You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
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
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The GREMLINS 2 of the series. A massive compliment.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I get the hype over the Worm Man, but still don’t think this one is as good as Books 1-2
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a very complicated book. I've pondered my rating for pretty much the later half of it. It's starts of great. Introducing this new future Arrakis as the centre of Leto II's empire, a new place millenia after Paul's story. It sets up interesting characters and promises... something. Then it stops and stands on it's toes for nearly 300 pages, it's like Herbert wrote the second half of the book with a pulled handbrake. The rather simple themes are diluted in endless dialogues that go nowhere because Leto has to sound smart and wise. He has the same conversation a million times with every character and characters that seemed interesting are fridged for the majority of the story until they get a wet blanket of a death resolved in 5 pages, never to be seen or thought of again.
And then there's the really gross stuff. Herbert cannot write woman at all. His female character's are gender essentialism incarnate, worst of all are Nayla and Hwi, who is kind of the embodiment of the Madonna-Whore. She's attractive to every man, she fucks the important men, she dies with a smile on her face. She's a character wasted on Leto's dumb dialogues and wishful wiseness. I think Hwi could've been great in a book that treats women as people. Where she can be more than a body for Leto to gawk and monologue at. Hwi could probably have been replaced by a pretty lamp and nothing would've changed.
Also, Herbert inserted a lot of his homophobia into this book. It's gross and unecessary and goes nowhere. I had to put down the book multiple times because of it and it made me really, really angry in the last 200 pages, which I rage read just to be done with it.
I can't rate this book that much lower because I liked the start so much. The first 200 pages were great. Then Herbert took a dive of a cliff and found a second cliff soon after, for good measure.
We'll see how it pans out when I pick this up again in 10 years.
And then there's the really gross stuff. Herbert cannot write woman at all. His female character's are gender essentialism incarnate, worst of all are Nayla and Hwi, who is kind of the embodiment of the Madonna-Whore. She's attractive to every man, she fucks the important men, she dies with a smile on her face. She's a character wasted on Leto's dumb dialogues and wishful wiseness. I think Hwi could've been great in a book that treats women as people. Where she can be more than a body for Leto to gawk and monologue at. Hwi could probably have been replaced by a pretty lamp and nothing would've changed.
Also, Herbert inserted a lot of his homophobia into this book. It's gross and unecessary and goes nowhere. I had to put down the book multiple times because of it and it made me really, really angry in the last 200 pages, which I rage read just to be done with it.
I can't rate this book that much lower because I liked the start so much. The first 200 pages were great. Then Herbert took a dive of a cliff and found a second cliff soon after, for good measure.
We'll see how it pans out when I pick this up again in 10 years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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