Twelve years since the Battle of Arrakeen, Paul Atreides sits on Lion Throne of the Empire. As Paul's Jihad sweeps over his empire, those around him plot for his destruction.
What I liked
✅ deeper world building diving into the history of the Navigators, Bene Geserits, Face Dancers and Mentats
✅ an amazing amount of research shows an understanding of economics, politics, and religion
✅ a character study on Paul Atreides as he contemplates the effects of near unlimited power
What I didn't like
✖ a magic system is only as interesting as its limitations; with the limitless precognition powers provided by Spice, everything in the book seems inevitable — without conflict or tension
✖ with his near-omniscient knowledge of the future, Paul is cripple with inaction and indecision and angst ensures
✖ the third-person omniscient perspective is hard to follow as it jumps in and out of characters heads, also reducing tension as the enemy's and hero's thoughts are made known
✖ as with most 60s sci-fi writers, Herbert doesn't "get" women — they're written as men with breasts
✖ lots of talking and planning and more talking
To consider
➖ Dune Messiah is VERY different to Dune
Rating
3.5/5 🌟
Genre: sci-fi, space opera
Verdict: Recommended