Reviews

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

loren26's review against another edition

1.0

Oh boy, these books are getting really strange. I think I would like it more if I were smart enough to understand these webs of sociopolitical drivel. 2 more to go!

ryderstanley's review against another edition

4.0

I very much enjoyed this book, far more than Children of Dune that is. Frank Herbert continues to impress me with his ideas; I find the concepts put forward here even more enticing and thought-provoking than the message put forth in the first two. It essentially elaborates on some of the concepts found in the third book, turning them from mildly interesting musings to an introspective and deeply tragic reflection on the nature of humanity. I still would say that it cannot compare to the Dune/Dune Messiah combo, it never evoked the same exhilarating passionate feelings that they did. While the first two were very emotionally enticing as well as philosophically intriguing, God Emperor of Dune is a far more philosophically enticing text but without any real emotional substance. However, the last chapter left me far more exhilarated and emotional than I did in any of the previous books, I just wish that the whole book was written that way. I would also like to compliment the development of Prose that Frank Herbert is showing, purely from a writing-style point of view it is far more enjoyable to read with far more beautiful prose descriptions.

8/10

kindlereads's review against another edition

4.0

Was is bad? No. Was it weird as fuck? Hell yeah! It was just about as good as book 3. 1 was beautiful, so that would be comparing apples to oranges.

simazhi's review against another edition

5.0

Can it get much better than this in the Dune saga?

nmadden1's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nednewbi3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

estherrez93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense 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

5.0

This book was my favorite so far in the Dune saga. He continues to challenge societal and belief structures, even ones we aren’t fully aware of. Very thought-provoking.

dorinlazar's review against another edition

5.0

The God Emperor story is by far the most accomplished part of the Dune universe. It is the one book from the extended series (outside the first book) that is really worth its salt.

The God Emperor sacrifices himself for the "Golden Path" that is never explained. After more than 3000 years he chooses his heir and prepares her for the troubled times to come, however, the story ends before we find out how things work in his absence.

There are many wise fragments that are worth quoting from this book, and I think this is where Herbert shows his strengths as well as his limits. Unfortunately, we never get a clear description of the Golden Path, but it is suggested that the Golden Path consists in hatred for stagnation, which the God Emperor instills in his subjects.

Worth reading and re-reading as well.

goldenmateo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

trentl14's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5