Take a photo of a barcode or cover
samdalefox 's review for:
Dune Messiah
by Frank Herbert
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This sequel is a very different tone to the first in the Dune series. Dune Messiah is shorter, less adventurous, more ponderous and philosophical and builds upon the world in different ways to expected, i.e. it introduced new characters (Bene Tleilax) and technologies (Ghola) rather than focusing on the ecology of Dune or the mechanics of the Jihad.
Overall, I'll admit I didn't really enjoy reading this until the last third or so where the plot started to pick up. I think Paul's philosophical musings are imporant to the story (and interesting!) but they were presented opaquely and were repetitive. I think Herbert could have done a little better making this aspect more engaging and accessible to readers. I'm glad I slogged on because I enjoy the Dune world and I'm interested in completing the original trilogy.
Themes I think Herbert was trying to convey: fate vs personal free will/choice, the dangers of heroism (both from the hero's point of view and the hero's followers), the role and dangers of religion in society, religion vs law as controllers of a population, war and poverty as political tools, regret.
Quotes I found interesting:
Overall, I'll admit I didn't really enjoy reading this until the last third or so where the plot started to pick up. I think Paul's philosophical musings are imporant to the story (and interesting!) but they were presented opaquely and were repetitive. I think Herbert could have done a little better making this aspect more engaging and accessible to readers. I'm glad I slogged on because I enjoy the Dune world and I'm interested in completing the original trilogy.
Themes I think Herbert was trying to convey: fate vs personal free will/choice, the dangers of heroism (both from the hero's point of view and the hero's followers), the role and dangers of religion in society, religion vs law as controllers of a population, war and poverty as political tools, regret.
Quotes I found interesting:
"A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation"
"They're trained to believe, not to know. Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is dangerous."
"I was chosen...Perhaps at birth, certainly before I had much say in it. I was chosen"
"Then un-choose".
"Truth suffers from too much analysis"
"If prescience alone existed and did everything, Sire, it would annihilate itself. Nothing but prescience? Where would it be applied except to its own degenerating movements?"
"There's always the human situation" Paul agreed.
"People always expect the worst of the rich and powerful, Sire. It is said one can always tell an aristocrat: he reveals only those of his vices which will make him popular."
"There are many degrees of sight and many degrees of blindness".
"People aren't concerned with love; it's too disordered. They prefer depotism. Too much freedom breeds chaos. We can't have that, can we. How do you make depotism loveable?"
"Possession of second sight has the tendency to make one a dangerous fatalist."
"If you want something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!"
"There are problems in this universe for which there are no answers".