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Customer Reviews (11)

Herbert at his best...
This was a great read and I highly recommend it to all of Frank Herbert followers. He writes about the whats makes us tick. The difference between self will and God's will. Is anyone really sane? Well I like how he developed this story. I could not put it down, read from cover to cover. I consider this as one of Frank's pre Dune classics. He did it without, chair dogs, strong willed woman, no space ships, or aliens. He writes about four men on a mission under the sea.

FSD

A Speculative Master: Frank Herbert's Exploration of Themes Still Relevant Today
Today, the Cold War is "over." Despite that and the United States's hegemonic status, the US's major threat, according to its own military, is Russia. With the growing threat of the EU, China, and our interests in maintaining our strength, this book, despite being written when the Cold War was still a readily apparent threat, is highly relevant today. First, at a much smaller level, it discusses the politics and conflict over a finite resource. Of course, this a theme that Herbert would expand upon in his phenomenal Dune, 40th Anniversary Edition (Dune Chronicles, Book 1) series. However, in this book, the resource is not spice, but oil and the backdrop is a nuclear submarine sent from "Western Waters" to "Eastern Waters" (i.e. the North America and its surrounding oceans to Russia and its surrounding Russia) and secretly pump out oil from underwater oil fields that belong to the Eastern Powers. The West and the East have been at war for a decade.

Meanwhile, these submarines are manned by a small crew. Small screw, confined situation, claustrophobic environment... sounds another set of settings that Herbert would later explore in Destination: Void and good setting to analyze leadership. Herbert goes further than that and examines how Religion might be used both a source of social solidarity and social control, something especially important in such a confined environment with a small crew.

Lastly, the psychological elements. The crews of these submarines are prone to insanity and suicide. The government sends in a psychologist to one of these submarines to figure out why. It also knows that Military Command and crew could have sleeper cells sent from Russia to sabotage the system. The Psychologist needs to figure out who...

For a relatively short book, Frank Herbert manages to write a psychological-spy thriller with important themes that are incredibly relevant today. This is one amazingly good book and it is a shame that Frank Herbert is seen as the author of one good book. Was every book he wrote a home run?No. No author has nothing but home runs. But Herbert's other work should get more respect and critical reevaluation. I can only hope some others get in print. As for this one... buy it if you want a book that goes beyond the words on the page and gets you to think. No Herbert doesn't provide you all the answers, that's up to you decide. But at least he asks the questions and presents possible situations and settings. Which is all any good author should do.

Superb story, well before its time
It is important to remember when this was written.It is shocking how much he got right before widespread use of naval nuclear reactors.I read this story when it came out, in the middle fifties, and it left an indelible impression.He was of course wrong about vacuum tubes hanging on in wide use into the twenty first century, but still, a tour de force.Though I, for one, liked vacuum tubes.And he certainly got the danger from sleepers right, too.It wore better with time than With the Night Mail or Land Ironclads did.Amazing.

Too technical
After just finishing Herbert's Santaroga Barrier and jumping straight into this one, I had high expectations, especially after reading others' reviews.Throughout the book I found there was FAR too much time given to detail - latches, levers, knobs, control panels, etc...Unless you're someone who's served aboard a nuclear sub, it's impossible to paint a mental picture of what was going on half the time in this book.And the ending was.. well, not much of a bang.I was expecting a big 'twist' - something I'd never expect, which never happened.On the plus side, it did have some interesting philosophical views which Herbert is good at.The characters were somewhat enjoyable, and there was some good suspense at times.But overall I found that too much emphasis was given to the workings of the submarine, and the climax was a bit bland.

I would suggest watching the movie "Das Boot" over reading this book.

reprint of a still timely 1956 thriller
One of the five members of the Hell Diver subtug crew is a saboteur.Psychologist John Ramsay is assigned to join the team, as they steal oil from Cold War adversaries by tugging their purloined liquid black gold loot under water; his task is to uncover the identity of the traitor.He somewhat fears being well over a mile under the water while on this mission because if exposed he will be dead.

However, although he watches intently, the mission is in peril from the sabotage damage caused by one of them, but John remains unsure who he is.Soon he and three other crewmen are in trouble with no place to hide as the enemy has them in his sights.If they survive against this ruthless relentless stalker, John and the other three remain "Under Pressure" from the strength of the ocean that pounds away at their tin can.To live they must work as a team, but no one trusts anyone else as phobias bubble to surfaces of their minds.

This is a reprint of a 1956 thriller that seems timelier now than it did during the height of the Cold War with the concept of the morally superior West stealing oil from the East. The tale is about a covert operation reminiscent of the Bush invasion in which administration officials helped sell the war besides 9/11 links with the belief cheap easy access oil was around the corner once Iraq became a democracy.Although none of the crew, even the hero, seems much more than action figures, fans will appreciate Frank Herbert's deep look at societal ethics.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
The all-time science fiction masterpiece...now in a special hardcover edition.

"Unique...I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings."--Arthur C. Clarke

Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction. Frank Herbert's death in 1986 was a tragic loss, yet the astounding legacy of his visionary fiction will live forever.Amazon.com Review
This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of adesert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantineinterstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spiceof spices." Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grantspsychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence.

The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by theEmperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides.The Harkonnensdon't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage andtreachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harshenvironment to die.There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desertdwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what'srightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurpedduke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experimentdesigned to breed a super human; he might be a messiah.His struggle is atthe center of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussionswill be felt throughout the Imperium.

Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written, anddeservedly so.The setting is elaborate and ornate, the plot labyrinthine,the adventures exciting. Five sequels follow. --Brooks Peck ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1091)

horrible printing job
Excellent book, however the printing company has done a horrible job.They have not left enough space between the binding line and the words and one needs to struggle with every page to be able to read the book.Such a disrespect to this masterpiece and the author. Amazon should refuse to sell defected books of that sort to its clients. Shame on ACE printing company for doing such a lousy job.

Good story - poor EBook
After seeing the movie I wanted to read the book. I liked the story, sadly the Kindle edition is another poor scan with OCR Error and has obviously not been corrected. Many missing spaces or wrong characters 'j' instead of 'f' etc...

5 stars for the story, but only 2 for the scanning.

Great book But . .
Great book, read it when I was a teenager, about 40 years ago!However, I would not recommend reading the commentary first at the end of the book, by Herbert's son.It sort of ruined the book for me.If you're going to read it at all, wait until the end of the book.

Overrated
Years ago, my friend just finished reading Dune and I asked him what it was about.He told me, "Well...it's about a prophecy...which turns out to be true."I found his response a little odd because he seemed to have trouble defining what the book was about.Now that I've read Dune I completely understand his hesitance.

Dune feels like multiple stories wrapped into one book.Unfortunately, rather than picking one direction, Dune tries to go in multiple directions at once with less than stellar results.The premise is interesting, and the first quarter of the book is a good read.However, the action relating to the separate (but related) conflicts is extremely flat.The acclimation to Dune's environment, while challenging for the main characters, becomes merely a tool to study the rituals of the Fremen.It becomes impossible to relate to Paul as his character becomes increasingly aloof and stale.The political environment and the political maneuvers by different characters in the book are, for the most part, uninteresting and predictable.

Though you've probably heard good things about Dune, my advice would be to skip it.However, if you do decide to read it, keep a glass of water handy.

Epic Science Fiction
I have read very little sci-fi, but have been curious to explore the genre. My husband and brother-in-law, both sci-fi geeks, recommended DUNE as a must-read that has in many ways become the gold standard for science fiction. Although the hype may have created overly high expectations for me, I did get engrossed in this epic otherworldly adventure.

On an unforgiving desert planet called Arrakis (aka Dune), the young Paul Atreides inherits both his betrayed father's planetary fiefdom and a bitter feud with the rival Harkonnen family. But there's another dimension to the story: Paul is rumored to be the Muad'Dib, the messiah figure Dune's inhabitants have been waiting for.

What makes DUNE remarkable is Herbert's intricate creation of an alien world. The reader becomes immersed in the imaginative details of Dune's ecology, mysticism, politics, and culture. The planet itself is a hellish world nearly devoid of water and home to massive, fearsome sandworms. Yet it is also of great value for the interplanetary empire it belongs to, since it is the only source of "mélange spice," a mind-expanding and life-extending drug. Economically, the empire is dominated by the CHOAM corporation, which plays an important hand in the power struggles between noble houses.

I truly enjoyed delving into this imaginary empire. Although set many thousands of years in the future, the civilization Herbert conjures is a surprisingly anachronistic one, resembling a medieval feudal society. Despite the importance of the female Bene Gesserit religious sect (often feared as witches), women play a subservient role to men. Even combat is a futuristic version of fencing. Dune's indigenous inhabitants--the Bedouin-like Fremen (Herbert mixes in a lot of Middle Eastern linguistic and cultural influences)--have a fascinating culture shaped by their arid environment. In this culture, water is so precious that moisture is harvested from the dead, and to shed a tear over someone is a profound honor. The Fremen treat their planet almost as a complex living organism and survive by living in harmony with it rather than trying to bend it to their will. Perhaps Herbert's representation of this intricate desert ecology contributed to the budding environmental awareness of the mid-60s.

