Children of Dune

After reading the first two books which were excellent, I was disappointed with this one or at least with the antagonist. I think having Paul's sister possessed by the Baron Harkonnen as the antagonist was lacking and not very creative. And I don't think it was really communicated why Alia was such an abomination.

Alia, having all the memories of all the Reverend Mothers, for she was a fetus while her mother Jessica was undergoing the Reverend Mother conversion ceremony, Water of Life. She was a severe abomination to the Bene Gesserit due to her genetic memory and allowing the memories of the Baron to completely consume her. Apparently, the Reverend Mothers also having genetic memory, but never allowing any memory to consume them were in the clear.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

It should be known that the Bene Gesserit were the advisers to the Emperor and to other nobles and sought to produce the Kwisatz Haderach, the male messiah that could conceive all time including the future. Their plans thwarted with Paul becoming this long sought messiah, Muad'Dib, the Kwisatz Haderach. It was pretty cool that Paul is still roaming about the planet and still alive (sorry spoiler alert) and that their children were totally prescient geniuses.

I kind of liked the end though. Paul's son, Leto II, becomes a new species of sorts, allowing himself to be conjoined with the sand trout, a symbiotic relationship, which gives him superior speed and strength. Thus becoming the ultimate warrior and the emperor who couldn't die. He becomes emperor for 3000 years to ensure humanity is on the right path (The Golden Path) and to continue the Atreides line of rule. During this time, humanity barely makes it due to the dearth of the spice. The sandworms are nearly all dead due to the terraformation of Arrakis. And I got the gist that after his rule, he was going to mate with the worms to repopulate the species. Wow that was weird, but interesting ending.