Review of God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

Given the coarse, operatic nature of Dune’s two sequels, I was reluctant to continue the series.  I thought Leto II’s rise to power was an appropriate place to leave off in the cycle despite the three sequels Herbert penned. After posting my reviews of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, however, one comment was left stating the first three novels were in fact just stage-setting for the fourth, God Emperor of Dune, and if I was to truly appreciate the series I needed to continue.  Continue I did, and though I still think Dune is slightly better, the fourth book is certainly a step above those between and does indeed seem a thematic pinnacle the first books were aiming at.

God Emperor of Dune is set roughly 3,500 years after the conclusion of events in Children of Dune.  Leto II, now with arms and legs useless appendages on a huge worm body, uses his prescience and hyper-senses to maintain supreme power over the known universe, not to mention his inhuman appearance.  Ruling from Arrakis where terraforming has nearly completed the change from inhospitable desert to verdant inhabited land, Leto’s Fish Speakers (an army of unfailingly loyal female soldiers) enforce his dominion: no technology, no interstellar travel, and complete obeisance to his rule, including its limited dispersal of the all-valuable spice.  Proclaiming himself god and starting his own religion, Leto maintains his dominion through belief and fear in holding to the Golden Path.

Review of "Children of Dune" by Frank Herbert

Based on the polar nature of the first two books in the Dune series, Paul’s ascension in Dune and his descent in Dune Messiah, not much would seem left to be told in the House Atreides saga.  Publishing Children of Dune in 1976, ten years after Dune, Frank Herbert proved there was still more to tell, telling a solid, not spectacular tale that has some big shoes to fill if it is to live up to the success of Dune.  

With Paul having been cast blind into the desert at the conclusion of Dune Messiah, Children of Dune opens roughly a decade later with Alia on the throne and caring for Paul and Chani’s twins, Leto II and Ghanima.  Fearing she is an abomination due to the ghost of Baron Harkonnen living inside of her, Alia’s psychological stability takes blow after blow, a fact not helped by the re-emergence of Paul’s mother, the Benne-Gesserit Lady Jessica, at court.  Arrakis terraforming continuing apace, the desert is being reclaimed, the planet greener by the day.  Leto, realizing the threat this represents to the sandworms, goes into the desert in an attempt to save the spice producing beasts, leaving his family behind in the process. Topping all of this, House Corinno once again plots to retake the throne, nobody knowing how the chaos in the works will turn out in the end.

Review of "Dune" by Frank Herbert

Published in 1965, Frank Herbert’s Dune is considered not only a grandfather, but by many the greatest sci-fi novel of all time.  A fully realized world that fascinates for the imaginative creatures and civilizations that inhabit it, the novel’s greatest appeal remains the base social circumstances motivating the plot’s quest for political power.  Space opera of the xth degree, this formula inspired generations of books and films to come, including George Lucas and Star Wars, not to mention myriad sequels and prequels in the Dune universe. (The latest number of books stands at seventeen and counting.) The original, however, remains the best.  

In the Duniverse (sorry, couldn’t resist), Arrakis occupies a unique position.  The substance ‘spice’ is found and mined on the planet’s endless deserts, unavailable anywhere else in the galaxy.  Spice enhancing the powers of the mind as well as the length of one’s life, he who controls Arrakis controls the universe.  The politics of power playing out against this interstellar premise, Dune tells the story of the Atreides family and their struggles for position amidst realpolitik.  Coups, assassination attempts, and outright military attacks are par for the course in the planet’s capital.  Trained in the arts of physical combat as well as mind reading, the son of House Atreides, Paul, soon finds himself embroiled in the fight for planetary power in ways he can never imagine, the inhospitable desert calling his name as events escalate.  

The imagination invested in Dune is its strongest aspect.  The Arab-esque cultures vibrating on the streets, the intrigue of court life in the palace, the technology skimming the deserts and mining spice, the stillsuits the people of Arrakis’ deserts live in daily, the constant threat of sand worms just below the surface—in all of these ideas Herbert displays no shortage of imagination detailing the world he envisions.  Everything fresh and original, the only derivative aspect of the novel’s setting and motifs is the Middle Eastern feel of naming and religion.

Likewise suitable to such a desert setting, the theme of environmentalism finds a prominent position in the novel.  The Fremen who inhabit the desert live in rhythm with nature as opposed to those living more technologically advanced lives in the scattered cities of the desiccated world.  Herbert’s emphasis on the sacrifices these people make in order to survive has real meaning in our world today.  The Middle East of the 21st century, particularly the water soaked oases being developed in the middle of deserts, should take note of the restraint and wisdom the Fremen exhibit facing their environmental circumstances.

Possibly pinched from a daytime series, the storyline of Dune is not unique, however.  Melodrama off the charts, Herbert will not win any awards for originality in plot.  Though effectively drawn, Dune’s characters serve the story, i.e. pawns to be moved rather than personalities to be sympathized with.  As Darth Vader would later become, the story contains some evilly evil bad guys who exist for none other than evil reasons.  Events and plot outcomes sensational as result, space opera is a more than suitable tag for the book.  

Dune’s writing is also problematic at times. Its rough edges, while carrying the story, must be handled with patience.  Herbert’s agenda for discussion, primarily the politics of power, has a harshness over-emphasized by occasionally digressive philosophizing.  An aspect that becomes exponentially worse in the sequels, it rears its ugly head on few enough occasions in Dune that it can be glossed over, however.  Neither beautiful nor prosaic, Herbert’s tale remains intriguing for the aforementioned reasons.

In the end, Dune’s reputation as one of science fiction’s greatest books is grounded.  Combining uniquely fantastic and futuristic ideas with mainstream plotting, its readership grows while continuing to inspire generation after generation of space opera.  Writers like Dan Simmons, Alastair Reynolds, or Iain M. Banks would not have such an easy time in the business, perhaps not even an impetus for their ideas, were it not for Herbert’s universe.  While lacking consistent style and smooth characterization, Dune remains great entertainment that scratches at the surface of something deeper.