As immersive as DUNE is, the fiction I usually like best is character-based, and it was here that I found the novel lacking. There is some interesting character development in Paul, who matures and is affected by his status as the rumored Muad'Dib. But the reader never really gets in the characters' heads, and there is a dryness to Herbert's narration.

After reading DUNE, I certainly plan to pick up some more sci-fi in the future. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (17)

Great sci fi
This is great "hard sci fi." It's not always easy to follow - as if Henry James had written a sci fi book. But I found it a very satisfying read.

I think Herbert was having some fun with this story, including having a little fun with his readers.

A first-rate book.

Not at all like Dune, by the way.

Not One of His Best, but a Good Story
This book is the first book, though third story, in the ConSentiency Universe. In this Universe, the wheels of democratic-government run so efficiently, so well, that laws are created, discussed, and passed in a matter of hours. You could imagine where this could be a bad thing (James Madison sure did, this is the ultimate Madisonian-nightmare). In lieu of the bureaucratic red tape to prevent society from doing ill-thoughtout things like passing bad laws, the ConSentiency created the Bureau of Sabotage (BuSab). It's best agent? Jorj X. McKie, Saboteur Extraordinaire, and the main character.

This book, in particular, is about the Caleban. A race that offered the other sentient races a means of travel through a "jumpdoor" to virtually anywhere in the galaxy. Without thinking of any consequences, the government agreed. This had the unknown effect of essentially linking everyone to the Caleban. So if one Caleban died (they are apparently immortal otherwise)... everyone who had used that Caleban's jumpdoor dies or goes utterly insane. Through some social norms, legal contracts, and other contractual issues, a Caleban comes under the control of the main villain. This contracts allows the Caleban to be whipped to death.

McKie needs to find a way to save the last Caleban. Unfortunately, this falls beyond the scope of BuSab's stated mission. While it can take action to stop government... it cannot take action against a private citizen. Therein lies of the dilemma.

So, it's a story about bureaucracy, the need for checks and balances, and laws. Very different from Herbert's other works. There's a strange emotional plot involved between McKie and the last Caleban (which is essentially a star as that is their visible manifestation) that makes for more intrigue. It's intriguing but not nearly as serious as Herbert's later work in the ConSentiency Universe: The Dosadi Experimet (Mass Market Paperback)

It's not Dune
The Dune series by Frank H. is probably my favorite read. I've read through the entire series several times since 1977. Whipping Star is fun, but it doesn't go into the intimate detail as Dune and maybe I was expecting too much of this book. For me, it was almost predictable. I did enjoy how he explained time and space.

GREAT READ
This story picks up the life of saboteur extraordinary Jorj X. Mckie. He is sent on a mission to save all sentient life in the universe. On this mission he meets and befriends a calaban, a strange multi-dimensional creature who radiates emotion and bleeds purple sparks.
Most of the story is taken up with jumbled conversations between Mckie and the calaban named Fannie Mae. It is at times confusing and for some is enough to put the book down forever, but the diligent reader will be rewarded with a downright heartwarming tale.

One great book...
"whipping Star" by Frank Herbert was first published in 1970 to great acclaim.The republication in 2009 is just as notable.

Herbert writes a novel that is stunning in its' presentation.This is my first read of the classic, and I loved the book!I sped through the book, reveling in the efforts by Jorj X McKie to communicate with the lone Caleban.Just how do you communicate with a being who has a different frame of reference and the survival of life forms in the ConSentiency hangs in the balance? Not to mention, the existence of jumpdoors that the Bureau of Sabotage uses to great advantage.

If any Herbert book is a must read, this is one of them.The Trade paper sports a new cover by Stephen Youll.

Check out [...] for more Herbert books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Jesus Indicent
By far, the best science fiction/fantasy book I have ever read. I have kept a copy of this one for the past twenty years to pass it on to my own kids. Fast paced, yet intellectually stimulating, The Jesus Incident makes you think about the meaning of life, and the enrichment that is possible, even through hardship and confusion. Those people that start with certainty end with doubt. Those that start with doubt end with certainty. Magic is part of life, and we are magical beings. The book encourages one to look at the awe, wonder, and sacredness of all things in life. Spirit Journeys: Freeing the Soul in this Life and Beyond, Healing Thoughts: Applying Therapeutic Shamanism in Your Daily Life

Jesus Incident by Frank Herbert
I bought it for my son in law who lives in Canada. My main concern was the shape of the book.It was in very good shape and the book arrived in a timely manner shipped to Canada.

I would buy again from Amazon!

Scales were never balanced
i couldn't help but feel sorry for the obvious villains of this work.ever since introducing them to the scene they never seemed to pose any sort of threat to the kind of god-like powers Herbert always instills to his good guys.much like in the Dune series where the omnipotent kwisatz haderach foils any atttempts at his downfall the kelp-hugging poet and his hippie-esque eco-renegades are always
saved by the deus-ex machima that is the writers quill.
i thought that the characters were wonderfully defined as opposed to another reviewer they just simply lacked the true tools of power
to truly tip the scales.all in all once again herbert almost annoyingly has his villains plot and scheme to no avail and the good guys live happily ever after.

Love it!
Just wanted to add my 2 cents - I think Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom did a fantastic job on this book.The Jesus Incident is my favorite.There are many different issues in the book including environmental issues and moral/ethical issues to name just a couple.Are clones "human"?Are "humans" better than clones?Do clones have "human" rights? How do you define intelligence?Is it possible for what appears to be ocean plant life to be intelligent?The authors entwine all these issues, including the question of whether or not Ship is God, into a wonderful sci-fi world and a great story.Wish they'd make a movie out of this one!

More gas than a hylighter
This is an extremely dull book.I found myself falling asleep consistently when reading the first 100 pages.I even started the book over to ensure that I "got it".What I "got" was a book that foundered more or less completely.This is the least focused Herbert book I have ever read.Maybe we can blame it on Bill Ransom.

Second book in the Pandora series (1st book is Destination: Void), characters living on Ship, Colony and Redoubt on Pandora.

Morgan Oakes, Chaplain/Psychiatrist, in charge.Second in command Jesus Lewis, living on the Pandoran surface.Trying to destroy the electrokelp and hylighters, seemingly sentient inhabitants of Pandora.Ship brings Raja Flattery out of hibernation and assigns poet Kerro Panille to groundside.Raja changes last name to Thomas.They, along with Waela TaoLini, will conduct a new round of interaction with the kelp/electrokelp.They do so and are rescued by the hylighters.Kerro establishes close communication with the hylighters, learning in the process that the electrokelp and the hylighters are the same consciousness, also known as the Avata.

Thomas is prompted by Ship to engage Pandorans to figure out the correct way to "WorShip".This was the original charge from a newly conscious Ship in Destination: Void, that humans learn how to properly WorShip.Ship states that it will destroy humanity if this task is not completed quickly.

Colony is destroyed - how is never explained as far as I can tell.Redoubt is destroyed.Ship leaves, taking Lewis and Oakes.Apparently, the proper way to WorShip, to "find our own humanity and live up to it" (p. 412), is uncovered in time to stop the destruction of humanity.

Throw in there a time traveling expedition by Hali Ekel to Golgotha to see the crucifixion of Jesus.Why?To understand "holy violence".Okay, but why?

Avata, a female child, is born from the coupling of Waela and Kerro.Purpose? To give "them [Pandora's inhabitants] the new worship and weaving them into a single organism."Do what?

I was fairly excited about the interactions with the kelp, as the communication betweentwo different sentient groups (kelp and humans) is pretty meaty science fiction fare.This interaction was pretty sketchy, though.The interaction did produce Kerro's bridging communication with the hylighters/kelp/Avata.I'm still not sure what all this is supposed to mean.

The characters in this book were just uninteresting.Oakes, Lewis, Ferry and Murdoch, collectively the "bad" guys, were flat, flat, flat.Kerro Panille, the poet with the ability to communicate directly with Ship (a rare ability), was cloaked in so much fluffy nonsense that I'm still not sure what all happened with him.

On Herbert's trademark quotations that start each new chapter, I am usually a fan, but I stopped reading them in this book because they were inane.

The book just spent too long to portray too little.Pretty simple actually.

This isn't the greatest review (pretty sketchy), but it covers the main highlights of the book.My advice, if you are interested in the Pandora series (which I still am even after this book), is to read this review and move on to the next book, The Lazarus Effect. ... Read more

Product Description
Leto Atreides, the God Emperor of Dune, is dead. In the fifteen hundred years since his passing, the Empire has fallen into ruin. The great Scattering saw millions abandon the crumbling civilization and spread out beyond the reaches of known space. The planet Arrakis-now called Rakis-has reverted to its desert climate, and its great sandworms are dying.

