بنظرم یکی از مهارت های یه نویسنده خوب اینه که بدونه کی دیگه داستانش رو کش نده. گاهی اوقات باید در اوج خداحافظی کرد.
خیلی دلم میخواست این مجموعه رو تموم کنم اما واقعا نمیشه. اصلا راه نداره اینقدر که افت کرده. شخصاً فکر میکردم هیچکس بدتر از جردن نیست تو عاشقانه نویسی اما حالا حرفم رو پس میگیرم و طلب آمرزش دارم!

Četvrti nastavak serijala Dine po mom je mišljenju izvrsna studija karaktera/likova, ponajviše Leta II Atreidesa, božanskog cara, polu-čovjeka i polu-crva koji je na sebe preuzeo sav teret koji nosi Zlatni put (the Golden path) koji čini se progoni lozu Atreidesa, počevši od njegova oca Paula Muad' Diba. Radnja se odvija nekih 3500 godina nakon Djece Dine, svi koje je Leto tada poznavao i s kojima je živio odavno su mrtvi, a on je izabrao vladati kao tiranin jer je jedino tako mogao spasiti čovječanstvo koje bi se samouništilo putem kojim je krenulo. Želio je uništiti kult štovanja i proročanstava, a to je mogao samo ako posije sjeme pobune protiv tiranije, odnosno sebe. Ujedno je izabrao je ono najteže jer je to značilo biti sam i usamljen tisućljećima. Sve je to utjecalo na njegovo podvojeno ponašanje, ono Leta i ono crva. Posjedovao je znanje o svemu i gotovo uvijek je bio upućen u sve što se oko njega događalo, koji su igrači bili u igri i što su namjeravali, sve je držao pod svojom kontrolom. Neke stvari je namjerno i dopuštao, kao što je dopustio i svoj kraj za koji je znao otpočetka da se mora dogoditi.
Interesantno mi je u biti bilo vidjeti kako neko tako dugovječan, praktički besmrtan, može izdržati neku svakodnevicu i još k tome kao vladar svemira. Ispadi bijesa, dosade, izbjegavanje povezivanja s nekim jer je prebolno gledati kako svi umiru, filozofiranja, razna poigravanja ljudima i makinacije, umor... Mislim da sam prvi put dobila kompletan uvid u nečiju (u ovom slučaju Herbertovu) viziju utjecaja dugovječnosti na psihu. I to je ono što me cijelo vrijeme držalo za roman.
Uz Leta u romanu se izmijenjivala cijela paleta zanimljivih likova, od mlade pobunjenice Sione Atreides, njenog oca i vjernog Letovog majordoma Monea, Duncana Idaha (ne znam više ni koje po redu njegove ghola verzije), uvijek prisutnih Bene Gesserit, Tleilaxua i Ixiona, Letove ženske vojske (fish speakers) sve do jedine nepoznanice u Letovoj računici - Hwi Noree koja u njemu izaziva dugo zatomljivan osjećaj ljubavi. Mogla bi o svemu pričati prilično dugo jer djelo je dušu dalo za dobru knjišku raspravu. I odlično je jer svatko može izvući neke svoje zaključke i interpretacije.

4.5 stars
Surprisingly, favorite book of the series.

I hate this book. Leto will not shut up about himself, his sandworm identity and the absence of his "monster penis" (and I wish I didn't have to say it but this is how it's described at one point in the book and as soon as I read it I didn't know if I had to laugh or cry). Moreover, the way women are portrayed in this book is just awful. This book is just trying to convince people why women are inferior to men - them actually being called 'breeding programs' actually hurt. I'm not going to lie: I'm offended and actually hate Frank Herbert for writing and publishing this book.

6.0 stars. On my list of All Time Favorite novels. The Dune series is one of the most literate and beautifully written science fiction series ever and this novel certainly continues that tradition of excellence. In fact, this may be may favorite installment of the entire series. I find I may be in the minority with that sentiment based on other reviews I have read, but I found the contemplative and cerebral nature of the story and the many expository monologues and dialogues among the characters discussing politics, religion, ecology, etc. to be hugely enjoyable as I am a big fan of world-building and enjoyed learning more about the incredible universe that Herbert created. Of course, it should be noted that I could sit and read a Dune Encyclopaedia (is theior one?) from cover to cover and be very content. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!



One note: I have both read the prin version and listened to the unabridged audiobook of this novel (as I have for all of the first 4 Dune novels) and I highly recommeded the audiobook to everyone. The full cast for the audio performance is wonderful and I think it truly enhances the enjoyment of the book.

if you feel like you've had a bad day, i just read a 500 page book written in the perspective of a fucking worm......no-one is suffering more than me right now

The Dune book which asks the important question: would you still love me if I was a worm?

