Book Review
Title: Children of Dune by Frank Herbert (Dune Book 3)
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 4.75 Stars
The opening of Children of Dune was interesting despite being out of this series for a while. We return to the desert planet to learn that Paul’s twin children, Ghanima and Leto are now nearly 9 years old and both are classed as abominations like Alia although there is more to them. These are Paul’s children with Chani, so both were born from a mother with spice addiction so they awakened in the womb like Alia but both possess some of their father’s gifts including the ability to see into the future which alludes Alia to her frustration. The world has changed a lot since Paul when into the desert becoming a greener, more water rich place and it is changing the people there even the Fremen. Lady Jessica is returning to Dune to meet her grandchildren but not out of kindness but for the Sisterhood since she has returned to them with Gurney at her side, now possibly her lover. Ghanima and Leto keep some of their abilities hidden but Leto has begun having the dreams that Paul had and knows he has to seek out and question a man known only as the Preacher believing that it might be their father. There are also a lot of political moves being played with Jessica and Alia as opponents and there are many people still true to Paul and the Fremen ways that are caught in the middle and I can’t wait to see where this goes as it is the last book in the original trilogy.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, there is a lot going on, first House Corrino is planning to make a move to destroy Paul’s line once and for all starting with his children but they are already aware of this plot against them. Alia has truly been lost since she didn’t heed the warnings Paul gave her and has now been possessed by the Baron Harkonnen which might have devastating consequences. Alia is also planning to move against her mother and kidnap her blaming it on House Corrino to cement her position of power and make sure that no one can move against her. However, the Preacher who I strongly believe to be Paul possessing another’s body or returned from the desert is observing everything and giving subtle advice where it is needed like with the heir to House Corrino even if they don’t understand what those words mean yet. The twins allow Paul and Chani to briefly possess them and learn that Leto’s dream matches with Paul’s about the Golden Path but Paul looking into the future locked him into a path that he couldn’t escape from and has entrusted the final part of his journey to his children. They know they need to find the Preacher and walk the Golden Path and the first part of this is convincing Jessica to allow herself to be kidnapped by her own daughter to truly see what she has become and to meet someone special along the way who she is going to teach and be taught by. The twins are far more interesting than their father in certain aspects since they have the same gifts yet bounce arguments and ideas off each other to make sure neither of them strays too far from the path they have to walk. I love the political movements and seeing more of these abilities although I am concerned for the emotional damage to come. Alia’s destruction will hurt Duncan, who is now her husband despite being a mentat and Gurney will always fall on Jessica’s side meaning some of the most important players in the previous books might not lay large roles here at all but it is still heart-breaking to see how far Alia has fallen because of her fear of what she is.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, there are plots within plots happening and it is a little difficult to keep track of everything but now I am familiar with Herbert’s writing it is getting easier. The twins are aware of the plots against them and how the world will eventually collapse unless they do something about it but they can’t do it alone and begin trying to get people to see things from their perspective even though it’s hard, although this is mainly referring to Jessica and Stilgar. Duncan meanwhile has noticed that something is possessing Alia although he hasn’t made the connection to the Baron which is something I look forward to seeing. Alia is also completely wrapped up in herself coming up with the plan to kidnap and potentially kill her own mother to secure her power and even Duncan sees that she isn’t the target, the twins are. Irulan is also playing an interesting role since she was formerly associated with House Corrino but changed her allegiance when she married Paul and understood what he was trying to do and that hasn’t changed even with Alia being suspicious about her. I don’t know what is going to happen going forward but I hope the twins have a quest similar to Paul’s since it will bring them closer to the father they never knew and help them understand their abilities better.