Now, the Lost Ones are returning home in pursuit of power. And as factions vie for control over the remnants of the Empire, a girl named Sheeana rises to prominence in the wastelands of Rakis, sending religious fervor throughout the galaxy. For she possesses the abilities of the Fremen sandriders-fulfilling a prophecy foretold by the late God Emperor... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (76)

Best book since the first Dune
Heretics opens into a period of time completely new to the series. All the familiar characters are gone with one exception (Duncan Idaho, and by this point in the series readers shouldn't be that surprised.) When telling people about the Dune series I always tell them it can be broken down into three segments: books 1,2,3; book 4; and books 5 and 6. In Heretics, we really start to see the effects of Leto II's Golden Path unfold before us. While events technically started in God Emperor, Heretics really sees everything set in place and start to bloom.

Heretics splits the focus between the Bene Geserit (the primary protagonists), a girl named Sheeanna who can communicate with sandworms, the Tleilaxu, the Rakian priesthood, and the Honored Matres (a new faction.) Everyone becomes intertwined as we watch the story unfold, with much of the beginning of the book setting the scene of this new time period. The middle and end of the book however are packed full of events. Of all the Dune books, this one is probably the most eventful, culminating in a surprising ending.

Heretics is my personal favorite of the series after the original because it really sees the overall story of the series come to fruition. While some say it is in Chapterhouse that the series blooms, to me Heretics is truly when we realize why Leto II did everything that he did, and everything falls into place.

Heretics of Dune
Not as good as the God Emperor but interested enough to finish the chronicles of Dune. I am about 1/2 way through.

Bored with the series
Through no fault of the seller, I have grown bored with the Dune series.I could barely get through the book.Therefore, I will not order another book from this series.

Herbert was a madman!
A Mad Man in the best sense.This book wasn't as captivating as the the first 3 Dune books, and God Emperor did drag on for a bit as did this book.But once you get to know the new characters and, of course the Duncan Idaho Dejour - the plot drew me in.I loved the Teg charachter and the witches take on a new life of their own as developing characters.
The Dune Audio books have the best readers I've ever heard - the readers are distributed throughout the reading just enough to provide a refreshing change of voice now and then.
For the die-hard Dune lovers that are debating whether or not to go on after God Emperor I'd say it's worth it.For those that thought they'd had enough after dredging through God Emperor - you may or may not want to end it there or read/listen to it again before moving on to this one.

Herirtices of Dune.

I have enjoyed the books fo the Dune series for years and finally have the full set. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (36)

Ponderous
The premise of this novel, and the opening chapters, are phenomenally provocative and engaging.But about 1/4 of the way into the book, Herbert veers into philosophical musings and a plethora of unecessary characters. I found myself skipping paragraph after paragraph.

Herbert classic
Don't get me wrong, this is a very good book, especially so for being written about 30 years ago, when DNA was still fairly new. However, what makes me drop my rating to a 3 star was that the part with Herrity and the Madman was just plodding, it went on for page after page. If Mr. Herbert had balanced out this with some female POV's, or the POV's of the men as their females die or their attempts to hide them, that would have added a great deal to this book. If you're a Herbert fan, definitely check this out, just don't expect it to be Dune-caliber.

Good Start Soon Becomes Laborious
I am not a huge fan of science fiction but I do enjoy post-apocalyptic story lines. So the overview, reviews, and book jacket sold me that this work from Herbert could be an interesting and entertaining romp. And indeed, it did start out that way with an engaging setup for the book involving the IRA, a scientist and his family, and the question of terrorism which unfortunately remains an important part of our lives. However, the book soon devolved into one part Crichton pseudo science, one part religious/moral debate, and one small part action and entertainment. Not that any of these ingredients are bad - it is just that they are poorly executed and the flow of the book is brutally challenging. I stuck with it hoping it would pick up and that my efforts would pay off. Unfortunately, my stubbornness would not allow me to give up and by the end I remained unrewarded.

You do not realize how valuable some one is, until they are gone. Then you realize how much our your soul is gone too...
This is one of Franks most amazing books, I loved dune, but some of the sci-fi went over my head.. this book was more earth bound and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like history and I loved how he took the Protestant/Catholic time of turmoil and created an almost parallel universe, or even an alternative outcome. I could not put it down, but a friend of mine borrowed it and dropped it in the mud so now I have to buy a new one (she is reimbursing me). So if you love Sci-fi, but don't care for the whole space theme, this down to earth dune book is a great alternative.
This book would even make a great gift for a biologist or virologist for kicks and giggles.
A rough Quote from book
"In the days of old it took and army of man to change the world, not all it takes is one man with the genius and means to change the whole world".

Underrated. I LOVED IT!
I am glad I didn't get the chance to see the rating on this page before buying the book. It would have probaly change my mind. I just finished it and I simply loved it. It is intelligent, has suspanse, it is very well written and it didn't have a dissapointing ending like many other books that are good at the beggining and bad at the end.
It was my first Frank Herbert book so I am determined to read some more of him and of course everybody recomands Dune. Should I start with that or something else? ... Read more

Product Description
With millions of copies sold worldwide, Frank Herbert's magnificent Dune novels stand among the major achievements of the human imagination as one of the most significant sagas in the history of literary science fiction.

Dune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known-and feared-as the man christened Muad'Dib. As Emperor of the Known Universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremens, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne-and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence.

And even as House Atreides begins to crumble around him from the machinations of his enemies, the true threat to Paul comes to his lover, Chani, and the unborn heir to his family's dynasty. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (191)

kris's review
This book Dune Messiah is a great continuation of the Dune Series.This book takes place around 9 years after the first book finished and is again focused on the Main character Paul.There are a few twists and turns through the book and is interesting to see if someone can change their fate.If you knew what the future held with all of the options that were possible, what outcome would you choose?

perfect
The item was delivered earlier than expected, arrived exactly as described, and a perfect transaction. Thank you!!!!!

Great plot, sometimes thick writing
I like the direction Frank Herbert took the Dune series in his first two sequels. This book has a bit more development than the original Dune. We get to learn more about the inner turmoil of Paul, Alia, and then meet the kids. Frank has a way of creating politically exciting twists and power struggles, without making any one character the villain. Paul and Alia in their own ways are both despots and victims. In terms of storyline, I think this brings the story to a satisfying conclusion (I'm not so big a fan of what happens after Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3)).

Frank's writing style can be a bit dense. Sometimes the dialogue is filled with philosophical or nonsensical musings. Some of it is quite deep - but certainly not how people actually talk. It takes some getting used to. I'd recommend only continuing on to this book if you got through the original Dune and liked it.

If you liked the books, I highly recommend Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set) - it's a pretty good film adaptation of Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles) and Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3).

Great plot, sometimes thick writing
I like the direction Frank Herbert took the Dune series in his first two sequels. This book has a bit more development than the original Dune. We get to learn more about the inner turmoil of Paul, Alia, and then meet the kids. Frank has a way of creating politically exciting twists and power struggles, without making any one character the villain. Paul and Alia in their own ways are both despots and victims. In terms of storyline, I think this brings the story to a satisfying conclusion (I'm not so big a fan of what happens after Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3)).

Frank's writing style can be a bit dense. Sometimes the dialogue is filled with philosophical or nonsensical musings. Some of it is quite deep - but certainly not how people actually talk. It takes some getting used to. I'd recommend only continuing on to this book if you got through the original Dune and liked it.

If you liked the books, I highly recommend Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set) - it's a pretty good film adaptation of Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles) and Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3).

Reading with Tequila
Dune Messiah is set twelve years after the end of Dune, with Paul firmly ensconced as emperor of Arrakis. Never have I read a sequel that so closely followed the feel of the original. Had I not known better, I would have sworn this book was the second half of Dune as opposed to a separate sequel.

Being so well matched to the original was very good and kind of disappointing. The story continued in a comfortable fashion, written in a a tone I was already accustomed to. I easily reentered the world Frank Herbert created and found the new twists to the Atreides story meshed well with the characters I already knew.

Unfortunately, while Dune felt like an epic story that changed everything from beginning to end of the story, Dune Messiah felt like a small snippet in the life of the emperor. Things that seemed as though they should have been major didn't have the impact they should have. It all felt less important. This is a common problem with sequels to huge books like Dune. The next book never measures up to the original.

While I enjoyed the story, I don't feel compelled to continue the series. The book was good and it was fun to revisit the characters, but ultimately Dune was best left with its original ending. Dragging things out further promises to mar my opinion of the first book. ... Read more

Product Description
Missing Link is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Frank Herbert is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Frank Herbert then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Free SF Reader
Martial alien monkeymen moonside misappropriation recovery.


3 out of 5 ... Read more

Product Description
Santaroga seemed to be nothing more than a prosperous farm community. But there was something . . . different . . . about Santaroga.

Santaroga had no juvenile delinquency, or any crime at all. Outsiders found no house for sale or rent in this valley, and no one ever moved out. No one bought cigarettes in Santaroga. No cheese, wine, beer or produce from outside the valley could be sold there. The list went on and on and grew stranger and stranger.

