A review by brnineworms
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

“Every judgement teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous.”

Children of Dune is... a lot. It’s a story about change and ensuing identity crises. It’s a story about suicide, metaphorical and literal; (ego) death. It’s about what makes a person no longer a person and makes them, instead, a monster. It’s about the future and how far some will go to pursue a particular vision.

Alia is possessed by the Baron, becoming ruthless and ambitious and indulgent. I think Herbert did a good job at avoiding the common pitfalls of plurality-/psychosis-as-horror. Baron!Alia is criminally underused, it must be said. Paul returns as the Preacher, an anonymous vagabond kindling dissent. He became disillusioned with his deification, and he rejects his premonitions and his former identity. The titular children, Leto and Ghanima, embark on a quest to secure the Golden Path – supposedly the optimum future for humanity – no matter the cost.

And that’s just the main characters. Half a dozen others take the spotlight at various points throughout the narrative, each advancing their own agendas, their allegiances questioned and their beliefs put to the test. As in Dune Messiah (and, to a lesser extent, Dune), the POV shifts constantly. Messiah, however, was more confined and contemplative – a series of character study vignettes, as I said in my review of that book. Children of Dune weaves multiple dramatic and emotionally charged plot threads simultaneously. I’m not sure it quite comes together.

Something must be said of the pacing/structuring of this book. At times, the story flows well even with the shifting perspectives (eg:

Farad’n is intrigued by Idaho’s recent (false) suicide attempt → the Preacher (survivor of a false suicide) delivers a passionate sermon about “moral suicide” → Idaho argues with Jessica in a similarly incendiary tone

). It makes sense, it feels right. An example where this is not the case:

Jessica realises that Alia has been possessed by the Baron → the twins wander in the desert, anticipating an ambush.

Why is that sensational, pivotal scene followed by suspense? Surely it would make more sense to swap these scenes around, so the tension can build up to that oh shit moment. Even though these are two separate plotlines, there could be an emotional throughline there.

All in all, I was enjoying the book well enough until the last quarter, which is when things started to get weird.

Leto becomes one with a school of sandtrout (sandworm larvae). I understand that this was his way of sacrificing himself, of ending his (human) life and becoming something monstrous in service of a grand vision. I can also appreciate how it mirrors Alia’s fate. But also... huh? The Dune franchise can be very strange, but for some reason this stands out to me. I don’t know...

And, speaking of Alia,

her death was so disappointing. If she had to kill herself, she could have used a gom jabbar, at least, as she did when killing the Baron at the end of Dune. Throwing herself out of a window was just weak. And why did Leto swing her around like that?

For a long time I thought I’d give Children of Dune a solid four stars, but the ending did bring it down a little. I think it’s fair to say it’s more or less on par with Dune Messiah.

CONTENT WARNINGS: drug use, overdose, hallucinations/visions, psychosis, intrusive thoughts, possession, some body horror, violence, murder, suicide, imperialism/colonialism, racism, eugenics, incest, beefswelling