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    God Emperor of Dune: Book Four in the Dune Chronicles
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    God Emperor of Dune: Book Four in the Dune Chronicles
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    God Emperor of Dune: Book Four in the Dune Chronicles
    Audiobook15 hours

    God Emperor of Dune: Book Four in the Dune Chronicles

    Written by Frank Herbert

    Narrated by Simon Vance, Scott Brick and Katherine Kellgren

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    More than three thousand years have passed since the first events recorded in Frank Herbert's DUNE. Only one link survives with those tumultuous times: the grotesque figure of Leto Atreides, son of the prophet Paul Muad'Dib, and now the virtually immortal God Emperor of Dune. He alone understands the future, and he knows with a terrible certainty that the evolution of his race is at an end unless he can breed new qualities into his species. But to achieve his final victory, Leto Atreides must also bring about his own downfall . . .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJun 24, 2008
    ISBN9781427204332
    Unavailable
    God Emperor of Dune: Book Four 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 God Emperor of Dune

    3.5/5

    2,271 ratings36 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Compared to the first three books, God Emperor is much slower. This one focuses on philosophy and the Golden Path to justify the God Emperor's tyranny. Each chapter begins with a quote from Leto's journals, to give insight into the reasoning behind his method and the nature of humanity. Leto's tranquility is harshly enforced, and must remain so until Leto is certain he is no longer needed. This will occur when his breeding program produces his desired result, a new strain of human that can avoid the traps he and Muad'dib fell into.
    • 4/5
      Again a great story from Frank Herbert. It seems a bit lacking in the middle parts with the plot moving very slowly, but the lore and ending make up for it. The power creep is intensive in this series. I wonder what the next one will bring.
    • 5/5
      I consider this the bookend to the Atreides Saga. The first book was and is a classic but the next two weren't as good. This book gets closest to the quality of the first book but manages to stand out on it's own as a great work. The reference that have been made because of this book are many but its influence is far more subtle. I look at the God Emperor as a character that is truly original. I haven't read anything that has a lead character that is both all powerful and extremely flawed but is at peace with knowing all of this. This book shows that you can write a character that is very powerful but sympathetic to the audience.
    • 3/5
      3,500 years after the end of the third book in the series, God Emperor of Dune shows us the (very long) continuing reign of Leto II -- son of Paul Atreides / part-man, part-sandworm / ruler and deity for the known universe. Leto is, to be honest, a little bored. He passes the time by noticing changes in his ever-evolving body, dipping into his ancestral memories, setting up a complicated breeding program to improve the Atreides line, keeping a *very* close eye on the universe, and getting some techies on another planet to create clones of his number one fave from the old days, Duncan Idaho. The problem is that what makes Duncan so great (his impetuousness, constant questioning, irresistible sexuality, and knowledge of the past world of Dune) also make him a bit of a liability, and Leto has to keep killing his Duncans. This very long game is all, of course, in service of the Golden Path -- a way through the complete annihilation of life in the universe foreseen by both Leto and his father. Leto's solution, as revealed in his secret journals, appears to be making the people of the universe so irritated and antsy for some personal freedom and creative control that after he is gone they won't turn to another despot / spiritual leader. The finale on this one is pretty great, but after a bit, the reader becomes just as bored as Leto about his philosophizing and cute references to ancient Earth history. This one also continues Herbert's well-meaning but rankling exoticism of Arab and Asian cultures, and adds in some kind of weird ideas on female sexuality to boot. Still, this is a worthy and interesting continuation of this series, and I'm in so deep that I'm looking forward to books 5 and 6 to see what these crazy Atreides do next (and I hope the sandworms come back).
    • 4/5
      Frank Herbert’s God Emperor of Dune picks up 3,500 years after the events of Children of Dune, with Leto II Atreides now a massive human-sandworm hybrid ruling over the Empire as its God Emperor. He underwent the bodily transformation to create a period of enforced peace that would preserve humanity and redirect its worst impulses. Further, he took control of the Bene Gesserit breeding program, managing the various descendants of his sister Ghanima Atreides and Farad’n Corrino (Harq al-Ada). Further, ecological changes have turned Dune into a lush planet, with only a small area set aside for desert. The worms no longer exist and Leto controls the various factions within the Empire by carefully doling out spice from his private hoard.Herbert uses this fourth book in the Dune series to debate the nature of rulers, religion, and historical memory. He writes, “The Romans broadcast the pharonic disease like grain farmers scattering the seeds of next season’s harvest – Caesars, Kaisers, tsars, imperators, caseris … palatos … damned pharaohs!... We are myth-killers, you and I, Moneo. That’s the dream we share. I assure you from a God’s Olympian perch that government is a shared myth. When the myth dies, the government dies” (pg. 49). Building on this, Herbert continues through debate between Leto and his majordomo, Moneo, “Throughout our history… the most potent use of words has been to round out some transcendental event, giving that event a place in the accepted chronicles, explaining the event in such a way that ever afterward we can use those words and say: ‘this is what it meant.’ …That’s how events get lost in history” (pg. 265). Additionally, Leto says, “‘The ultimate aristocrat dies within me.’ And he thought: Privilege becomes arrogance. Arrogance promotes injustice. The seeds of ruin blossom” (pg. 272). In terms of religion, Herbert writes, “‘Religious institutions perpetuate a mortal master-servant relationship,’ Leto said. ‘They create an arena which attracts prideful human power-seekers with all of their nearsighted prejudices!’” (pg. 302).Leto has the same powers of prescience as his father, Paul Muad’Dib Atreides, and he comments on those who would attempt to shape the future, “Most believe that a satisfactory future requires a return to an idealized past, a past which never in fact existed” (pg. 380). In the future, the only “Fremen” who remain are those who attempt to copy the rituals of the ancient people without the context or meaning. Leto says, “These Fremen do not know what is lost from their lives. They think they keep the essence of the old ways. This is a failure of all museums. Something fades; it dries out of the exhibits and is gone. The people who administer the museum and the people who come to bend over the cases and stare – few of them sense this missing thing. It drove the engine of life in earlier times. When the life is gone, it is gone” (pg. 401).In terms of this book’s place in the Dune mythos, Herbert returns to the theme of the Butlerian Jihad and its prohibitions against advanced technology and artificial intelligence, especially as Leto uses tech from Ix and must negotiate the delicate balance of powers between the Ixians, who are working with the Spacing Guild to develop an artificial substitute for the spice-derived abilities of the navigators, and the Bene Gesserit, who maintain the old proscriptions against advanced technology (pg. 175). Further, the Chapter House of the Bene Gesserit Order first appears and their name will later inspire the title of the sixth book (pg. 76).Fans of the Dune series will find more of Herbert’s ideas on full display here and the change in time keeps the series fresh while further expanding on its message and meaning.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable philosophical musings and a wonderful further development of the Dune world.
    • 3/5
      Compared to the first three books, God Emperor is much slower. This one focuses on philosophy and the Golden Path to justify the God Emperor's tyranny. Each chapter begins with a quote from Leto's journals, to give insight into the reasoning behind his method and the nature of humanity. Leto's tranquility is harshly enforced, and must remain so until Leto is certain he is no longer needed. This will occur when his breeding program produces his desired result, a new strain of human that can avoid the traps he and Muad'dib fell into.
    • 3/5
      Full of interesting meditations on the nature of war, the military, history, men and women. I am very interested in seeing where the series goes from here, to finally get a glimpse at what the very expensive Golden Path bought in terms of humanity's evolution.
    • 4/5
      I make a lot of reading promises. You want me to read your favorite book? Sure, I'd love to. Let me add it to my list and I'll probably get around to it sometime in the next decade. I have the best intentions, but when it comes to books, I get easily distracted.Thus the promise I made to my brother-in-law to read seven Dune novels may have been overly ambitious. This was ten-plus years ago. And to get through all seven required slogging through some terrible writing at times and some monotonous babble at others. First, as he'd suggested, I made my way through the Dune prequels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. House Atreides and House Harkonnen in 2008, followed by House Corrino in 2012. There was some great story in these three novels, moments that were extremely vivid and haunting—scenes I remember to this day. But the writing left so much to be desired: it was repetitive, filled with juvenile symbolism and minimal character development. In 2013, I got around to the original book that started the series, Frank Herbert's Dune. The writing in this classic was better, but I struggled quite a bit with these futuristic feudal clashes with swords while spaceships roamed the galaxy and women were subject to male approval. Could the future really be so medieval? Later that year I read Dune Messiah and in 2015 I read the third of the originals, Children of Dune. I found much the same in them, only not as exciting.All along, my brother-in-law told me that I needed to make it to God Emperor of Dune, that while the fourth book was one of the least popular in the original series, he believed I would enjoy it the most. So I say all that to say this: there was some anticipation going into what would be my seventh Dune novel, but there was considerable apprehension. Would God Emperor of Dune actually be my favorite in the series? Would it continue to blast me with an arduous and unbelievable future? In short, yes and yes.God Emperor of Dune is the most cohesive and intelligently written novel in the series. While earlier books jump from one plot point to another, God Emperor... is focused. This is the story of the penultimate act of the Emperor Leto II's reign. There are some other threads floating around, but they ravel around this main focus. Following a 3500 year reign, Leto has a few thoughts on power and government. As such, this book repeatedly tackles these subjects. This Dune novel isn't like its predecessors, all action and dialogue. In fact, there isn't much action in this entire volume. This is a story full of philosophical discourse, but one which never stops feeling like a story. This is one worm-man reflecting on 30,000 years of human existence, but the plot works around this person. And while he has some backward ideas regarding gender and homosexuality, he's nevertheless an interesting mind to behold. If this doesn't sound like your kind of thing—and obviously it's not for many—then this may be the most difficult book in the series to make it through.God Emperor... does become a bit tedious in the second half. Philosophical musings become repetitive rants. And the fabulously crafted revolution led by Siona fizzles into bland familial melodrama. Still, most of the characters actions and inactions feel more organic in this story—you sense, occasionally, that they and not the author are in control of their lives, a vast departure from the earlier volumes.So I made it. Will I ever read another novel from the Dune universe? Unlikely, but certainly within the realm of possibility. If I do, it'll most assuredly be the final two chapters from the original series. But that may be some years down the road. In the meantime, I've got a dozen other promises to keep.
    • 3/5
      My least favorite of the Dune books so far. it was a good story, but hard to read. dense. and more than just a little strange.
    • 3/5
      Didn't like it the first time through in the early 80's. Read it again, and see why I struggled. It's not a quick or easy read, but had some good and thought-provoking parts. I've picked up the 5th book now and will begin it soon, but frankly, if it drags as much as this one, I'll call it quits. I was so in love with the early ones that I find it hard to give up on these.

