Dune Messiah was a bit disappointing to me, it was slow and was too engaged with the political conflict only. This book was the sequel I wanted.

Now that Paul is gone, his children, Leto and Ghanima, are being prepared to take over his throne. But not every one wants that to happen. This book is all about how they try to come to terms with who they are and how they can keep the empire peaceful in future generations.

Unlike the previous book, this one has action actually happening. It still has a lot of politics going on but that's perfectly fine. Children of Dune strikes the same balance that made the original Dune so engaging: a science-fiction opera with political intrigue against a very fleshed out universe with some great and still novel ideas to back it up.