book 2 of The Dune Series

by Frank Herbert

isbn: 0441172695
subject: Fiction and Literature, SF
finished: 1/18/1998

Uh oh -- I may be starting on a Dune binge. I became interested in rereading these childhood favorites recently, after watching the extended version of David Lynch's film adaptation. Although Dune Messiah is a continuation of Dune rather than a separate work, its tone is very different. Paul Atreides is emperor of the universe, but his visions of the future have become haunting rather than useful. Matters are made worse by a conspiracy close to home, and even the fremen cannot be trusted. Dune Messiah is more concise than its somewhat wordy predecessor; it is not as exciting to read (I would imagine that is why it seems to be unpopular among Dune fans), but the story is more powerful.