Even though Dune Messiah takes places 12 years after the events in Dune, the story picks up at a natural point in the narrative. In addition to being less than half the length of the first book, the story of Dune Messiah has a much narrower focus. Paul Atreides rules the known universe as both a political and religious leader, and a conspiracy gathers to usurp him which is the focus of much of the book. And while this narrower scope of the story which focuses on only a handful characters serves to differentiate Dune Messiah from Dune, it does not diminish the impact of the story.

In Dune, it was destined that Paul would rule. The reader knows this shortly after beginning the book. But in Dune Messiah, the reader realizes that Paul’s fate could be anything and may lie along any path. The reader finds out that through his continued use of the spice melange, Paul knows his ultimate fate through his glimpses of the future and works to steer the events of his life towards that future.

If you expect the sequel to Dune to feature more full-scale battles and grand, epic storytelling then you will be disappointed with Dune Messiah. But if you expect further high quality writing and storytelling in new directions of Paul’s life, then you will find Dune Messiah to be yet another excellent example of what truly great science fiction writing can be from Frank Herbert.

Rating: 9 out of 10.