God Emperor of Dune

· Dune Book 4 · Sold by Penguin
4.5
362 reviews
Ebook
432
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Book Four in the Magnificent Dune Chronicles—the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time

Millennia have passed on Arrakis, and the once-desert planet is green with life. Leto Atreides, the son of the world’s savior, the Emperor Paul Muad’Dib, is still alive but far from human. To preserve humanity’s future, he sacrificed his own by merging with a sandworm, granting him near immortality as God Emperor of Dune for the past thirty-five hundred years.

Leto’s rule is not a benevolent one. His transformation has made not only his appearance but his morality inhuman. A rebellion, led by Siona, a member of the Atreides family, has risen to oppose the despot’s rule. But Siona is unaware that Leto’s vision of a Golden Path for humanity requires her to fulfill a destiny she never wanted—or could possibly conceive....

Ratings and reviews

4.5
362 reviews
A Google user
June 14, 2011
As an avid fan of the Dune universe and Frank Herbert, I understand the chagrin that many of the other readers express. I might even admit to flirting with that very state. Personally I've always thought Herbert had a way of rushing through endings so it comes as no surprise that GE fits the trend. I still however found this book to be just as insightful, entertaining and philosophical as the prior. Stepping into the mind of a thirty five hundred year old being is a fascinating perspective, a perspective that was certainly difficult to channel for the author. Fans of Dune, drink up and enjoy. Everyone else, go walk through the desert first.
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Bill McNally
June 22, 2016
An interesting departure from the first three books. It was apparent at the end of Children of Dune something profound was about to happen to the known universe, but nobody could really know for sure what that was. Radically, Herbert skips millennia in time to take the reader to the end of his reign, rather than let you know what happened to Muad'Dib's empire. Even then, he keeps the narrative focused on a precious few characters who we do not get to know very well, and he even drags an ancient one into the mix. This borders on an attempt at an adaptation of a one-man play sometimes, and it becomes a challenge to not feel like you're being constantly lectured rather than told a story. If you like pontification, this is the book for you, for sure. Otherwise, it's just a stepping-stone to get to other, more entertaining works in the series. You could be forgiven if, after reading this, you decided the first Dune books are the story you prefer to remember.
19 people found this review helpful
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G B
November 3, 2019
God Emperor of Dune is written in the same fashion of the 1st three books. It is very descriptive in a manner that allows visualization. It carries deep meaning that can be applied, most likely, throughout the remainder of humanity until God returns. And, it is also extremely vague in many areas that left me asking myself, "what have I missed along the way while reading." That was somewhat true of the 1st 3 books. All in all, a worthy series that I am sure to complete.
3 people found this review helpful
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About the author

Frank Herbert is the bestselling author of the Dune saga. He was born in Tacoma, Washington, and educated at the University of Washington, Seattle. He worked a wide variety of jobs—including TV cameraman, radio commentator, oyster diver, jungle survival instructor, lay analyst, creative writing teacher, reporter and editor of several West Coast newspapers—before becoming a full-time writer.

In 1952, Herbert began publishing science fiction with “Looking for Something?” in Startling Stories. But his emergence as a writer of major stature did not occur until 1965, with the publication of Dune. Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune followed, completing the saga that the Chicago Tribune would call “one of the monuments of modern science fiction.” Herbert is also the author of some twenty other books, including The White Plague, The Dosadi Experiment, and Destination: Void. He died in 1986.

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