

You’re not going to get the same big battles, the fascinating technology, the brand-new ecologies. What makes Messiah different? Messiah takes the political subtext that was a big part of Dune, and elevates that aspect of the story until it nearly excludes the other portions. Can the fortune-tellers of Dune really affect the future, or are they only catching glimpses of a destiny that already awaits them? That’s what this book is really about. You see the ramifications of his decisions, and you get quite a bit of pontificating about the nature of fate. What is Messiah about? Set 12 years after Dune, Messiah is about the world Paul-Muad’dib set in motion in the first book. Dune is an all-time sci-fi classic, unimpeachable thanks to its vast influence over other a broad range of media. Messiah is a bit of a dividing book, but then again so are all the books that followed Frank Herbert’s Dune. Review #2 Dune full series audiobook in series Dune Saga

You’d be selling yourself short if you didn’t continue reading the series. One of the greatest joys I take from this series is how much I learn, and Frank Herbert has a lot to teach and expound upon through his characters. But it also reveals many new ideas and teaches new things to the reader. I found Dune Messiah to be a near-perfect sequel that greatly expounds on ideas that were introduced in the first book.

Everything about this book just kept propelling me forward. The conspiracy surrounding Paul’s Imperium is most compelling, the thoughts and discoveries from our beloved characters are engaging, and the philosophy that Frank Herbert communicates through his story-telling is even more thought-provoking than the first book. It shows the internal struggle and isolation of a man (Paul) and his sister (Alia) being treated as god-like figures, but Frank Herbert does a great job reminding us that they’re still human, which makes them relatable and easy to empathize with. But wait, how is that possible? Paul Atreides, Muad’Dib, a trained mentat, the male equivalent to a Reverand Mother, the Kwisatz Haderach who can see endless possibilities, doesn’t have all the answers? This is why you should read Dune Messiah.

In a brilliant way, nothing happens the way you think it’s going to happen, not even for our protagonist, Paul Atreides. He takes the “messiah/heroic archetype” and flips it on top of its head. What to say about Dune Messiah that hasn’t already been said? Well, it turns out Frank Herbert was making controversial decisions before George RR Martin. Maybe its because I bought the first book at Barnes and Noble? But the smaller and more compact size is actually quite nice and feels like you’re breezing through pages faster. The only thing that might be off-putting is that the sequels don’t match the same size as the first book. First off, the cover art for this series is amazing.
