A review by ninaprime
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

Painfully challenging to get through in parts. Herbert's incisive perspective on religious mania and state-building wasn't sufficient to keep me engaged, especially as the characters made mind-boggling decisions. Alia and Chani were particularly cringey in personality and dialogue, which was sad because Lady Jessica was a standout in Dune so I'm not sure how he worsened at writing women. And he threw in so many concepts that weren't well-explained, which made it a more frustrating read.