Pues hasta aquí hemos llegado.
Avanzaba por la saga de Dune cual Indiana Jones por el Templo Maldito: esperando la trampa de pinchos en cualquier momento.
Y aunque el segundo y tercer libro son continuaciones muy aceptables, en esta cuarta ocasión a Herbert ya se le va de las manos.
Los acontecimientos los sitúa 3000 años después de lo que ocurre anteriormente: ni el planeta, ni la sociedad ni los personajes son los mismos. Y prefiere centrarse en las disquisiciones filosóficas más que en la propia historia por lo que se hace difícil de leer.
Me voy a plantear seriamente seguir con la saga.

Na va, įžengiau į "anksčiau neskaitytos Kopos serijos knygos" zoną. Ir, manau, visai neblogai šioje zonoje. Bent jau pamažu, labai pamažu, pradeda aiškėti užmojis ir kas čia apskritai šioje visoje serijoje vyksta. Nors vistiek viskas juda labai lėtai ir labai filosofiškai. Ir labai nemažai tų dialogų, po kurių mano reakcija būna "pala pala, ką? Que? Tai ką čia kas norėjo pasakyt?"
Manau, kokie 7/10 būtų fair, bet kaip visada apvalinu į viršų. 4*

Dune was a masterpiece. Dune Messiah was pretty good (though too short). Children of Dune was decent though a little too consciously striving for the grandeur of the first book.

Then there's this...

Listen, I know some people love this book and consider it a high watermark in the series, and I can perfectly understand why. It's deep, philosophically complex and unlike almost anything written before or since. But it's _tedious_. Oh man, is it tedious. I've long ceased being a member of the Cult of Herbert and don't consider the Dune series now to be anything more than a well written and deeply conceived work of science fiction. I think this book was the wake up call.

Frank Herbert's never been averse to using his books to propound his personal philosophies but he's always generally tried to tell a story as well. Here he abandons any pretence of that and goes into full lecture mode. Had the book been written differently, as a sort of tongue in cheek autobiography for instance with himself in the role of the God Emperor, then I wouldn't have minded it so much. But the fact that it's part of a series of continuing events brings with it certain responsibilities, namely the obligation to continue and develop the story in an entertaining and illuminating way.

God Emperor brings the story to a standstill. Reading it is like wading through mud. There is no dramatic tension, no real forward movement, characters are reduced to bland ciphers basking in the radiance of the know-it-all Emperor, their only purpose to fawn awesomely at the throne of his wisdom. God-like characters never make for interesting protagonists and when they're smug self-satisfied paraplegic worm-men with a martyrdom complex it gives me even less of an incentive to care.

Herbert's last two books in the series continued in a similar vein, though they at least had the decency to contain a reasonably compelling story. In fact Heretics, the book directly after this, is actually pretty good. Avoid this one though, unless you're enamoured with the mythos.

For any of the times that I may have complained about the characters or how I may not have loved them as much as the previous volumes, I have three or four OMG moments for everything else about this book.

The sheer scope of future history is one bit. But I'm all about the reveals about the Golden Path and what it meant for the social, political, scientific, even genderizing the future for humanity.

Or perhaps the fact that Leto II Atreides, the son of Paul, with his prolonged life, transforming into a sandworm, with the opening up of both the male and female genetic bloodline memories all the way back to us on Earth, or his ongoing future prescience, was the de facto SAVIOR of the human race.

... of course, he did it by SQUEEZING it, taking over the Bene Gesserit's breeding program, giving everyone a solid, stable life, SQUEEZING humanity until they just couldn't take it anymore.

Nobody hates peace and prosperity more than the people living in it.

This book is a wonderful testament to both imagination and INTELLIGENCE. Herbert never looked down on anyone and never spoon-fed a single idea.

The same can't be said for the side series.

Look to the best for the best, folks.

4,5/5

God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4), Frank Herbert

God Emperor of Dune is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert published in 1981, the fourth in his Dune series of six novels.

Leto II Atreides, the God Emperor, has ruled the universe as a tyrant for 3,500 years after becoming a hybrid of human and giant sandworm in Children of Dune.

