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Dune Messiah
Book Two in the Magnificent Dune Chronicles-the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time
Dune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known-and feared-as the man christened Muad'Dib. As Emperor of the known universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne-and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence.
And even as House Atreides begins to crumble around him from the machinations of his enemies, the true threat to Paul comes to his lover, Chani, and the unborn heir to his family's dynasty...
Dune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known-and feared-as the man christened Muad'Dib. As Emperor of the known universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne-and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence.
And even as House Atreides begins to crumble around him from the machinations of his enemies, the true threat to Paul comes to his lover, Chani, and the unborn heir to his family's dynasty...
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Dune Messiah
"Brilliant...it is all that Dune was, and maybe a little more."-Galaxy Magazine
"The perfect companion piece to Dune...fascinating."-Challenging Destiny
Praise for Dune
"I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings."-Arthur C. Clarke
"A portrayal of an alien society more complete and deeply detailed than any other author in the field has managed...a story absorbing equally for its action and philosophical vistas."-The Washington Post Book World
"One of the monuments of modern science fiction."-Chicago Tribune
"Powerful, convincing, and most ingenious."-Robert A. Heinlein
"Herbert's creation of this universe, with its intricate development and analysis of ecology, religion, politics and philosophy, remains one of the supreme and seminal achievements in science fiction."-Louisville Times
"Brilliant...it is all that Dune was, and maybe a little more."-Galaxy Magazine
"The perfect companion piece to Dune...fascinating."-Challenging Destiny
Praise for Dune
"I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings."-Arthur C. Clarke
"A portrayal of an alien society more complete and deeply detailed than any other author in the field has managed...a story absorbing equally for its action and philosophical vistas."-The Washington Post Book World
"One of the monuments of modern science fiction."-Chicago Tribune
"Powerful, convincing, and most ingenious."-Robert A. Heinlein
"Herbert's creation of this universe, with its intricate development and analysis of ecology, religion, politics and philosophy, remains one of the supreme and seminal achievements in science fiction."-Louisville Times
Readers Top Reviews
S. PalmerJohnCathal
The book is great... brilliant plays of tension and deceit, and the inner monologues of each character really deepen the intrigue. I’m giving this only 3 stars because of this particular edition - FAR too many typos! At one point I was coming across one on every page. Totally distracting and takes you out of the flow. Missing full stops, “Iruian”, “Lannerjee”, “kwlsatz haderach”... pretty appalling for a book that’s been around for decades and read by millions.
Jeff FDastAdamH
This first sequel to Dune is only about 330 pages long, but it's still a dense and complex read. Dune Messiah picks up the story of Paul Maud'Dib 12 years after Dune, now the Emperor of the Known Universe- and as powerless as he ever. While a challenging read, Dune Messiah lacks the narrative drive of its predecessor, since there is no longer compelling villains like the Harkonnens to help propel the story forward and keep things moving. Plot threads and characters from the original that were implied to be of great importance in the future only warrant a brief mention or are totally ignored; likewise, Dune Messiah continues Herbert's tendency from the original to not depict major events or plot twists, but leave them only to discussion after the fact The original Dune, for all its thematic complexity, was still a fairly straightforward "hero leads a rebellion against evil villains" tale; in the sequel, there is a conspiracy in place against Paul Maud'Dib, but the novel spends more time on philosophical discussion than it does on investigating and unmasking this conspiracy. There is, however, a lengthy section of the novel about 2/3 of the way through, which sees the main character going out in disguise among the people, deliberately walking into a trap, and fully aware of how events will proceed due to his unique prescient abilities - this section alone is some of the finest crafted storytelling I've ever read, and it alone resuscitated the novel. (Or awakened the Sleeper, if you're a hardcore Dune fan.) Dune Messiah is a quick read, despite the denseness of the work. It's still worth reading, but at times it feels more like an epilogue to a more compelling story that preceded it. (Think less Empire Strikes Back and more Scouring of the Shire from Lord of the Rings.)
