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Book Reviews of God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Bk 4)

God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Bk 4)
God Emperor of Dune - Dune Chronicles, Bk 4
Author: Frank Herbert
ISBN: 21889
Publication Date: 1981
Pages: 404
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 1

3.5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Write a Review

4 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

jeffp avatar reviewed God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Bk 4) on + 201 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
God Emperor of Dune is the fourth book in the Dune series, and my second favorite of the bunch. Only Dune itself is better.

In God Emperor we find ourselves following Leto Atreides's life something over 3000 years after Children of Dune. Yes, he lives that long and it's not horribly contrived that he does so. In fact it was setup during Children of Dune and Herbert is simply following the plan he laid out there. But ruling a multi-galactic empire for over 3000 years is not a simple thing, and Leto's got reasons for everything he does. Those reasons are impressive. I like what Herbert says about humanity here. Leto makes the ultimate sacrifice to save us from ourselves.

In addition to Leto we have a few other major characters: Moneo, Leto's majordomo; Siona, Moneo's daughter; and Duncan Idaho, the most recent in a long line of gholas with their memories restored from the first Duncan, who died in Dune.

I have to give Herbert credit. He can write with a huge scale in mind and pull it off. Sometimes I feel that Leto's words are a bit thick, but on reflection they're actually right for a character of his age and experience, and if I was a deeper reader I might not feel that way.

Another important point is that God Emperor isn't classic science fiction in the usual sense. Oh, it's a classic, but it's not a space opera full of ray guns and space battles. It's mostly conversation and description, as much of the drama is in relationships, so the interactions among characters are key.

If you liked the first three Dune books you'll probably like this one too. I know I do.
reviewed God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Bk 4) on + 170 more book reviews
Leto Atreides II...God Emperor of Dune and part sandworm...rules his empire with an iron fist. The major factions of the Dune universe concoct a scheme to end his ten thousand year reign. This is a bridge between the first Dune trilogy and the final series. It's a little surrealstic and doesn't seem to fit in...but it has important repercusions on the books coming out now.
Bitzer avatar reviewed God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Bk 4) on + 95 more book reviews
An exciting expansion of the trilogy, Dune.
reviewed God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Bk 4) on + 11 more book reviews
Fourth book of Frank Herbert's great dune chronicles. Good condition