The death of all other sand-worms, and his control of the remaining supply of the all-important drug melange, has allowed him to keep civilization under his complete command.

Leto has been physically transformed into a worm, retaining only his human face and arms, and though he is now seemingly immortal and invulnerable to harm, he is prone to instinct-driven bouts of violence when provoked to anger.

As a result, his rule is one of religious awe and despotic fear. Leto has disbanded the Landsraad to all but a few Great Houses; the remaining powers defer to his authority, although they individually conspire against him in secret.

The Fremen have long since lost their identity and military power, and have been replaced as the Imperial army by the Fish Speakers, an all-female army who obey Leto without question. He has rendered the human population into a state of trans-galactic stagnation; space travel is non-existent to most people in his Empire, which he has deliberately kept to a near-medieval level of technological sophistication. All of this he has done in accordance with a prophecy divined through precognition that will establish an enforced peace preventing humanity from destroying itself through aggressive behavior. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز هجدهم ماه ژانویه سال 2019 میلادی

عنوان: خداوندگار تلماسه: کتاب چهارم از سری تلماسه؛ نویسنده: فرانک هربرت؛

داستان تل‌ماسه در آینده‌ ای دور می‌گذرد و در جامعه‌ ای ملوک الطوایفی که با الهام از جوامع اعراب بدوی ساخته شده‌ است؛ سه عامل اثرگذار در این جامعه ی فراسیاره‌ ای، عبارتند از: «پادشاه امپراتور (صدام چهارم)»، و «خاندان‌های حکومتی»، «اتحادیهٔ فضایی (صاحب انحصار حمل و نقل فضایی)» و گروه «بنی جزریت».؛ پس از جهاد بزرگ «باتلری»، ساخت و ایجاد دستگاه‌های خودکار، و رایانه‌ ها تابو شده، بنابراین جوامع انسانی مجبور به افزایش توانایی‌های جسمی، و ذهنی انسان‌ها، با استفاده از پرورش نژاد، و نیروهای مرموز، ماده‌ ای به نام «اسپایس ملانژ» یا ادویه شده‌ اند؛ «ملانژ» ماده‌ ای است، که قادر است نیروهای ذهنی آدمی را، تا حد بسیار زیادی افزایش دهد، حتی در مواردی می‌تواند باعث ایجاد پیش آگاهی از رویدادهای آینده، و طی الارض شود؛ «ملانژ» تنها در سیارهٔ بیابانی، و بسیار خشک «آراکیس (اقتباس از نام عراق)» یافت می‌شود؛ خشکی «آراکیس» به حدی است که مردم آن (فرمنها = مردان آزاد)، برای از دست نرفتن رطوبت بدن، مجبورند از جامه‌ های مخصوصی استفاده کنند، و آب در آنجا ارزشمندترین چیز است؛ «ملانژ» را ماسه کرمهای «آراکیس» می‌سازند، و استخراج کنندگان ادویه، علاوه بر جنگ دایمی با آب و هوای وحشتناک این سیاره، مجبورند گاه‌ و بیگاه با آن‌ها هم سر و کله بزنند

ماسه کرمهایی که قطر آن‌ها گاهی به بیست متر هم می‌رسد؛ «آب حیات» نیز از همین موجودات استخراج می‌شود؛ ماجرای اصلی رمان، نبرد بین سه خاندان بزرگ: «آتریید»، «هارکونن» و «کورینو (خاندان صاحب مقام امپراتوری)» بر سر تصاحب این سیاره، و زندگی‌نامهٔ قهرمان افسانه‌ ای فرمن‌ها «پل مودیب» است؛ خاندان امپراتوری، تسلط خود را با کمک نیروی نظامی هولناکی به نام «ساردوکار» بر عالم مسکون حفظ می‌کند؛ «ساردوکار»ها از کودکی آموزش می‌بینند که بی‌رحم باشند و در نبرد از هیچ عملی فروگذار نکنند

