Though the original Dune was an epic in its own right, most people would give the sequels a miss unless they are hardcore sci-fi readers. I picked up the book in a random book swap shelf with its cover already falling apart. But in all honesty, I am not actively seeking to actively seek Herbert’s books and will only collect them if I stumble across them in bargain bins or book swaps.
I liked the first book but struggled through it. I thought the ending of Dune was a huge letdown after such a build up and left me thinking: “huh?” I don’t know if anybody shares this sentiment. The second book is much the same, with a little less of a “huh” factor. We know what to expect here.
Arrakis is still a stunning desert, but by this time Paul Atreidis lives in an extravagant palace, now controlling the universe, or at least a fair chunk of it, already decimating 65 billion people along the way, which makes Hitler look like the keyboard cat. He’s screwing the woman he loves, just not his wife, and is looking to make babies to ensure an heir to the throne. This sentiment is shared by the scums of the universe which includes a fishman swimming in a melange tank, that scary old bene gesserit lady from the first book and a face dancer, who is a Dune-day chameleon.
It is really the struggle between Paul and his prescient nature. He is not able to predict the future, only vague shadows of the coming and goings. He knows where things should be, roughly what things should happen, to do and not to do. And he struggles to save his loved ones from the destiny he fears. Where the first Dune is a bildungsroman, the second is a man trying to come to terms with his end.
The strengths of the first book is not lost here: Arrakis, the colourful characters like the face dancers, the occasional smut, violence and the reflections of predestination. The weaknesses of the first is also present here: the over-analysis of each character’s thoughts, sometimes cryptic as fuck, the flowery language that really, could be a lot simpler like how Paul felt like a rock was about to fall on his head:
He felt that he waited for the arrival of a rock on its blind journey from some height.
There is still much to like about the book, especially if you love double crosses, plot twists and awesome sounding names. Just a word of warning though, the best part of Dune is seldom ever make its cameo. There’s just not enough sandworms in this book.
