Point of View

Frank Herbert narrates Dune Messiah in the third person past tense. More often than he quotes character's words in dialog, Herbert lays out their inner thoughts (in italics). He opens new scenes by quoting epigrams in the manner of a historian. Herbert reveals very gradually the plot to remove protagonist Paul Atreides from his Imperial throne. The narrator is obviously on the protagonist's side - no matter how frustratingly Paul may behave. It appears from the opening scene that the dysfunctional group of traitors knows what it intends to do and they are shown taking steps to make the pieces fall into place, but the unexpected news that Paul's beloved concubine, Chani, has succeeded in getting pregnant, appears to force a sudden re-evaluation. Only when any chance of the plot succeeding has been dashed is its full scope made clear. The fuzziness affecting all the prescient...