گروه «بنی جزریت» هم از سوی دیگر، برنامه‌ ای دیگر برای خود تدارک دارند؛ آن‌ها نسل‌هاست که اذهان مردم را با اعتقاداتی مذهبی اسیر کرده‌ اند، و برنامه‌ ای دقیق و حساب شده برای کنترل نژادی نسل انسان‌ها دارند؛ هدف آن‌ها تولد «کویساتزهادراچ» است، تا بر عالم حکومت کند؛ «آتریید»ها جزو محبوبترین خاندان‌های حکومتی هستند؛ «پادشاه امپراتور صدام چهارم» که از قدرت «آترییدها» هراسان شده، و به خاطر ترس از اعضای درباری «لندزراد» نمی‌تواند خود مستقیماً علیه آن‌ها وارد عمل شود، کنترل منابع «ملانژ» در «آراکیس» را، از «بارون ولادیمیر هارکونن (بزرگ خاندان هارکونن و دشمن قدیمی دوک آتریید)» می‌گیرد، و به «آترییدها» می‌سپارد؛ «دوک لتو آتریید»، سرور خاندان «آتریید»، «آراکیس» را با وجود آب و هوای خشک و سختش، سرزمین خوبی می‌بیند، زیرا امید دارد ارتشی از «فرمن‌»ها، که زندگی در «آراکیس»، آن‌ها را سخت و خشن و شکست ‌ناپذیر کرده، بسازد، تا با گارد ترسناک پادشاه امپراتور، «سارژوکار»، برابری کنند؛ از سوی دیگر پسر «دوک آتریید»، «پاول»، و وارث «بارون هارکونن، فیض-روتا»، هر دو از پروردگان برنامهٔ «بنی جزریت» هستند؛ تنها با این اشکال که طبق برنامهٔ «بن‌جزریت»، «پاول» باید دختر به دنیا می‌آمد، تا از «فید-روتا هارکونن»، «کوییساتزهادراچ» را به دنیا بیاورد؛ اما سرپیچی مادر «پاول»، «لیدی جسیکا»، این برنامه را برهم زده‌ است.؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 22/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

This book has changed my life. It's after I read it that I decided to become an immortal giant worm, and to travel across the whole universe to have sex with the most beautiful creatures (of every of the 17 existing sexes). Oh, and I've killed one trillion people but I swear they were annoying. What a wonderful life!

Before I get to my review of "God Emperor of Dune," I want to mention that for any Dune book review, I suggest starting with "Dune: Butlerian Jihad." This will ground you in the Dune Universe and provide a great lead-in. Keep in mind that it is written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson. While they maintain a consistent quality throughout the series, there might be a slight change in style when you transition to Frank Herbert's original works, starting with "Dune." Nonetheless, this is just something to be aware of and should not dissuade you from starting there.

I must disclose that I have a significant bias towards this particular book. I have a deep affinity for introspection and reflection. With that said, "God Emperor of Dune" is a phenomenal book. In my opinion, it is essential for fully understanding Paul Atreides. It offers a profound dive into humanity and the struggle between fate and choice. The book skillfully ties up the plots from the previous novels and sets a new course for the series. It sheds light on the true purpose behind Paul Atreides' actions and why he vehemently resists it. At its core, this story is about love for all and the sacrifice of self. It presents an almost impossible choice that, due to the nature of the Dune Universe, can only be made by one individual.

"God Emperor of Dune" truly delves into the essence of the universe's super-being and effectively contrasts it with what the Sisterhood desires from this individual. Despite its depth, the book maintains a captivating plot with mysteries at its core. I highly recommend not skipping the quotes interspersed throughout the book, as they add significant depth to the narrative.

In conclusion, "God Emperor of Dune" is a must-read for any fan of the series. It offers profound insights into the Dune Universe and presents a compelling narrative that will leave a lasting impact on readers.

Caution only read this review, if you have already read Dune Trilogy and wondering should I read this sequel (also if you read the book lol). The trilogy has a fantastic conclusion and the premise of this novel, depending on the person is a tough pill to swallow. Consider this novel more of an interesting introspect epilogue of that trilogy. Anyways this will contain MAJOR spoilers for Dune 1-3 as this novel is set 3500 years in the future. Now people who read the novel hope you like my review of this fantastic piece of literature.


