In the very beginning of Dune Messiah, I appreciate Brian Herbert’s added parts of the story as the book opens with Excerpts from the Death Cell Interview with Bronso of IX. I remember first reading Dune Messiah and wondering who Bronso was. Not only do we know who Bronso is from Paul of Dune, but it becomes clear why he is an important character in Winds of Dune.
Another story that is now clarified from Paul of Dune concerns the aspirations of the Tleilaxu to create their own Kwisatz Haderach. Here is an exchange between the conspirators in Dune Messiah which were Edric the Navigator, Scytale the Face Dancer, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, and Princess Irulan:
“How has Idaho been conditioned?” Irulan asked.
“Idaho?” Edric asked, looking at the Tleilaxu. “Do you know of an Idaho, Scytale?”
"We sold you a creature called Hayt,” Scytale said.
“Ah, yes – Hayt,” Edric said. “Why did you sell him to us?”
“Because we once bred a kwisatz haderach of our own,” Scytale said.
With a quick movement of her old head, the Reverend Mother looked up at him. “You didn’t tell us that!” she accused.
“You didn’t ask,” Scytale said.
“How did you overcome your kwisatz haderach?” Irulan asked.
“A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of his selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation,” Scytale said.
“I do not understand,” Edric ventured.
“He killed himself,” the Reverend Mother growled.
(Dune Messiah, p. 22)
Without the story of Thallo from Paul of Dune, this exchange left me cold. But now, I can see Thallo, I recall how he knew he wasn’t perfect, and I picture him explaining this to Marie on the day he died. And although he meant to kill himself along with many others, Marie killed him and saved a full-scale disaster.
As this conversation between the conspirators continues, we get a glimpse in to the Tleilaxu plans for Hayt/Idaho.
How devious she must not guess, Scytale thought. When this is done, we will possess a kwisatz haderach we can control. These others will possess nothing.
(Dune Messiah, p. 23)
Not very long after, Paul finds out that the Reverend Mother is in a Guild Heighliner above Arrakis and has her arrested. I just really liked this exchange between the Qizara and the Mohiam:
“It came to our attention that you were aboard,” the Qizara said. “Have you forgotten that you are denied permission to set foot on the holy planet?”
“I am not on Arrakis,” she said. “I’m a passenger on a Guild Heighliner in free space.”
“There is no such thing as free space, Madame.”
(Dune Messiah, p. 85)
The best thing about Dune Messiah is the ghola, Hayt, and the return of Duncan Idaho. The best scenes are most often with Hayt/Idaho. The interplay between Hayt and Alia and also between Hayt and Paul are fabulous. The combination of characteristics the Tleilaxu decided to incorporate in this ghola make for very interesting conversations. I mean really … a Zensunni Mentat Swordmaster!
The banter between him and Alia is just great. I can’t repeat all the conversations but there was one fairly on where Alia wanted to know what Hayt had said to Paul.
“I told him that to endure oneself may be the hardest task in the universe.”
She shook her head. “That’s … that’s …”
“A bitter pill,” he said, watching the guards run toward them across the roof, taking up their escort positions.
“Bitter nonsense!”
“The greatest palatinate earl and the lowliest stipendiary serf share the same problem. You cannot hire a mentat or any other intellect to solve it for you. There is no writ of inquest or calling of witnesses to provide answers. No servant – or disciple – can dress the wound. You dress it yourself or continue bleeding for all to see.”
(Dune Messiah, p. 127)
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