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A review by sebastianletts
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
4.5
4.5 stars
This book was absolutely incredible. I has had me in constant reevaluation of what the true ethos of the Dune series is, but as an end to a trilogy, this works perfectly. I do love how this series seems to have various jumping off points, and all of them seem to work. I love how Alia is treated in this story as so similar to Paul in the way that all seemed to crumble around her because of external forces she couldn't control. This is particularly poignant as Alia, like Paul is presented as such a powerful individual, impervious to anything as a near godlike figure. I loved the way The Golden Path was treated and how Leto feels bound to this fate. His relationship to Ghanima is layered, as is his relationship to all the characters in this story.
I also liked how this book further delved into the idea that Arrakis is the true protagonist of the story. The book isn't titled Atreides, or anything of the sort. It is very interesting to see how the evolving nature of Dune influences perception, how it has changed the Fremen and all other involved parties. The universe revolves around this planet, and the way we see this transform throughout is incredibly thought provoking. This is particularly intriguing to see through two characters, Stilgar, as an old Naib that has witnessed the change of the planet, deadset on maintaining Fremen tradition, and Jessica, as a person who has left Arrakis for a long time, and returns to see how much the people have changed. The civil war engulfing the planet in turmoil is indicative of how Jessica sees the planet now, after the ideals of the Jihad and Muad'Dib continue to implode upon themselves, following what is established in [b:Dune Messiah|44492285|Dune Messiah (Dune, #2)|Frank Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577043824l/44492285._SY75_.jpg|3634570]. This is greatly exemplified by The Preacher, which such an intriguing addition to this story, as the mystery isn't really who he might be, but more so where he stands in this massive narrative.
My only complaints remain the same I had from the past book. I wanted more Irulan! It's almost ironic that the most we get from Irulan in these books are the epigraphs of the first installment. I think she is such an interesting political figure, and seeing more of her and her opinions concerning Farad'n would have been extremely interesting. I would have loved to see more of her character, as well as Ghanima's. Ghanima is such an interesting character as she is condemned to submitting to the Golden Path, forced to act at the behest of said path, sacrificing all free will. This, combined with a force like "Abomination" which further threaten her liberty make for a harrowing experience, as the reader yearns for her to have a normal life. In a way, this mirrors Alia's view in Messiah, where she resents her mother for the burden she carries while understanding the amount of power she has been given. I only wish I could have seen more of her, as I almost felt like I knew more about characters like Tyekanik in this book. I know it is a lot to ask in such an expansive book, to add complexity to even more perspectives, but I do believe these are very relevant to the material.
This book is so great because it leads to this. So much reflection as there is so much to explore. Can Herbert be a little over-ambitious about the themes he tries to explore? Absolutely, but there is no denying a certain satisfaction to decoding everything he's built here.
This book was absolutely incredible. I has had me in constant reevaluation of what the true ethos of the Dune series is, but as an end to a trilogy, this works perfectly. I do love how this series seems to have various jumping off points, and all of them seem to work. I love how Alia is treated in this story as so similar to Paul in the way that all seemed to crumble around her because of external forces she couldn't control. This is particularly poignant as Alia, like Paul is presented as such a powerful individual, impervious to anything as a near godlike figure. I loved the way The Golden Path was treated and how Leto feels bound to this fate. His relationship to Ghanima is layered, as is his relationship to all the characters in this story.
I also liked how this book further delved into the idea that Arrakis is the true protagonist of the story. The book isn't titled Atreides, or anything of the sort. It is very interesting to see how the evolving nature of Dune influences perception, how it has changed the Fremen and all other involved parties. The universe revolves around this planet, and the way we see this transform throughout is incredibly thought provoking. This is particularly intriguing to see through two characters, Stilgar, as an old Naib that has witnessed the change of the planet, deadset on maintaining Fremen tradition, and Jessica, as a person who has left Arrakis for a long time, and returns to see how much the people have changed. The civil war engulfing the planet in turmoil is indicative of how Jessica sees the planet now, after the ideals of the Jihad and Muad'Dib continue to implode upon themselves, following what is established in [b:Dune Messiah|44492285|Dune Messiah (Dune, #2)|Frank Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577043824l/44492285._SY75_.jpg|3634570]. This is greatly exemplified by The Preacher, which such an intriguing addition to this story, as the mystery isn't really who he might be, but more so where he stands in this massive narrative.
My only complaints remain the same I had from the past book. I wanted more Irulan! It's almost ironic that the most we get from Irulan in these books are the epigraphs of the first installment. I think she is such an interesting political figure, and seeing more of her and her opinions concerning Farad'n would have been extremely interesting. I would have loved to see more of her character, as well as Ghanima's. Ghanima is such an interesting character as she is condemned to submitting to the Golden Path, forced to act at the behest of said path, sacrificing all free will. This, combined with a force like "Abomination" which further threaten her liberty make for a harrowing experience, as the reader yearns for her to have a normal life. In a way, this mirrors Alia's view in Messiah, where she resents her mother for the burden she carries while understanding the amount of power she has been given. I only wish I could have seen more of her, as I almost felt like I knew more about characters like Tyekanik in this book. I know it is a lot to ask in such an expansive book, to add complexity to even more perspectives, but I do believe these are very relevant to the material.
This book is so great because it leads to this. So much reflection as there is so much to explore. Can Herbert be a little over-ambitious about the themes he tries to explore? Absolutely, but there is no denying a certain satisfaction to decoding everything he's built here.