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Dune Messiah (The Dune Chronicles, Book 2)…
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Dune Messiah (The Dune Chronicles, Book 2) (original 1969; edition 1987)

by Frank Herbert

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16,125162321 (3.69)149
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 ....… (more)
Member:Pirewiet
Title:Dune Messiah (The Dune Chronicles, Book 2)
Authors:Frank Herbert
Info:Ace (1987), Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:*****
Tags:None

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Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (1969)

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» See also 149 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 154 (next | show all)
I really enjoy palace intrigue, and this is chock-full of it, so that's always great. I love that this book is written as a reaction to those who missed the fact that in Dune Paul is not really a hero, he's simply the least bad option, and that even his best intentions will lead to pain and suffering. I think it did a thorough job of that and rejecting the deification of Paul. I'll definitely finish "The Golden Path" arc, and depending on where I'm at and how I feel, may go ahead and do the full "I Love Frank Herbert" arc. I doubt I'll ever be at a point to dabble in the Brian Herbert books, but the completionist in me says "never say never." ( )
  James_Knupp | Mar 9, 2024 |
The hearts of all men dwell in the same wilderness.

Dune Messiah takes place 12 years after the events at the end of Dune. In this book, we are introduced to the world transformed by the cruel jihad led in the name of Emperor Paul Atreides. The Fremen culture is affected and not for the better. There is a plot to get rid of Paul set in motion.

The overall tone of the book is quite dark. There is not much hope in here. A lot of it is introspection. Paul feels trapped in his position, his despair exaggerated by seeing the horrible future he cannot change, but that he accepts for the greater good.
Alia is coming of age, feeling she doesn't have many experiences she can call her own, separated from the other entities whose experiences she remembers.
The children who are born don't bring hope either and the circumstances of their birth are quite depressing as well.

This book is (again) a harsh criticism of the nature of political power and blind religion, which create "a mental epidemic". It is shorter and not as developed as Dune.
The plot is lacking since it doesn't have the flow of a regular book. It feels quite flat. But philosophically speaking, it goes a little deeper. It is rare to find this level of character depth in contemporary science fiction. But, this is only accessible to people who have fallen in love with Herbert's way of weaving philosophy and fiction in the first part. If you're in it solely for the story, this will likely be a letdown. ( )
  ZeljanaMaricFerli | Mar 4, 2024 |
This is my second read of Dune Messiah and I enjoyed it more on this reread as an adult than I did in junior high school in the late 1970s. This was a good book but not of the same caliber as Dune itself. Dune is a heroic book of a young boy learning to become who he is destined to be and overpowering his adversaries. In contrast, Dune Messiah is the now young man coming to terms with the consequences of his actions and the question of what is destiny, what is belief, what is loyalty, what is the price of love, and what are the consequences of integrity. Dune Messiah is a worthy successor to Dune but because of the tragic nature of the story and Herbert’s intentional questioning of the nature and consequences of the heroic and messianic, it is not as satisfying as Dune on an emotional level but is certainly satisfying on an intellectual level. ( )
  Neil_Luvs_Books | Feb 17, 2024 |
I love the descriptions of time and prescience in the Dune series and the effects it has on those with the oracle power. ( )
  lneukirch | Feb 4, 2024 |
Yeah. Very...poetic. I think I remember reading this when I was younger. Now I know why I got lost. Just, too, um...deep I think for me. The story wasn't anywhere near as engaging as the first book, but perhaps that's just me being a philistine.

Now...do I read the next few? I remember now that I must have stopped at this one because it just didn't seem to go anywhere. ( )
  Zehava42 | Jan 23, 2024 |
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» Add other authors (74 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Frank Herbertprimary authorall editionscalculated
Brick, ScottNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brumm, WalterTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Clarcq, HilaryIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Di Fate, VincentCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Grace, GerryCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hahn, Ronald M.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jäger, SimonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kellgren, KatherineNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Morton, EuanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pennington, BruceCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosenberg, MarianneNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schoenherr, JohnIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Siudmak, WojciechCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stuyter, M.K.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vance, SimonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Webber, Phil H.Author photosecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Such a rich store pf myths enfolds Paul Muad'dib, the Mentat Emperor, and his sister, Alia, it is difficult to see the real persons behind these veils. But there were, after all, a man born Paul Atreides and a woman born Alia. Their flesh was subject to space and time. And even though their oracular powers placed them beyond the usual limits of time and space, they came from human stock. They experienced real events which left traces upon a real universe. To understand them, it must be seen that their catastrophe of all mankind. This work is dedicated, then, not to Muad'dib or his sister, but to thier heirs - to all of us.

---Dediction in the Muad'dib's Concordance as copied from The Tabia Memorium of the Mahdi Spirit Cult
Dedication
First words
Prologue: Dune is the planet Arrakis, an arid world of great deserts where life survives against terrifying odds.
Analysis of History: Muad'dib by Brons of Ix: Muad'dib's Imperial reign generated more historians than any other era in human history.
Despite the murderous nature of the plot he hoped to devise, the thoughts of Scytale, the Tleilaxu Face Dancer, returned again and again to rueful compassion.
Excerpts from the Death Cell
Interview with Bronso of IX ---


Q: What led you to take your particular approach to a history of Muad'dib?
A: Why should I answer your questions?
There exists no seperation between gods and men; one blends softly casual into the other.

- Proverbs of Muad'dib
Quotations
"What manner of weapon is religion when it becomes the government?"
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
A shorter version of this book appeared in Galaxy Magazine for July-September, 1969
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Canonical LCC
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 ....

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Book 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 Fremens, 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...
Haiku summary
Talk, think, talk, think, talk;
conspiracies in deep space
while billions die.
(ed.pendragon)
Jihad, billions dead
Paul is blind but can see all
Submit to the sand

(amweb)

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