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A review by beanjoles
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sometimes I love Herbert’s way of writing and other times it feels unnecessarily convoluted. There were some poignant and bittersweet moments, but a lot of parts that just felt muddled to me. Sad to say but I never fully grasped the importance of Paul’s prescience and why he felt he couldn't avoid his “Jihad” (word choice that did not age well imo). I’m certain this contributes to why I found elements of the book confusing. That aside, some of the reflections on government, leadership, and cults of personality were incredible and I marked them down for later.
Quote 1 that I liked:
"Here lies a toppled god—
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one."
—TLEILAXU EPIGRAM
Quote 2:
“You produce a deadly paradox,” Jessica had written. “Government cannot be religious and self-assertive at the same time. Religious experience needs a spontaneity which laws inevitably suppress. And you cannot govern without laws. Your laws eventually must replace morality, replace conscience, replace even the religion by which you think to govern. Sacred ritual must spring from praise and holy yearnings which hammer out a significant morality. Government, on the other hand, is a cultural organism particularly attractive to doubts, questions and contentions. I see the day coming when ceremony must take the place of faith and symbolism replaces morality.”
Quote 1 that I liked:
"Here lies a toppled god—
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one."
—TLEILAXU EPIGRAM
Quote 2:
“You produce a deadly paradox,” Jessica had written. “Government cannot be religious and self-assertive at the same time. Religious experience needs a spontaneity which laws inevitably suppress. And you cannot govern without laws. Your laws eventually must replace morality, replace conscience, replace even the religion by which you think to govern. Sacred ritual must spring from praise and holy yearnings which hammer out a significant morality. Government, on the other hand, is a cultural organism particularly attractive to doubts, questions and contentions. I see the day coming when ceremony must take the place of faith and symbolism replaces morality.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror