Reviews

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I really liked this book until Leto II started changing his character into a narcissistic supernatural “God.” I would’ve enjoyed the book if he had stayed human and had been more like his father, Paul. I loved Dune and Dune Messiah, but this book turned into a let-down for me. I am going to read the next book, God Emperor of Dune, and MAYBE that will change my perspective about Leto II and The Children of Dune.

fuathling's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Reading the Dune series means embarking on an odyssey. Frank narrates what feels like a living-breathing history on an empire that rises, falls, and rages like a hurricane. Children of Dune will break your heart, confound your previously committed beliefs, and threaten the air in your lungs at the edge of every climax. A provocative and terrible tale of supposed fate, and the inescapable pull of power. I'm a little wounded having finished this.

Content Warnings

joshkiba13's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

"If one could not depend upon tradition, then where was the rock upon which to anchor his life?"

This book was everything I felt like I needed after reading Dune Messiah. A lot of time is spent in Children exploring what it is like to be pre-born, to have thousands upon thousands of lives stored within your memory as a child. I saved so many interesting quotes from the story describing this, such as this one about Leto II: "He felt, at times, like an extension of those countless other lives, all as real and immediate as his own . . . They could be a mob, too, clamoring at him as though he were a single window through which each desired to peer." Seeing how Leto II, Ghanima, and Alia each dealt with their burdens in distinct ways was fascinating.

We also gained insight into Bene Gesserit training, getting to see glimpses of Jessica instructing a new pupil, which was intriguing.

As always with Dune, the 3rd person omniscient POV is perfect for a story of this magnitude, jumping from person to person and learning of their motivations and plans within plans. We changed storylines almost every chapter, following different characters and their plans against other forces. Each storyline developed on its own until they all converted during the 3rd act in a brilliant and exciting way.

We learned more about the ecology of Arrakis, about the biology of sandworms and sandtrout. And of course, what I'd been waiting for ever since hearing about it on the Internet,

Leto II began his transformation from human to human-worm

. I was on the edge of my seat as that transformation began, and seeing his incredible power was awesome.

Finally, I just love Herbert's descriptions of the desert and of people. Many of the metaphors and other forms of figurative language involve desert imagery, such as, "The guards outside and the waiting aides were sucked up in her wake like sand particles drawn into the vortex of a rising worm." I feel transported to Arrakis and Dune’s other worlds when I read Herbert's work. It is immersion, it is deep, and amazingly constructed.

I did get a little lost here and there in the politics, philosophy, and conspiracies, but overall it was a fantastic read. Excited to move on to God Emperor of Dune soon :)