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    Children of Dune: Book Three in the Dune Chronicles
    Unavailable
    Children of Dune: Book Three in the Dune Chronicles
    Unavailable
    Children of Dune: Book Three in the Dune Chronicles
    Audiobook16 hours

    Children of Dune: Book Three in the Dune Chronicles

    Written by Frank Herbert

    Narrated by Simon Vance and Scott Brick

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Frank Herbert's bestselling science fiction series of all time continues! In this third installment, the sand-blasted world of Arrakis has become green, watered and fertile. Old Paul Atreides, who led the desert Fremen to political and religious domination of the galaxy, is gone. But for the children of Dune, the very blossoming of their land contains the seeds of its own destruction. The altered climate is destroying the giant sandworms, and this in turn is disastrous for the planet's economy. Leto and Ghanima, Paul Atreides's twin children and his heirs, can see possible solutions—but fanatics begin to challenge the rule of the all-powerful Atreides empire, and more than economic disaster threatens...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateFeb 19, 2008
    ISBN9781427202925
    Unavailable
    Children of Dune: Book Three in the Dune Chronicles
    Author

    Frank Herbert

    Frank Herbert (1920-1986) created the most beloved novel in the annals of science fiction, Dune.  He was a man of many facets, of countless passageways that ran through an intricate mind.  His magnum opus is a reflection of this, a classic work that stands as one of the most complex, multi-layered novels ever written in any genre.  Today the novel is more popular than ever, with new readers continually discovering it and telling their friends to pick up a copy.  It has been translated into dozens of languages and has sold almost 20 million copies. As a child growing up in Washington State, Frank Herbert was curious about everything. He carried around a Boy Scout pack with books in it, and he was always reading.  He loved Rover Boys adventures, as well as the stories of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and the science fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs.  On his eighth birthday, Frank stood on top of the breakfast table at his family home and announced, "I wanna be a author."  His maternal grandfather, John McCarthy, said of the boy, "It's frightening. A kid that small shouldn't be so smart." Young Frank was not unlike Alia in Dune, a person having adult comprehension in a child's body.  In grade school he was the acknowledged authority on everything.  If his classmates wanted to know the answer to something, such as about sexual functions or how to make a carbide cannon, they would invariably say, "Let's ask Herbert. He'll know." His curiosity and independent spirit got him into trouble more than once when he was growing up, and caused him difficulties as an adult as well.  He did not graduate from college because he refused to take the required courses for a major; he only wanted to study what interested him.  For years he had a hard time making a living, bouncing from job to job and from town to town. He was so independent that he refused to write for a particular market; he wrote what he felt like writing.  It took him six years of research and writing to complete Dune, and after all that struggle and sacrifice, 23 publishers rejected it in book form before it was finally accepted. He received an advance of only $7,500. His loving wife of 37 years, Beverly, was the breadwinner much of the time, as an underpaid advertising writer for department stores.  Having been divorced from his first wife, Flora Parkinson, Frank Herbert met Beverly Stuart at a University of Washington creative writing class in 1946.  At the time, they were the only students in the class who had sold their work for publication.  Frank had sold two pulp adventure stories to magazines, one to Esquire and the other to Doc Savage.  Beverly had sold a story to Modern Romance magazine.  These genres reflected the interests of the two young lovers; he the adventurer, the strong, machismo man, and she the romantic, exceedingly feminine and soft-spoken. Their marriage would produce two sons, Brian, born in 1947, and Bruce, born in 1951. Frank also had a daughter, Penny, born in 1942 from his first marriage.  For more than two decades Frank and Beverly would struggle to make ends meet, and there were many hard times.  In order to pay the bills and to allow her husband the freedom he needed in order to create, Beverly gave up her own creative writing career in order to support his.  They were in fact a writing team, as he discussed every aspect of his stories with her, and she edited his work.  Theirs was a remarkable, though tragic, love story-which Brian would poignantly describe one day in Dreamer of Dune (Tor Books; April 2003).  After Beverly passed away, Frank married Theresa Shackelford. In all, Frank Herbert wrote nearly 30 popular books and collections of short stories, including six novels set in the Dune universe: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune.  All were international bestsellers, as were a number of his other science fiction novels, which include The White Plague and The Dosadi Experiment.  His major novels included The Dragon in the Sea, Soul Catcher (his only non-science fiction novel), Destination: Void, The Santaroga Barrier, The Green Brain, Hellstorm's Hive, Whipping Star, The Eyes of Heisenberg, The Godmakers, Direct Descent, and The Heaven Makers. He also collaborated with Bill Ransom to write The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect, and The Ascension Factor.  Frank Herbert's last published novel, Man of Two Worlds, was a collaboration with his son, Brian.

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    Reviews for Children of Dune

    4/5

    44 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      One thing is for sure - as Dune saga progresses you get less and less actual action and more philosophical discussions.

      This book follows the journey of Paul Atreid's son Leto. He has to decide whether to take drastic action his father feared so much and bring enlightenment to the humanity or falter and let entire human civilization crumble.