Maybe Santaroga was the last outpost of American individualism. Maybe they were just a bunch of religious kooks. . . .

Or maybe there was something extraordinary at work in Santaroga. Something far more disturbing than anyone could imagine.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Repetitive.
I am still a huge Herbert fan, but let's face it, everyone had to to start somewhere.This book lacks the elements most Herbert fans crave.Read this as a hard core Herbert fan so that you can check the box that says yoiu have read all of his works.

It's Not Dune, But Better than Those Prequels
A few of those bad Dune prequels finally made me realize that the setting alone does not a good book make - it's the writer(s) dummy!So I've decided to give up on those cash-ins and try Frank Herbert's other non-Dune material, and was not disappointed with The Santaroga Barrier.

I enjoyed that he touched on many spiritual and philosophical themes.The focus was mainly on higher levels of consciousness through drug use, cult-like hive-mind mentality, the power of the group subconscious, commercialism and marketing.That alone packs more food for thought than all the Dune spin-offs combined!And of course lots of conspiracy/plans-within-plans Herbertian goodness.This book is definitely a product of it's times (late 60s?) in the themes it handles, but I don't think that detracts from it at all.

The book has this wavering Philip K. Dick like way of keeping the reader on their toes by never clearly delineating who's in the right.Reading through the book I was never quite sure if the Santarogans were an insidious cult or if the outsiders looking to expose them were only driven by corporate greed.The book constantly throws doubt on both sides, making one reevaluate throughout the book.

On the downside - it's not Dune (but what is?).The richness of the world, characters, factions, the epic scale etc. is just not there to the extent of Dune, but one must bear in mind that this is a 250 page stand alone novel.The love interest in the story was poorly written in my opinion.Frankly, having seen how well Herbert has portrayed woman in the Dune series, having a cliched, one-dimensional fiancee was a detraction.You kept wondering why they were in love, what bond they had, because one of the main catalysts for the story is their reunion.It's one of those instances where I felt that saying they were in love over and over wasn't necessary, if the character had been fleshed out better we'd know they were in love.

All in all I enjoyed it, but granted I'm prejudiced as a Dune fan.

If you're sick of the shallow Dune spin-offs like me, try this or the Dosadi Experiment instead.It's more in keeping with the literary legacy Frank Herbert has left us.

One of the Great Books of All Time
Read this short novel.Not really sci-fi.Whatever you like, you'll like this book.

One Of Herberts Best
This is one of the best books written by Frank Herbert. It really makes you think.

A quick read - which is rare for me
I'm a very busy person and don't have much time to read.Usually I can only manage a few pages of a book per night as I'm in bed, meaning most novels can take me months.Santaroga Barrier took me 3 days.It's not often I come across a book that grips me from the beginning and I can't put down, but this was one of them.Gripping story that leaves you just on the edge, without giving too much away at any one time.Very good read. ... Read more

Product Description
Dune, by Frank HerbertChilton Book Company ... Read more

Product Description
A beautiful new package with a new introduction…

Millennia have passed on Arrakis, and the oncedesert planet is green with life. Leto Atreides, the son of the world’s savior, the Emperor Paul Muad’Dib, is still alive but far from human. To preserve humanity’s future, he sacrificed his own by merging with a sandworm, granting him nearimmortality as God Emperor of Dune for the past 3,500 years.

Leto’s rule is not a benevolent one. His transformation has not only made his appearance inhuman, but his morality. A rebellion has risen to oppose the despot’s rule, led by Siona, a member of the Atreides family. But Siona is unaware that Leto’s vision of a Golden Path for humanity requires her to fulfill a destiny she never wanted…or could possibly conceive… ... Read more

Customer Reviews (161)

Long Slow Reveal
On my first reading of _God Emperor of Dune_, what stands out is the structure. The book begins with an action scene, and ends with an action scene. In between, there is conversation and soliloquy, with little action. Violent scenes occur off camera, as it were. We learn that the violence occurred, and who was involved. That's about it, until the last scene.

The novel takes place in a very circumscribed series of locations, all of them on Dune -- Arrakis -- no longer a place of desert, where water is insufficient to sustain most life. The desert has bloomed, Pardot and Liet Kynes's ecological dream of planetary ability to nurture the preservation of water has come true. The only desert is the Sareer, a demonstration of what Arrakis once was, complete with "museum Fremen." There are no more sandworms, no more sandtrout except those encasing the God Emperor, Leto II.

Leto II leads a circumscribed existence, avoiding water, free only on rare trips to his Sareer. What is it like to be him? The lack of action in this existence is nicely consistent with the lack of action in Leto's existence. The reader is invited by Herbert's sense of pacing and narrative into the unexciting world of a being, part sandtrout, part human, who has lived over 3500 years, and who, it appears at the beginning, will live another 500 years or more. The critical question is "Why does Herbert tell us about precisely *this* period in the life of Leto II?" That question in the reader's mind is a part of the way that Herbert artfully sets the reader up for a "reveal."

Herbert'slong, slow, reveal brings us -- at last -- the answer to the question of what dreadful prophetic vision(s) showed Leto of the alternatives to his self-chosen role as God Emperor. That reveal is also the motivation for Moneo's steadiness and loyalty to someone/something so hard to like, against whom he once rebelled.

Herbert scattered philosophical gems throughout. I found his statements about religion worth marking; he also has some acute insights about leaders and followers. These statements come only from one source, the journals of the God Emperor, Leto II. That makes the oracular pronouncements seem tendentious; coupled with such little change or growth in the main character for most of the novel, this aspect of the book makes it tedious, boring, and insufferable. As tedious, boring, and insufferable as the existence of Leto II -- until love arrives.

The loss of love is also its fulfillment, love for Hwi Noree, love for the rebel Siona, and love, most of all, for humanity.

Remarkable setup, failed execution
Let me begin first by saying I believe that with the Dune universe, Frank Herbert created the most remarkable and imaginative sci-fi/fantasy universe yet conceived. His imaginative gifts cannot be doubted. Secondly, I want to add that I have a Bachelor's in English literature and a Master's in philosophy, so I have plenty of experience reading novels and difficult philosophical works. I say this in anticipation of the rebuttal that those who don't like GEOD simply aren't smart enough to get it.

I wanted this book to be monumental. It begins so intriguingly. Its set up seems so perfect. You have a 3,500 year-old reclusive demigod Leto II, who is mostly a sandworm by now, who lives in a gigantic citadel surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of desert, forest, deadly predators, and impossibly high walls. He is the sole ruler of the universe and is determined to halt the bloodletting of history no matter how stagnant and tyrannical his rule becomes. The book begins with a group of rebels managing to penetrate his citadel and make off with secret journals and plans.

What a fascinating beginning to a book. I thought I was in store for the best Dune novel yet. While one could look at the first three novels as allegories on the nature of corruption in governmental, religious, and economic institutions, I was excited to see Herbert truly speculate on an alternative future for humanity in Leto's "Golden Path," a prohibitive empire ruled by a benevolent dictator intent on stepping out of humanity's endless cycle of revolution, corruption, and oppression. I was very prepared for a cerebral book light on plot and heavy on philosophy. I wanted to be there with Leto perched on the balcony of his enormous tower and hear about his Golden Path, where it has lead, and where its discontents lie.

Though the set up is perfect, Herbert fails to bring the book off. His breathtaking imagination being far ahead of his ability as a writer and communicator is no more apparent than in GEOD. What the reader gets is 400 pages of pedantry, obfuscation, dilletantism, and bad dialogue. Most of Herbert's "insights" are really just platitudes presented as godly wisdom. Basic ideas are heard hundreds of times over and over: religions and governments are corrupt, stagnation is bad, chaos and novelty are good in small doses, prescience is limited, history repeats itself but isn't ordained, hardship makes individuals stronger, doctrines become corrupted, words are ambiguous, ruling makes one lonely, etc. As something of a philosophical dabbler, Herbert seems to have felt compelled to dress up these basic ideas -- most of which are born out of classic sociology -- in tangles of bad prose. Although I don't want to get into ad hominems here, it is hard to believe intellectual insecurity didn't have a part to play here.

If the narrative isn't dwelling on some platitude, it will be dwelling on one of Leto's many riddles, which also fall into familiar patterns. The reader is treated to hundreds of little paradoxes and quips and metaphors and aphorisms and poetical riffs that always seem awkwardly out of place and disconnected, not to mention extremely pretentious. Which leads me to the dialogue, which is very non sequitur -- on purpose. The reader never gets a straight discussion between two characters, but only contrived verbal jousting in which the participants seemingly follow an unspoken rule that one always responds to a question with another question, or drops a "clever" tangent that is so elliptical that it always comes across as awkwardly non sequitur. In a few cases Herbert tries to get a Shakespearean kind of rhythmic repartee going with lots of verbal jousting and word play, but it fails. In fact, I can't think of a single chapter where two characters agree on anything. Every dialogue follows the format of a debate or lecture, and, though Herbert sets up his characters as paragons of self-discipline and emotional control, his characters are actually quite snappy, histrionic, easily offended, flamboyant, fractious, contrarian, and rude. Not only does this attempt at Platonic dialogue format come across as intellectually ostentatious, it makes the characters seem immature and very hard to like -- a far cry from the elite superhumans they are advertised as.

