Frank Herbert

Book Two in the Magnificent Dune Chronicles--the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time 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...

Dune Messiah

fira

"A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of his selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation."

The Muad'Dib's inner Eren Yeager intensifies 

Affan Shikoh

“Stilgar,” Paul said, “you urgently need a sense of balance which can come only from an understanding of long-term effects. What little information we have about the old times, the pittance of data which the Butlerians left us, Korba has brought it for you. Start with the Genghis Khan.”

“Genghis … Khan? Was he of the Sardaukar, m’Lord?”

“Oh, long before that. He killed … perhaps four million.”

“He must’ve had formidable weaponry to kill that many, Sire. Lasbeams, perhaps, or …”

“He didn’t kill them himself, Stil. He killed the way I kill, by sending out his legions. There’s another emperor I want you to note in passing—a Hitler. He killed more than six million. Pretty good for those days.”

“Killed … by his legions?” Stilgar asked.

“Not very impressive statistics, m’Lord.”

“Very good, Stil.” Paul glanced at the reels in Korba’s hands. 

Enjoying Dune Messiah a lot right now. I don't get why people shit on this one so much.

“Constitutions become the ultimate tyranny,” Paul said. “They’re organized power on such a scale as to be overwhelming. The constitution is social power mobilized and it has no conscience. It can crush the highest and the lowest, removing all dignity and individuality. It has an unstable balance point and no limitations. I, however, have limitations. In my desire to provide an ultimate protection for my people, I forbid a constitution. Order in Council, this date, etcetera, etcetera.”

Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles #2).

margot colville

Tamara

Jasper

Bilge Ince

“He will not be found,” Stilgar said. “Yet all men will find him.” 

Dune Messiah was full of analogies, philosophies, and conspiracies… Sometimes I lost my vision and the track because of the clash of strategies. Between those strategies and plots, actions have happened in a blink of an eye which surprised me at most. All in all, this one is also impressed me, which will lead me to the third one.

Jacob Medure

Not a hater by any means. I wouldn't blaspheme the creator of dune as it may be my hands-down favorite book of all time, however, after reading I can't help but feel like "Wow, what a boring book." This book although in-line with the story of Dune, it feels like I may have just read a 200 page dialogue missing nearly all of the action that was the original dune.

Less action than in the first book of the series, but I still liked it despite what many people say online.

Eneko Uruñuela

Anyaconda

Not what I wanted this book to be. The sudden interest and love for a certain character I'm not going to name here due to spoilers, doesn't make any sense to me. I guess now the casting for Dune the movie makes more sense if they're going to continue making all the movies.
I'm still interested enough to try book 3, but it better be good and deliver.

Cathy Trình

"There exists no separation between gods and man; one blends softly casual into another"

The sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit plots to seize control of the galaxy-wide empire of their supernatural leader

A realistic take on heroes (or should I even call them heroes?), complicated and humane characters, and a tragic reality. If that's your taste, if you enjoy anti-heroes, good causes gone wrong, and conflicted feelings for characters, this book is for you.

If not, you won't really enjoy reading it.

Kat Albanese

DNFed when a fully grown man kissed a 15yr old and when she displayed upset at this went ‘sorry for taking the kiss I wanted- sorry, the kiss you wanted’ and she went ‘yeah ngl I did want it’…. Just too uncomfy for me lmao.

Mother

The sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit plots to seize control of the galaxy-wide empire of their supernatural leader, while on Arrakis, the Maud'dib, the heir to an unimaginable power, confronts new challenges.

Ilse

Barring the kinda sexist discussion of Alia “needing a mate”, I found this book quite interesting. It was much shorter than Dune, and as such allowed me to quickly breeze through it whilst on the backseat of the car (given Herbert’s matter-of-fact writing this prevented the long stalling problem I had with the first book). Paul’s downfall and having his heroic journey from the Dune turned into a dark mirror image was fascinating. The only thing I do find a pity is that Herbert’s writing style is so impersonal. We don’t really get any idea of what the characters are feeling emotionally, and this does really subtract from how masterful this book could’ve been. Nevertheless, I’m quite interested in what the Children of Dune will bring and close off the series with that.

One of Herbert's better works, which changes the narrative from a clichéd hero story to one reflecting the realities of power placed in the wrong hands. The philosophical lessons and ideas brought about in the book are also revolutionary. A definite read for sure!

Jordan Sun

One of Herbert's better works, which changes the narrative from a clichéd hero story to one reflecting the realities of power placed in the wrong hands. The philosophical lessons and ideas brought about in the book are also revolutionary. A definite read for sure!



Ryan LaFerney

Frank Herbert’s 1965 Dune was an overwhelming success. Winning awards and selling millions of copies, little did readers know, however, it was only the beginning of the Family Atreides saga. Dune was an epic feat of world building and political intrigue. Whereas Dune dazzled in its range, offering everything from adventure spectacle to commentary on world affairs to family drama, Dune Messiah replaces much of the original's stirring wide ranging narrative with exposition. In many ways, Dune Messiah is a transition. It's a transition from the Macro to the Micro. In Dune Messiah, Paul Muad'Dib attempts to fend off a conspiracy against him and hold on to what little is meaningful to him personally in a universe ravaged by war in his name. Having raised Paul Atreides to the greatest heights possible - with God like powers - Herbert now proceeds to tear him down. 

That's a great set up. It completely goes against the monomyth a la Dune. It's a brilliant idea for a follow up. And it should be an exciting story but sadly the story's impact is quite muted. 
Paul, so driven and vigorous a leader in Dune, but here in Dune Messiah he spends much of the story in a kind of self-pitying existential sulk (thinking Anakin Skywalker). Mostly the problem with Dune Messiah is that we have a much weaker connection to the characters (the only really interesting people here are Paul's sister, the now-teenage Alia, and the Hayt/Duncan Idaho clone, who wrestles with his identity and memories). The characterization is just a bit lacking here. And while there is some tension to the plot, it really feels like Herbert was more focused on writing his ideas about religion and politics as opposed to creating a very dynamic novel. 

