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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
only slightly made my brain hurt to try and understand
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The longer this series goes on, the more insular and difficult to read they become. There is much wisdom in these books (not all of which I agree with), but it is encoded by time and culture and it would take much more of my time and effort to uncover all of the complexities of.
It definitely exercises my thinking muscles, often making it difficult for me to read much of it at a time. On a first read through, I would recommend not trying too hard to understand all the wisdom, lest it bog you down and exhaust you.
7/10
It definitely exercises my thinking muscles, often making it difficult for me to read much of it at a time. On a first read through, I would recommend not trying too hard to understand all the wisdom, lest it bog you down and exhaust you.
7/10
Well the fourth book is over, and I am left feeling very conflicted. I don't know how every book seems to evoke entirely different feeling in me, but here we are. I think Frank finally got to me with his brain rot because the characters actually came across as decently competent and intelligent instead of bumbling fools like in the third book. If anything this book explores the concepts of living for thousands of years with the weight of the entire future of humanity on someone's shoulders pretty well. Leto genuinely comes across as much more farsighted and alien than any of the other characters in a way that's really interesting and well done. The only real plot related thing that I have a gripe with is the treatment of Leto's "Worm" state that Moneo keeps talking about. We maaaybe see this once? Regardless, its far too late in the book when we do see it especially since its such a crucial part of Moneo's character. The story and his character would have been improved immensely from having Leto snap and kill some random guard at the start of the book for no particular reason in his "Worm" state, but it doesn't ruin Moneo's character since he still has a lot of other stuff going on.
There is the standard issue in this series of the book simply feeling meandering at times, but not to such a degree like the third book was. I think all my issues with length would honestly be fine if just around 50-100 pages were cut, which could be done with just stopping the fucking arguments around the all female army. That brings me to the real thing that gets to me about this book. Herbert won't shut the fuck up about how different males and females are and their inherent "natures" there's, no joke, 50 pages dedicated solely to him justifying Leto having an all female army, which is almost entirely filled with arguments that boil down to "men are beastial things that will perform horrible deeds at will but women are inherently more gentle and protective so they are easier for Leto to control." I have HUGE list of quotes full of this shit. Herbert also is very homophobic throughout the book. I think it'd be easier to just show some quotes for this one:
“Oh, yes. He says that the all-male army has a strong tendency toward homosexual activities.” (This took place in a conversation on differences between male and female armies, so there's an implication here that women just can't be gay)
“The homosexual, latent or otherwise, who maintains that condition for reasons which could be called purely psychological, tends to indulge in pain-causing behavior—seeking it for himself and inflicting it upon others. Lord Leto says this goes back to the testing behavior in the prehistoric pack.”
Like bro come on. You can just have an all female army without needing to spend AGES trying to justify it. Nobody gives a shit. Its just a cool little setting element of the book. You didn't spend generations of the first book's runtime justifying the all male army. Come on man you finally made a book where your philosophical indulgences were actually coherent and made sense in the context of the book. Why did you then decide you were just going mask off with your crazy opinions??
I'm gonna rate it 3 stars because, when he's not ranting about women or "homosexuals" as he exclusively refers to gay people as, its a pretty interesting exploration of a lot of cool ideas, but god damn the rants really get in the way of enjoying that.
Oh also as a fun bonus quote here's how Frank Herbert describes a woman watching a guy climb a cliff:
"Nayla wondered, though, if she might experience an orgasm should Idaho reach the top. He was so close to it now."
Guy finished climbing the cliff:
"It was only when she saw the rope come snaking down that Nayla had her orgasm."
Frank Herbert is so fucking weird.
There is the standard issue in this series of the book simply feeling meandering at times, but not to such a degree like the third book was. I think all my issues with length would honestly be fine if just around 50-100 pages were cut, which could be done with just stopping the fucking arguments around the all female army. That brings me to the real thing that gets to me about this book. Herbert won't shut the fuck up about how different males and females are and their inherent "natures" there's, no joke, 50 pages dedicated solely to him justifying Leto having an all female army, which is almost entirely filled with arguments that boil down to "men are beastial things that will perform horrible deeds at will but women are inherently more gentle and protective so they are easier for Leto to control." I have HUGE list of quotes full of this shit. Herbert also is very homophobic throughout the book. I think it'd be easier to just show some quotes for this one:
“Oh, yes. He says that the all-male army has a strong tendency toward homosexual activities.” (This took place in a conversation on differences between male and female armies, so there's an implication here that women just can't be gay)
“The homosexual, latent or otherwise, who maintains that condition for reasons which could be called purely psychological, tends to indulge in pain-causing behavior—seeking it for himself and inflicting it upon others. Lord Leto says this goes back to the testing behavior in the prehistoric pack.”
