A Man With An Agenda

I've avoided the sequels to 'Dune' before this because I was afraid something would go wrong. And, to an extent, something did. 'Dune Messiah' lacks a lot of the action that helped move the original along, its replaced by a lot of philosophizing and talk talk talk talk talk. The chapter headings also felt off, as if Herbert didn't have the confidence to do with them what he did for 'Dune', revealing matters of plot and putting the events of the book within the context of a stable future looking back at it.

But removing that layer might have been Herbert's intention. Paul's prescient visions cannot see the workings of other oracles so he cannot get to the root of a great plot against him, the proliferation of Dune tarot decks further muddy his path forward. He sees an undesirable end, but he can't be sure that that end isn't as inevitable as the jihad carried out across the galaxy in his name that has claimed millions and millions of lives. Paul is the God-Emperor but he is powerless to stop it or prevent harm to his family without fear of causing even greater harm. However, for all the blather and frustrated scheme-tracings of the characters, the book does pick up eventually and many characters accomplish a great deal. Irulan did not stand out as I'd hoped, but Alia is built up well enough that you come to care about her destiny as much as Paul's.

What happens here does seem so inevitable, but we're assured that it was victory. I'm not so sure, but I'm confident enough to keep going with these.

Dune

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