Additionally, some of the plot elements are weak, in my opinion. In brief, I found it lame that a 3,500 year old God Emperor with clairvoyance and the memories of billions of lives would degenerate into little more than an angsty and horny teenager with a crush on a young woman who is described as "very" sweet. Is this all Herbert could come up with? Beneath all the pseudo-philosophy and riddling, Leto turns out to be concerned with one thing: getting married to a pretty girl. Is this really what 3,500 years of wisdom leads one to? Infatuation of the most adolescent kind? My apologies for the ad hominem again, but I believe this angsty and lusty emperor says more about Herbert's own foibles than anything else. He wanted us to believe that the Emperor, perched in his tower, had some new and profound experience to share, and he gave us a banal and prurient little story about desire.

I'll cut it off there. I hope my review has been helpful. I have higher expectations for Heretics of Dune!

Awsome, spellbinding.
I have read many novels in my life but none like Frank Herbert's God Emperor of Dune. This book is a complete gift to readers worldwide.

GEOD is no action novel but is so compelling and immersing that you'll find it impossible to put down.

The God emperor is a sort of man living inside a life extending alien body and carrying the memories of his ancestors. He tries to single-handedly subdue humanity and put her in a place of forced peace. This he succeeds in accomplishing making himself a tyrant in the process. He is hated for his galactic dominance by independent cults like the Bene Geseret and a few others.

Out of sheer Bordom of living for over three thousand years, the God emperor decides to just add a new twist to his long lived dominion.

The book is deeply philosophical and religious at the same time. Its amazing how the world of Dune is able to capture and hold your attention until you don't even realize you've just read the last line.

A must read, a master piece. I've read nothing less than ten Dune books and this is obviously the best to me.
Go grab a copy, now.

Should be Retitled Herbert's Endless Diatribes
Set about 4,000 years after Children of Dune, Leto II has been transformed into a giant sandworm. All the other characters from previous three books are long since gone. In fact, this book is not even connected to either any prior books or any sequals in the series.

The idea of turning Leto into a sandworm is one of the dumbest ideas in fiction. It's amazing that a man of such genius would write about such a stupid idea. Back also are Herbert's other dumb inventions, gholas and the hideous face dancers.

The plot is centered around Leto II the tyrant, Duncan Idaho ghola number ???, and a young woman named Siona.

The book is filled mainly pointless dialogue (Herbert's endless diatribes take on a whole new level in this book). It's obvious Herbert didn't want to write this book. He only wrote it in response to pressure from publishers. So Herbert rebelled and said 'fine if they want another Dune book, they'll get one, but I'll just rant, rant, rant').

The good news is that the book does mercifully come to an end. As bad as the book is, it's still far superior to anything written by the hideous KJA-BH duo.

Excellent reading of book from one of the top SciFi series
If you enjoyed the original Dune trilogy, you will enjoy this installment. If not, go read the original Dune trilogy first. The reading on the CD for God Emperor of Dune is excellent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great plot, sometimes thick writing
I like the direction Frank Herbert took the Dune series in his first two sequels. This book has a bit more development than the original Dune. We get to learn more about the inner turmoil of Paul, Alia, and then meet the kids. Frank has a way of creating politically exciting twists and power struggles, without making any one character the villain. Paul and Alia in their own ways are both despots and victims. In terms of storyline, I think this brings the story to a satisfying conclusion (I'm not so big a fan of what happens after Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3)).

Frank's writing style can be a bit dense. Sometimes the dialogue is filled with philosophical or nonsensical musings. Some of it is quite deep - but certainly not how people actually talk. It takes some getting used to. I'd recommend only continuing on to this book if you got through the original Dune and liked it.

If you liked the books, I highly recommend Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set) - it's a pretty good film adaptation of Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles) and Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3). ... Read more

Product Description
Beyond the God Wall

Generations of a tormented human-alien people, caged on a toxic planet, conditioned by constant hunger and war-this is the Dosadi Experiment, and it has succeeded too well. For the Dosadi have bred for Vengeance as well as cunning, and they have learned how to pass through the shimmering God Wall to exact their dreadful revenge on the Universe that created them . . .
... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Herbert once again proves his genius.
This book puzzled, yet fascinated me at first...especially because I had not read the first book, "Whipping Star". However, it is and will continue to be one of my favourite science fiction books of all time because Herbert is an unparalleled genius at world building.
Give yourselves a treat and read "Whipping Star" then "The Dosadi Experiment". You will NOT regret it!

excellent science fiction
Picked this up on a friend's recommendation, although I was initially skeptical, turned out to be a fantastic read.

The Hesiodos Experiment
Frank Herbert seems to have intended the Dosadi Experiment to be an interpretation of the story in Hesiod's Theogony of Heaven's cruelty to Earth, his confinement within her of their monstrous (and, importantly, many-headed) children, the conspiracy between Earth and Kronos against Heaven, and the birth of Aphrodite from Heaven's severed parts.Both Hesiod's account of Aphrodite's birth and Frank Herbert's account of the deliverance of Keira Jedrik from Dosadi present this problem:Can we reasonably feel harmed by an indifferent or cruel necessity, if we and our excellences are the result of that necessity?Broey's answer is, in a word, "No."I think Aphrodite and Keira Jedrik would agree.

I'd like to think Siona came eventually to be grateful to the cruel God-Emperor, as well, after she, come to think of it, arranged the Worm's dismemberment in a crevice of the Earth.And from this further reflection, one can see how much Hesiod's Theogony occupied Frank Herbert's thoughts.

I might have given The Dosadi Experiment four stars, solely on the basis of Herbert's inventive and instructive use of Hesiod's ancient story.For some reason, however, Herbert wrote The Dosadi Experiment in the ugly prose of pulp science fiction, rather than in the much more beautiful prose of his Dune series.Maybe he had to put food on the table and lacked the time to polish his writing.Or maybe he laughed as he imitated the low style beloved of too many readers.Whatever the case, I will be stingy with my stars.

More character study than story
I loved Dune, and was looking for another good sci-fi book. This wasn't it. Dosadi Experiment only talks about theory and espionage, without actually going into action. You have a huge war going on, and instead you're forced to read about subtle facial expressions and the emotions they betray.

Herbert has some intriguing themes here: an alien race with a very eclectic view of law, and a planet where strife makes its denizens stronger. And in the middle of it all is a character who adapts on the level of Ender from Orson Scott Card's world-renowned series. But here, you never really feel for anyone. They all just have these awkward intuitions you're forced to go along with, while major actions are all but ignored.

Imagine a book about tennis where it just talks about what the players are thinking, and you never actually hear about the tennis match itself. It's frustrating and unexciting, and that's this book.

I consider myself a pretty smart guy, but I was scratching my head through much of the 300 pages. Take only the most boring parts of Dune, and you have The Dosadi Experiment.

Simply masterful
Frank Herbert is undeniably one of the most talented and underestimated writers of the 20th century. Underestimated because he is first and foremost indiscernably tied to the Dune saga and also because, he has chosen to write non-mainstream novels: sci-fi. However, Frank Herbert has published a great deal outside of the Dune universe, works which remain mostly unknown, probably because bookstores stock-up on Dune - the favorite cash cow. As a fan of the genre and of the author, I recently discovered The Dosadi Experiment, mostly by accident and decided to give it a try. Well, besides being a page turner, it was one of the most brilliantly written and poignant depiction of human vs. alien psychological accounts. Pitted against one-another in a hellish yet artificially created universe, two species develop survival traits which help them ultimately get that evolutionary edge above the other...and at the same time manage to plot a very cruel vengeance upon their cosmic "benefactors".
In the midst of all this, we are also presented with a very realistic interstellar universe, where multitudes of sentient species cohabit under common laws, while still maintaining their own individuality, traits and alien mentality.
This novel, much like most Herbert novels, is not rampant with technological jargon and buzzwords, and instead focuses more on character development and on studying the social, moral and philosophical interactions between various individuals, factions and political adversaries, as plots are drawn, put to action and finally consumed. On top of that, the novel also culminates in a courtroom drama which is one of the most original pieces of sci-fi ever written.
The Dosadi experiment is not, by all means, an easy afternoon read. Some of the ideas brough forward are simply staggering in their complexity and few passages require re-reading to fully grasp all the nuances. Over all, it's an intellectual feat of strength, which in my opinion belongs among the highest rated fiction novels to date. ... Read more

Product Description
Climactic volume of the Dune trilogy in which an alien society achieves ecological salvation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (123)

A mixture of boredom and excitement.
I've been reading the sixteen Dune books--ten by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, six by Frank Herbert--in chronological succession according to time in the Dune universe. So far Frank's "The Children of Dune" is the worst, as I shall explain, though it does have merits.

