Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the third entry of Frank Herbert’s original Dune Chronicles, Stilgar, Naib of the Sietch Tabr, raises the orphaned twins of Paul Muad’Dib and Chani, named Leto and Ghanima, who are nine years old at the beginning of the story. In Paul’s absence, his sister Alia rules the Imperium and wants to groom Leto as her successor to the throne. In the meantime, a wanderer known as The Preacher roams Arrakis, spreading his teachings. Furthermore, Princess Wensicia Corrino, daughter of the deposed Emperor Shaddam IV, wishes her son Farad’n to overthrow Alia and regain control of the Imperium.
Throughout the story, Alia finds herself possessed by the spirit of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, with her nephew embarking on a quest across the desert, experimenting with melange trances and communicating with the sandworms, which eventually begins to alter his body chemistry. Jessica further trains Farad’n in Bene Gesserit teachings, intending him to marry Ghanima, who at one point seeks advice from her missing father’s consort Irulan, the eldest daughter of Shaddam IV. During his desert excursion, Leto receives help from his father’s advisor Gurney Halleck, House Atreides’ War Master.
Farad’n himself consults The Preacher, with a kidnapping of Jessica plotted, the mother of Paul yearning to banish Wensicia. Duncan Idaho is further involved in the plot against the twins, and throughout the novel come several deaths and revelations of things such as the identity of The Preacher. While it’s obvious who this mysterious wanderer is from the beginning, the third entry is still enjoyable, with plenty of political intrigue and hints of what will come in further books. However, like its predecessors, it borders more on human interest than science fiction.
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