Children of Dune Plot Summary 🏜️

From the fall of a hero came a political battle that shaped the nature of Arrakis. ‘Children of Dune’ is the novel that concluded the life of Paul Atreides and began a new era that was for the benefit of humanity. After Paul walks into the desert, the characters Leto II and Ghanima, his children, become the center of politics; this leads to a series of events that shapes the Dune universe.

‘Spoiler-Free’ Summary of Children of Dune

The story of ‘Children of Dune’ begins some years after Paul walks into the desert as a blind man. With his children still being infants, the emperor’s throne becomes a vacant position, which Alia fills as regent. Because Alia had inherited problems while still in her mother’s womb, she became troubled by the ego of her grandfather.

Because Leto II and Ghanima had also been exposed to Melange the same way Jessica was, they came out of the womb with the minds of adults. Realizing that their aunt was out to get them, Leto and his sister try seeking ways to save themselves. Meanwhile, Leto discovers the true purpose of Arrakis’s transformation.

Soon, a preacher rises from the desert and begins to call out the evil of Alia and other members of the Muad’Dib’s religion; this greatly scares Alia and angers her at the same time. After Jessica returns to Arrakis, she discovers her daughter is far gone. Alia tries to harm her mother; this forces Jessica to flee into the desert.

Meanwhile, a plot to kill Leto and his sister fails; this gives Leto a chance as he escapes to find the preacher while his sister thinks he is dead. On returning, Stilgar and Duncan have a fallout, and this causes Stilgar to run away with Ghanima. Ghanima gets captured, and Leto returns with the preacher to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Children of Dune Plot Summary

The story of ‘Children of Dune’ begins nine years after Paul walked into the desert when he got blinded by a stone burner. Discovering that if he walked into the desert and left his children unprotected, they would be in grave danger, Paul puts his sister, Alia, as regent of the Padishah Empire. After Paul walks into the desert, the power struggle begins. Alia falls to the Abomination.

With Alia ruling Arrakis, a rapid transformation of the planet begins as the once dry world becomes lush. However, Alia gets possessed with the ego memory of Baron Harkonnen.

Jessica returns to Arrakis and discovers her daughter has succumbed to the Abomination. Alia’s mind begins turning dark, and soon, she begins despising Leto II and Ghanima. Meanwhile, the House of Corrino also begins planning in the shadows, and Princess Wensicia starts plotting against Paul’s twins.

Leto II discovers that Alia’s would lead to the destruction of all the sandworms; this makes him begin planning a way out. Meanwhile, a preacher arises from the desert and becomes a thorn in Alia’s flesh as he begins preaching against Alia and those who followed the religion of the Muad’Dib blindly.

Alia tries to kill her mother, but she escapes with Duncan’s help. The blind preacher travels to Selusa Secundus, where he meets with Farad’n, Princess Wensicia’s son, and promises Duncan Idaho as an agent for the House of Corrino. Paul’s children, with their foresight, evade an assassination attempt from Princess Wensicia. With the assassination attempt, Leto II leaves, seeking the blind preacher. Ghanima hypnotizes herself into believing that her brother got killed by the assassin tiger sent after them.

Jessica and Duncan flee Arrakis to Selusa Secundus. On Selusa Secundus, Jessica mentors Farad’n, and later on, he seizes power from his mother to become the leader of the House of Corrino. With him getting promised Ghanima, Farad’n joins forces with the Bene Gesserit.

After fleeing into the desert, Leto gets captured by a group of Fremen outlaws, with Gurney Halleck disguised as one of them. With orders from Jessica, Gurney persuades the outlaws to force Leto into a spice trance. After getting into a spice trance, Leto II sees the terrible future that awaits humanity if it remains on the wrong path; this makes Leto II forms the Golden Path.

Leto II escapes his captors and, in the desert, he fuses himself with a school of sand trout; this transforms him into a creature with super abilities. Leto finally meets the preacher and discovers that it was his father, Paul Atreides. Leto questions Paul about why he chose to abandon the Golden Path since he had also seen it.

Duncan provokes Stilgar and gets killed; this makes Stilgar run away with Ghanima. However, Ghanima gets recaptured by Alia, who plans her marriage with Farad’n, hoping she will kill him as revenge for Leto’s death.

Paul and Leto return to the capital to face Alia. Paul confronts Alia, and after getting called a blasphemer, he gets killed by Alia’s priest. Meanwhile, Leto displays his full strength, and revealing himself causes Ghanima to regain herself; Alia gets scared then, Leto discovers she got possessed by her maternal grandfather’s ego, Baron Harkonnen. Leto offers to help Alia, but she refuses and takes her life by throwing herself off the building.

Leto declares himself as the emperor and requests Farad’n give him the Sardaukar. After promising Ghanima to him, Farad’n hands over the Sardaukar. Leto marries Ghanima, but Farad’n becomes her consort.

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