And not just any worm–a giant, possibly immortal space work that has now reigned humanity for 3,500 years as the titular God Emperor in Frank Herbert’s fourth installment of the Dune series, God Emperor of Dune. Leto II has wormed his way to the top and he’s going to make sure he stays there even if he has to oppress all of humanity for their own good. Part man, part worm, all power and a whole lot of speeches and existential crises, Leto’s conversations with those of his court become a narrative vessel for Herbert to dive further into the array of philosophical ideas that have driven the series. It's out with the action scenes and in with the lectures in this slow burn of a book, but it is enjoyable to see Herbert tackle big issues on power and manipulation that takes a long (emphasis on long) hard look at the notion that ‘the problem of leadership is inevitably: Who will play God?’ Well we have an omnipotent god figure already in play who finds himself beyond the morality of mortals, and he’s a worm so…would you still love him? Furthermore, should you still love him if he is your government? Herbert’s musings on personal agency in the face of fate to force meet his critiques of government here and asks us if humanity inherently perpetuates its own oppression by steering towards safety and allowing itself to be tamed by those who thirst for power. Dense, dark and with plenty of Duncan Idaho(s), God Emperor of Dune might not be the most exciting of the series but it does put the intentions of the series as a whole in a greater focus and is certainly a thought-provoking read.

‘It is difficult to live in the present, pointless to live in the future and impossible to live in the past.’

There is an epic weight of history that underpins God Emperor of Dune. Thousands of years have passed since the first novel, Paul has been long gone after some King Lear-esque violence, the planet has changed considerably and even Leto II is practically unrecognizable in his worm state. Yet, as he yearns to return to his humanity ("can they love me now that I'm a worm???") and finds ‘I feel the vanished parts of myself,’ so too does the reader feel the absence of the previous books in a way that binds them all together and instills a nostalgia in the reader. This is aided by Duncan Idaho who frequently returns us to the first novel through his presence as a chorus line of his ghoulas being killed and resurrected continuously return his consciousness to the point of his first death and draws a line for us to see just how far we’ve come in this series. And this long history is now under the control of Leto II as he manipulates all of humanity to shape a new history pressing into the future. As long as he stays out of the rain.

‘All of history is a malleable instrument in my hands. Ohhh, I have accumulated all of these pasts and I possess every fact—yet the facts are mine to use as I will and, even using them truthfully, I change them.’

This book is far more philosophical musings than plot, yet we see how the philosophy has always been the driving mechanism of the series. It plods along through speeches and conversations but, as Leto says ‘Duncan, I am a teacher. Remember that. By repetition, I impress the lesson,’ and Herbert has some lessons he wants to impart here. Sure, it can be a bit preachy, but it is always rather interesting and even though ‘the more I find out, the more I realize that I don't know what's going on,’ this might just be ‘ the way of wisdom,’ as Leto terms it. Most of these speeches are on governance, being told to us by an endless ruler over all who has some harsh thoughts about those who seek power while wielding it himself “for the good of everyone else”. Or at least thats how he sees it. It was given to him because they want him to rule them, its his destiny, he assumes.

‘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.’

We get a lot of hot takes on political manipulation and lines like ‘Religion suppresses curiosity,’ or “both sides are bad” angles like ‘Scratch a conservative and you find someone who prefers the past over any future. Scratch a liberal and find a closet aristocrat.’ that can often feel like you are getting talked down to by an exhausted, nearly retired history professor who wants to squash any idealism in his students and be so wise by showing how everyone else is wrong. He’s not wrong per say and if you want to chalk it up to cynicism it would be missing why it functions so well in the plot. This dude is a worm that misses humanity, he’s sad that people are caught in a cyclical history of oppression and just wants us to move forward upon the Golden Path.

‘Dangers lurk in all systems. Systems incorporate the unexamined beliefs of their creators. Adopt a system, accept its beliefs, and you help strengthen the resistance to change.’

There is a sense of alienation felt in Leto and his state of being nudges ideas on sacrifice and martyrdom and the old maxim about becoming the monster in order to fight it. But his ‘enforced tranquility’ of the populace also makes us grapple with the ethics of power and the subservience of a people to a single will, even if that will comes from a Nietzschean Übermensch who finds his status puts him ‘beyond good and evil’ when it comes to morality. These questions on morals and governance are at the heart of the series and despite the slog of a read, Herbert tears open the chest of the Dune series to show you this heart beating out each philosophical idea upon the page. Long and a bit of a chore at times, by the time I reached the final page it all felt worth it to stand back and admire the glorious scope of the series.

