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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
3,500 years after Children of Dune, Leto II has transformed into a man/sandworm hybrid and rules the galaxy as the all-seeing and totally badass God Emperor. Leto II is the ultimate tragic character, sacrificing his body, identity, happiness, everything, for humanity's future. He doesn’t want to be what he is (a lonely human-sandworm hybrid), but he believes no one else will do what must be done to secure humanity's longevity on "The Golden Path".
Leto created a universe where war and famine are obsolete, innovation is minimal, and everyone's lives are without meaning. It’s a stagnant, albeit mundane peace. Enter Siona Atreides, one of Leto’s genetic experiments in his 3,500-year breeding program (I know, ew). She is a fiery, rebellious spirit—a contrast to the docility Leto has bred into most of humanity. I thought Siona was a fun character. Siona's scenes cut into the plot right as Leto's philosophical tirades were going on for a while. I was grateful for the reprieve lol.
I liked Siona and Lady Hwi, completely ADORED Leto II, and loathed Duncan Idaho. If Duncan Idaho has zero haters, I am dead and so are all my friends who listened to my tirades about his emotional immaturity, temper tantrums, and narrow-minded misogyny. He is weirdly territorial over a lady (Hwi Noree) whom he JUST met. To give Duncan the benefit of the doubt, I will acknowledge that Lady Hwi was literally engineered to be perfect. She is soft and gentle in a world full of rigidity and discipline. However, just because she is the baddiest baddie to ever bad does not mean Duncan Idaho has ANY kind of right to her.
If that weren't enough, this Duncan Idaho has zero of the fighting capabilities of his predecessors. Big props for Frank Herbert because it takes a strong writer to make me dislike a character so much.
All that being said, I highly recommend. Out of the 4 books I have read from the Dune series, God Emperor is my favorite.
Leto created a universe where war and famine are obsolete, innovation is minimal, and everyone's lives are without meaning. It’s a stagnant, albeit mundane peace. Enter Siona Atreides, one of Leto’s genetic experiments in his 3,500-year breeding program (I know, ew). She is a fiery, rebellious spirit—a contrast to the docility Leto has bred into most of humanity. I thought Siona was a fun character. Siona's scenes cut into the plot right as Leto's philosophical tirades were going on for a while. I was grateful for the reprieve lol.
I liked Siona and Lady Hwi, completely ADORED Leto II, and loathed Duncan Idaho. If Duncan Idaho has zero haters, I am dead and so are all my friends who listened to my tirades about his emotional immaturity, temper tantrums, and narrow-minded misogyny. He is weirdly territorial over a lady (Hwi Noree) whom he JUST met. To give Duncan the benefit of the doubt, I will acknowledge that Lady Hwi was literally engineered to be perfect. She is soft and gentle in a world full of rigidity and discipline. However, just because she is the baddiest baddie to ever bad does not mean Duncan Idaho has ANY kind of right to her.
If that weren't enough, this Duncan Idaho has zero of the fighting capabilities of his predecessors. Big props for Frank Herbert because it takes a strong writer to make me dislike a character so much.
All that being said, I highly recommend. Out of the 4 books I have read from the Dune series, God Emperor is my favorite.
Incredibly strange. Also a bit hard to follow who among the characters would be important. A bit more introduction when a momentous character comes on the scene would have been helpful
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really was enjoying it at the start, especially reading about the changes that have occurred, but it just began to get so... convoluted. Maybe some things were above my head and that's why I had difficulty following at times, but it felt like there were so many unspoken things and unfinished thoughts that Herbert expected the reader to pick up on by that point, and I absolutely did not. I must have missed a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, Kidnapping, War, Classism
Minor: Incest, Infertility, Sexual content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Fascinating insight into Leto II and his peace / tyranny. Less exciting than the other Dunes because of the lack of new elements / lore.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great book, just slower than others in the series.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes