a quill and vellum

Book Review: God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

Book:  God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert (Book Four in the Dune Chronicles)

Author:  Frank Herbert

Published:  unknown

Publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group/The Penguin Group

Date Read:  14 May 2013

Format:  iBook

First Line:  "It not only is my pleasure to announce to you this morning our discovery of this marvelous storehouse containing, among other things, a monumental collection of manuscripts inscribed on ridulian crystal paper, but I also take pride in giving you our arguments for the authenticity of our discoveries, to tell you why we believe we have uncovered the original journals of Leto II, the God Emperor." 

Genre/Rating:  Science Fiction, 5.0

GoodReads Rating:  3.73

Review:  God Emperor of Dune, is the fourth book in the six-book Dune Series, written by Frank Herbert.  As the book opens, we are cast 3500 years into the future following the events of Children of Dune.  Lord Leto II is almost a complete sandworm and he rules the entire universe with despotic fervor.  Beside himself, there are no more sandworms in existence because he has turned Arrakis into a lush world with rivers and forests; however, Leto II maintains a small desert, which he refers to as his Sareer, which is the home to his citadel.  With the absence of the sandworms, there is no more spice to be located on Arrakis and Leto maintains a huge cache of mélange from which he blesses or punishes the Guild, the Bene Gesserit and others who depend so strongly upon the spice.  He has also forbidden interplanetary space travel, so people are relegated to life on their own planets.  Leto maintains control through the use of his all-female army, called Fish Speakers, who revere Leto as a god and carry out his will with unquestioning, fanatical devotion. 

Leto II has cast himself into the role of tyrant to the fulfillment of his Golden Path.  This Golden Path is a way of salvation for the universe, first understood by Paul Muad’Dib who was unable to take upon himself the mighty mantle of sacrifice that the Golden Path required.  God Emperor of Dune lacks the exciting narrative of the first three novels and is more philosophic and contemplative in tone.  Through Leto’s conversations with his majordomo Moneo, the eleventh ghola of Duncan Idaho,  Siona Atreides, Hwi Noree, and others, we are privy to their conversations and thoughts as they explore the implications of the Golden Path and the sacrifice that Leto II made to merge himself with the sandtrout and become a sandworm.   

I perceive God Emperor of Dune as a character-driven bridge which links the plot-driven first three novels with the plot-driven last two novels in the science fiction sextet.  Even though this novel is devoid of the action in the other books in the series, there are some exciting moments.  Within the narrative we learn more about the Ixians, the Bene Tleilax, and the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and this makes for intriguing reading and establishes a framework for what to expect in Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune.       

I find God Emperor of Dune to be a most satisfying read and I enjoy the character development that occurred within the narrative and the ending was unexpected and heart wrenching.  If you have yet to explore the amazing world of Dune, I would like to provide you with a chronological reading of the works of Frank Herbert and the prequels/sequels penned by his son, Brian Herbert, along with Kevin J. Anderson.

A Chronological Reading of the Dune Universe (I'll highlight the ones  have read)

1. Hunting Harkonnens (short story) in The Road to Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
2. The Butlerian Jihad by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
3. Whipping Mek (short story) in The Road to Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
4. The Machine Crusade by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
5. The Faces of a Martyr (short story) in the Road to Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
6. The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
7. The Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
8. House Atreides by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
9. House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
10. House Corrino by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
11. Paul of Dune (Parts II, IV, VI) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
12. The Winds of Dune (Part II) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
13. A Whisper of Caladan Seas (short story) in The Road to Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
14. Dune by Frank Herbert
15. Paul of Dune (Parts I, III, V, VII) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
16. The Winds of Dune (Part IV) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
17. The Road to Dune (short story) by Frank Herbert
18. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
19. The Winds of Dune (Parts I, III, V) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
20. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
21. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
22. Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert
23. Sea Child (short story) in The Road to Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
24. Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert
25. Hunters of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
26. Treasure in the Sand (short story) in The Road to Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
27. Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Book Review of Bookmarked for Death

Title:  Bookmarked for Death
Series:  Book Two of the Booktown Mystery Series
Author:  Lorna Barrett
Publication Date:  3 February 2009
Publisher:  Berkley
Pages:  304
Genre:  Mystery
Cover:  eBook
Price:  $7.99
Purchased from:  iBooks

I was so enthralled by the first book in the Booktown Mystery Series, that I quickly delved into the second book of the series.  Bookmarked for Death returns us to Stoneham, New Hampshire, six months following the events of Murder is Binding.  Tricia Miles, owner of Haven't Got a Clue Bookstore, is preparing a celebration for her first year anniversary of her book shop and has invited bestselling mystery novelist, Zoe Carter, to attend a book signing event.  During the signing, Zoe is found murdered in the bathroom and Haven't Got a Clue Bookstore is closed as a crime scene.  Once again, Trish steps forward to use her crime solving acumen to see if she can solve the mystery and catch the killer. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the story line in Bookmarked for Death.  Not only was the mystery compelling, but the character development was very endearing.  Grace Harris returns from book one and it is so nice to see her developing relationship with Mr. Everett, one of my personal favorite characters from the series.  As much as I enjoyed the first book in the series, I loved Bookmarked for Death, even more.

 

Book Review of Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Title:  Murder is Binding
Series:  Book One of the Booktown Mystery Series
Author:  Lorna Barrett
Publication Date:  1 April 2008
Publisher:  Berkley
Pages:  288
Genre:  Mystery
Cover:  eBook
Price:  $7.99
Purchased from:  iBooks

Author Lorna Barrett has written the Booktown Mystery series which currently consists of six volumes, of which Murder Is Binding is the first release.  The mystery series is set in a quaint town in New Hampshire which has been turned into a book collector's mecca in order to revive the town's slumping economy.  Main street has a mystery book shop, cookbook shop, and history book shop, just to name a few.

Recently divorced Tricia Miles has come to New Hampshire and opens up the Haven't Got a Clue Book Shop which specializes in current and vintage mysteries.  Doris Gleason owns The Cookery book shop specializing in cook books, and within the first few pages she is murdered with a kitchen knife and the sheriff is looking at Tricia as the number one suspect.     

By the middle of the book, I had the mystery all solved, and I was a little dissapointed that Ms. Barrett had written such an easily solved murder mystery, but after a few more pages, I quickly learned that I was all wrong.  The book has one amazing ending.

I love the characters that Mr. Barrett has created.  Tricia Miles, our protagonist,  is very real and three-dimensional.  Angelica Preston is Tricia's sister, and she is so animated and I love how she is set to repairing her relationship with Tricia.  Tricia's two employees, Ginny and Mr. Everett are delightful as well.  I especially fell in love with Mr. Everett who is so kind and a perfect gentleman.  There is even a cat named Miss Marple! 

Murder is Binding is an excellent mystery and has encouraged me to read the rest of the Booktown Mystery series.  Bibliophiles and bookaholics will love that the mysteries are set within a town of book shops.

iBooks 3.0 Release

Assuming you have already upgraded your iDevice to iOS 6, you can now update to the newest release of iBooks.  Apple launched iBooks 3 on Tuesday, 23 October 2012 and it has 4 outstanding features to enhance the reading experience.  The new features are as follows:

• Continuous verticle scrolling of text.
• Better integratio with iCloud through an updated version of Whispersync.
• Ability to share quotes via social media life FaceBook and Twitter.
• Supports 40 languages.

 

In Defense of eBooks

Of late, I have been hearing many in booktubia espousing the delights in book ownership and denouncing the eBook.  Now, I love books in all their forms, with the exception of audio books, and have many books filling my book shelves at home.  Yes, booktubia, I agree with you.....books do smell nice, and feel nice in the hand, and look pretty on a shelf, and there is a tactile pleasure in turning pages, and you just can't beat deckled edges...but eBooks have their own pleasant characteristics, as well.

I have owned an iPad since they were first released and I absolutely love using it as an eReader.  Now I will always love tangible books, but an eReader makes for such a pleasurable reading experience, and I find myself reading eBooks with more frequency.  The benefits of using an eReader are quite numerous.

• AFFORDABILITY.  eBooks are quite a bit cheaper than a physical book.  I can generally purchase an eBook from $0.99 through $12.99 and there are a lot of books, in the public domain, which are available for free.  Sue Moro has a fantastic video on Nooks, Kindles, and Free eBooks, and I recommend that you watch her video if you have an eReader.
• AVAILABILITY.  I live in an area with limited access to local book shops and my nearest Barnes and Noble is 90 miles away, so I appreciate the availablility that I have to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes (for iBooks).  If I have a desire to purchase a new book, I can make that purchase in mere seconds. 
• PORTABILITY.   With my eReader, my entire eLibrary is portable and available to me at all times.  Andy Moosernan has produced an excellent video entitled eBooks, Kindle, & Me which addesses the issue of portability extremely well.
• ACCESSIBILITY.  eBooks have a unique ability to enlarge fonts, change fonts, change the background, and can be read easily in the dark.