At the end of the preceding volume, "The Winds of Dune," Emperor Paul Muad'Dib is apparently dead. His sister Alia rules as regent until Paul's baby son, Leto, comes of age.

Nine years pass.

Leto and his twin sister, Ghanima, are the Children of Dune, and they are the novel's most interesting things as well as its most interesting characters. A combination of centuries of planned breeding and the psychotropic, biochemical effects of excretions from Dune's giant sandworms has gifted the twins with extraordinary paranormal abilities. One is that when they use the planet's psychotropic spice, melange, they have the power of prescience. Another is that they have been born with the genetic memories of all their ancestors. As you might expect, the knowledge that thismemory gives them makes them very precocious nine-year olds.

The main theme of the novel is the struggle of Leto and Ghanima against their evil aunt, Alia, who is possessed by an evil spirit and has no intentions of giving up her power. But I dare say this theme and the other story objectives could have been better executed by Brian and Kevin. Frank didn't do as much with the story as he could have. He gives us some interesting dialog with the precocious nine-year olds talking as adults, he gives us some exciting action sequences, and he gives us a fast-paced "ending" with an arousing finale. By "ending," I mean the sixty pages or so that precede the last ten pages. Much of the novel's remaining material, including the last ten pages, is blasé. He could have replaced that blasé material with another plotline, another character, or some other interesting material.


Frank's trouble in "Children of Dune" occurs when his writing style is effusive without being concrete. At those moments his words become vague and boring, and that's why I give the book only three stars.

I've given a fair introduction to this novel, but if you want more information on its lapses in good writing, resulting in my three-star rating, read on.

Here is an excerpt from Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style." It illustrates poor, vague writing:

Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must inevitably be taken into account.

That bit of vague, difficult-to-understand, and blasé writing was George Orwell's satirical paraphrasing of my excerpt below, again from "The Elements of Style." It illustrates good, concrete writing:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. ("Holy Bible," Ecclesiastes)

Here is a quote from "The Children of Dune" (pages 262-263 of my 1976 Book Club edition):

And the bas-relief imagery persisted. Intrusions hammered at him. Past-present-now. There was no true separation. He knew he had to flow with this thing, but the flowing terrified him. How could he return to any recognizable place? Yet he felt himself being forced to cease every effort of resistance. He could not grasp his new universe in motionless, labeled bits. No bit would stand still. Things could not be forever ordered and formulated. He had to find the rhythm of change and see between the changes to changing itself. Without knowing where it began he found himself moving within a gigantic moment bienheureux, able to see the past in the future, present in the past, the now in both past and future, It was the accumulation of centuries experienced between one heartbeat and the next.

Frank is effusive here. He uses many words to say little. I found it vague, difficult to understand, and boring. It resembles Strunk & White's quote of George Orwell. Compare it to when Frank introduces Leto and Ghanima on page 15:

As was the Fremen custom, the Atreides twins arose an hour before dawn. They yawned and stretched in secret unison in their adjoining chambers, feeling the activity of the cave-warren around them. They could hear attendants in the antechamber preparing breakfast, a simple gruel with dates and nuts blended in liquid skimmed from partially fermented spice. There were glowglobes in the antechamber and a soft yellow light entered through open archways of the bedchambers. The twins dressed swiftly in the soft light, each hearing the other nearby. As they had agreed, they donned stillsuits against the desert's parching winds.

Maybe some stylists would say this sequence is a bit heavy on background detail. (Was there really a need to insert the recipe for the gruel?) For me, it is a good start for the chapter. It is easy to understand and concrete, resembling Strunk & White's quote from Ecclesiastes. In other places in the novel, Frank bogs down his narrative by elaborating on the thoughts of characters or on their surrealistic experiences. Here with the twins, though, we have concrete physical activity, and Frank is moving the story along.

If you are attracted to the Dune universe and are determined to read all the Dune books, then go ahead and read "The Children of Dune." But the novel has too many passages that are meant to be savory when they are actually as tasteless as nonfat milk. Therefore I cannot in good faith recommend it as something to read by itself. If, however, you are turned on by material like that of my first quote from the novel, and if that conforms to your concept of good writing, then for you I give "The Children of Dune" five stars. Definitely!

Absolutely Horrific Narrator, but Excellent Source Material!
Short version:

the narration is absolutely terrible, but you have no other alternative.This is just a "heads up" so that you know what to expect....


Long version:
This is a review of the audio book, not the novel.the novel and the author are excellent and Children of Dune is sometimes considered to be the best of the "original" sequels (before the plotlines become incredibly convoluted and diverged from the characters introduced in the original novel).


I have listened to most of the audio books made from the Dune novels.I have listened to all of the Frank Herbert audio books and all but the "interlude" novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson (the "Legend" series, the "Prelude" series, and the final 2 sequels to the original series:a total of 6 original + 8 new audio books = 14 total)

anyone who has heard them knows that you listen to a lot of Scott Brick (he does most of the newer novels and acts as a "Co-Narrator" on some of the original novels like Dune and Dune Messiah).


I fully admit that House Atreides and House Corrino (prelude books 1 and 3) have a relatively A-Tonal, boring narrator....

but that guy (Michael Pritchard) at least makes a reasonable effort.





This is, by far, and without question, the absolute worst audio book I have ever heard in my entire life.


It is legitimately comical, because the narrator almost makes an effort to sound completely A-tonal and give absolutely no narrative emphasis whatsoever.He reads relatively fast (most audio book narrators read slightly slower)....



Children of Dune is filled with even more "philosophy" and literal heaps of metaphors.


in fact, CoD has more philosophy and metaphorical writing than Dune or Dune Messiah (the 2 novels that came before).



there are many many scenes in which the protagonist (Leto II) is siting around, tripping on spice, and just spouting endless amounts of nonsensical Eastern philosophy...



that is all well and good, but when the narrator is reading those sections in a very very bland, A-tonal voice, with absolutely no emphasis whatsoever....

no metering

no pacing


just a continuous "word per minute" rate....


it becomes torturous.


It really is a joke.I am serious.You could easily find a section of the audio book and put it on Saturday Night Live and everyone would understand your joke without any explanation.




But as I have already hinted at the beginning, you really have no alternative.


I may have missed it, but as far as I know, this is the only Children of Dune audio book (my experience shows that there is a degree of industry protection to prevent a "better" studio from releasing multiple different versions of the same audio book to steal business from another, older, studio)...



thus you have no choice!!!! you have to deal with this guy.


just be glad that the plot is relatively easy to follow.It would have been much much much much worse if this guy narrated God Emperor of Dune!

Great plot, sometimes thick writing
I like the direction Frank Herbert took the Dune series in his first two sequels. This book has a bit more development than the original Dune. We get to learn more about the inner turmoil of Paul, Alia, and then meet the kids. Frank has a way of creating politically exciting twists and power struggles, without making any one character the villain. Paul and Alia in their own ways are both despots and victims. In terms of storyline, I think this brings the story to a satisfying conclusion (I'm not so big a fan of what happens after Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3)).

Frank's writing style can be a bit dense. Sometimes the dialogue is filled with philosophical or nonsensical musings. Some of it is quite deep - but certainly not how people actually talk. It takes some getting used to. I'd recommend only continuing on to this book if you got through the original Dune and liked it.

If you liked the books, I highly recommend Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set) - it's a pretty good film adaptation of Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles) and Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3).

Children of Dune, book 3
Very pleased buying from Amazon. Book 3 carries on the saga of Paul, the political and religious leader of the sand planet Dune. With his powers of seeing the future, he leads his people down various potential paths. The book came in great condition, in a timely manner. I will continue to buy Amazon products for their quality and affordability.

Great reading...lots of detail
I've just started reading this book.Although I've read other books by this author, I could not remember reading this one.I've enjoyed reading all of the "Dune" books.The book arrived very early and in near new condition. ... Read more

Product Description
veryone knows Frank Herbert's Dune. One of the most popular science fiction novels ever written, Dune has become a worldwide phenomenon, winning awards and selling millions of copies. Brian Herbert, Frank's eldest son, tells the provocative story of his father's extraordinary life in this honest and loving chronicle. He has also brought to light all the events in Frank's life that found their way into speculative fiction's greatest epic. From his early years in Tacoma, Washington, and his education in the Navy and at the University of Washington, Seattle, through the difficult years of trying his hand as a TV cameraman, radio commentator, reporter, and editor of several West Coast newspapers, Frank Herbert worked long and hard before finding success. Brian Herbert writes about his father's life with a truthful intensity that brings every facet of the man's brilliant, and sometimes troubled, genius to full light. Insightful and provocative, containing family photos never published anywhere, this absorbing biography offers Brian Herbert's unique personal perspective on one of the most enigmatic and creative talents ofour time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Tedious writing
I looked forward to read a book about Frank Herbert. The writer Frank Herbert has been my life-long inspiration and having the chance to read about his life filled me with expectation.

