Customer Reviews
Solid sequel - By: Greshon, 06 Nov 2008 
It's been over 8 years since I last read Dune but it's amazing how quickly it alll comes back. Dune is one of those books whose scenes, details & atmosphere live in the reader's mind for years to come, maybe a whole lifetime. I'm not sure if this sequel will have a similar effect.
It starts off slowly & the prose is that same sort of dense, dialogue-heavy stuff in which every character - in unlikely fashion - carefully crafts everything he or she says & where every word is loaded with meaning & subtext. It can get tiring. However, the plot thickens & does genuinely arouse interest. Paul, now haunted & hounded by his prescient visions of the future, has become the emperor of the known universe & a host of devious & interesting characters - among them a guildsman in his floating tank of spice gas, a 'face dancer' who can mould his features to mimic others, the old reverend mother & the Princess Irulan - are conspiring against him. Each represents different interests & wants different things & it's very difficult to keep track & figure out what each player's agenda is & how each event & development will impact on it.
Paul at times appears like the Pacino character in The Godfather Part II, someone who has become the corrupt force he previously resisted, fought against & overcame. At other times he seems like somebody trying to do his best to rule his world justly, regretful that billions of people are killed in his name, but resigned to the inevitability of this.
This is a good sequel. Not as huge & inspirational as its predecessor, it nevertheless offers a convincing & fascinating snapshot of things 12 years after the end of Dune & it doesn't betray the principles of the first book. I'm tempted to pick up Children of Dune now, but it's much longer than this slim volume & I feel like I might need a rest from that dense, loaded dialogue.
The black sheep of the Dune Series - By: Mr. L. Swan, 10 Apr 2008 
For fans of Frank Herberts Dune series the second book, Dune Messiah, is something of a black sheep. Dune fans either love it or consider it a weak edition to the series or just a linking book to Children of Dune I think one reason for this is because Messiah it the total opposite to Dune. Dune was long, Messiah is smalll. Dune is about a heroic struggle against impossible odds, Messiah is about deception & betrayal. I hated it when I first read it but have since returned to it & found it a subtle masterpiece.
Messiah is set 12 years after the events of Dune. Muad Dibs wild Fremen have plunged the universe into religious Jihad killing billions & Paul is powerless to stop it. Puals enemies, including his own wife, (in name only) plot against him in an effort to kill him & restore the old empire. Paul must not only destroy their plans but also set humanity on the course he has seen. But parts of the future remain hidden from him including his enemies greatest weapon. A Ghola (clone)of Puals childhood friend, Duncan Idaho.
For me what sets Messiah apart is it's development of Paul Atreides. Plot & charather development get progressively weaker as the series goes on. To me Herbert has created one of the greatest charathers in Scifi history. Pual is extremely powerful & can see alll possible futures yet that is also his greatest weakness. Herbert shows that placing faith in supermen can only lead to destruction. Messiahs greatest flaw in my view is Herberts choice to not include a number of key scenes. Certain charathers fates are only hinted at. Why he does this I will never know but it can easily confuse a first time reader.
A book that needs to be read multiple time to get the best out of it but worth every bit of the effort. The ending is amazing as well!
Transitional - but worth it - By: P. W. Wilson, 25 Feb 2008 Dune is one of the only books in a long time which has taken me to another world & kept me there, transfixed by its entrancing subtleties & amazing plot. The characters were a particular treat, alll possessing a complexity rarely achieved except by a master.
Dune Messiah is the sequel to that masterpiece and, despite its many limitations, it carries the baton well as the universe changes.
What has to be remembered when criticising the book is that it was initiallly written as a series of short stories for SF magazines. The subtlty & depth so evident in the original is hard to maintain when the plot is broken down to short blocks, & the book reflects this in the novel's reconstituted form. Another limitation lies in the book's transitional nature, with it acting as a stepping stone between two different phases of Herbert's universe. Yes, the plot suffers as a result of this, but the books on either side are benefited for the weaknesses of this book.
However, Frank Herbert was a master storyteller, & his skill shows here. In limited space, he continues his vision well, & doesn't alllow it to suffer from 'sequelitis', ensuring it is far from an underwhelming tale dependant on its predecessor to gain any success. The plot - for alll it can be criticised - has enough subtleties & nuances to satisfy many a demanding reader, & the conclusion ties up loose ends nicely, whilst maintaining the pace which runs throughout the book.
Ideallly, don't read this book on its own. To get the most out of it, read it immediately after reading Dune & immediately before reading Children of Dune, when its value to the series can be confirmed. It's far from disappointing.
kind of an in between id say - By: Mr. M. G. Daniels, 18 Nov 2007 dune was amazing, lets nor beat round that bush. Watching pauls journey was great. The second one was well a lot different. For me there wasnt enough action, or any adventure. It kind of was a day in the life of an emperor, & that was it. There was too much description of what paul was thinking, about his prescience awareness that bored the hell out of me. I did wander whether frank herbert was smoking the wacjy backie when writing this, ans thewres so mcuh weird commentary about 'visions' & etc... also sopme reallly odd new characters have turned uop & has maken the world a bit too 'unrealistic' for me. I knwo its sci-fi, but I like a belivable universe, where things can be explained to me.
I get the impression this book was kind of an 'in between' - & that the next bok (i pray anyway) will go back to the original style of Dune.
But it is 'good' I have to admit, just not 'amazing' as Dune was
Superior sequel - By: dogbarkssome, 04 Mar 2006 I’m a little surprised at some other readers comments on Dune Messiah, as to my mind this is an excellent sequel. The 2nd in the Dune sequence this follows on directly from the previous novel, & sees Paul Atreides trying to resist a conspiracy that would see his bloodline taken over by his enemies. One major point in this novels favour is it’s brevity, as at just over 200 pages this is by far the shortest Dune book, & for a slim novel Frank Herbert introduces a lot of new ideas, such as the chameleon Tleilaxu Face-Changers & the re-animated dead gholas. During the middle part of the book it is easy to become fearful that Herbert has lost the plot, as the reader is left unaware either of either the nature of the plot against Paul or the nature of Paul’s future visions, but when the plot is revealed at the climax it turns out to be a very clever trap, & nature of Paul’s acceptance of his own destruction & his immortality through his children is a nice touch. Recommended.