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the plot is beginning to get more interesting. The twins are aware of the threat on their life and have been coming up with a plan to survive this but it hangs in the balance since it relies on others. Jessica at Leto’s command allows herself to be kidnapped which ends up meaning rescued since Alia tried to kill her. Jessica is now aware that Alia is possessed by the Baron and alerts the people that need to know in order to test her and have her killed for what she is. In the meantime she is taken in by House Corrino as Farad’n is going against what his mother wants which is infuriating to her and amusing to Jessica. Farad’n is most likely going to end up being the interesting student that Leto mentioned to her all those weeks ago and Jessica is intrigued. Meanwhile, the twin have headed out into the desert to die, or fake death in this case. They are attacked as they suspected by they manage to kill the Laza tigers and here Leto fakes his death and Ghanima makes herself believe that Leto is dead as it is the only way but upon her return she finds out who was responsible for the attack and kills. Now “dead” Leto is heading to Jacurutu to find the answers that his father believed were there and to stop the destruction that Dune is heading into. I will say that Dune definitely isn’t going to be your cup of tea if you don’t like political intrigue and power plays since they are the core of this series and it is something that I am coming to adore especially when it is done right.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, we see many of the major plot lines coming together but I have no idea which one is going to win. We have several sides but the main ones are the rise of House Corrino back to the throne through Farad’n, however, this is being prevented by other forces at the moment. Jessica wants Farad’n married to Ghanima in a show of alliance between their houses but she fails to understand how this affects others. Duncan even withdraws his honour to their house after realising her plan and what it would mean which is major since Duncan has protected the twins, their father Paul and his father Leto in his lifetime. Meanwhile we learn that Ghanima doesn’t want to marry Farad’n as she believes he killed her brother even though it was his mother who he has banished for these actions and Alia is trying to get her to agree. During this battle of wills Irulan notices something that terrifies her, possibly the abomination in both Ghanima and Alia. Ghanima ends up agreeing if she can kill Farad’n after it is done and Alia agrees to this even though it would mean all-out war since every other house both major and minor would turn against them. Leto reaches what he believes is Jacurutu only to be trapped and taken captive for an education which was planned all along. He learns that Gurney is there and he realises that Jessica’s hand is all over this and he is forced to take the spice to bring him to full awareness, the same awareness that destroyed his father but this time his father is there to protect him from the other lives so he can rise above them and have control over them. Paul is still alive in the form of the Preacher which Alia now knows but she hasn’t changed her course which is why Jessica and possibly Paul are moving the children into these positions but it doesn’t seem fair to them.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the plots continue to move forward and intertwine in ways that are almost impossible to understand but somehow you do. Jessica has been teaching Farad’n and eventually makes him in a Bene Gesserit like herself which no one who expecting while Duncan sees clearly that Alia has been taken over fully by whatever or whoever is possessing her which is devastating for him more so than her unfaithfulness to him. Gurney is with Leto at Jacurutu testing the boy in the spice trance until Leto unlocks something within himself that not even Paul managed and through this he remakes himself into something more than human but not quite other set on finding the balance between the green and the desert on Dune to make sure it survives what is to come. Throughout all of this we have minor plot points that Ghanima’s impending marriage to Farad’n which is being delayed and many other things happening. I honestly had no idea how it was going to end but Leto seems set on confronting his father once and for all and having only one of their visions becomes the future of the desert planet and my money is on Leto since Paul if he is the Preacher seems to have his powers waning on him. I loved the fact that throughout all of this Leto always thinks of his sister and restoring her memories of him when the time is right as he misses her in a way he hasn’t missed anyone else since they are twins and pre-born twins at that. This is becoming one of my all-time favourite series and I will definitely be continuing beyond the original trilogy and I can’t wait to see how Herbert concluded the original trilogy before writing more books in the Dune universe.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we see the threads developed over all three novels come together in ways I couldn’t even imagine and it leaves the prospect for a terrifying but hopeful future. Leto with his newfound powers and abilities managed to destroy Paul, Alia and the sisterhood in one blow leaving him as the supreme ruler of Dune which he will rule for the next four thousand years, leading the people through the death of the worms and decline of the spice into a new age where humans can truly appreciate what it means to be alive. There are some that resist this change but they ultimately give in and we see how Leto and Ghanima planned this from the moment they were born. I am unsure whether this marks the end of the original series or whether it include God Emperor of Dune but I felt that this book while it leaves questions and an open ending for more to come was a satisfying ending for the characters and I can’t wait to continue on with the series in the future. The only downside for me was the first half of the novel had so much going on that it was a little difficult to follow at times but this book has cemented Dune as one of my all-time favourite series.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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