      As always there are some interesting points on religion, state, inner fatalism of every individual, way masses think and act, civilization and how to steer people to the greater good for all.

      I find it funny that author cannot make up his mind when it comes to religion - he mixes a lot of philosophies and is rather preachy when it comes to that, but is very specific when he talks about bad sides of religion - I can only guess who he took to portray the baddies (taking into account organizational structure he portrays). I guess it is popular approach to that subject. Maybe it would be better if he didn't make any relations to the existing religions at all and truly created something of its own.

      Otherwise interesting and highly recommended book but be wary - although there is action in here and plots and sub-plots, great deal of book is dedicated to philosophical discussion (less than in sequels to this book but nevertheless) so make sure you are in a mood for a rather long read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Interesting premise, but not well executed. I've no interest in rereading this or "Dune Messiah", but would reread the original "Dune" anytime.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      The chance to once again inhabit Mr. Herbert's universe makes up for the lack of momentum that 'The Chronicles' exhibit after 'Dune.' While 'Dune' is required reading for any Sci-Fi fan (and highly encouraged reading for everybody) only dedicated sci-fi readers will need apply here.
    • 5/5
      I love that the author is brave enough to make protagonists that are detestable, as was the case in the previous book--for me, at least! This book eases some of that harsh judgment on the character. Either way, I find this series and its amazing world-building to be fascinating.
    • 5/5
      Chidren of Dune, the third book in the Dune series, is one of the weirdest Dune books you'll ever read.Paul, now frail and blind, who should by all rights be abandoned by the Fremen whom he once led, leads a revolt against his Sister, who, thanks to a spice overdose when she was fetal, has a vivid memory of all her ancestors, including Vladimir Harkonnen. This persona takes over, and Alia is no longer in control.Meanwhile, Paul and Chani's children, Leto II and Ghanima, must try to survive as assassins abound.And the the weird stuff happens.If you liked Dune Messiah, you'll like Children of Dune. And if you read and Dune book by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, then, well, Children of Dune will be a breath of fresh air compared to their stagnant, constant milking of a dead man's empire.
    • 1/5
      Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book or any of the few additional Dune series books that I read after it.
    • 5/5
      The Preacher must preach against his own religion. Power must fight the over-extension of itself. Perpetual adaption to the fluidity of reality is essential to survival. My Skin is not my Own.This is the 3rd book in Frank Herbert's Dune series. I have not been disappointed by one of them. In fact, Herbert has only succeeded in unifying and substantiating his creation in the expansion of it. For me to set forth upon an enumerative voyage into the nuances of only this single book of Dune would be exhausting. The proverbs and quotes at the beginning of each chapter are simply brilliant. I was shocked at several occurrences within the story. First, the manner of manifestation of Alia's Abomination. The Golden Path of Leto II blew me away. Shai Hulud! I was also shocked at the death of 3 characters. Yet, as the Ghola Duncan Idaho showed us, we cannot be certain of the finality of death.It was a bit disturbing to witness how instantaneous was the transformation that power brought upon Leto II. From a 9 year old boy, lost and alone in the desert, facing certain death, to a god. As Leto reveals to Farad'n Corrino, he has not escaped Abomination himself.We can never escape the path that our ancestors have set us upon. We simply maneuver within it, searching for the Golden Way through. As did Jessica, so I found Farad'n Corrino a likable character, much unlike his grandfather Shaddam IV. His interests in history are honorable and his fate as Royal Scribe was quite fitting—though how long will he be caged, I know not. I noted with curiosity that his father was related to Count Hasimir Fenring. Very much looking forward to God Emperor of Dune. Arrakis awaits.
    • 5/5
      I know I'm not supposed to say things like this, but these books are good like Tolkien. I could get very hyperbolic about anything Dune written by the elder Frank Herbert.The third book in the Dune series manages to maintain excitement and suspense w/out a single real action sequence. The conflict resides almost solely in the struggle of ideas and definitions of Time and reality in the heads of various schemers and pretenders during the extended aftermath of Muad'Dib's departure. I am a sucker for books that use narrative structures that match their themes and conflicts. Herbert is a beast at this!Book three has all of the compelling characters of the original and scales back on the fatalism that permeated the first sequel.While I've heard that the later books in the series become gradually less good, Herbert can fall a long way and still be better than most. I'm going to keep reading!
    • 3/5
