Dune Messiah Review: Chains of the Divine

‘Dune’ is one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time. It’s also one of the strangest. Drug-induced visions and hallucination sequences. Complex characters and layered, meticulously written dialogue. A universe that captures the imagination, and a world so fleshed out you’d think you could step out onto the sand yourself. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Upon finishing it, I had no desire whatsoever to read the many sequels/prequels. Even more so when real-life friends and family who have read them warned me they weren’t worth the time. I only bought it because I saw it in passing whilst perusing a local used book shop.

What better to stoke curiosity than a good bargain on a cheap paperback?

So, what’s the verdict? Was this sequel as disappointing as I’ve been led to believe? Or is it another masterwork in science fiction literature?

Let’s find out. Strap on your stillsuit and sheath your kris knife. This is ‘Dune Messiah’.

Time has passed since Paul Atreides conquered Arakis and claimed the throne of Emperor. Since then, many of his darkest visions have come to pass. The devout Fremen have spread across the stars, conquering one world after another in the name of Muad’Dib. All he needs now is an heir, and his control of the universe will be complete.

But there are those that are unhappy with the rule of the so-called God Emperor. Paul’s ‘wife,’ the princess Irulan, has joined with Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, the Guild envoy Edric, and the Face Dancer Scytale in a conspiracy poised against him. Their objective: defeat, or at least weaken, the emperor and his abomination sister, Alia. And they have the perfect weapon to do it: the body of Duncan Idaho given life again, renamed Hayt. All they need now is to prepare their trap.

Hayt is my second-favorite character in this book. He’s consistently delightful and intriguing in every scene. The echoes of the honest and loyal man we knew and loved in the first book still lingers in his walking flesh. When he first meets Paul, he bluntly admits that he has been designed to destroy his former-master, though he doesn’t know how. The echo of who he was and the violent purpose of who he is now battle back and forth all the way until the end of the book.

Although as enjoyable as he is, he does share the book’s least interesting subplot with Alia. Which is a shame, because Alia is an amazing character. A girl with lifetimes of knowledge, who has had it for so long that she frequently loses sight of which memories are hers and who she even is. I suppose it’s fitting, then, that she and Hayt develop feelings for each other. But in the actual book, that depth is never touched on. It’s just: “They’re in love now. Don’t ask why.”

But I hear you asking: if Hayt is only number two, then who is my first favorite character? None other than our protagonist: Paul.

Seeing the future as he does, with all its complexity and branching paths and horrors, Paul goes through some wild changes over the course of this story. It almost feels as though he knows he’s a character in a book, one whom the author decided to cruelly divulge the ending too. He dreads his fate and hopes for it to change, but the small disruptions or shifts in details are never as dramatic as he hopes. When the time inevitably comes for him to play his part, he always sings the tune of destiny to perfection.

This tragedy becomes especially sad towards the end. As he marches to a grim fate we the audience aren’t aware of, Paul begins to remember his boyhood days on Caladan. He takes momentary refuge in more innocent times, to a time when rain was as ordinary as can be rather than a divine miracle. Then he takes a single step and his boot lands not in the waters of his childhood home, but through the hot sands of Arakis. Paul Atreides is gone. Only Muad’Dib remains.

I’ll spare you the spoilers for the actual ending. But I will say this: I think it’s the perfect conclusion to Paul’s story. Heartbreaking yet satisfying, it wraps everything up in a neat little bow. Though it makes me wonder: just where does the series go in its sequels, given the finality of events here?

Curiosity I will sate another day. I’m not done celebrating this entry yet.

Reading ‘Dune Messiah’ is like watching a complex chess match. Paul knows about the conspiracy and they know he does. Every single conversation between the emperor and one of his would-be usurpers is layered with hidden meanings, veiled threats, and internal monologues. Chapters will change perspective characters from one paragraph to the next, allowing you a glimpse into everyone’s heads, making their verbal jousts much easier to keep track of. It’s a political drama at its most intriguing.

This only works as well as it does thanks to Frank Herbert’s masterful control of the English language. Strange and obtuse as some of the dialogue is, it is always grounded in the character saying it and steeped with subtext, metaphor, and symbolism. It may not be action-packed or exciting, but it’s intriguing and engaging to read from start to end.

Which just about sums up my thoughts on ‘Dune Messiah’. Whenever I picked this book up, I’d find myself getting absolutely lost in it. I’d set out to read one chapter, then find that four hours had past and I was halfway through it. I was as mesmerized by this novel as the Fremen were by Muad’Dib.

Only, you know, minus the galactic religious blood war.

Though I disagree with them, I am grateful to those who urged caution in regards to this book. If I’d read it before, I doubt I would have been as engrossed by it as I was now. Much like the Kwisatz Haderach, I was not ready for it.

If you’re relatively new to Dune like myself, I’d recommend giving ‘Dune Messiah’ a shot. It takes all the best elements of the first book and expands upon them, taking the story to the next level. I would go so far as to call it a masterpiece on par with its predecessor.

But will the Children of Dune be able to meet the standard their parents have set? We’ll find out eventually. Not right now, though. There are plenty of other books on my to-read list to get through before returning to Arakis.

Luckily, that doesn’t apply to movies. See y’all in March for Part 2!