Novel by Frank Herbert
Reactions: Ummm, was that it?

Decades after reading the first Dune novel, I finally decided to pick up the second in the series. I wasn’t prepared for how short it would be or how light on plot and character building it is.

I liked it. It was nice to see the characters a decade after the events in the first book. Paul Atreides is emperor and has led a religious war across the galaxy. Chani is still by his side as his lover and soul mate. But he’s also still politically married to Princess Irulan. Surprisingly for a book written in 1969, this odd love triangle doesn’t ooze with misogyny like others from its time.

It’s also interesting to see Alia take a more prominent role. Her character is powerful and I hope we get to see more of her in the books that come. The Duncan Idaho/Hyatt character was my favorite.

SPOILERS AHEAD

What I didn’t like. The ending. Really?! Is that the only thing this entire book leads to? He loses his eyes but can still see because he’s tapped into the mental imagery of quantum realities unfolding in front of him? Ok, cool. I’m sure that will look really cool in the next movie. But that seems like a pretty dumb reason for him to wander off into the desert to die.

I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It was a quick read. It’ll make for a good third movie. That’s about all I have to say.