Introduction

“The bottom line of the Dune trilogy is: beware of heroes. Much better [to] rely on your own judgment and your own mistakes." He wrote in 1985, "Dune was aimed at this whole idea of the infallible leader because my view of history says that mistakes made by a leader (or made in a leader's name) are amplified by the numbers who follow without question." (source other sites)

The themes I’ve stated above is only becoming more explicit with God Emperor of Dune. His son Brian surprisingly says some insightful stuff in the introduction.

Frank Herbert was exploring some of the layers of Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune that he had already established, taking the dangers of government and organized religion to new levels, merging them, and extrapolating to an extreme, providing a scenario of what it might be like if a holy tyrant led humanity and if that despot could not die. The stakes could not be any higher. And what a fantastic concept, combining human flesh with supernatural elements of nature to create a godhead. A frightening notion—and even more terrifying than the dangers of following a charismatic leader that Frank Herbert wrote about so eloquently in the second and third books of the series.

Leto following with the Golden Path. In the process, stagnated Humankind for over millennia. This novel is difficult to keep spoiler-free because its existence is such an anomaly. However, I do my utmost best to talk about it.
A noteworthy aspect of the introduction of this novel is that we are observing from numerous Historians perspective.

To tell you why we believe we have uncovered the original journals of Leto II, the God Emperor.
First, let me recall to you the historical treasure which we all know by the name of The Stolen Journals, those volumes of known antiquity which over the centuries have been so valuable in helping us to understand our ancestors.

It recontextualises the excerpts from Dune Trilogy (mainly this entry). So, all those excerpts we read from the trilogy and even for Book 4 be related to this time. The Historians is trying to uncover what truly happened over the millennia ago. Regarding the plot, I won’t go into depth about what it is, because best to have no real understanding when approaching the sequel. The characters from the past are historical legends and have landmarks associated with them. Kynes Sea, the Idaho River, Cult of Alia and even The Keeper of Jessica’s Light as a priestess. These are just natural occurrences in history, especially considering the actions they have conducted.

Quite interesting are the people idolising a prior tyrant, sadly because of Baron during that time. But leaves you speculating maybe she was at peace but slowly became corrupted we are unsure which time period of Alia their idolising. It's an interesting note because the values of Alia changed drastically from book 2 to book 3, because of 9 years of slow corruption. Being ambiguous about the situation is great as it reflects real life. In various cults, you don’t understand the values of their preaching … you just know the figure their preaching.



Philosophy

Radicals always see matters in terms which are too simple—black and white, good and evil, them and us. By addressing complex matters in that way, they rip open a passage for chaos. The art of government as you call it, is the mastery of chaos.”
…
“Isn’t that what radicals are trying to do? Aren’t they trying to shake things up so they can grab control?”
“That’s what they think they’re doing. Actually, they’re creating new extremists, new radicals and they are continuing the old process.”
“What about a radical who sees the complexities and comes at you that way?”
“That’s no radical. That’s a rival for leadership.”

“Most civilisation is based on cowardice. It's so easy to civilize by teaching cowardice. You water down the standards which would lead to bravery. You restrain the will. You regulate the appetites. You fence in the horizons. You make a law for every movement. You deny the existence of chaos. You teach even the children to breathe slowly. You tame.”

“The difference between a good administrator and a bad one is about five heartbeats. Good administrators make immediate choices. […] They usually can be made to work. A bad administrator, on the other hand, hesitates, diddles around, asks for committees, for research and reports. Eventually, he acts in ways which create serious problems. […] “A bad administrator is more concerned with reports than with decisions. He wants the hard record which he can display as an excuse for his errors. […] Oh, they depend on verbal orders. They never lie about what they’ve done if their verbal orders cause problems, and they surround themselves with people able to act wisely on the basis of verbal orders. Often, the most important piece of information is that something has gone wrong. Bad administrators hide their mistakes until it’s too late to make corrections.”

Not just these but there are numerous times where their insightful philosophical debate, because of framing of the novel. You question a lot what has the Golden Path done for humanity. Was the sacrifice worth it in the end?

The Golden Path demands it. And what is the Golden Path? you ask. It is the survival of humankind, nothing more nor less. We who have prescience, we who know the pitfalls in our human futures, this has always been our responsibility.