      The whole story probably encompasses a few weeks in time. The only real action happens in the first pages, and from then forward, it's a long series of conversations and personal interactions. Long...

      My fingers are crossed for an improved book 5...
    • 3/5
      The best of the post-Dune series.
    • 4/5
      This is the novel in which Frank Herbert tries humour. A brief conversation between the God Emperor of Dune and one of his most devoted soldiers is quite entertaining. There is one aphorism, about young people, difficult decisions, and violence, which, unlike all the other aphorisms in this book and all previous books, seems to have the ring of truth. The enclosed world of Arrakis, and the Pharaonic splendor and stasis of the God Emperor are well realized. Echoes of Christian mythology are easily recognized. This novel sets up for the subsequent novel quite well.This novel gets an extra half star for its sheer pretentiousness, which is sort of admirable.The character of Siona is kind of ridiculous. She is the leader of a rebellion with secret cells, a rebellion that gets people killed, but Leto knows all about her and encourages her. Duncan is a bit more interesting, due to the way he keeps recurring. I could not fathom the importance of Malky.
    • 3/5
      This book was difficult. Not much going on until the end but lots of philosophy.
    • 4/5
      Better than I expected, almost lived up to the potential Dune set. Too bad it won't stand alone without the backstories of both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Looking forward to reading what happens next.
    • 5/5
      By far my favourite Dune novel this is where the series truly becomes epic. Set some three thousand years after Leto II replaces his father as the controller of the universe's destiny this book takes us through Leto II's last days. Leto has had the courage to do what his father could not and become the God emperor of Dune and now his final sacrifice will reshape the universe. I could have happily seen the Dune series end after this book.
    • 1/5
      Well. Now I know where some of the stupider ideas in "evolutionary psychology" came from. The idea of creating a suburban empire for the purpose of collapsing it and forcing the people to compete for survival so that the most creative come out on top: ridiculous and terrible. Competition does not necessarily favor the best, especially if the best don't have a damn clue how to exercise creativity because a big symbiotic man-worm with legions of badass-gun-toting "willing" rape victims "bred" them for three thousand years during which he eliminated all but his own history of the universe, which was not, in any of the excerpts presented therefrom, even slightly concerned with stuff like how to run a business, how to break up a monopoly, what forms of government work on what scales with what types of populations in what sort of geographies, how to meet as diplomats or ecumenical councillors, etc. In fact, competition favors the lucky first, the bully second, and the sycophant third. The representation of women, especially Yoko Ono, I mean Hwi Noree: appalling. Not even the fact that the eponymous God Emperor was supposed to be foibly excuses the garbage he spouted about "sex differences," let alone were any of the female characters anything other than caricatures. What happened? Seven Pillars of Wisdom With Spaceships, a/k/a Dune, was so brilliant. How did it devolve into Dr. Jekyll's Lonely Hyde Club Band?
    • 4/5
      A radical departure from the previous 3 books. God Emperor takes place 3500 years after Leto II takes up the horrible burden that his father, Paul Maud'dib refused.

