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A review by deimosremus
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
4.0
4.5
It wasn’t until this year that I actually decided to read any of the Dune sequels, and Messiah eclipsed its predecessor in some distinct ways, even if it doesn’t have the iconic immediacy.
Children of Dune continues with Herbert’s talent for writing deep-seated critiques of leadership, organized religion, prophets and demagogues, government... and with Paul Atreides not being the central figure this time around, we get a taste of how his god-like status is passed down to his twin children. Pitting mother against daughter, aunt against niece and nephew, grandmother against grandchildren… the fact that Children of Dune manages to foster a complicated political situation almost solely through familial conflict is incredibly impressive and fascinating. Dune has always had a strange and terrifying universe, but Children of Dune ups the ante and this is where the series really starts to introduce bizarre elements that make that universe even scarier than it already was. From what I understand, God Emperor goes even further, and that’s the only way I’d want it to go.
Children of Dune might be my least favorite in the series so far (as it might get a little *too* convoluted in spots) but this series has such a consistent level of quality that it only really means I marginally prefer the first and second. It’s still fantastic.
It wasn’t until this year that I actually decided to read any of the Dune sequels, and Messiah eclipsed its predecessor in some distinct ways, even if it doesn’t have the iconic immediacy.
Children of Dune continues with Herbert’s talent for writing deep-seated critiques of leadership, organized religion, prophets and demagogues, government... and with Paul Atreides not being the central figure this time around, we get a taste of how his god-like status is passed down to his twin children. Pitting mother against daughter, aunt against niece and nephew, grandmother against grandchildren… the fact that Children of Dune manages to foster a complicated political situation almost solely through familial conflict is incredibly impressive and fascinating. Dune has always had a strange and terrifying universe, but Children of Dune ups the ante and this is where the series really starts to introduce bizarre elements that make that universe even scarier than it already was. From what I understand, God Emperor goes even further, and that’s the only way I’d want it to go.
Children of Dune might be my least favorite in the series so far (as it might get a little *too* convoluted in spots) but this series has such a consistent level of quality that it only really means I marginally prefer the first and second. It’s still fantastic.