I read this book for the first time about thirty years ago. I have maintained for years that this very book is the counter argument that Science Fiction cannot be literary. My current copy (with a hideous cover) has been sitting on my shelf for many years now. Having reread (and re-enjoyed) the first trilogy, it was time to re-read this book as well.

More than with the first trilogy, it took a long time for both the story lines and the characters to properly develop. Apart from the main character, there are four other major characters who were a bit cardboard-ish in the first three quarters of the book, but who finally fleshed out in the last 150 pages or so.

The same goes for the story. A lot of pages are dedicated to describing the universe after several thousands of years. There were plots and subplots in good Frank Herbert fashion, but it only got really interesting when a number of major characters got together. I will not dive into this any deeper to prevent spoilers.

The first half was a bit difficult to read. The characters were not that appealing yet. However, the plots started to converge and the characters started to get the development they deserved. The climax was ham-fisted at first sight, but provided a satisfying closure for both the main character himself and my as a reader.

I still stand by my earlier comment that this book should be considered literary in quite a snooty sense of the word.