Children of Dune
by Frank Herbert · first published 1976
24% recommend56% neutral20% critical
Why HN recommends it
Third book of the original Dune trilogy, rounding off Paul's fate. Readers who liked Dune and Messiah enjoy its exploration of a human god trapped by the future he sees; some rate it above the first book.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The science fiction masterpiece continues in the "major event,"( Los Angeles Times) Children of Dune. With millions of copies sold worldwide, Frank Herbert's Dune novels stand among the major achievements of the human imagination and one of the most significant sagas in the history of literary science fiction. The Children of Dune are twin siblings Leto and Ghanima Atreides, whose father, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib, disappeared in the deserts of Arrakis. Like their father, they possess supernormal abilities—making them valuable to their aunt Alia, who rules the Empire. If Alia can obtain the se
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2008–2026Dune Messiah
Frank Herbert
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 4717 recommend · 47 mention17 recommend · 4717 recommend
2008–2024Heretics of Dune
Frank Herbert
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 134 recommend · 13 mention4 recommend · 134 recommend
2008–2026God Emperor of Dune
Frank Herbert
Recommended by 30 · mentioned by 7630 recommend · 76 mention30 recommend · 7630 recommend
2013–2025Frank Herbert
Tim O'Reilly
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 65 recommend · 6 mention5 recommend · 65 recommend
2018–2019The road to Dune
Frank Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert, Scott Brick
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 21 recommend · 2 mention1 recommend · 21 recommend
2008–2019This Immortal
Roger Zelazny
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 44 recommend · 4 mention4 recommend · 44 recommend
2008–2026Rama II
Arthur C. Clarke, Gentry Lee
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 32 recommend · 3 mention2 recommend · 32 recommend
2009–2022Chapterhouse Dune
Frank Herbert
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 167 recommend · 16 mention7 recommend · 167 recommend
In my opinion: Yes! Here's the advice I give to people about the entire Dune series: Read Dune. If you don't like it, stop. Read Dune Messiah. If you don't like it, stop. Read Children of Dune. If you liked Messiah you'll probably like this as well. Read God Emperor of Dune. This one stands alone. Lots of people hate it. Whether you like it or not, don't stop. Read Heretics of Dune. If you…
on “The Secret History of Dune” ↗Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most. Dune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead.…
on “Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?” ↗…common/unavoidable problem the with epic fantasy genre, there's just a lot you need to say to get people fully invested), they pick up from the first word on interesting storylines and just keep churning. and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert (Book 3 of the Dune series) Dune is one of my favorite books of all time. SOmehow, I've never read the rest of them. I re-read Dune this year, and decided to continue the story. I really…
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you read in 2020?” ↗I'm rereading the Dune series right now and on Children of Dune. Actually REALLY enjoying the 2+ books more than the first. What would one do if one had become a human god but didn't like the future he saw? Like the post-Ender's books (before Card sold out), I find…
on “NASA admits it doesn’t have the funding to land humans on Mars” ↗My personal recommendation, if you like the first, is to at least read the next two (Dune Messiah and Children of Dune). If you're still liking the series, finish the next three (the tone does change with God Emperor and again with the last two). It should be noted, the first three books form a trilogy. The fourth book…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading this weekend?” ↗Dune Messiah is meh, but Children of Dune are great. I really liked all the books (original, not the abominations that were written after Frank Herbert died) besides the Messiah, not sure why.
on “The Secret History of Dune” ↗…Jodorowsky's Dune if so inclined.) Watch the Sci-Fi Channel's Frank Herbert's Dune. (Probably watch the Villeneuve Dune due out in December this year.) If you happened to like it, read Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. You'll probably like these books as well. (If you didn't like Dune, it's okay to stop here.) Watch the Sci-Fi Channel's Children of Dune. If you happened to like those, try God Emperor of Dune. Be…
on “Mentat Wiki: exploring ways to become a better thinker” ↗…political actors, the Guild steersmen, the amoral technologists of the Bene Tleilax, gholas, the mysterious planet Ix, and so on. And the Dune Messiah is surprisingly short! You should probably read Children of Dune to round off the trilogy, just to learn the fate of Paul Atreides, although he is not the primary character in that book. The second trilogy is distinct but the stories are told told in the same setting;…
on “Dune Genesis (1980)” ↗Children of Dune is my favorite thus far (just finished God Emperor… and don’t intend to continue the series). With that being said, Frank Herbert certainly (IMO) is a genius of pure vision and worldbuilding but he is…
on “Lawrence of Arabia, Paul Atreides, and the roots of Frank Herbert's Dune (2021)” ↗…that book readers do notice. While his weirding devices and rain at the end were not great choices they did not take away from the movie too much for me. Where I like the SF version was the followup, Children of Dune. That I enjoyed, I didn't care for Leto's transformation makeup but marked it off as budget.
on “David Lynch’s Dune – A sci-fi film by a director without much care for sci-fi” ↗> In my experience, people who like Dune generally will enjoy at least through Children of Dune. When I was very young and first found the Dune books, I liked Dune, but failed to finish Dune Messiah, let alone the rest. A few years later I re-read Dune, plus Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. I…
on “The Secret History of Dune” ↗> God Emperor of Dune I feel this way about Dune Messiah, except I didn't appreciate it until after Children of Dune. Dune is one of my favorite books, if not my favorite. Dune Messiah is a *frustrating* read right after Dune. It's not until you see the whole story of the first three books as one narrative arc that…
on “Treat your to-read pile like a river, not a bucket” ↗Read them, listened to them, watched the movies. I liked the first three (Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune) the best, but I've gone through them all. Have you? What did you think? The ban on thinking machines seems like something that's particularly relevant in the age of AI. Will we reach that stage as well…
on “Ask HN: Have you read the Dune books by Frank Herbert?” ↗I say this as a fan of Frank Herbert, and I've read all the Dune books: Thank god the Dune 3 movie looks like it isn't a strict adaptation of "Children of Dune".
on “Show HN: Get alerts for good seats at 70mm IMAX showings of The Odyssey” ↗…interpretation is something along the lines that AIs took over the thinking for the leaders, making the leaders lazy, impotent, and society fragile and chaotic. This fits with a lot of Herbert's themes. But, from Children of Dune: > Three — Planetary feudalism remained in constant danger from a large technical class, but the effects of the Butlerian Jihad continued as a damper on technological excesses. Ixians, Tleilaxu, and…
on “AI Safety and the Age of Dislightenment” ↗