Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly, not as good as the first book in the Dune series. Lacks a lot of pace and excitement in the plot apart from the ending, unlike the first book in this series. I found myself bored at times, and not as compelled to finish as I was with the first one. Paul Atreides still has my heart though forever and always.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After re-reading the first Dune novel, I finally picked up Dune Messiah (audiobook), curious to see how the story would develop. I still found the setting rich and compelling... with the intricate world-building, political intrigue, and philosophical depth remaining as strong as ever. However, I was deeply disappointed by the treatment of the female characters in this sequel.
In Dune, the female characters had agency and complexity. Paul's mother, Jessica, was portrayed as a powerful Bene Gesserit with both political and spiritual influence. Chani, his partner, was a warrior and a survivor. Even Princess Irulan, though on the margins, was introduced as a clever chronicler and strategist. But in Dune Messiah, the women are reduced to almost purely reproductive roles. Jessica is conveniently sent off to another planet and only appears in an irrelevant letter. Chani and Irulan are locked in a shallow rivalry centred entirely around bearing an heir. Their identities are flattened to little more than “two women desperate to get pregnant.”
The only woman given any real space in the plot is Alia, Paul's sister. At just fifteen, she’s repeatedly described as dangerously powerful, but the narrative can’t seem to stop fixating on her appearance. Even more disturbing is the romantic plot involving Duncan Idaho (in his ghola form), who once considered Paul a son but now sees Alia as a lover. It’s a deeply uncomfortable dynamic that undermines whatever agency her character might have had.
While Dune Messiah continues the saga with philosophical weight and political intrigue, its portrayal of women is a significant and frustrating step backwards from the first book. It left me feeling uneasy and a bit betrayed by a story that once promised more complexity and power to its female characters.
In Dune, the female characters had agency and complexity. Paul's mother, Jessica, was portrayed as a powerful Bene Gesserit with both political and spiritual influence. Chani, his partner, was a warrior and a survivor. Even Princess Irulan, though on the margins, was introduced as a clever chronicler and strategist. But in Dune Messiah, the women are reduced to almost purely reproductive roles.
The only woman given any real space in the plot is Alia, Paul's sister. At just fifteen, she’s repeatedly described as dangerously powerful, but the narrative can’t seem to stop fixating on her appearance. Even more disturbing is the romantic plot involving Duncan Idaho (in his ghola form), who once considered Paul a son but now sees Alia as a lover. It’s a deeply uncomfortable dynamic that undermines whatever agency her character might have had.
While Dune Messiah continues the saga with philosophical weight and political intrigue, its portrayal of women is a significant and frustrating step backwards from the first book. It left me feeling uneasy and a bit betrayed by a story that once promised more complexity and power to its female characters.
Al menos me ha servido para ponerme en orden. Acabé Dune un poco perdida y ahora me han quedado claras muchas cosas
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
dark
mysterious
medium-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
Where dune is a bit more nuanced with Paul’s progression, Messiah likes to BEAT you over the head with a wooden mallet that this is no longer a hero journey. Paul quite literally ends up Blind to his own path by the end. If anything it has me thinking of how depressing the movie trilogy is going to be
challenging
dark
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes