This may be heresy, but I think this is my favourite of the Dune books so far. I found Dune interesting, but oddly opaque. The second book was more accessible, but didn't really grab me.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

The anti-George Lucas.

Frank Herbert, that is. His science fiction universe has come to embody everything that another seminal epic of our time, “Star Wars,” cannot: subtlety and mystery. “Children of Dune” is the third installment in the series and centers on the vicissitudes of a power struggle involving Paul Atreides’ sister and his children. This in a vacuum created by Muad’Dib since his disappearance into the desert at the end of the second novel, “Dune Messiah.”

Arrakis will ever be the story’s home, but the increasing excursions made to other worlds like Salusa Secundus and Tleilax whet our appetite for myriad unexplored corners of this galaxy. That is to say: Herbert’s universe is even larger than ever. He is the anti-Lucas because to experience the world of Dune is to live in the thought-bubbles of its characters, constantly reading one another’s expressions, trying desperately to interpret nonverbal cues of zen-like figures like mentats and Bene Gesserit “witches,” wherein plots and schemes and indignation (the silent kind) abound. Noticeably absent are staccato, declarative descriptions of landscape, weaponry, technology, conflict, combat, or physical features and their like. Conversation and thought are the rivulets that feed every facet of the “Dune” universe, and that universe seems even larger because of the vast expanses unmentioned.

Take, for example, the Lady Jessica’s travels to Salusa Secundus, a rare deviation from the political plotting and religious fervor of Arrakis. We are treated to none of the tired and typical expositions expected. We are not told how Salusa looks from space; what the travel involved to reach it; how many people live there; what differentiates its character from other worlds; its climate; its people; its proximity to Arrakis; its size; what city Jessica is in; we are not privy to innumerable things, rather getting to unpack it all under the auspices of our own imaginings. As a result, “Children of Dune” expands the Dune universe by an order of magnitude. I cannot help contradistinguishing this incredible style to the mundane plodding to which it might have easily fallen prey in more ordinary hands.

To say much of the plot of “Children of Dune” is to drain it of a beauty and mystery exclusive to your own mind’s eye. Its protagonists (admittedly not wholly protagonistic) are nine year-olds. They function with physical and mental prowess that could never be translated to the silver or small screens, and thus they belong entirely to you, to be made your own, as much as Arrakis and Salusa and Tleilax are yours. Herbert’s trust in Dune readers allows for something of the numinous.

Easily one of the best books I've ever read, even compared to its predecessors.

Read more...

Reread….

I’ve said it before and I’m certain I will say it again, I love this series.
Alia breaks my heart

Woah - this one was a proper maze. A very twisty turny one. Would love to see Denis V's screen version of Leto...

n   "كيف سيكون شعورك بأن تعيش حياة تعرف فيها كل الأشياء التي يمكن أن تسوء؟ ستخوض حرباً مستمرة مع الشكوك. سوف تستاء من اختلافك عن اقرانك. سيكون جعل الآخرين يختبرون مذاق هذا الاختلاف مسلياً. 《 لماذا أنا 》 سيكون سؤالك الأول غير المجاب."n


الجزء الأول،  كثيب : كان جزء رسم شكل العالم وحياة الفرمن وتقاليدهم وطريقة تعاملهم مع ندرة المياه وانتاجهم للاسبايس والطمع الناتج عن هذه المادة التي يدمنها كل من يعتاد عليها والتخبطات النفسية للشخصيات بسبب التغيرات التى تحدث لهم .


الجزء الثاني ، المسيح : استكملنا الصراعات الداخلية مع بول ورؤيته للمستقبل  لكن أخذت منحني فلسفي اكثر وكانت الأحداث قليلة وبطيئة فتشعر معه انك تقرأ رواية مختلفة عن كثيب .


اما الجزء الثالث ، ذرية كثيب : جاء ليجمع بين الجزئين،  أحداث وأفكار داخلية للشخصيات ومخاوف جديدة لنستكمل معها  فلسفة الجزء الثاني . 


n  "يقال إنه لا يوجد شئ ثابت ، لا شئ متوازن ، لا شئ راسخ في الكون كله - لا شئ يبقى على حاله ، كل يوم ، أحياناً كل ساعة، تجلب معها تغييراًn


بعد تسع اعوام من انتهاء الجزء الثاني نستكمل مع عالية التي اصبحت وصية على التوأم أبناء أخيها ليتو وغنيمة ونعرف ماحدث مع عالية بجانب حياة التوأم الواعين من قبل الولادة ومخاوفهم وعلاقتهم ببعضهم البعض .


n  " لم يكونا طفلين عاديين في التاسعة من عمرهما، بل كانا قوة طبيعية تستحق الإجلال والرهبة . كانا ابني بول آتريديز الذي أصبح المؤدب ، مخلِٓص الفرمن جميعاً." n



فمثل عالية كان التوأمين يحملان خبرة وذاكرة شخصيات كثيرة ووفقاً للبني جيسيريت كان الواعي ما قبل الولادة هو شُنعة ومُعرض للمس فكيف سيتعامل الطفلان مع هذه المعرفة خاصة مع معرفتهم ما حدث لأبيهم بسبب رؤياه وبسبب إدمانه للإسبايس وما يرونه يحدث مع عمتهم عالية ؟ وماذا حدث مع عالية وكيف سيتعامل الآخرون مع ذلك وخاصة جيسيكا الأم التي ستعود لتتضم مرة أخرى لتؤثر في الأحداث بعد اختفاؤها الجزء السابق . 


n  " كانا طفلين في الشكل ، ولكنهما كانا عتيدين في الخبرة وولدا بكامل الذاكرة الجينية ، ووعي مخيف يميزهما وعمتهما عالية عن جميع البشر الآخرين الأحياء ."n


وطبعا لازال هناك أعداء للإتريديز يريدون عودة الإمبراطورية لهم بعد أن انتزعها بول من أيديهم فيظهر لنا الامير فارادين وأمه التي ترغب أن يصبح أبنها الإمبراطور القادم فما هي خطتها وماذا ستفعل وما رأى ابنها فيما تفعل وماذا سيفعل ؟! 


الجزء ده قرائته كانت ممتعة ومبهرة في نفس الوقت.  فرانك هربرت أثبت انه كاتب قوى ، قدر يكتب لنا عالم مختلف ويرسم الشخصيات ببراعة ويقدم فلسفته ويتحدث في السياسة وينتقد الكهنة .


وكالعادة يبدو أن فرانك هربرت يتسم بإبداع رسم النهاية . مع نهاية كل جزء يُبهرني . ومثل كل جزء يعطيك نهاية لأحداث هذا الجزء فيمكنك الاكتفاء بالقراءة لكن في ذات الوقت يجعلك متشوق لمعرفة ما سيحدث بعد ذلك !! وما هي نتيجة مافعلته الشخصيات؟! 


رواية كثيب ليست مجرد رواية خيال علمي وربما هذا سبب رئيسي لإعجابي بها فهى رواية خيال علمي في المقام الأول لكنها ايضا رواية فلسفية ، نفسية و سياسية ايضاً.

 رواية  ليست خفيفة بالتأكيد خاصة الجزء الثاني والثالث لكنها بالتأكيد ممتعة ومختلفة ،  هي رواية تحتاج إلى التركيز  .


والترجمة طبعا جميلة شكرا لمحمد نجيب



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5.5 stars. I am absolutely blown away by how good this series is. While I rated Dune slightly higher than Dune Messiah and this book (simply based on it beign the first of the series and therefore getting the nod for originality and the groundbraking nature of the narrative), I actually ENJOYED Messiah and this book even more than book 1. Definitely don't stop after Book 1. A must read for all science fiction fans. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!

Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1977)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1977)

Meh. There might have been a good book in here, but it's mixed in with about 100 pages or more of mystical mumbo-jumbo. It's been a long time since I've read the original Dune, but I sensed a lot repetition meant as a concluding corrective to the story of Paul Atreides/Muad'Dib. Supposedly Muad'Dib's jihad resulted in the death of 61 billion throughout the known universe, so what's so great about him anyway? As a story arc goes, I can see the need for that. The problem is that his heir apparent, Leto II, with his many many pages of trippy dreaming, strikes this reader as, at an early age, to already being an insufferable prig (I liked his twin sister Ghanima much better). There are a number of good moments in Children of Dune, and I enjoyed the over arching sense that Lady Jessica is playing three dimensional chess with the rest of the characters. That said, the enjoyable parts don't equal a satisfying whole. I loved the first two books in the series, but the final book of what was originally intended (as I understand it) the concluding panel of the Dune saga, makes for a frustrating read.

Buddy read with Athena!

”This rocky shrine to the skull of a ruler grants no prayers. It has become the grave of lamentations. Only the wind hears the voice of this place. The cries of night creatures and the passing wonder of two moons, all say his day has ended. No more supplicants come. The visitors have gone from the feast. How bare the pathway down this mountain.

Paul Muad’dib, god and emperor of a universe divided, is gone. The religiously pantocratic Imperium has been left with his two nine-year old children, Leto and Ghanima. But despite being born with the knowledge and memories of a thousand generations, the two Children of Dune will not be allowed to take their father’s throne at such a young age. Instead the Atreides empire is ruled by a council of advisors, among them Stilgar and Irulan. But true power rests in the hands of Muad’dib’s sister, Alia Atreides, who clings to control of the regency.

But in Alia’s mind there are voices whispering. The voices of evils long gone, who intend to forge the woman worshipped as the Womb of Heaven into a dangerous weapon to be unleashed. And while Alia descends into madness, House Corrino sees its chance to take back all that the Atreides have stolen from it. And a mysterious old Preacher walks out of the sands to publicly denounce the religion of Muad’dib. Meanwhile, Leto and Ghanima journey together into the desert, chasing old myths and desperately trying to understand why the legendary sandworms are slowly disappearing from the surface of Dune…

”This is the fallacy of power: ultimately it is effective only in an absolute, a limited universe. But the basic lesson of our relativistic universe is that things change. Any power must always meet a greater power. Paul Muad'Dib taught this lesson to the Sardaukar on the Plains of Arrakeen. His descendants have yet to learn the lesson for themselves.”

One very interesting aspect about the book, is the fact that it’s filled to the brim with quotes about politics, religion and power. Just as is it a science fiction classic and an epic adventure, Children of Dune is something of a guidebook to the very meaning of power. Of how one struggles for it, how one gains it, and what absolute power can do to the person wielding it. And some of these lines would be worth quoting over and over.

”"There were in olden times certain tribes which were known to be water hunters. They were called Iduali, which meant 'water insects,' because those people wouldn't hesitate to steal the water of another Fremen. If they caught you alone in the desert they would not even leave you the water of your flesh. There was this place where they lived: Sietch Jacurutu. That's where the other tribes banded and wiped out the Iduali. That was a long time ago, before Kynes even - in my great-great-grandfather's days. And from that day to this, no Fremen has gone to Jacurutu. It is tabu."

While not as outright astonishing as the first two books in the series, this is definitely a great addition to the wonderful universe of Dune. Frank Herbert’s writing is better than ever, which is the reason for all the quotes in this review. And while certain characters are absent from this book, other character who were absent in Dune Messiah are brought back onto the scene.

The part of the book that fascinated me the most was definitely the character development of Alia Atreides. When reading Dune, it's quite easy to notice that elements of it have directly inspired a lot of later fantasy authors, including Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin. And there are many things of Alia, her rule as regent and her descent into madness that are particularly reminiscent of a certain queen named Cersei. But in my eyes, Alia is a more fascinating character still.

Thus ends the final book of the Great Dune Trilogy, one of the absolute greatest series every written within the genres of speculative fiction. But the tale goes on; a tale of spice and sandworms, of assassins and great houses, of the calculating Mentats and the devious plans of the Bene Gesserit; a tale of the planet Dune.

n  ”The desert is my home.”n

With all the complex political struggles for power, betrayals, and everyone either wanting to worship you as a god or put a knife in your back, it makes sense that Paul Atredis decided to fuck off into the desert instead of raise his superhuman twins as they struggle with thousands of years of knowledge uploaded into their brains and the fate of a planet at stake. And not just any planet, but one filled with monstrous worms and religious fanatics and while the environmental climate is getting less hostile, the political climate is ready to boil over into violence. Again. Children of Dune, the third installment of Frank Herbert’s space epic is a mind-blowing ride of political scheming, possession, murder, fake deaths and even a marriage plot to spice things up. The first hardcover sci-fi novel to top the bestseller list when it was released in 1976, Children of Dune shows the series continuously hit new highs of thrilling plot, character development and impressively constructed political landscapes that keep you on your toes the whole way while diving into some rather fascinating philosophical musings on government and the nature of power as a corrupting force.

‘One uses power by grasping it lightly. To grasp too strongly is to be taken over by power, and thus to become its victim.’

Something I’ve always loved about the Dune series is the way the novels probe ideas of power and control. Here we have Leto II and Ghanima with the ability to see the future, like their dad, but questioning their abilities to change things. There is as much grappling with moral ambiguity as there is grappling for power and in a world where religion has been weaponized for social coercion and rallying an army of fanatics ready to die for a cause, every event is primed to explode in mass violence. Herbert uses the themes to craft a very dynamic universe and add a rather epic weight to every decision, especially as we see power valued over people. It makes for a stern warning, such as the texts of the Bene Gesserit’s warn that all power spirals towards abuse and oppression:

‘Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class - whether that class be hereditary royalty, oligarchs of financial empires, or entrenched bureaucracy.’