In the end, Dune Messiah is a below average sequel which is a shame because this story had the perfect set up. Herbert continues pushing his ideological agenda, but perhaps too much emphasis is placed on the ideas and not enough on linking them to storytelling. It isn't until we near the climax that Herbert reawakens some of his storytelling chops and brings the book to something of an emotionally stirring conclusion, with a haunting final image of Paul walking off alone into the deep desert. 

There are interesting parallels between both Dune and Dune Messiah and the Star Wars saga and I would love to read more about this.

andrea

if dune messiah did one thing, that was consolidating paul atreides as one of my favourite characters.the character work is genius; his storyline, background, his entire arc and growth amazed me and he is the main reason i enjoy dune so much. 

the sequel is good but, compared to the masterpiece that dune is, it felt a bit lacking. maybe that feeling is the product of its short length, or the cast of characters, or my own, extremely high expectations. i missed leto's and jessica's point of view in this book and while i do love and absolutely adore alia, i didn't have the same amount of pages to feel more emotionally attached to her. the 'villains' weren't as charismatic as the harkonnen were, but hayt was a great addition and his conversations with paul are one of the highlights of this book, in my humble opinion. 

however, i'll read the next one mainly because of alia. i'm curious to see her development and where will the character end up.

Sadly book #2 in the series did not pull me in the way the original did. Plot wasn't as captivating and characters fell flat for me. Will not continue with the series.

Sarah Erle

I thought I didn't really like this book, but after I finished it, especially after some time had passed, I realized it was actually a phenomenal book. It takes longer to hit you than Dune. It's a bit slow, but I thought the ending was absolutely brilliant and the book accomplishes everything it needs to accomplish. 

I highly recommend reading this if you read Dune and had an at least okay experience with it. It reads more like a very long epilogue of Dune than a separate novel. In my opinion, this is a great place to stop with the series if you don't want to read all 6 books. 

Bethany Jenkins

I thought I didn't really like this book, but after I finished it, especially after some time had passed, I realized it was actually a phenomenal book. It takes longer to hit you than Dune. It's a bit slow, but I thought the ending was absolutely brilliant and the book accomplishes everything it needs to accomplish. 

I highly recommend reading this if you read Dune and had an at least okay experience with it. It reads more like a very long epilogue of Dune than a separate novel. In my opinion, this is a great place to stop with the series if you don't want to read all 6 books. 

nonchi

I think I'm in love with this saga, and my judgment is suspicious... My heart wants to give five glowing stars for this amazing book although comparing with the previous one it wouldn’t make sense. DUNE is better, but Dune Messiah got really really close so, 4.5

Jon Noronha

I don't think anything actually happens in this book???

georgia greenway

** spoiler alert **
           ugh if only frank herbert knew how to make the first 2/3 of the book as interesting as the last 1/3. 

also this entire series is hilarious because paul just sorta stumbles through his life being the best at everything “oh look well i GUESS i will become a god for religious fanatics and i oh oops now i’m the emperor of the universe, i’m just gonna walk into the desert and die, my wife just died in childbirth and i wasn’t even there to support her, even though i knew she was gonna die in childbirth and i still got her pregnant, and oh by the way, i am blind, and by blind i mean i my eye sockets are literally just gaping holes in my head.” 

actually the gaping eye sockets were cool. this book was basically just a bunch of people talking about drama and betrayal and politics, and a nuclear bomb in a suburb, which is fine, but none of it really mattered in the end?? maybe it matters in the next book, which i will not be reading, sorry i can’t take anymore of the dune books or i think IM going to walk into a desert and die.

Ender Ahmet Yurt

Bu kitapta bir onceki gibi fazla aksiyon olmasa bild bol bol entrika ve planlar var. Zaman zaman kim kime ne diyor, nasil bir laf cakiyor seklinde kafa karistirici olsa dahi eserin genellinde tutarli ve sonunda bize peki simdi ne olacak seklinde bir bitis var.

Brianna

“You belong to us.” “I belong to a vision,” he whispered.  

I love Paul so much and this book hurt me

Book Two in the Magnificent Dune Chronicles—the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time 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...

Vilde

4.75

As noted in my review of 
  Dune
 I already knew the general story of Dune Messiah due to the adaptions I have seen. It took some time to get into Dune Messiah, as several years have passed since the events in Dune. But the style and language used is as with Dune, surprisingly easy but oh so nuanced.

Ari Hertz

Ugh. I didn't not like this book and I wish I had allowed myself to stop halfway through like I wanted to. I would've liked to hear about the transition period immediately following the events of the first book but this one skips ahead 12 years and is just v dull. Basically stopped reading for a few weeks to avoid it. 😑

Fraser Simons

To be honest, I’m not sure why some people are disappointed in this. Feels like a very nice continuation of everything unresolved in the first book and continues deconstructing the hero’s journey to a satisfying conclusion. 

I did not miss the heavier politicking, especially when the Baron was such a caricature (signalling Herbert had some reflecting to do, imo). The slow pace focusing on the philosophical was pretty much jam tbh. Sad tone. Making it clear what Paul was. I dare say it was more satisfying than the first book.

For use in schools and libraries only. The sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit plots to seize control of the galaxy-wide empire of their supernatural leader.

Abbas Mashayekh

نیمهٔ دوم کتاب عجیب بود. گاهی بی‌دلیل.

Dune Messiah

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