Disappointment and Loss Abound in "Children of Dune"

How does power destroy people, causing them to lose their humanity?

This is a central question at the heart of Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, the third book in his Dune series. 

While the novel certainly offered some food for thought, I overall found it less compelling than its two predecessors, Dune and Dune Messiah. Without spoiling the plot of the series, Children of Dune is far less focused on Paul Atreides, the broken yet compelling protagonist of the previous two novels. Instead, the book follows the trials and tribulations of Paul's twin children, Leto and Ghanima. The youngsters certainly lead complex and intriguing lives, but as characters they feel shallow and less developed than their father. As a reader I felt like I had little reason to root for them in the way I did Paul Atreides, hoping that he could somehow rise above his circumstances. Instead I felt more like a passive observer of the twins, at times even bored by their monologues, which caried the philosophical tone of the first two Dune books but felt more unnecessary. 

What most disappointed me was the ending of this novel. The finales of Dune and Dune Messiah weren't necessarily happy, yet I still felt content and satisfied when reaching the end of these books. With Children of Dune however, I felt a sense of loss, like the characters and world that I first fell in love with would be no more. It seemed as though there was no one left to admire or root for, and as a reader I wish I could be taken back to the relative simplicity of the first book in the series. 

I can't say I'm excited to read the fourth book in the series, God Emperor Dune, but I feel a sense of responsibility to complete the entire storyline, so that I will do, despite my lack of enthusiasm. Stay tuned for more from Arrakis and beyond.