God Emperor of Dune

In this fourth novel of Frank Herbert's far-reaching and hugely influential Dune series, it is 3,500 years after the setting of the original DUNE, and Paul Atreides's son, Leto II, has evolved into a deity--half man, half beast (sandworm). Much like the gods of Greek myth, Leto is vengeful, suspicious, and envious of his subjects. He even chooses to wed a mortal. Veterans of the entire series, narrators Simon Vance, Scott Brick, and Katherine Kellgren are so familiar and comfortable with the extensive vocabulary and world of DUNE that they effortlessly bring the many characters, philosophical discussions, and diary entries into an incisive sonic whole. An unexpected and devastating conclusion illustrates just how human some gods can be. B.P. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine