I kept oscillating between 3 and 4 stars on this book. Some of it is fantastic, and the departure from book #1’s action/adventure towards a cerebral political dialogue is welcome. I really enjoyed Paul’s ending with him walking out into the desert, and I think the Tleilaxu are a good word building counterweight to the Bene Gesserit. There were also some great twists and turns throughout, though I’m gonna miss that dwarf/gnome guy—he had a fascinating voice.

My biggest problem with this book is probably Alia’s development. There were some great moments, but coming off of the end of book #1 and her super duper mega awesome epic takedown of Baron Harkonnen, her arc didn’t really do it for me. I really wanted her to be a badass, and she is that a lot of the time, but Herbert never really treats her like one. (Also, what is up with this “abomination bs?!” I don’t get it).

It would also be nice if Lady Jessica had showed up in this book, but maybe that will happen later in the series. Additionally, Princess Irulan was underused and somewhat underdeveloped, and she dropped the Tleilaxu/Bene Gesserit plot REALLY quickly. I hope she plays a larger role in future books.

Overall, book #2 developed the characters more, and really upped Herbert’s politics and philosophy game, which I, for one, appreciate. In conclusion, this book, like truth, suffers from too much analysis, and I’ve got 4 more of these to read, so I gotta go.