We know about the end that  "teach humanity a lesson that they will remember in their bones": that sheltered safety was tantamount to utter death, however long it would be delayed. Furthermore, introducing a gene from Leto breeding program regarding Siona, to free humanity prescient vision. It teaches the ultimate lesson thinking for themselves and not trusting charismatic leaders. A lot of Duncans questions Golden path how it's continuous stagnated Mankind. Their especially prisoners and is confined within a certain space and lacking human exploration and growth for survival.

Writing

The same reoccurring thing from my other Dune reviews applied, that is not anything radically different. It is the same strengths. Though there is one aspect, I will talk about, regarding events occurring off-screen. Because of the framing of the novel, it containing off-screen activity makes perfect sense. It is not like Dune Messiah, where should have been shown not just off-screen. Observing events as, Historian of sorts so yeah, they will be gaps. That said for the few action sequences the novel contains their pretty much good. It caught me off guard, really didn’t expect any whatsoever. That isn't to state they are plentiful but some action sequences throughout, which are well written.


Characters



Leto

Undeniable to state Paul Atreides is Herbets best-written character. They a lot of humanity to Paul when observing his arc retrospectively that is profound and tragic. However, Leto has a lot of depth to him in this novel, compared to his last entry. In CoD, he was well-written enough but couldn’t compare to the other cast ( Alia, Jess and Paul). But now it's a much further examination because Leto has become a tyrant. They are a human tragedy to his character. Imagine living past everyone that you cared for and abide by the Golden Path which according to him, is for Humanity survival. There are numerous ways to write this character poorly as it's tough to balance what to show and what not to show. Leto has enough personality to be engaging to read, but also distant, so it doesn’t feel out of place. He has his Temper tantrums like his outbursts of jealously that come into the mix. The worm inside of him is also a great visual indicator when he is losing control over his insanity. His love relationship with Hwi can be viewed as rushed. However, from Leto perspective, it makes perfect sense. Though he passed away he was happy at the end of his life with Hwi Noree, for the first time besides his sister where he truly loved someone. I love the small moments like him and Siona together travelling across the Dune.  He is a beautifully written character who is the heart and soul of this novel.

The other characters I won’t discuss spoiler-free because it's best to not even know the cast, besides Leto. So, the rest of the characters will be spoiler tagged.



Moneo Atreides


He was honestly my favourite character besides Leto in this novel. Herbert for what little we do know about his past says a lot. His expression, personality … he went through the rebellion and finally the enlightenment. Leto states he is a good administrator he always tries to do what is best and consistently improvises. Regardless of the rash decisions made by Leto, he tries to do what’s best. A strong parallel is his and Siona journey, how both took similar paths in their youth. He chose a difficult path and sadly he must make tough decisions, which has haunted him from day one. His behaviour with Duncan is quite insightful, as he is basically at his breaking point. When Leto worm is about to kill him it's some of the intense stuff to read, because of how well Frank builds the atmosphere. I loved the whole chapter where he murders Malky ... Furthermore, his perspective on Malky closeness with the Emperor. Finally, it’s interesting to see his fear of the Golden Path, the idea of a world without the God-Emperor … wanting to die than face it. The statement he says, in the end, was "Siaynoq! I believe!". Which the last phrase can imply various things which relate to his character quite strongly but like Leto states.

" Siaynoq means giving honor to one who speaks with sincerity. It signifies the remembrance of things which are spoken with sincerity."
"But, Lord, doesn't sincerity really mean that the speaker believes... has faith in what is said?"
"Yes, but Siaynoq also contains the idea of light as that which reveals reality. You continue to shine light on what you see."
"Reality... that is a very ambiguous word, Lord."
"Indeed! But Siaynoq also stands for fermentation because reality-or the belief that you know a reality, which is the same thing-always sets up a ferment in the universe."
"All of that in a single word, Lord?"
"And more! Siaynoq also contains the summoning to prayer and the name of the Recording Angel, Sihaya, who interrogates the newly dead."
"A great burden for one word, Lord."
"Words can carry any burden we wish. All that's required is agreement and a tradition upon which to build."

