Not as good as the 1st book, but way better than I was expecting. Even though I first read Dune over 20 years ago, I rarely felt an urge to pick up the Dune sequels, because the ending of the 1st book was such a definitive ending. I maintain that Dune Messiah is pretty unnecessary, but it is pretty good, none the less. Dune Messiah replaces most of the adventure of Dune with intrigue. It's kind of like a LeCarre Smiley novel with mystical prophetic visions added into the mix. The ending is pretty satisfying and has a finality that would have discouraged my younger self from reading Children of Dune.