Kim
First off, the cover art for this series is amazing. The colors and page-layout are perfect. The only thing that might be off-putting is that the sequels don't match the same size as the first book. Maybe its because I bought the first book at Barnes and Noble? But the smaller and more compact size is actually quite nice and feels like you're breezing through pages faster. What to say about Dune Messiah that hasn't already been said? Well, it turns out Frank Herbert was making controversial decisions before George RR Martin. He takes the "messiah/heroic archetype" and flips it on top of its head. In a brilliant way, nothing happens the way you think it's going to happen, not even for our protagonist, Paul Atreides. But wait, how is that possible? Paul Atreides, Muad'Dib, a trained mentat, the male equivalent to a Reverand Mother, the Kwisatz Haderach who can see endless possibilities, doesn't have all the answers? This is why you should read Dune Messiah. It shows the internal struggle and isolation of a man (Paul) and his sister (Alia) being treated as god-like figures, but Frank Herbert does a great job reminding us that they're still human, which makes them relatable and easy to empathize with. The conspiracy surrounding Paul's Imperium is most compelling, the thoughts and discoveries from our beloved characters are engaging, and the philosophy that Frank Herbert communicates through his story-telling is even more thought-provoking than the first book. Everything about this book just kept propelling me forward. I found Dune Messiah to be a near-perfect sequel that greatly expounds on ideas that were introduced in the first book. But it also reveals many new ideas and teaches new things to the reader. One of the greatest joys I take from this series is how much I learn, and Frank Herbert has a lot to teach and expound upon through his characters. You'd be selling yourself short if you didn't continue reading the series.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Introduction
EPILOGUE
Books by Frank Herbert
THE BOOK OF FRANK HERBERT
DESTINATION VOID (revised edition)
DIRECT DESCENT
THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT
EYE
THE EYES OF HEISENBERG
THE GODMAKERS
THE GREEN BRAIN
THE MAKER OF DUNE
THE SANTAROGA BARRIER
SOUL CATCHER
WHIPPING STAR
THE WHITE PLAGUE
THE WORLDS OF FRANK HERBERT
MAN OF TWO WORLDS
(with Brian Herbert)
The Dune Chronicles
DUNE
DUNE MESSIAH
CHILDREN OF DUNE
GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE
HERETICS OF DUNE
CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE
Books by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom
THE JESUS INCIDENT
THE LAZARUS EFFECT
THE ASCENSION FACTOR
Books edited by Brian Herbert
THE NOTEBOOKS OF FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE
SONGS OF MUAD'DIB
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Published by arrangement with Herbert Properties LLC.
Copyright © 1969 by Frank Herbert.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form with
out permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation
of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
ACE and the "A" design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Herbert, Frank.
Dune messiah / Frank Herbert ; with a new introduction by Brian Herbert.
p. cm.-(Dune chronicles ; bk. 2)
eISBN : 978-1-101-15787-9
1. Dune (Imaginary place)-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.E63D86 2008
813'.54-dc22
2007040248
INTRODUCTION
by Brian Herbert
Dune Messiah is the most misunderstood of Frank Herbert's novels. The reasons for this are as fascinating and complex as the renowned author himself.
Just before this first sequel to Dune was published in 1969, it ran in installments in the science fiction magazine Galaxy. The serialized "Dune Messiah" was named "disappointment of the year" by the satirical magazine National Lampoon. The story had earlier been rejected by Analog editor John W. Campbell, who, like the Lampooners, loved the majestic, heroic aspects of Dune and hated the antithetical elements of the sequel. His readers wanted stories about heroes accomplishing great feats, he said, not stories of protagonists with "clay feet."
The detractors did not understand that Dune Messiah was a bridging work, connecting Dune with an as-yet-uncompleted third book in the trilogy. To get there, the second novel in the series flipped over the carefully crafted hero myth of Paul Muad'Dib and revealed the dark side of the messiah phenomenon that had appeared to be so glorious in Dune. Many readers didn't want that dose of reality; they couldn't stand the demotion of their beloved, charismatic champion, especially after the author had...
Title Page
Copyright Page
Introduction
EPILOGUE
Books by Frank Herbert
THE BOOK OF FRANK HERBERT
DESTINATION VOID (revised edition)
DIRECT DESCENT
THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT
EYE
THE EYES OF HEISENBERG
THE GODMAKERS
THE GREEN BRAIN
THE MAKER OF DUNE
THE SANTAROGA BARRIER
SOUL CATCHER
WHIPPING STAR
THE WHITE PLAGUE
THE WORLDS OF FRANK HERBERT
MAN OF TWO WORLDS
(with Brian Herbert)
The Dune Chronicles
DUNE
DUNE MESSIAH
CHILDREN OF DUNE
GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE
HERETICS OF DUNE
CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE
Books by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom
THE JESUS INCIDENT
THE LAZARUS EFFECT
THE ASCENSION FACTOR
Books edited by Brian Herbert
THE NOTEBOOKS OF FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE
SONGS OF MUAD'DIB
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Published by arrangement with Herbert Properties LLC.
Copyright © 1969 by Frank Herbert.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form with
out permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation
of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
ACE and the "A" design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Herbert, Frank.
Dune messiah / Frank Herbert ; with a new introduction by Brian Herbert.
p. cm.-(Dune chronicles ; bk. 2)
eISBN : 978-1-101-15787-9
1. Dune (Imaginary place)-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.E63D86 2008
813'.54-dc22
2007040248
INTRODUCTION
by Brian Herbert
Dune Messiah is the most misunderstood of Frank Herbert's novels. The reasons for this are as fascinating and complex as the renowned author himself.
Just before this first sequel to Dune was published in 1969, it ran in installments in the science fiction magazine Galaxy. The serialized "Dune Messiah" was named "disappointment of the year" by the satirical magazine National Lampoon. The story had earlier been rejected by Analog editor John W. Campbell, who, like the Lampooners, loved the majestic, heroic aspects of Dune and hated the antithetical elements of the sequel. His readers wanted stories about heroes accomplishing great feats, he said, not stories of protagonists with "clay feet."
The detractors did not understand that Dune Messiah was a bridging work, connecting Dune with an as-yet-uncompleted third book in the trilogy. To get there, the second novel in the series flipped over the carefully crafted hero myth of Paul Muad'Dib and revealed the dark side of the messiah phenomenon that had appeared to be so glorious in Dune. Many readers didn't want that dose of reality; they couldn't stand the demotion of their beloved, charismatic champion, especially after the author had...
