Nona's Reviews > Copiii Dunei

#reread2

So, I know people say the series is going downhill after volume 2, but I really, really like "Children of Dune". Sure, it's chaotic, illogical in some parts, with unexplained bits and pieces (and some not so "bits and pieces", but rather significant aspects); it's also uneven when it comes to pacing and the time jumps annoyed me. But I still love it.

It's the children. Their relationship, the telepatic connection, the shared lives that make them understand each other without words, their conspiracy to overthrow a system built by their father and replace it with something higher than life, that will ensure their survival but ultimately destroy the world as they know it. The construction of the plot - and its twist - did not make me swoon (too convoluted, too confusing, not enough build-up); but, once all the puzzle pieces fell into place, the brilliancy and monstrosity of the plan had me astonished and horrified at the same time at the reasoning of two children - ok, they're barely children, but the constant cognitive dissonance makes it all even more dazzling.

The constant of the series is the hero who is not really a hero, absolute power that corrupts absolutely. I remember hating Herbert the first time I read it for the way he treated his characters, in particular Paul and Alia. But it all makes sense and the real world has countless examples of people wanting to change the world for the better only to take it into more darkness after being corrupted by power. And thus we have Paul, and thus we have Alia - her corruption being the focus of the third volume and the catalyst for the twins' conspiracy. Her fate, once again, made me sad, though it was the only logical fate, as it is the only logical fate for everyone reaching such unchecked power. It might seem repetitive, after "Dune Messiah", except that Alia is not Paul and each of them makes different mistakes that ultimately take them on the same road. And she becomes, to me, the more interesting character, because of what (and who) she has to fight against.

And, while I was not a fan of The Preacher (and of the "back from the dead" trope - too obvious), I enjoy the foreshadowing he brings regarding his son's choices and the road ahead.

One other thing that I very much enjoyed is the lore. I live for lore and "Children of Dune" does not disappoint except maybe in the brevity of it (I do hope it is continued in the next books, I have only vague memories of the series after #3 and remember not really liking it past "Children"). And when I say lore, I mainly mean the history of the sandworm and the Fremen culture tightly interwoven with the worms. Arrakis has survived as a closed world for centuries, an ecosystem where everything functioned and every element had a purpose - but who, or what, created this ecosystem, and what happens if one element is tampered with?

Herbert's writing does not disappoint, in fact, I think it gets better. Sure, there's the pacing issues (I'm generally annoyed by uneven time jumps), but he does not break reader engagement, his world is even more immersive, and he created complex, amazing characters that inspired many other writers. Alia mainly, I keep going back to her because she is so well done.

The Dune universe does not end with the trilogy, and I'm curious about my perception now as opposed to 19-year old me on the subsequent volumes (which I remember not liking very much way back when). So on we go...