      Half philosophical discussion, half rollicking revolutionary plot to overthrow an all seeing, all knowing, nigh-immortal god-king tyrant, who also happens to be the tragic hero of the book.

      I can't say I understood it all, but I certainly enjoyed the ride. Herbert creates one of his most alien yet sympathetic characters yet. The contours of Herbert's master plan for the series is coming into focus, though I'm still not quite sure what it is. I look forward to reading it again after I've finished the series. Perhaps it will make more sense then.
    • 5/5
      most interesting philosophies about government, female armies, and religion
    • 4/5
      The fourth book in the original Dune series takes a stark turn form the patterns established by Herbert in his first three installments. Set 4,000 years after the events of the last book, this story does not concern itself with the manipulations of multiple factions struggling for control over a scarce resource; rather it looks at a single entity controlling the culture of millions. Where he used to shy away from such things, here Herbert adds many descriptions of action sequence and the human body to demonstrate the horror and frustration of the humans forced to serve the monstrous and inhuman Leto II. While the imagery and narrative structure of the book is new, the themes presented are familiar. Herbert is constantly interested in the ways that history and sexuality (often unstated) feed human desire and how culture creates leaders. Good stuff!
    • 5/5
      The Dune series rolls along, not too many surprises in this installment, but simply a great tale. Actually somewhat plodding and there is very little action, but still...Individually, the sequels aren't as great as Dune proper as solo works, but I consider series books like this as one story in essence, and a awesome one at that. Dune as a standalone is exemplary, however.
    • 5/5
      The 4th in Frank Herbert's Dune series. I was astounded at the fate of Leto II! Peering into the depths of his psyche through the snippets of his Stolen Journals was fascinating. I found that there are more quotes worth quoting here than in any of the 3 previous Dune novels; and with the multi-consciousness that made up Leto II, that would only be the logical case. Example: "Paradox is a pointer telling you to look beyond it. If paradoxes bother you, that betrays your deep desire for absolutes. The relativist treats a paradox merely as interesting, perhaps amusing or even, dreadful thought, educational." -Leto IIand:"Unceasing warfare gives rise to its own social conditions which have been similar in all epochs. People enter a permanent state of alertness to ward off attacks. You see the absolute rule of the autocrat. All new things become dangerous frontier districts—new planets, new economic areas to exploit, new ideas or new devices, visitors—everything suspect. Feudalism takes firm hold, sometimes disguised as a polit-bureau or similar structure, but always present. Hereditary succession follows the lines of power. The blood of the powerful dominates. The vice regents of heaven or their equivalent apportion the wealth. And they know they must control inheritance or slowly let the power melt away. Now, do you understand Leto's Peace?" -The Stolen JournalsThe rebellious Siona called him the Ultimate Cynic. I believe cynicism can in rare cases be healthy. I was unimpressed with Siona and her rebels. Their motives were not very clear, other than to overthrow the worm and getting at his spice hoard. I think the result will be something akin to the consequences of the revolution Lenin, Trotsky, and friends bore (note that the old Imperium is basically non-existent in the God Emperor's time). The difference here is that unlike the Tsar and Tsarina, the God Emperor planned very carefully his own demise and the rise of the Atreides who could not be seen. It is obvious that Siona was cruel and filled with hate. I can see her playing the future role of Stalin. At the end of the novel Duncan Idaho came to an epiphany. I do not understand why he then aided Siona. I enjoyed the entire novel but for the scene in Tuono. It reminded me of the old Westerns. I was disappointed. Certainly Herbert gave us strange twisted humor here with Nayla (I would wager that in life Herbert had a bit of a Nun-fixation—and really, who does not?!). I had been expecting Leto II to at last submerge into the desert sands, releasing his sand trout. I cannot say that I am disappointed in the death of Hwi Noree. I only wished Siona had preceded her.Now it is obvious to me that the etymology