Sections
Dune Messiah is a fascinating sequel that perfectly evolves the thematic discussion of the first book, framing its protagonist as a complicated tyrant, whose conflicting characteristics make him both terrifying and tragic. It’s a novel that falters only in its very brief length, with a climax that comes too soon, leaving some of the important characters underdeveloped.
The epigraph that opens the book is fascinating. It asks us to see the main character, the Emperor Paul Muad’Dib, as a human being, disregarding his special powers and abilities. It’s urging us to strip him of whatever makes him supernatural, a character belonging to the realm of fantasy, and ground him in [...]
*This review contains spoilers*
Written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965, Dune is a complex sci-fi novel that is full of interesting characters and challenging discussion. Its narrative excels when it comes to building a stifling, oppressive atmosphere, immersing the reader into the main characters’ paranoia, but it occasionally falters when dealing with the delivery of exposition regarding its carefully built world.
Dune’s story is structured around the feud between two noble families – the Atreides and the Harkonnens –, who fight to control the production of an important spice on the planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. This eventually leads to the rise of a [...]