Children of Dune

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

It also annoyed readers who had grown a liking for Paul Atreides. However, in the third novel, ‘Children of Dune,’ Frank Herbert used a genius mix of words, an intense world, story building, and intricate dialoguing to create the first bestselling science fiction novel.

Key Details about Children of Dune

• Book Title: ‘Children of Dune.’
• Author: Frank Herbert.
• Book Inspiration: The Inspiration for the story is the same as ‘Dune.’ After Frank Herbert wrote the first book in the Dune series, he got irritated by the idea of heroes and decided to make a U-turn in the second novel. After ‘Dune Messiah, he began writing ‘Children of Dune,’ a novel that would conclude the life of Paul Atreides.
• Publication Date: April 1976.
• Literary Period: Contemporary Period.
• Setting: Arrakis, Selusa Secundus.
• Point of View: Third person.
• Genre: Science fiction.
• Climax: The climax of the novel occurs when Leto and Paul travel to the capital to face off Alia. Paul gets stabbed, and Leto reveals his newly found powers to a terrified Alia possessed by the ego of her maternal grandfather.
• Protagonists: Leto II, Ghanima, Paul Atreides, Duncan Idaho, Jessica.
• Antagonists: Alia, Princess Wensicia.

Frank Herbert and Children of Dune

After the completion of ‘Dune Messiah,’ many questions arose concerning the future of Leto II and Ghanima. In ‘Children of Dune,’ Frank Herbert showed how Leto II rose to become the emperor of the universe.

On publication, the book ‘Children of Dune’ became an instant hit as sales skyrocketed. The novel became the first-ever science fiction novel to become a best seller. It not only became a bestseller but also made other science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov get their first bestsellers.

Books Related to Children of Dune

As a novel that paved the way for ecological science fiction among other subgenres in the science fiction genre, there are many novels similar to ‘Children of Dune.’

Here is a list of novels that show similarities to ‘Children of Dune’ by Frank Herbert:

• ‘Hyperion’ by Dan Simmons is a book that tells the story of a world called Hyperion, where a creature called the Shrike exists. With the monster living beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, it became a God worshipped and feared by some people. However, a group of people vows to destroy the creature and begin a journey through the Valley of Time Tombs, a place where gigantic structures move backward in time. With the entire galaxy plunging into war, the seven pilgrims who swore to kill the Shrike travel to Hyperion one last time to find answers to mysteries in their lives.
• ‘The Eye of the World’ by Robert Jordan is the first novel in The Wheel of Time Series. The book tells the story of a world where there exists the Wheel of Time, an ancient entity that circles all life and turns the tides of time. After the village of the two rivers gets attacked by Trollocs, five people from the village fled to begin a journey that would affect the balance of the world.
• ‘The Battle of Corrin’ by Brian Herbert is a novel that talks about the story of the Butlerian Jihad in the Dune universe. After the Jihad began, humanity fought against the machine empire for decades; this saw the destruction of worlds and the decimation of humans. Fifty-six years after the war started, humans started gaining foot in the war. Though famed leaders like Serena Butler had died, humanity began to liberate planets from the clutches of Omnius, the machine god. On realizing he will get defeated, Omnius begins introducing violent plagues to destroy humanity. Many worlds get decimated, and many people die from the plague. In one last effort to destroy the machine god, the Butlerian army takes the fight to Corrin, where they confront Omnius himself.
• ‘Forward the Foundation’ by Isaac Asimov is the second prequel to the Foundation series. The novel narrates the story of Hari Seldon, who desperately tries to perfect his theory of psychohistory. As Hari works on psychohistory, the Galactic empire draws closer to the foretold destruction; this leads to a struggle for Hari Seldon as he becomes a vital piece for the domination and control of the universe. With the emperor and a ruthless military general setting their sights on psychohistory, Hari tries to save his work as he begins looking for his true heirs.
• ‘Foundation and Empire’ by Isaac Asimov is the second novel in the Foundation series. The book tells the story of a new breed of men who create a new galactic government after the previous one fell into chaos. With the rise of the new galactic government, the Foundation enters into conflict with the First Empire as a wave of conflict and struggle for power begins.

The Lasting Impact of Children of Dune