Ninetoes vs Herbert, part II

Darren gets into Frank Herbert’s DUNE MESSIAH as he revisits the classic science fiction series.

TITLE: Dune Messiah

AUTHOR: Frank Herbert

GENRE: Science Fiction

PAGES: 350

FORMAT: E-book

PRICE: $9.99

Hey there book lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I have for you my review of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah. I have coffee in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

I read the original Dune Trilogy when I was in my teens. I was a stupid kid looking for a science fiction fix and a buddy of mine told me about this trilogy. I was in a bookstore and saw the trilogy in a box set. Easy peasy, get, take home, read. What I got was a box set of wonderment. Now it is 42 years since I read the original trilogy, and I am going back for seconds. It is amazing what forty-two years of life and experience can do to how you view a book.

Paul Muad’Dib Atriedes is now the emperor of the known universe. He rules from Arrakis, the desert planet also known as Dune. As the saying goes, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown”, and Paul is finding out just how heavy it is. Not only is he emperor, but he is also a religious figurehead. His followers have put him on a pedestal so high that he can barely see the ground. But, as like the first novel, Dune, there are plans within plans within plans, all of them against Paul.

I love the concept of Dune. The whole storyline is a veritable feast for the imagination. DuneMessiah is that piece of the feast that you eye warily, it is on the table, and it beckons to you. You pick it up, sniff it, pull your head back a bit then take a bite anyway. You find it dark, and bitter, but you eat on. This book is darker than the first book. Frank Herbert definitely makes a case for the separation of church and state, and it makes sense. I enjoyed this book, I just wanted to enjoy it more than I did. I wanted to be wrapped up in everything that the first book was. Yes, there was still a sense of wonder. But my wonder got bogged down in the minutiae of mundane politics. It was this bogging down that made the book drag on. Let me put it this way…I read the first book in a week and it was close to double the size. This book took me eight days and each move forward felt like, at times, I was dragging my imagination over broken glass.

All in all I give this book 3.5 bookmarks out of 5.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.