Reviews tagging 'Violence'

El mesías de Dune by Frank Herbert

37 reviews

kateworm's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Violence, and Death

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Twelve years after the events of Dune, Paul still rules as the Emperor, with his sister as a religious leader at his side. He avoids jihad where he can, but even for someone as all-seeing as the Muad’Dib, some things cannot be avoided. A small group, whose members include the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Helen Gaius Mohiam and Paul’s wife, the Princess Irulan, a Tleilaxu face dancer and a Guild navigator, plots Paul’s demise.

Messiah contains less worldbuilding and far less action than Dune, but (perhaps for those reasons) conveys Herbert’s warning against heroes that much better. We see Paul struggling with the future, trying to find a way to minimize the violence that he foresees, but he can never avoid it completely. Alia, too suffers from her status of near-divinity.

I initially disliked the Duncan Idaho storyline (and I still don’t like the Duncan/Alia pairings…the age gap is creepy), but I loved the idea that his love for Paul and the Atreides brought him back essentially from the dead. The power of love and devotion to change even the most intense training is great, and reminded me of Doctor Yue in the first book. I have also always been interested in the idea of sight and blindness, and the use in literature of blindness to signify true insight or foreknowledge. And, though I don’t generally like sad endings, I was moved by Paul’s commitment to the Fremen traditions, even though it meant his own death.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending):

Definitely not happy, but more…bittersweet.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Child death, Colonisation, Hate crime, and Sexual content

randanopterix's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just loved this so much more than the original Dune. It shocked me because this one is almost universally listed as the worst Dune book.

I feel like the true themes of the first book only become clear in Messiah and the way it wraps those themes around the personal tragedy of Paul is amazing. I finished this yesterday and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I feel like I get the hype around Dune now and I can’t wait to read more.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Genocide

Moderate: Incest and Violence

izzymmcfarland's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, and Pregnancy

Minor: Incest, Infertility, and Ableism

margotcolville's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I wish there had been a book in between Dune and Dune Messiah for character development of Paul. Paul felt very much like I missed out and now he’s ~Paul~. Continues to be very plot driven so it fits that we don’t get that, but I do wish we could. The last like 50 pages get FaSt and GoOd but it did feel a little disjointed from the rest of the slower, more detailed exposition. I wish maybe that had just been a little bit longer. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Pregnancy and Suicide

Minor: Infertility

sunny_not's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Even though I really liked the first book I didn't like this one much. It was good don't get me wrong, an interesting read but I wouldn't read it again probably. It was also tragic and quite depressing. I feel hopeless now, thanks. Overall

I liked that Duncan returned and the bits between him and Alia feel like weird fan fiction not gonna lie. Paul's death was quite horrific and the children being born like Alia (adult-babies) is weird and I hoped that it wouldn't happen in this book but I guess not...

After I get over the hopelessness I might read the third one. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide

bcrowes11's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence