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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune


Product Description


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 secrets of the twins’ prophetic visions, her rule will be absolute. But the twins have their own plans for their destiny.


Overview


Frank Herbert's third installment in the immensely popular Dune series, first published in 1976, covers the life of Muad'Dib's children, Leto and Ghanima Atreides -- both nine years old in the story.
In the wake of the events described in Dune Messiah, the universe is recovering from the Holy War which left the desert planet Arrakis as the center of attention in the Empire. A religion grown around the legend of Paul Muad'Dib is articulated by his sister, Alia of the Knife.
Leto and Ghanima, born of Paul's late concubine Chani, are being raised in the Fremen way despite ancient taboo against the abominations they have become -- children with the minds and memories of adults. However, when a conspiracy rooted in the highest levels of Alia's religiously-backed government threatens the lives of the children, the twins devise a plan to survive and help weed out the troublemakers.
Separating for the first time in their life, Ghanima returns to the capital city of Arakeen where she quickly becomes a pawn in Alia's games of power -- she is forced into an arranged marriage.
Leto, on the other hand, heads deep into the desert where he discovers remnants of ancient customs and legends. He learns about himself, his ancestry and -- unknown to the other residents of the planet -- the history and cycles of Arrakis itself. Gifted with his father's prescience, Leto looks into the past and future and sees a Golden Path which, if followed out, will result in the ultimate success and survival of the entire human race. Where Paul Muad'Dib had made this revelation and shied away from it, Leto realizes he must embrace it for the good of both humanity and the universe.
The unfortunate truth to Leto's plan is that it requires his presence and guidance to succeed; To extend his life the thousands of years necessary, he begins a metamorphosis that changes him from human to a new form.

About the Author

Frank Herbert was born in Tacoma, Washington, and educated at the University of Washington, Seattle. He worked a wide variety of jobs—including TV cameraman, radio commentator, oyster diver, jungle survival instructor, lay analyst, creative writing teacher, reporter, and editor of several West Coast newspapers—before becoming a full-time writer.




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