Children of Dune

 

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert (1976) 444 pages 

I had to read this one twice to fully understand it. This one is a bit different than the first two, but when read as a trilogy I think it follows the events nicely. This one isn't full of action, but also has themes of philosophy and religion on the desert planet. Paul Muad'dib Atreides, has walked into the desert blind, abandoning his twin children to the care of the Fremen. In Paul's place, his sister Alia has taken over ruling the universe. The twins, Ghanima and Leto II have been born into the world having been awakened in the womb by the spice. They are like Paul in that they both have prescience..they can see visions of future and the genetic information of those who have lived in the past. Arrakis is ecologically changing, the mission which Paul had initially began is working. The Fremen no longer need to live in the sietches and the sand worms are disappearing. Alia, who was also awoken in the womb but did not acquire prescience, becomes "possessed" by the part of the Baron Harkonnen that lives within her memory. Alia goes so far in her possession in that she attempts to have the twins killed, and her own mother in order to secure the power as emperor for herself. The twins survive, but Leto is separated from Ghanima for the first time in their short lives. A stuggle between Alia (the Baron), the spacing guild, the Bene Gesserit, and House Corrino, and the mysterious "preacher" of the desert spirals until in the end Leto II seizes power and declares himself emperor. He declares that he will live for thousands of years, impossible even by ingesting the spice melange. 

There's much that I have left out but ultimately I think this was a great follow-up to Messiah. Sad to see Paul disappear into the desert but excited to see what happens next.