“Power attracts the psychotics. Always. That’s what we have to avoid within ourselves.”

In this one we get another time jump and the twins are now nine although in reality they seem much older. I think it was often hard to forget that they were only nine until someone referred to them as a child. Once you read this one I think Dune Messiah makes more sense and can be appreciated just a little bit more. In this one we start to see just how far Paul's religion has failed and how complacent the Fremen are starting to become. The twins have come up with a rather intense plan that I have to admit I didn't understand at all until the very end when it was explained but holy cow. Alia's storyline in this one was interesting I think just because we got to see a bit of what could happen to those who are preborn like the twins.

The Preacher was an interesting addition in this story because he went against all of the things that Paul taught. He didn't feel like a super important character for most of the story though in my opinion at least not until the end. We get Lady Jessica back in the story as an active participant this time. She seems to be back to her Bene Gesserit roots in this one and she returns to Arrakis! We also get some new House Corrino members who are wanting the throne back. We also get some old favorites who seem to be a bit different which connects to all the various changes happening around them.

I think I really loved how much this one felt like Dune with all the political scheming. I mean like every single character is working some angle. I loved how much we weren't told until the end. I also enjoyed all the plots within plots. We had spies and double agents. I honestly think this one was really engaging. I wish the twins were older characters just because they act older and sometimes it confuses me. I loved that we start to see how a religion can begin to unravel so easily once it's in the wrong hands. I mean without Paul around things have gone so far to the extreme and the Fremen have become so different.

The twins have a plot to fix things and I wasn't expecting it to be honest. However, it does make perfect sense once it begins to be explained. I loved seeing just how different Ghani and Leto became as they encountered different journeys in this book. I look forward to seeing how the scheming plays out in the next book. I love that this series has consumed me so completely when it's not something I would normally read. It's been a wild ride and honestly it's an amazing story if you are willing to let yourself get immersed in the characters and the world. It can at times be a bit overwhelming and confusing but it always becomes clear in the end. ( )

Tossing up between 3 or 4 stars.
I gave the first 2 books 3 stars, but enjoyed this one more. Probably 3.5 but rounded it up to 4.
I have the next 3 books, plus some prequels, etc, but think this is a good point to leave Dune for a while. ( )

This the second time I have read this book. The first time was in the 1979s when I was in high school. Back then I didn’t appreciate or understand what Frank Herbert was trying to do. I think I understand a little bit better rereading it now as an adult.

Dune is the classic Hero’s journey. Dune Messiah is the hero struggling to manage the results of the journey. This book, Children of Dune, details how the people around the hero work to redirect the result of that original hero’s journey.

This makes Children of Dune a very challenging read because the nature of the characters changes. The aims and aspirations of the characters are different in Children of Dune than they were in Dune. In addition, the nature of the past voices in those characters who partake in the drug melange makes it difficult, but not impossible, to follow the nature of the character’s desires. Indeed, one (or two) characters purposefully lie to themselves in order to protect their own sanity. This makes it difficult to follow whose aims we are following with so many of the first-person narratives being potentially unreliable. But this is what makes the reading challenge worthwhile because to some extent it reflects real life: we are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives.

One of the other things that I found make Children of Dune a difficult but still interesting read is that many of the characters sometimes seem like they may be protagonists but then end up working against other protagonists. Often times simply because they do not know what those around them know and are thinking. In addition, some protagonists do reprehensible things all in the name of a god, of a faith, and an assumption that the ends justify the means. And I wonder if that is one of the issues that Frank Herbert was investigating when he wrote his Dune Chronicles. The nature of religion as seen in history seems to be that awful acts are justified as doing the will of a god or a messiah or charismatic leader. That seems to be a good reflection on the current state our world. Frank Herbert is still relevant 40 years after publishing these books. ( )

Coming fairly late to the series (mainly due to the excellent Denis Villeneuve film). I loved the first and that drove me to the next two. I've heard the refrain that the second book is just ok, while the third one (Children of Dune) is almost as good as the first. I'm going to disagree with that. I really enjoyed the second book (Dune Messiah), while this one is just ok. Dune Messiah is really a study of power corrupting and the forces arrayed against the all powerful. The son realizes the damage his power had wrought and walks away, to reappear in this book as the mysterious voice of reason.
Children of Dune is, in essence, is a generational battle to clean up the mess and save the empire. More soap opera than a commentary of human nature. I enjoyed this book, Dune Messiah is just a more interesting story. ( )

The third in the "Dune" series by Frank Herbert. I enjoyed this so much more than I did the second book. We meet up with many of the characters from the previous books, and also some new ones. My favorite character was Farad'n. Admittedly, some of the conversations and themes were so over my head, but they were still interesting enough for me to read on.

The world building is absolutely astonishing, and I can't wait to continue on with this amazing series. ( )