Dune Messiah continues the story twelve years after the first novel. Paul Atreides rules the known universe, and his followers carry his banner in holy wars across the stars. Yet power has brought him little freedom, and he is troubled by the consequences of the legend built around him.
A group of schemers, including those who resent his rule, plots to bring him down using cunning rather than armies. The novel is shorter and darker than its predecessor, a meditation on prophecy, fanaticism and the cost of leadership.