Like bro come on. You can just have an all female army without needing to spend AGES trying to justify it. Nobody gives a shit. Its just a cool little setting element of the book. You didn't spend generations of the first book's runtime justifying the all male army. Come on man you finally made a book where your philosophical indulgences were actually coherent and made sense in the context of the book. Why did you then decide you were just going mask off with your crazy opinions??
I'm gonna rate it 3 stars because, when he's not ranting about women or "homosexuals" as he exclusively refers to gay people as, its a pretty interesting exploration of a lot of cool ideas, but god damn the rants really get in the way of enjoying that.
Oh also as a fun bonus quote here's how Frank Herbert describes a woman watching a guy climb a cliff:
"Nayla wondered, though, if she might experience an orgasm should Idaho reach the top. He was so close to it now."
Guy finished climbing the cliff:
"It was only when she saw the rope come snaking down that Nayla had her orgasm."
Frank Herbert is so fucking weird.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God Emperor of Dune
Much like its predecessors, the world of Dune in this, Leto II’s story is one that never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I return to it. Dune, Arrakis, or in the events described in the book known as Rakis is now nearly unrecognizable to the Dune of which the Fremen now a dying culture inhabited. 3,000+ years have passed since the events leading up to Paul Atreides rise and fall of power and Leto II’s merging with sand trout to become a humanoid, worm like embodiment of shai hulud itself.
Leto II or Lord as he often attributed rules with an iron fist, not only the planet previously known as Dune now verdant with mountains, prairies, lakes and rivers, but also the galaxy. Revered and hated by some, his ultimate demise comes at the hands of Siona an Atreides and daughter to Moneo Leto’s majordomo.
The Golden path of which Leto is preoccupied for much of the novel and its successful development is now in the hands of Sionawho together with a telilaxu clone of Duncan Idaho (perhaps a symbol or moral compass of the old house Atreides which nurtured Paul Muad'dib) and her ancestors will ensure Dunes and humanity’s survival.
Overall I believe that God Emperor was the hardest to get through of all the previous books simply because of its rather complex and unconventional ideas. Yet it felt immensely packed with great quotations akin to an old soothsayer which in many ways Leto and his 3,000+ years can attest to. I suppose it maintains a similar moral conflict as did the first and second books in which rooting for the protagonist isn’t necessarily what Frank Herbert would’ve wanted and in fact feeling conflicted about Paul’s rise to power is a literary example of how we should always question authority.
At the end I truly believe that Leto may have ruled the way he did so that he could unite a galaxy, even if that meant through hatred. Hatred of his authority but one that ultimately led to a universal embodiment of humanity’s often endurance no matter what is hurled at it even if it may not always be through infallible means.
Most civilisation is based on cowardice. It's so easy to civilize by teaching cowardice. You water down the standards which would lead to bravery. You restrain the will. You regulate the appetites. You fence in the horizons. You make a law for every movement. You deny the existence of chaos. You teach even the children to breathe slowly. You tame.
-The Stolen Journals
"Because he thinks my memories are his key to freedom. He thinks 1am building our future out of our past."
"Isn't that always the way of it, Leto?"
"No, dear Hwi."
"Then how is it?"
“Most believe that a satisfactory future requires a return to an idealized past, a past which never in fact existed."
-Leto to Hwi
“The truth always carries the ambiguity of”
“This wise man observed that wealth is a tool of freedom. But the pursuit of wealth is the way to slavery.”
“It is difficult to live in the present, pointless to live in the future and impossible to live in the past.”
“Police are inevitably corrupted. ... Police always observe that criminals prosper. It takes a pretty dull policeman to miss the fact that the position of authority is the most prosperous criminal position available.”
“Caution is the path to mediocrity. Gliding, passionless mediocrity is all that most people think they can achieve.”
“For what do you hunger, Lord?” Moneo ventured.
“For a humankind which can make truly long-term decisions. Do you know the key to that ability, Moneo?”
“You have said it many times, Lord. It is the ability to change your mind.”
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No