      This is the third novel in the Dune series, so you should at least read Dune and Dune Messiah before tackling this one--the question is if having done so you should continue on at all.I loved the first book, Dune and rated it a full five stars. After the epic sweep of the first book, the immediate sequel might seem underwhelming. Even just looking at both books, the first looks very slender compared to the first book's doorstopper thickness. The second book is far more intimate really in its themes, and in some ways can feel like just a bridge to this novel, so I took it down a notch in rating it. When we come to this third book, we once again find a novel epic in length and scope, intertwining themes of politics, religion and philosophy in an exotic galactic empire and desert planet and it's skillfully written. But for me where it fails is in its characterizations, and after this novel I just didn't care anymore about this series and no longer wished to continue.A friend of mine, a graduate student in literature likes to tease me about my shallow wish to care about characters in books, and points out characters can still be unlikeable yet interesting, complex and lend you insight about the human condition. I admit it--that's not enough for me--I want to root for characters in a book. At least one character. I did in the first two volumes. I loved the young Paul and his mother Jessica in the first book--I found them easily relatable and I loved Alia in the second book. I don't like what is made of their characters in the third book--even admitting the development in their characters have their logic.Moreover, I can't stand the characters that are the titular focus of this book, the children of Paul and Chani, the twin girl and boy Ghanima and Leto. Both (like Alia) are "pre-born." That is from birth they are adult in consciousness and intelligence with a knowledge of the lives of their ancestors. By the time we catch up to them in this book they're nine-years-old and seriously creepy. It's Leto who carries the book and loses what little humanity he has within it, and with that went my interest in the series.Because this is well-written and does have thought-provoking ideas, I can't make myself mark this down to the half star that would reflect my loathing for it. But loathe it I did.
    • 3/5
      This novel continues the trend after the original Dune, toward deeper, philosophical writing that extends beyond my capacity for pleasure reading.
    • 4/5
      Feint within feint; plot within plot; backstabbing within backstabbing… These elements make up the driven words of Frank Herbert's Children of Dune. It was very difficult for me to put this book down. Where the first book of Dune was fascinating in plot, structure, and form, Children of Dune read like a tabloid and political manifesto joined together as one. I say tabloid because it is filled with political back-stabbing and musings into, "who is Alia sleeping with now?" And, "is Paul, our religious leader/God, really dead?"The other thing kept happening were plans…lot and lots of plans that everyone had for each other and would be thwarted due to ill-perceived actions and rumors as to an enemy's next move. So much of the political meanderings were saturated with guesswork due to paranoia of how the next betrayal would go.It was fun! It was fascinating just to "watch" all of these people in great positions of power lose themselves. It was an anarchist's wet dream! Well…the dream lasted until the end when it all goes a certain way, in a manner that was predicted early in the book.I would love to read more, especially to see what happens to the Empire after Leto II's rein of power. But, alas, we all have heard the rumors: the rest of the Dune books are simply a waste of time.I suppose I shall see.
    • 5/5
      A lot of your favorite characters begin to unravel in this installment. Herbert completes the original trilogy brilliantly.
    • 5/5
      Magnificent piece, although this one delves deeper into superpowers, that might throw off some readers. I really enjoyed the preacher scenes. The political plotting is well made as well.
    • 2/5
      Unfortunately, Children of Dune has none of the imagination, writing or vision of Dune. I was unsympathetic to all of the characters, especially the Atreides. Furthermore, it rewrites the series' history in a very unsatisfactory way.
    • 4/5
      Hmm, I'm not sure what to say about this book. Was it "good"? Yes and no. I found it interesting mainly due to the immersion in the world of Dune. But I sometimes found myself bored by the actual plot and some of the writing. Herbert does love to slather on the mystical pseudo-philosophy a bit thick. And the plot was about as exciting as The Phantom Menace. It comes nowhere near Dune in terms of readability. The last few chapters were definitely a nice payoff for getting through some of the slower parts. I'd mainly suggest reading this book if you're goal is to read the entire series.
    • 4/5
      Apart from the storyline, I liked the book. I was compelled to keep reading it and was reluctant to put it down until I finally reached the end. Having said that, I'm still quite befuddled as to what all was going on. I understand bits of it, especially the part where Leto succumbs fully to the mythos/fate/whatever-you-call-it that his father tried to run from and his aunt, Alia, was too scared to face, a course which robs him completely of his humanity. But to what end? Who is the enemy and who is the victor? What exactly is going on? I'm sure Herbert explained these things in the book, somewhere amidst the heavy wordplay he uses to explain the workings of the Dune universe, but those explanations escape me. Perhaps my perplexed psyche will be up to another reading to search for those answers...in a few more years.
    • 4/5
      I like it and I don't. I think because I liked Paul so much that, with him gone, I just wasn't interested anymore.
    • 2/5
      I gave up reading Dune books after this one. A shame after such a classic as Dune.
    • 5/5
      This book is my favorite out of the series for the fact that it seems to step a bit outside of Herbert's usual zone. Ghanima and Leto II are different than his other characters, even Alia, and the plot line is not as predictable as a result.Herbert is a master of teasing you just enough to keep you interested in the plot without giving it away and then throwing a surprise in at the end.
    • 5/5
      Things take off back to the level of Dune. As the title implies, this is the tale of the children of Chani and Muad'Dib, who are what is called 'pre-born'. They are born with the memories of ancestors going back millennia, which obviously gives them a different outlook on life and the universe. A short summary just doesn't do things justice. After polishing off the first third or so of God Emperor of Dune, Children of Dune is just a mere set-up novel to the later layers of story. Again, I cannot stress the profundity and overall amazing concept of the Dune saga. It is dry and almost boring in tone, like C-Span, but the content more than makes up for it, unlike C-Span.