I’m new to the book series, currently reading Messiah, so please no spoilers beyond that. Anyway, I absolutely loved Dune, the first book in the series. I thought it was brilliant, but what surprises me is going online and seeing so many people who apparently didn’t get it. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how Paul is a hero in the first book and how Messiah subverts the readers expectations by deconstructing Paul as a hero. I’ve seen people say stuff like you don’t really get the full story of Dune unless you read Messiah, and I’ve even seen some people say that Dune is a white savior story. I’m sorry, but how did people read Dune and not already see what I thought was pretty obvious?
It’s pretty clear in Dune that the Bene Gesserit created this prophecy so that eventually they could use it as a means to control the Fremen. Was it not obvious already from the first book that Paul and Jessica were totally exploiting the Fremen and using the prophecy for their own political gain? On the one hand, yes the Fremen led by Paul are defeating their colonial oppressors and “liberating” Arrakis, but I also think it was pretty obvious that Paul was becoming their new oppressor, using his image as a prophet and liberator to control them. It’s just a different method of oppression and imperialism compared to what the Harkonnens were doing, but isn’t that one of the core points of the book? Paul and Jessica’s methods were just much more subtle and insidious, and was basically the result of shadowy Bene Gesserit schemes.
I almost feel like Messiah was written for people who didn’t understand the first book, and it is more blatantly spelling out what was already pretty clear from Dune. I think the first book completely stands on its own. Messiah is an obvious continuation of the story, but it is already implied in the first book what the consequences of Paul’s rise to power were going to be.
by RaindropDripDropTop
8 Comments
A lot of those comments you mention seem like shallow takes and I would take them with a grain of salt.
There’s quite a bit more to it than what you’ve described I feel, but may become more obvious the more you read.
The message of “Dune” is mankind seeks a hero, but that isn’t what’s best for them. Paul realises this. I hope that’s not too much of a spoiler.
Its more similar to muslim history than any white imperialism
Ive never read past the first book. I feel its a bit clunky to be honest. It has a big influence on ASoIaF and TWOT and i appreciate that. The most recent Dune movie is one of my favorites. I watched the original as well, thought it was good as a younger me. Ive never felt the need to go further in the series.
Cultural imperative to read “classic” books X low average media literacy
Wait until chat got reads the other books.
One part of Dune that people don’t get is that it’s written in response to Isaac Asimov’s foundation books. Foundation, like Dune, is primarily about future prediction and the fate of a galactic empire, but instead of the calculated predictions of Hari Seldon, which are perfectly understood and proceed perfectly (at least in book 1), you get Paul’s half understood and imperfect predictions where he kind of forces through an imperfect solution.
Foundation is also largely about roles rather than characters, the names and people in those roles aren’t really important. Dune, on the other hand, is all about Paul trying to push against the tide of his role as the Kwisatz haderach. He forges a tenuous peace as emperor rather than become a dictator and its left to Leto 2 to embrace the role of cosmic God king.
Dune is lame