The nature of “Dune Messiah’s” story inversion to “Dune” creates a feeling of closure and curiosity. It provides closure to Paul Atreides’s story and makes its reader curious about the future of Paul’s children, Leto II and Ghanima.
The Story of A Hero’s Fall
“Dune Messiah” has a great story that follows its distinct layout instead of relying on its prequel for support. The book made its main character an anti-hero and innovatively portrayed his fall from grace. After Paul successfully defeats the Sardaukar and Harkonnen army in “Dune,” he becomes this invincible God worshipped by the Fremen and feared by everyone. However, “Dune Messiah” showed that though Paul had prescient powers and was the strongest Emperor in the known universe, he was still a human with flesh and blood.
Frank Herbert used “Dune Messiah” to not only expand on the dangers of governments and religion but to portray how humans immortalize and worship other humans. Frank used the story of his novel series’ sequel to show that no one is a God and that worshipping a person as one only creates a stage for doom and destruction.
Themes of Sorrow
Besides the seeping melancholy in every sentence of “Dune Messiah,” many resounding themes are featured throughout each aspect of the book. These themes include the fall of heroism, the dangers of religion, regret, and fate.
Frank introduced Paul in a new light from the novel’s first aspect. He was no longer the young boy who wanted to avenge the death of his father and the destruction of House Atreides. He was now an Emperor ruling a universe plagued by a jihad that had taken the lives of more than 62 billion people. As Paul introduced the events that unfolded over the past 12 years, a crippling guilt choked him. The once-great messiah realized he was no more than a cog in the well-oiled machine of religious indoctrination.
As the story progressed, Paul fell deeper into the hole of his regret. His once great power became a curse that showed him when those he dearly loved died. Tormented by his actions and tortured by his visions, he realized he had to give up on everything; this sealed the fall of the great messiah.
The Path of Tortured Characters
“Dune Messiah” is a dynamic story that alters many aspects of its characters’ lives. From Scytale’s polyvalent nature to Paul’s personality alteration, the book showed the effect of time on the behavior and ideologies of people. In “Dune Messiah,” Paul changed from a young boy to a messianic Emperor who leads a bloody jihad in his name. The story showed that his powers altered his mind to the point where the line between good and evil became non-existent.
Though Paul saw what must happen to save humanity, he could not continue. The high number of people dead in his name weighed on his mind, and he could not sacrifice his humanity to become a total god. Frank’s new direction with Paul became the message he wanted to tell for a long time: Heroes Fail Under the Weight of their Success.
Other characters like Hayt and Alia also discovered the essence of human living. Alia experienced love for the first time and admitted how painful it was to live a life of isolation. Hayt fought his programming and resurrected the part of him that cared about Paul.
The novel also explored new characters like Scytale, Edric, and Irulan Corrino. It showed how these characters’ motivations altered the fabric of time, and for some, like Irulan, it showed their development into better versions of themselves.
The Realism In Dialogues
“Dune Messiah‘s” dialogues amplify the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the characters in the story. From conversations showing regret to those portraying the effect of hate and how it leads to blind conspiracies, the book uses a third-person point of view to propel its characters’ development. The natural tone in “Dune Messiah’s” conversations creates a realistic feeling of humanity that resonates with the reader, making the story more natural.
Writing Style and Conclusion
“Dune Messiah’s” writing has a fundamentally unique style that separates it from other books. From its unique vocabulary to a keen attention to detail, the novel breaks the constraints of its genre and assimilates the elements of different literary categories, making it one of the most refreshing stories to read. Using a resigned and depressing tone, “Dune Messiah” captures its reader’s mind with each sentence, drawing them into its world.
Structure and Pacing
Unlike “Dune,” “Dune Messiah” has a more restricted storyline. The plot seems to focus on the actions of Paul Atreides concerning his enemies and allies. The first novel created a world where power and politics reigned. However, Frank Herbert tarnished the idea of heroism and destroyed the notion of governments with virtually unlimited power using the second novel’s plot.
“Dune Messiah” also lacked the weight of its predecessor. In terms of urgency and narration, the novel seems to falter behind “Dune;” this was one of the contributing factors that made it less noticeable among the rest of the books.
A Green Setting
Unlike “Dune,” “Dune Messiah’s” setting’s impact seemed to have a lower influence on the plot. As Paul had already become the leader of the known universe, he did not need to focus on his surroundings. However, he began the plan to transform the desert world into a lush green environment.
Paul, who misinterpreted the Golden Path plan, thought he was supposed to change Arrakis, but his actions negatively impacted the creatures that created Melange, the sandworms; this reduced spice’s production and, in turn, increased Paul’s power, as he had more control over the one resource crucially needed to maintain the Imperium.
Main Pros and Cons
Being the weakest novel in the “Dune” series, “Dune Messiah” has pros and cons.
As for its pros, “Dune Messiah” has an interesting story with excellent plotlines and rewarding moments. The novel understands that its readers are coming from a prequel filled with intense moments, and it expertly keeps the action consistent while inverting the primary storyline to fit in the narrative of Paul’s fall from grace. Few novels can change the image of their primary protagonist without plot holes, but “Dune Messiah” does it gracefully.
Another solid aspect of the novel is its excellent language and vocabulary. Though “Dune Messiah” seemed like a weak entry, it brought incredibly distinct ideas and introduced the Bene Tleilaxu, an order of genetic engineers; this made the overall plot refreshing. With the Tleilaxu’s arrival, the story introduces new words and concepts that perfectly fit into the overall plot.
The novel also had an epic ending that concluded the journey of the messiah, Paul Atreides. Frank’s conclusion of Paul’s messianic journey was nothing short of poetic.
As for its cons, “Dune Messiah’s” story ending left many questions about Paul and the jihad unanswered. In the novel’s conclusion, some may wonder why it feels like the jihad does not seem to be over. Also, as Paul is not dead, it may give people undue hope that the once-great Emperor may somehow return to take the throne.
Another weak aspect of the story was the lack of character depth. Because the novel was not longer, there were fewer characters, and the ones featured barely had any depth. Also, some characters, like Jessica, were not even featured.
Lasting Impact On Reader
“Dune Messiah‘s” ending invokes a feeling of melancholy with Paul Atreides’s fall. Though the book makes him an anti-hero, it does not shy away from the fact that Paul was also its hero and a man plagued with loss and suffering; this makes the ending gloomy but promising at the same time.
With a great story, excellent characters, emotional themes, and intricately appeasing dialogues, “Dune Messiah” leaves a mark on its reader and is worth reading.
Dune Messiah Review: The Fall of a Hero
Book Title: Dune Messiah
Book Description: 'Dune Messiah' concludes Paul Atreides' saga, depicting his fall from a revered figure to a man overwhelmed by power and ensnared in loss and conspiracy.
Book Author: Frank Herbert
Book Edition: First Edition
Book Format: Hardcover
Publisher - Organization: Putnam
Date published: August 25, 1969
ISBN: 978-0-399-14295-2
Number Of Pages: 256
- Story
- Characters
- Setting
- Writing Style
- Dialogue
- Conclusion
- Lasting Effect on Reader
Dune Messiah Review
The story of the great Paul Atreides ends in ‘Dune Messiah.’ From the worshipped God he was in ‘Dune,’ Paul’s world comes crashing as he gets crushed under the weight of his power. From loss to conspiracy and hate, ‘Dune Messiah’ brings an unexpected conclusion to Paul’s journey.
Pros
- Interesting story.
- Excellent language and vocabulary.
- Epic ending.
Cons
- Story ending leaves many questions about Paul and the jihad unanswered.
- Some characters lacked depth.