Duncan

If you didn’t like Duncan from the Dune Trilogy, then you dislike him here. I enjoyed his character and I was rooting for him. The general framework is that Duncan is the anchor of this novel. For example, him not knowing stuff helping the reader to observe this world through his lens, a new perspective. One of my favourite chapters was him going to other Duncan's home … seeing his children and wife of the Duncan who died pretty much at the beginning of the novel. Fascinating how they are treated in this world. All of them have a certain breaking point because of the ethics, that are installed upon them. Their numerous great moments with him the ending … climbing the wall also him and Siona killing Leto.


Siona Atreides

She had the most potential but sadly wasn’t the best. For what Herbert did give, you had enough reason to care about her plight. But this is one of the few times I wish, we didn’t get development offscreen like Siona past. The fact she is the catalyst for Leto plans also illustrates my problems with her character. You have an idea of Siona, but you want to know more about her. That said he had fantastic throughout the action sequence involving and the wolves? Yeah, that was good. Then her uncover base, slowly peeling the truth about Leto, her Enlightenment and general dynamic with Duncan was strong. In her own right she is a solid character, just knowing how he crafted Paul and the other cast Frank could have done more regarding her.


Flaws

One character above has already been highlighted. Besides that, character, I cannot see, any other flaws in this novel. One could be argued, which is  Hwi Noree  but honestly for what purposed she served Frank did a great job regarding that character.

Conclusion


GeoD is a fitting epilogue to Dune Trilogy and honestly feels like a conclusion. If you told me there are no Dune sequels, I would be perfectly content with this ending because it wraps everything. I don’t have an idea of how you will move forward from God-Emperor. It's honestly one of the best novels I’ve read not for everyone especially can be jarring for fans of the original Dune. I might be the odd one with this take but I think God-Emperor is the best in the Saga. Both are masterpieces but they some truly special about this entry that takes it up a notch compared to the original novel.


10/10

Ne sviđa mi se Bogocar Leto II, mnogo mi se više sviđa Pol Muad'Dib. Sve u vezi sa Letom mi je nekako mučno, izaziva mi neki osećaj neprijatnosti. Ne sviđa mi njegova religija, njegova filozofija... Imam utisak da sve što je Pol zamislio i započeo, da je Leto oskrnavio. Možda ja prosto ne razumem filozofiju Dine, ali ajde, idemo dalje.

This book is horrible. A total mess. Frank Herbert had been writing a book without sense sometimes even ridiculous. What is the point? I ended this book almost infuriated. Leto II is disgusting and a jellyfish literally speaking. I put this book in the shelf “worst books ever”. Really a sub one star

Ολοκληρώνοντας το 4ο βιβλίο της κλασικής σειράς του Dune δεν έχω παρά να δηλώσω εντυπωσιασμένος από τη βαθύτητα της σκέψης του Frank Herbert. Πρέπει να ήταν ένας πραγματικά ευφυής άνθρωπος. Ο Θεϊκός Αυτοκράτορας του Ντιουν δεν είναι για όλους τους αναγνώστες -κι αυτό κατά τη γνώμη μου κάνει το ανάγνωσμα μοναδικό στο είδος του.

Αν ψάχνετε δράση, σασπένς και περίτεχνη πλοκή θα απογοητευτείτε από τούτο το βιβλίο. Αν σας γοητεύει ο λεκτικός πλούτος και η εμβριθής σκέψη που είναι ικανή να διεγείρει τις νοητικές σας λειτουργίες θα το απολαύσετε στον μέγιστο βαθμό, όπως εγώ.

Κάποιες ιδέες (και κάποιοι διάλογοι) ίσως φαντάζουν παρωχημένοι στα μάτια του σύγχρονου αναγνώστη. Γνώμη μου; Αυτά είναι πταίσματα μπροστά στο μέγεθος του ασύλληπτου οράματος που έχει μοιραστεί μαζί μας ο συγγραφέας.

Όπως ανέφερα κατά τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης, ένας ''θρίαμβος της φαντασίας'' ΚΑΙ της φιλοσοφίας. Για μένα και τα 4 βιβλία ανήκουν ήδη στα αγαπημένα μου αναγνώσματα.

Υγ1: Όπως και στην αρχική τριλογία, οι στιγμές που ο Herbert περιγράφει την έρημο είναι απλά μαγευτικές.