Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Spasiteľ Duny

I really enjoy the writing style where the villains' intention is presented and then we follow the story from that point until the final resolution. I think this narrative style is what keeps me so engaged and invested in the story itself.

I like the ending and how the whole story from Dune until the ending of Dune Messiah turned out on the whole philosophical and religious level.

However, the only negative thing to say about the second book is how female characters were written and unfortunately, it affected my reading enjoyment. In Dune, Herbert wrote female characters as strong, independent with their own minds. Even though they had the more traditional roles in the story, they were still written well. However, I didn't like how the women were handled in Dune Messiah. Mainly Alia. I felt uncomfortable how sexualized her character was when you think about her age. Also, all of the female characters lacked their personalities from the first book and here they were just submissive and shallow, really.

I'll probably read the next book but will read it with caution and much lower expectations.

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decapode's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

YES. just yes. satisfying and heartwrenching all at once. herbert's vision finally made clear to those of us who couldn't really get it while reading the original. my second read was so much more satisfying than the first; previously, i'd probably give this a 4.

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aegireads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.5

(bdg voice) i just wish it was something else.

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nicolepaul_ine's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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izzymmcfarland's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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dayelb_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Frank Herbert is easily one of the best authors I've ever read. I don't see why any of these books aren't considered classics. This book takes you on a wild ride and represents the end of an era in the world of Arrakis. I can't wait to read the 3rd book as this one brought about just as many questions as it answered -- quite characteristic of Frank Herbert's writing.

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margotcolville's review against another edition

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reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I wish there had been a book in between Dune and Dune Messiah for character development of Paul. Paul felt very much like I missed out and now he’s ~Paul~. Continues to be very plot driven so it fits that we don’t get that, but I do wish we could. The last like 50 pages get FaSt and GoOd but it did feel a little disjointed from the rest of the slower, more detailed exposition. I wish maybe that had just been a little bit longer.

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