"Children of Dune" (book review)

...Frank Herbert, 1976.

I am pretty sure I read ALL the Dune books about 25 years ago - and this one certainly had a familiar ring to it as I walked the deserts of Arrakis and smelt and tasted the cinnamon-fragrant spice known as melange which creates the economic structure of Herbert's imaginary world/galaxy/universe.

In terms of scale, this is a weightier tome than Dune Messiah, its predecessor in the series - it is more akin to the original Dune, both in terms of complexity and scale.

The amazing thing about Herbert's writing is the detail - the world of Arrakis/Dune and its related communities is drawn fully.

And not only the physical world - the thought processes of each and every character who moves through the palace intrigues, set-pieces, duels, battles are clearly and fully explored - so much so that our perception of good guy/bad guy is vulnerable to manipulation and inversion, without things seeming forced.

As with Dune Messiah and Dune, this book has a cinematic quality to it - each chapter becomes a 3D scene (why has nobody operatised this yet? ...hmm...another rainy day project!), with an atmospheric intro, a meaty middle, a twist or two, and a climax.

And the book's climax, when it comes is stunning, horrific and spectacular.

Can't wait to read volume 4! (25 years ago...man, my memory doesn't seem to stretch far these days!)

9/10.