Unfortunately Brian Herbert isn't half the writer his father was and the way he portrayed the life of his father is further proof of that.

The book drags one from one "special" dinner to another with numerous unnecessary details, like which wine they drank, to another.

The many repetitions of the same events are tiresome and tedious to get through. To me it seems that Brian was more interested in making sure that people know he is his father's son then writing about the real important issues of Frank.

One thing that I did get out of this book is the confirmation about where Paul Atreides was born. Brain Herbert states that his father bought a boat and named it Caladan, after the birthworld of Paul Atreides. We can finally put this inconsistency between the McDune books and the real Dune to rest.

I give this book two stars because I learned at least some of the ideas of Frank Herbert and how he came to write Dune. Other than that the book is virtually worthless. Badly written and badly edited. I hope one day a professional writer will write a true biography of Frank Herbert.

This book is WONDERFUL
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was very detailed about Frank Herbert's life --his son really did tell this story well.

Job well done to the author.

This book deserves 5 stars

Must Read For Dune Fans!!!!!
This book was truly wonderful.I am a true Dune fanatic, and buy anything Dune. Please keep the books coming Mr. Herbert-your truly talented, and a wonderful person to carry out your father's legacy.

Drawn out and painful
The book starts out with a captivating punch.Despite Brian Herbert's poor writing skills he starts off telling the most interesting stories about his father, and I found myself able to ignore the ridiculous amount of repetition, as others here have pointed out (I mean seriously, he obviously wasn't looking back on what he had written while he was writing, because he reintroduces the same facts and stories multiple times as if mentioning them for the first time).Then something horrible happened.Brian Herbert was born.

At this point the story takes an incredibly self-indulgent turn.Brian cries endlessly about how his father mistreated him, but as it turns out, he didn't even start reading his father's books until he was in his twenties!He makes vague, weak excuses for this, but the impression I got was one of a lazy child with an Oedipus Complex who was too busy getting drunk as a teenager to bother with such things as supporting his father.

The bulk of this book comes off as more of a memoir than a biography.You hear things from Brian's point of view, clouded by his judgment and opinions.I hardly felt I learned anything about Frank Herbert by reading it, except for the various dates his books were published, and that he was apparently an atrociously horrible father *sarcasm*.

The details are all in petty, meaningless dates and times.A disturbing portion of the book reads like this."At 6:30 PM on January 15, 1976, Jan and I ate dinner with my father and mother at (insert name of hotel here).Frank Herbert (since he constantly switches between calling him "Dad", "father" and "Frank Herbert", apparently arbitrarily) ordered a bottle of expensive aged wine.He told jokes like I've described him doing a million times at a million insignificant hotel dinners throughout this book, and it was an altogether pleasant night."Given the way he skimps on describing Frank's early life and his years struggling to get published while raising two kids, you would think he could skimp on all of these painful hotel dinners and just give us the essentials of what was going on, but no, every second after Brian becomes friends with his dad in his adult life is described in ridiculous, pedantic detail.Its about as interesting as reading an itinerary.

To his credit, he manages to paint an emotional portrait of his family... right before he screws that up by cheaply plugging his own witless writing.Rather than ending the book with a poignant comment on his father, as he leads you to believe he will, it ends with talk of the new "Dune" (and I'm not putting that in quotes because its a title) books he and Anderson have been crapping out on a yearly basis.Shameless self-promotion at its most loathsome.

Don't waste your time with this book unless a rattlesnake bit you in the eye and you need to bleed the venom out.It does have its moments and I will say it wasn't a complete waste of time, but I heaved a sigh of relief when I hit page 536.I am a big fan of everything Frank Herbert has ever written and his son doesn't have half the talent he did.

A reflection of a genius
Brian Herbert's biography of his father Frank Herbert, the author of the "Dune" saga, reveals a few things we always knew about him, confirms some of our guesses, and uncovers some shocking facts about the man.

Brian paints his father as a devoted husband, good cook, natural genius, rugged outdoorsman, thrill seeker, curious learner, incessant nitpicker, financial klutz, child disliker, and a bit of a homophobe. He praises his father for his deep love and affection to his mother Bev, but also makes it clear his father, while never abusive, had little patience around children, even to the point of strapping his own kids to a lie detector. Brian Herbert could not make peace with his father until he was well into adulthood. His other son never did.

Much of the beginning is very laudatory, how daring and great of a woodsman old Dad was, yada, yada, yada ... Not until the actual publishing of "Dune" does Brian ever show any depth to his account beyond what you would read in a child's history paper.

When he comes to his mother's illness, however, the roots sink in deep. You feel the emotional damage and toll it took on the whole family. You know by reading about Bev's death that Frank has mostly died on the inside as well, and he passes on soonafter.

His descriptions of the home life in Xanadu and Kawaloa are so vivid and beautiful I wondered what's become of those estates. I couldn't help but wonder why the elder Herbert disliked Ronald Reagan.

Reading the biography made me appreciate more of what Frank Herbert wrote. It's an odd coincidence I read about his dog and the clams at the same time I read in "Chapterhouse: Dune" about Duncan's dog and the clams. You see where the writer lives in his work all the more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Hauntingly beautiful
This book was like a car wreck, in a way, for its allure.I didn't want to finish it because I was afraid of what would happen in the end but I couldn't stop from reading it.It is a beautiful but frightening tale of man's inhumanity to man.Katsuk must do what he has to do and David must follow.David grows as an individual through the "teachings" of Katsuk and learns what it is to be alive.Ultimately a book that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I Am Keeping This Book...
I started reading this book not knowing who the author was and what he had created.....a real plus for any serious Reader....who just loves words put together engineering Thoughts....for this novel has become one of "those" that I shall remember.....to find out it was done by the author of "Dune" at journeys end was Amazing...for I DID NOT read it for the pleasure of his genius but rather for the disturbance of it.....

eh
First off, Dune is my favorite scifi novel, and Frank Herbert is one of my favorite authors.I won't go into the plot details of this book because there really isn't anything too complex going on.The book had a good balance of action/dialogue/monologue and of course Frank's descriptions of the wilderness and everything were great and vivid, like always.I gave it 3 stars because I don't feel it was totally developed.I would have loved if Frank had inferred a bit more background information on this whole "spirit world" thing, and the "characters" of Bee and Raven.Throughout the whole book I felt like I should feel that what Katsuk was doing was somehow profound, but to me it just looked like he was pissed off at white people and gonna kill a white kid.I mean honestly, I'm sure there were plenty of native Americans who did that hundreds of years ago.Maybe I didn't pay close enough attention to the story, but I just couldn't infer from the vague "spirit world" sequences what was actually going on.

An atypical Herbert novel-- interesting read
This small mid-career novel is an interesting read for long-time Herbert fans or for people interested in treatments of Native American mythology in science-fiction/fantasy.

Like many Herbert novels, it features a young central protagonist (David Marshall) who is both threatened and taught by a mentor figure. In this case, his mentor is also his kidnapper-- Charles Hobuhet, a disturbed young Native American who becomes Katsuk (the avenger) after his sister is brutally raped by loggers.

While written with Herbert's usual sensitive feel for character and motivation, Soul Catcher lacks much of the complexity found in other Herbert titles. While in some places the simplicity feels intentional and fable-like, in other places it seems as though the novel were essentially unfinished. Certain aspects of Katsuk and the Marshall family are hinted at and never developed. Herbert's typical trope of scattering external viewpoints (newspaper clippings, past writings of the characters) throughout the book is present, but erratically employed and nearly fades out completely by the end.

The very simplicity of the book may make it as appealing for some readers as it may disappoint fans of Herbert's more political offerings (Dune or The White Plague). I would not recommend it as an introduction to his novels. However, it is an interesting digression in his career and contains many of the elements that make his overall body of work so impressive.

Soul Catcher: Herbert at his best
HOQUAT - something that floated out far out on the water, something unfamiliar and mysterious.

They came from across the sea, fell in love with the land and took it by all means necessary. From the People, and yet they called themselves people too.

Now in a hoquat state and hoquat society, where but a few of the People remain true to the old ways, a man raises. Charles Hobuhet, imitation white man. But the spirit world knew him as Katsuk, the avenger, balancer of heaven and earth, the center of the universe. He had set out to teach the world a lesson, a one that wouldn't soon be forgotten. All he needed was an Innocent, one David Marshall, his 13 year old hoquat captive.

Deep, masterfully portrayed characters with the ease only the great ones possess. Intriguing, well paced, immersing a reader in a dark, eery, eye opening glimpses of human soul, spirit and character. Enthralling read, leaving you without the need to understand it all, as you feel it, giving you a chance to surpass the hoquat flaw, of thinking about it with words.

