I liked this book, which takes place in between Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, just after the death of Paul Muad'ib, starting with an envoy arriving on Caladan to tell his mother Jessica. It then goes back in time and develops a new storyline involving offworld adventures of Paul as a young teen (even though purists point out he had never left Caladan in the original series.) ( )

I dislike this novel more than other McDune/BH & KJA/Dune Universe books. Mostly because of the blatant attempt to resurrect Paul's character. FH already gave the reasons that Paul and after him Leto II God Emporer would be such hortible tyrants. FH left it to the readers themselves to decide whether they felt the ends justified the means. This is just a messy attempt at emotional manipulation that ultimately fails. As so many of the attempts made by BH & KJA in the Dune Universe.
In addition this book paints Alia as a rabid fanatic. The original books have her warped by too much spice use and *spoiler removed*. Alia is one of my favorite characters and I do not like this revamp of her character.
I did like this glance at Paul's childhood and adventures with Bronso of IX. I also like the clever way they wrote Bronso of IX into the story. It worked well for me. Not Bronso himself who is a spoiled brat and emerges a decade later a selfless historian. Still I enjoyed the symmetry in their friendship. This story arc took multiple books and mini trilogies. Well played for their combined writing talent.
While I do not doubt that Paul, Leto II and Alia believed their tyranny was saving mankind from extinction, I do not believe or agree. On any level. First humans are incredibly difficult to wipe out as a species. We're adaptable and historically have adapted in ingenious ways. Also multiple planets also ensures that humanity will likely survive. Perhaps in a vastly scaled back manner.
Second tyranny and oppression can NEVER be justified, ever. Third if the only other choice is death as a species better to die out than prey on our own like cannibals. To suggest otherwise is to cosign such atrocities as genocide, chattel slavery and colonialism. Brutal violent acts that caused wide spread suffering, oppression and genocide. I have no doubt those that employed 'Manifest Destiny' and other Imperialistic violence believed similarly. They were wrong. Let us all die if that's the only alternative. It's not though. Notice Caladan is not 'sterilized'. Somehow folks who believe in such practices never have to sacrifice the places and peoples they love. Paul is just a tyrant and an asshole. As is Leto II, Alia, Duchess Jessica and ALL of their supporters. However reluctantly they participate. ( )

Nicely read but nothing deep like the original books. ( )

A direct sequel to Dune Messiah.

This looks at Alia as she is forced to deal with the Empire after Paul so abruptly leaves. Jessica plays a big part too. Where the Dune Chronicles were big in scope and vision, these books between books by Herbert and Anderson seem to be looking at the nitty-gritty, the small. And I don't like that contrast.

Dune SHOULD be big and galactic and over-arching. I'll continue to read these other Dune books, but I have no interest in buying them. Writing about the immediate past, far past and ending the series is one thing, messing around between books is another.

It is just messy and really unprofessional. ( )

Not as good as their other Dune books, but I love the cover. At times it seemed like an excuse for the authors to indulge in some of their pet characters from the prequels. ( )