience of that first novel so uniquely immersive. The way it created this world where water was so precious one wore special suits to reclaim every bit of water. That novel defined epic. This novel is much more intimate. At it's heart its a love story--two love stories really. But it also entwines the personal with the political and certainly this portrait of Paul, who in Dune we first meet as a child, is disturbing. He urges one of his people to study Genghis Khan and Adolf Hitler, and tells him Hitler was responsible for taking six million lives (much more actually--the six million represents only the Jews Hitler exterminated). He observes he's been responsible in sparking off his Jihad in ending the lives of 61 billion. For all that, Paul remains sympathetic--he's riding a tiger and is trying to find a way off without getting himself and everyone he loves mauled.
A joker is thrown into the deck with the return of Duncan Idaho--who died protecting Paul in the first book--as a "ghola" and gift to Paul. A creature created from Duncan's dead flesh is more than a clone--and the question in the book is just how much of Duncan is in this gift? And is he a Trojan horse? It's a question very much to the fore of the mind of Paul and his sister Alia, who finds herself drawn to Duncan.
I found the end of the book poignant and heartbreaking and warming all at once. And no, this isn't the mind-blowing epic that the first book, Dune, was, but it's a book that still contains human-scaled characters I can care about. I do recommend it and think fans of Dune shouldn't be disappointed in this sequel as long as they understand this is a very different book than the first.
I can't say that for the third book, Children of Dune, after which I just couldn't care less about the characters. That was my last book in the series.
Show More
impresses as much as the first book in the series, Dune. I think Herbert knows it couldn't, and rather teases the reader in the opening when a historian is being interrogated and insists there's more to this world than planet Dune with its extreme aridity, its savage nomad warriors its sandworms and commodity, spice, that allows interstellar travel and prescient visions.
Maybe not--but that is a lot of what made the experience of that first novel so uniquely immersive. The way it created this world where water was so precious one wore special suits to reclaim every bit of water. That novel defined epic. This novel is much more intimate. At it's heart its a love story--two love stories really. But it also entwines the personal with the political and certainly this portrait of Paul, who in Dune we first meet as a child, is disturbing. He urges one of his people to study Genghis Khan and Adolf Hitler, and tells him Hitler was responsible for taking six million lives (much more actually--the six million represents only the Jews Hitler exterminated). He observes he's been responsible in sparking off his Jihad in ending the lives of 61 billion. For all that, Paul remains sympathetic--he's riding a tiger and is trying to find a way off without getting himself and everyone he loves mauled.
A joker is thrown into the deck with the return of Duncan Idaho--who died protecting Paul in the first book--as a "ghola" and gift to Paul. A creature created from Duncan's dead flesh is more than a clone--and the question in the book is just how much of Duncan is in this gift? And is he a Trojan horse? It's a question very much to the fore of the mind of Paul and his sister Alia, who finds herself drawn to Duncan.
I found the end of the book poignant and heartbreaking and warming all at once. And no, this isn't the mind-blowing epic that the first book, Dune, was, but it's a book that still contains human-scaled characters I can care about. I do recommend it and think fans of Dune shouldn't be disappointed in this sequel as long as they understand this is a very different book than the first.
I can't say that for the third book, Children of Dune, after which I just couldn't care less about the characters. That was my last book in the series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DirtPriest
Book two is much shorter than the first, and has much less action. As a separate work, it is almost silly, but as a part of a longer story Dune Messiah is an integral part of a SF classic. I prefer to look at it in the latter way. In a nutshell, Paul sees in to the future and doesn't like the
Show More
things that he sees, but they have to happen any way, so they do. Much sadness and anguish follow and a weird love union emerges. The reader gets to see the human sides of the characters from Dune, which is interesting. Also, the future sometimes turns out a bit different than anticipated, big surprise there. Not particularly recommended unless you plan on reading the entire Dune series. At least it is short. Show Less
LibraryThing member barbgarcia1987
I enjoyed Dune and Dune Messiah. After those two, I did not enjoy any more of them and stopped reading the series after about the fifth book.
LibraryThing member Knicke
I listened to the unabridged audiobook rather than physically rereading this. I think that was the way to go. The prose is so repetitive at times (a function of both mediocre writing and all the freaking PRESCIENCE!!11!) that I felt OK cleaning the house, etc. and missing bits and pieces. Also,
Show More
it's so overwrought in places that I'm sure I would've thrown a physical book across the room - read aloud, it's like a melodramatic radio play. There were some bits that I thought were lovely, here and there. For some reason, I found the scene where Paul gropes blindly around in the birth/death chamber, having temporarily lost/closed his psychic vision, terribly affecting. There were some bits that were so terrible, I burst out laughing (Alia in general, Alia's last conversation with Duncan in particular). Still, I love the wacky-dark bio-steampunky Dune universe a bunch, and uncovering more about the various groups and governments making up that universe makes this book worthwhile for me. A lot more about Bene Tleilax, which is cool. Also, I found it interesting that this basically ends with a mirror of the Feyd Rautha crysknife battle at the end of the first book, even down to the bad guy getting stabbed in the head. I had fun listening to this. Show Less
LibraryThing member WileyF
Many people did not like Dune Messiah. I did. I thought the themes of the novel were very interesting and thought provoking. It is not as layered and well written as Dune is, but it covers completely new, yet familiar themes. Paul Mau'dib is now Emperor of the known universe but he cannot stop the
On a smaller scale, Dune Messiah also covers the slow yet sure change of Dune. Fremen move into cities and their culture begins to change. The ecosystem of Dune changes as well. Subplots involving espionage, betrayal, and conspiracy also keep the plot riveting and exciting.
All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable book. It may not be for all, but I found that personally speaking, it was enough for me.
Show More
Fremen's jihad that has killed over sixty billion people across the planet; he has prescience and forms of advanced mind powers yet he cannot (or does not) control his own destiny. I think the main themes of Dune Messiah examine the basis of power, the use of religion as a weapon, and how society controls its leaders. Paul is bound to Fremen law despite being the most powerful man in the universe. On a smaller scale, Dune Messiah also covers the slow yet sure change of Dune. Fremen move into cities and their culture begins to change. The ecosystem of Dune changes as well. Subplots involving espionage, betrayal, and conspiracy also keep the plot riveting and exciting.
All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable book. It may not be for all, but I found that personally speaking, it was enough for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Hectigo
Dune Messiah dives deeper and deeper into the visionary world of Arrakis, now transformed thanks to the events depicted in the beginning of the series. The plot might grow a bit thinner, the characters less dynamic, and the writing a bit over the top but the core is there. There are tactile
Show More
depictions of madness in a grander scale than many authors even try to imagine, and the world is explained in much more detail than in the previous entries. It might be considered more as background to the books that preceded it rather than something truly new and revolutionary. But it drives the point home in a satisfactory fashion, and in some sense Dune wouldn't feel complete without Messiah. Show Less
LibraryThing member Waianuhea
I love this book! It's my favorite besides the original novel. It's sad and it's still close enough to the original story and characters - only one major ghola, as yet - to make it relevant.
Call number
FIC H Her