of Moneo is "Neo Moses". Neo means "new, recent, revived, or modified". In Hebrew, Moses means "he who was drawn out" or "he who draws out", in Egyptian, the word for water, mo, and the verb to save out of water, `uses'. I do hope those sand trout survive!There is much for a Bible scholar to ponder here, as well as, of course, much Eastern philosophy. At times I became nostalgic of Machiavelli's "The Prince". I believe The God Emperor was not all evil, but mostly good. He was certainly not as evil as the aristocracy of today. As Leto II put it: "Safaris through ancestral memories teach me many things. The patterns, ahhh, the patterns. Liberal bigots are the ones who trouble me most. I distrust the extremes. Scratch a conservative and you find someone who prefers the past over any future. Scratch a liberal and find a closet aristocrat. It's true! Liberal governments always develop into aristocracies. The bureaucracies betray the true intent of people who form such governments. Right from the first the little people who formed the governments which promised to equalize the social burdens found themselves suddenly in the hands of bureaucratic aristocracies. Of course, all bureaucracies follow this pattern, but what a hypocrisy to find this even under a communized banner. Ahhh, well, if patterns teach me anything it's that patterns are repeated. My oppressions, by and large, are no worse than any of the others and, at least, I teach a new lesson." -The Stolen Journals
    • 1/5
      I just couldn't be arsed in the end. Something about old characters being remade to over throw the God like slug, blah, blah, rubbish, blah ... sleep. The first two books are fantastic and so rocked my world. I should have known not to bother after barely limping through the third.
    • 4/5
      My initial experience of the Dune series could be graphed as a continuous downward curve -- from the high of the initial book through the slight disappointment with Dune Messiah to more disappointment with Children of Dune and so forth. When I initially read God Emperor I quite disliked it. Rereadings have made me wonder if Herbert was intentionally playing with the reader by starting with a book about a hero (albeit one about whom we have misgivings by the end of the book) through successive books each deconstructing what had been held out at the end of the previous book as what remained of "hero."
    • 5/5
      In this fourth installment of the Dune Chronicles, the world is under the thumb of a living god. This is a different book than the first three Dune novels, make no mistake. But that doesn't make it any less great.
    • 3/5
      I can't agree with the majority of 3-5 star reviews of this book. The first book is in a different league to this one - which seems to have less characters, who you care less about, scattered across what at times is a book that drones on for the sake of padding out the word count. I would go along with the first paragraph of 'shelterdowns' review; and don't have the time or energy to re-read this book when there is so much more better stuff out there - including the original novel (which I've re-read about 5 times). Trust me, stick with the first three.
    • 5/5
      This is the fourth in the Dune series. The god emperor leto II is beset by the machinations of IX, the bene gesserit and his once loyal guardian duncan idaho. In leto II we encounter a tyrant who is unable to enjoy the comforts, his rule should afford him. who is constantly reminded of his duty to humanity while he gradually loses his. the tragedy of leto's circumstance and the gholas he has created for himself illustrate the full desperation of his plight. The author could've compromised this novel and made it more reader friendly, less of a thesis on the human condition. Though, what work of literary excellence has ever benefited from playing to the crowd.
    • 4/5
      Though this one could easily be found boring, I liked it a lot. It's role in the timeline is significant. The Golden Path always there, with the duncan ghola's playing a important part, which later on is thankfully used to end the timeline (no spoiler, now is it?).
    • 3/5
      WEIRD but good! I love how Herbert got around characters dying by having gholas around. I'm fine with that though, seeing as Duncan Idaho is my favorite character right up there with Jessica.
    • 2/5
      And, at this point, we have the 'Dune Syndrome': author writes a great book, author follows it up with a never-ending stream of garbage to cash in. I won't bother to read any of the remaining books, of which there are eight or so.