The Butlerian Jihad ... Entry #1

The Butlerian Jihad begins with a sort of preface by Princess Irulan:

Any true student must realize that History has no beginning. Regardless of where a story starts, there are always earlier heroes and earlier tragedies. (The Butlerian Jihad, p. 1)

And that is why this journey has no beginning or end, all must be in context. As I meet anew the incredibly important historical characters of Xavier Harkonnen, Serena Butler, and Vor Atriedes, I am reminded of how we all start out so naïve, so willing to believe what we have learned from our mentors. It is so wonderful to meet young Norma Cenva, who becomes one of the most important historical characters of the entire saga. She so wanted her mother, the powerful Sorceress of Rossack Zufa Cenva, to notice her. As a mother, Zufa is a disaster. But she is so inspired to help the human race beat the thinking machines. I love the description of Zufa’s first demonstration of her power to the League Representatives:

“ Then Zufa relaxed, throttling back the chain reaction of mental energy. Letting out a long, cold breath, the Sorceress smiled grimly at the started onlookers. ‘We have a weapon.’ ” (The Butlerian Jihad, p. 89)