Dune Messiah should be considered not as a sequel to the massive Dune novel, but as the penultimate section of an as-yet-incomplete work—whether trilogy, tetralogy or five-act epic matters not.
The objection to criticizing Dune Messiah as a simple sequel to the earlier novel is that almost invariably it has been seen as some sort of "repeat performance," and as such judged in terms of what the critic thought were the important themes of its predecessor. Considering it merely as a further installment, on the other hand, allows the critic the possibility that the important themes may only now be becoming apparent. (p. 16)
This is a free excerpt of 103 words. There are 1,906 words (approx.
6 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Herbert, Frank 1920–: Critical Essay by Robert C. Parkinson Access Pass.
