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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This is my favorite of the Dune series, and it’s the one that never makes it into any of the movie adaptations, which is a shame.
This book is an odd combination of slightly inaccessible and riveting. You are dropped into a world 3500 years after Children of Dune ends and you’re not really sure what you’ve got yourself into. There are a bunch of new characters, quotes from some hidden journals, and lots of Leto II interrupting questions to drop vague wisdom bombs that no one understands. The language is deeply philosophical yet also practical. Fortunately there’s a new Duncan also trying to figure things out, asking a lot of the same questions that you have. And as you keep reading, following along the twisting tale that has been laid out for you, you slowly start to realize the magnitude of what is being done even if you don’t completely understand why yet. Insert a few fun story arcs and in the end it all falls into place in a profoundly satisfying way, in a way that makes you want to go back and re-read it just to see what you missed the first time around.
This book is an odd combination of slightly inaccessible and riveting. You are dropped into a world 3500 years after Children of Dune ends and you’re not really sure what you’ve got yourself into. There are a bunch of new characters, quotes from some hidden journals, and lots of Leto II interrupting questions to drop vague wisdom bombs that no one understands. The language is deeply philosophical yet also practical. Fortunately there’s a new Duncan also trying to figure things out, asking a lot of the same questions that you have. And as you keep reading, following along the twisting tale that has been laid out for you, you slowly start to realize the magnitude of what is being done even if you don’t completely understand why yet. Insert a few fun story arcs and in the end it all falls into place in a profoundly satisfying way, in a way that makes you want to go back and re-read it just to see what you missed the first time around.
challenging
dark
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
Used an audiobook to finish - 5/10
It’s a well made book that’s just so coldly written and lacks a ton of emotion. It was hard to actually physically read it without getting put into a coma. It’s just like the awful middle section of the book where nothing really happens for some hundred pages. Same thing happens with Children Of Dune, but at least the conflict there is interesting during the slow parts, and it actually leads to a resonating finale.
With this, the finale is pretty well done. But it’s an inevitability. I mean Leto mentions it almost every chapter.
I do appreciate some of the ideas that Frank Herbert writes about, although a lot of them get lost in the fact that I have a tiny, monkey brain.
It’s a well made book that’s just so coldly written and lacks a ton of emotion. It was hard to actually physically read it without getting put into a coma. It’s just like the awful middle section of the book where nothing really happens for some hundred pages. Same thing happens with Children Of Dune, but at least the conflict there is interesting during the slow parts, and it actually leads to a resonating finale.
With this, the finale is pretty well done. But it’s an inevitability. I mean Leto mentions it almost every chapter.
I do appreciate some of the ideas that Frank Herbert writes about, although a lot of them get lost in the fact that I have a tiny, monkey brain.
If you're willing to ride the crazy train that pulled into the station towards the end of Children of Dune, boy howdy, get ready for a wild ride of people standing and talking to a Giant Worm about history, sociology, and philosophy!
challenging
emotional
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
So much dialogue....yet all of it good. Almost a Bible of reflective conversations on religion, power, life, time, and freedom.
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
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
Definitely the most in depth out of the dune books so far. Heavy on religious and government discussions. Your church and government should he separate! More relevant now then you think. A confusing book that I suggest reading slowly. Might revisit this one day! Duncan you beautiful man.
My mass market paperback version of God Emperor of Dune features a solitary, lonely, short little review blurb on the back, from the LA Times: “Rich fare...heady stuff.” That’s barely even a compliment. It wasn’t a great sign that it was the best Penguin could find for advertisement. I can see why. There are parts of this book that drag, where you’re forced to read through chapters upon chapters of what I’d describe as a Kafkaesque Platonic dialogue (maybe that sounds cool to you, I don’t know).
But I’d say it’s worth it. For those moments where you’re unexpectedly pulled in by a rich insight, sharp quip, or sublime epiphany. Frank Herbert is a man with his eyes open and his brain unlocked and open to the public. He’s sick of humanity in all the right ways, and you’d have to pay him to stop talking about it. When he’s at his best, he can write himself out of steel box without doors or windows, he’s that good. When he’s at his worst, he’s just a little boring. Overall, God Emperor of Dune is a force to be reckoned with, a true giant in the realm of speculative fiction.
But I’d say it’s worth it. For those moments where you’re unexpectedly pulled in by a rich insight, sharp quip, or sublime epiphany. Frank Herbert is a man with his eyes open and his brain unlocked and open to the public. He’s sick of humanity in all the right ways, and you’d have to pay him to stop talking about it. When he’s at his best, he can write himself out of steel box without doors or windows, he’s that good. When he’s at his worst, he’s just a little boring. Overall, God Emperor of Dune is a force to be reckoned with, a true giant in the realm of speculative fiction.