Chilling. Especially in a novel where fate seems to rule the day and attempts of evasion prove to only walk directly into its grasp. There is a rather Amor fati nature to the novel, particularly in a Nietzschean way around Leto accepting the Golden Path. ‘ You saw this, father, and rejected it,’ Leto thinks of his father, ‘it was a thing too terrible to face’ but was Paul able to sidestep the intentions of fate or was it that the path was never for Paul but Leto instead. Leto strength and his prescience, which goes one step further than Paul since he was granted genetic memory as well, is also rather Nietzschean with regards to the concept of the Übermensch, or super human. Nietzche’s idea of ‘beyond good and evil’ are also present in Leto’s morally grey attitude with decisions made to shape the whole of humanity itself that have him feeling his choices are above standard morality of everyone else. It makes for a fascinating dichotomy with the mysterious Preacher.

‘ Seeking the absolute of orderly prediction, he amplified disorder, distorted prediction.’

Fate is also interesting with regard to Alia. A rather tragic figure here in Children of Dune, we see how Alia’s fate is one that is a rather self-fulfilling prophecy.

‘The habits of generations had imprinted the fate of Abomination upon her. Alia had known no hope. Of course she’d succumbed. Her fate made the accomplishment of Leto and Ghanima even more difficult to face. Not one way out of the trap, but two.’

Much of the novel juxtaposes those who try to assert agency over fate and those who fall in line with it. Ultimately we see how freedom isn’t found in trying to avoid or subvert fate, but by accepting it and allowing it to shape you as you shape it in tandem.

‘Abandon certainty! That’s life’s deepest command. That’s what life’s all about. We’re a probe into the unknown, into the uncertain. Why can’t you hear Muad’Dib? If certainty is knowing absolutely an absolute future, then that’s only death disguised!’

Children of Dune is a wonderful continuation of the series and, honestly, each book just gets better and adds such texture to the world that it makes you love the series as a whole all the more. Just when you think things can’t get more epic, they do. Long, but well worth the journey.

4.5/5

In Children of Dune, we learn of the destinies of Paul Atreides-Muad'dib's two children, the two pre-born Ghanima and Leto and the tyranny of their Aunt Alia. I found the story to be beautifully written and the action kept the pace throughout. The appearance of the Preacher was interesting (if the identity was somewhat predictable) and I liked all the intrigue with the would-be usurper and his particularly out of control mother and their plots against the Atreides twins. The Golden Path which will drive the last three official Dune books is introduced here but only explained in God Emperor as we see the bizarre fate to which Leto II voluntarily succumbs.

There is quite a bit of philosophy here (and even more in the next books it seems) and lots of reflections about religious fanaticism as most everybody detests Alia and she loses this reader's sympathies when the extent of her Abomination is revealed. Against this backdrop is the loss of tradition for the Fremen as Dune is terraformed and the old ways of life pass away. This is even more intense in God Emperor, but it is touching here as well.

The thing that many take exception to is the ghola of Duncan Idaho. I think he is a fun character and obviously Frank Herbert, having killed off his Ned Stark early in Dune as well as his Robb Stark in Dune Messiah, wanted to keep his Jorah Mormont alive throughout the series if you allow me to abuse the Game of Thrones analogies. Actually, there are more similarities than that: the span of time that Dune's alternative history covers is as long and complex as that of RR Martin. The male-centric point of view, disdain for homosexual relationships, and fascination with incest is also a commonality. Lastly, although Frank had the excuse of dying before writing #7, Martin apparently may never get around to writing #6 Winds of War or #7 A Dream of Spring leaving us (and the Targaryans, Lannisters and remaining Starks eternally hanging!)

The ending was spectacular - perhaps the best ending in a Dune book as far as I have read them (reading Heretics of Dune now) with the palace scene and the Leto II cliffhanger. I am definitely glad that I persevered this far in the Dune series and found this was a particularly strong entry.

[UPDATE] I am looking forward to Denis Villeneuve's Dune in October 2021. The previews I have seen so far seem to be quite coherent with respect to the book. I was a fan of Lynch's Dune and am curious to see what Villeneuve does with this one. Feel free to comment below.

Fino's Dune Reviews
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune

The classic biblical conundrum - are the sins of the father really inherited by the son?
Yes, CoD went a lot further in analyzing religion and society than the previous book which I found interesting, but more interesting was the current day metaphor with society's "progress" without regard to the costs involved. Who is going to pay for our excesses today, and how will they go about fixing them?
The Preacher seemed a powerful figure at the beginning of the story, but by the end I almost felt sorry for the old guy. Leto striking out to redress the mistakes of both his father's and aunt's reigns looks to be an interesting story I'll enjoy following. I can't say I agree with his views that he will bring an era of thousands of years of peace, but it will be interesting to watch him try. CoD is not something to be read lightly as you can get through several pages and realize you are completely lost. I've found myself rereading sections quite a bit. On that thought, I'm going to take a break for a little bit before continuing the series as I find it to be somewhat exhausting.