Not a sci-fi book as such, but never the less a great one that reminds if not teaches that: " Science doesn't liberate from the terror of gods." ... Read more

Product Description
Herbert's evocative, epic tales are set on the desert planet Arrakis, the focus for a complex political and military struggle with galaxy-wide repercussions. Arrakis is the source of spice, a mind enhancing drug which makes interstellar travel possible; it is the most valuable substance in the galaxy. When Duke Atreides and his family take up court there, they fall into a trap set by the Duke's bitter rival, Baron Harkonnen.The Duke is poisoned, but his wife and her son Paul escape to the vast and arid deserts of Arrakis, which have given the planet its nickname of Dune. Paul and his mother join the Fremen, the Arrakis natives, ho have learnt to live in this harsh and complex ecosystem. But learning to survive is not enough - Paul's destiny was mapped out long ago and his mother is committed to seeing it fulfilled. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great plot, sometimes thick writing
I like the direction Frank Herbert took the Dune series in his first two sequels. This book has a bit more development than the original Dune. We get to learn more about the inner turmoil of Paul, Alia, and then meet the kids. Frank has a way of creating politically exciting twists and power struggles, without making any one character the villain. Paul and Alia in their own ways are both despots and victims. In terms of storyline, I think this brings the story to a satisfying conclusion (I'm not so big a fan of what happens after Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3)).

Frank's writing style can be a bit dense. Sometimes the dialogue is filled with philosophical or nonsensical musings. Some of it is quite deep - but certainly not how people actually talk. It takes some getting used to. I'd recommend only continuing on to this book if you got through the original Dune and liked it.

If you liked the books, I highly recommend Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set) - it's a pretty good film adaptation of Dune Messiah (Dune Chronicles) and Children of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 3).

good purchase
My daughter wanted the first three in the series and is happy with the purchase.

Best SF ever written?
It won the first Nebula award and shared a Hugo award, and it has been the best selling SF book of all times. Dune, Dune messiah and Children of Dune, the 3 books originally written, tells the dazzling story of an honorable family that tries to keep up in a rat race full of betrayal, trust, heroism and sensitivity. As you will discover, the story is not just playing out in your book, it is everywhere. But while the story never pretends to need a new environment, Frank Herbert brilliantly brings an exciting but very dangerous universe convincingly to life, several thousands years into the future. Taking a step back after reading, anyone will agree that Herbert was a visionary with a delicate taste for symbolism and a way with metaphors that has been unparalleled so far. Dune will lock you into your chair for days, if not weeks, and reading it again becomes a promise much rather than an option. This is a book that will not just be on your shelf, it will dictate what's next to it.

Dune Trilogy
Frank Herbert is one of the Sci-Fi greats, was just as complete a read the second time around as it was the first.

new universe with many warring factions
Complex, astounding worlds are created in the trilogy and the subsequent titles. The reader follows the young prince into the desert and exciting adventures. Yet advanced technologies, antiquated and new weapons fuel an ancient power struggle and reflect rather dismally on an all too human thirst to control the known world. Whilst the plot keeps the reader on the edge of his seat with surprising twists and turns a philosophical portrayal of mankind unfolds, and the sight is not pretty. A masterful epic. ... Read more

Product Description
A beautiful new hardcover package for the "exciting and gripping" (Kirkus Reviews) New York Times bestselling science fiction classic.

The desert planet Arrakis, called Dune, has been destroyed. The remnants of the Old Empire have been consumed by the violent matriarchal cult known as the Honored Matres. Only one faction remains a viable threat to their total conquest-the Bene Gesserit, heirs to Dune's power.

Under the leadership of Mother Superior Darwi Odrade, the Bene Gesserit have colonized a green world on the planet Chapterhouse, and are turning it into a desert, mile by scorched mile. And once they've mastered breeding sandworms, the Sisterhood will control the production of the greatest commodity in the known galaxy-the spice Melange. But their true weapon remains a man who has lived countless lifetimes-a man who served under the God Emperor Paul Muad'Dib. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (114)

So sad its at an end
Almost didn't want to get to this book as it is the end of Herbert's orginal works...but if you like original Dune books, you will love Chapterhouse Dune...

Chapterhouse Dune
I enjoyed the entire Dune series.

They were longer and more detailed than I needed, but I had to finish the series!Followed by Sandworms of Dune.
Excellent writer.

Great book
Great book hands down. From Book 4 to Chapterhouse the focus shifts. This whole storyline is a masterpiece and this is a great final book, though its not by any means an ending.

Bored with the series
This follows another review I gave...I am bored with the Dune series.I will not order another previous published book of the series...only a first time published book.

A 'must have' for any library where the prior books are popular lends
CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE represents the final book in the Dune story and is a 'must have' for any library where the prior books are popular lends. Here the planet Dune has been destroyed and the Old Empire has been consumed by a violent matriarchal cult - except for the Bene Gesserit. The planet Chapterhouse under their leadership is being transformed into another desert world - and the Sisterhood has wide-ranging plans in this fine absorbing conclusion to the saga. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Interesting book
Very interesting book that has nothing to do with Mormonism. The people that gave the book a one star obviously didn't even read the other Godmakers about Mormonism. This book is by the esteemed author of Dune. Interesting sci-fi that can be finished in about 6 hours. Fun, entertaining and somewhat insightful.

Interesting insight to Herbert's later work
"The Godmakers" is a slim little sci-fi novel published in 1972, but compiled from several short stories Frank Herbert published in the late 50's. It's not a great novel. Well-written enough, but a bit disjointed with significant gaps -- not surprising since it was obviously force-fit together to capitalize on the success of "Dune," published in 1965. Still, it was pretty interesting as a glimpse into the mind of a writer percolating ideas for a much more comprehensive work.

If the "Dune" series is Herbert's career-defining masterwork, "The Godmakers" toys with all the major themes that run through those later books. A galactic society of factious planets bearing the cautionary scars of a great war. A government with a secretive controlling agenda, and an even more secretive matrilineal subculture indirectly manipulating politics. The convergence of technology and paranormal power, and the emergence of a superbeing with perception beyond time and space. All those things in the mix of the 150 pages of "The Godmakers" are writ large in the fat volumes of the Dune series.

Always interesting to consider an artist's body of work, particularly one as renowned as Frank Herbert for revolutionary imaginings, and trace the arc that led them to their most famous creations. Things rarely spring fully formed from anyone's forehead, despite how it can seem at first glance.

[...]

You May Start Being Human to End Being God!
Frank Herbert (1920-1986) wrote his masterpiece "Dune" (1965), generating a recognizable turning point in sci-fi literature.
The variety of themes he touched influenced many genre authors thereafter: ecology, political-religious interaction, genetic manipulation, longevity drugs and secret sisterhoods and brotherhoods.
"The Godmakers" has 1972 as publication date, so is chronologically ordered after the first two "Dune Saga" volumes. What really happens is that this book is constituted by four related short stories published between 1958 and 1960, that is to say preceded the original "Dune".
Why is this so important? Well because many topics shown in this book will grow and be fully developed in "Dune".

The story is as follows, after a devastating galactic war the winning side is trying to reincorporate isolated worlds into the new community and at the same time preventing them to develop dangerous warlike actions.
Lewis Orne is a young man from R & R (Rediscover & Reeducation Service) he is in his first mission in a seemingly pacific planet when he decides to push the alarm button and call in the I-A (Investigation & Amendments Department).
Almost immediately Umbo Stetson a hardboiled I-A investigator arrives and starts an inquest.
From here on both characters will relate and start fruitful career across the known universe that will solve various dangerous situations and end in the creation of a god.

I recommend this quite short book to sci-fi lovers (especially Frank Herbert enthusiasts) and general public too.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Surprisingly engaging
This isn't Herbert's most complex or well written work, yet it's highly intriguing. The format is transparently a number of self-contained stories woven together, but the ultimate effect is compelling. Particularly intriguing are the reflections on various societies encountered in the missions--perhaps the most notable is the first where an apparently pacifist society is shown to have all the indicators of a relentlessly militaristic cult.

I thought the final story with the religious experience and 'culmination' was fairly weak and distracting. Nevertheless on the whole this is a good production that shows many of Herbert's strengths.

Great Read
The Godmakers follows the journey of Lewis Orne from fledgling greenhorn of the R&R agency to the first Human God created by the mysterious and powerful priests of Amel; a planet which has an unparalleled concentration of Psi; the force behind all religion in the universe. You're taken through a handful off his missions. A trip to Hamal reveals a society hiding it's true nature. On a mission to Gienah III Orne rescues a crashed spaceship crew and makes first contact with a race that builds cities from glass. His accomplishments eventually catch the eye of the Priests of Amel and he is invited to the planet to be trained. Once there he finds out his true powers and takes his rightful place as a God.
Like most of Herbert's work the story paints broad strokes of the overall culture through the fine details and observations of it's characters. The real pleasure of the novel is in seeing a human come to grips with the powers of a God not instantly, but over the course of their life experiences. A must read for any Herbert fan. ... Read more