3.5/5

‘Although much sought after, truth can be dangerous to the seeker. Myths and reassuring lies are much easier to find and believe. If you find a truth, even a temporary one, it can demand that you make painful changes.’

It's not until the end of this book that you begin to understand Herbert's grand plan for his series. DUNE is really about shaking man out of an evolutionary cul-de-sac, showing a frustrated civil(?) society that despite its technological and social superiority is stagnating. The inventions of the Bene Gesseritt, the Guild, the Mentats, all of these are bulwarks against the decline of man that are failing. And the only one to understand this is Leto II, God Emperor of the Known Universe. In his transformed state, he rules a bizarrely changed Dune, and through more political intrigue and the continued centuries-long resurrection of Duncan Idaho clones, we learn that Leto has seen this decline of man coming and his twisted machinations are an attempt to prepare the human race to evolve beyond this end. Fucking BRILLIANT stuff here, even if it's not fully borne out until the next novel. But wow. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Ne okudum,hiç bilmiyorum

"Yo os muestro la falsa felicidad y la catástrofe-sombra llamada Leto, el Dios Emperador. Ahora bien, ¿aprenderéis lo que es la verdadera felicidad?"

Leto II Atreides, el Dios Emperador, ha gobernado durante 3,500 años luego de convertirse en un híbrido de humano y gusano en "Hijos de Dune". Años de terraformación iniciada por Pardot y Liet Kynes finalmente han dado sus frutos; ahora corren ríos donde antes habían dunas y montañas. Cuchillos crys que descansan en los museos junto con los nebulosos recuerdos de las costumbres Fremen, destiltrajes que solo responden a propósitos de ostentación, y Fremen de Museo de ojos pardos. No, esto ya no es el viejo Dune, es un planeta totalmente distinto. Es Arrakis.

Quien controla la especia, controla el universo. Leto gobierna el imperio monopolizando la especia, mediante el miedo y el despotismo, y con una fuerte dependencia religiosa. ¿Acaso es cierto que las religiones solo crean extremistas y fanáticos? Leto aprovecha su condición de "dios" para moldear y depredar, aunque aborrezca el trato divino; el depredador no odia a su presa pero la necesita y la consume. Tal vez sea el mayor tírano en la historia, pero su tiranía es una deliberada, fríamente premeditada para cumplir con su Senda de Oro, y los dioses tienen más poder que los tiranos. Como parte de sus planes también creó su propio programa genético, el cual es clave para la Senda y cuyo clímax es Siona Atreides, parte de una larga descendencia de Ghanima Atreides y Farad'n Corrino. No sería justo decir más sin spoilear, creo que solo puedo decir que el mesianismo se puede ir a la mierda de una vez.

Ha sido el libro más débil de la saga; conserva su maravillosa prosa y la atmósfera que hacen de Dune una de las mejores sagas de todos los tiempos. Herbert es realmente brillante pero puede llegar a ser muy críptico en sus mensajes y tira mucho hacia la parte moral y filosófica en esta parte. Esto último no es malo si la trama avanza a un ritmo aceptable, el problema es que al final te das cuenta de que realmente no pasan muchas cosas en casi 600 páginas. Por otro lado siento que hay esperanza en "Herejes de Dune". Mejora, según dicen.

3.5*

I loved the first three Dune books, but this one felt lackluster in comparison. It started out exciting, with the discovery of Leto II’s journals, perhaps to explain himself or his actions, and is set 3000 years after Leto II became God Emperor and enacted his Golden Path. I kept waiting for the revelation of what the Golden Path would be, or how it had turned Moneo and Siona from rebels to devotees... (But did it really work on Siona? The ending seemed rather ambiguous on that point). I wanted to be enlightened too! I kept expecting the great reveal of why Leto II acted as he had. I felt like it never came to light, unless it was simply to perpetuate feudalism among the stars. I wanted more insight into the Bene Gesserit, or Ix, or Tleilaxu, or the Guild, but didn’t get much. I continue to hope that these differing perspectives will get their day in the sun. Ix at least seemed to get some explanation, though I was expecting more background about the Genesis or Hwi Noree. I think it would have been really interesting had she turned out to be a robot, the very antithesis to the Butlerian Jihad. I’m guessing there are some typos up there when it comes to Herbert’s universe, sorry for that.

I’ll finish out the series as written by Frank Herbert, but I’m not sure about the books written by his son... I don’t really know anyone who has read those and if they are of any literary value, or just a son trying to cash in on the legacy of his father. (Looking at you, Christopher Tolkien!)