The second book in the Dune sequence Dune Messiah sweeps irresistibly forward along the broad epic highway chartered by the double award wining Dune. Now Paul Atreides, ruler of a thousand planets, great victor of the holy war, a prince turned revolutionary leader and messiah of a fanatical religious sisterhood, is to be brought low by the very forces that had created him. Yet, foreseeing the plans of his enemies, he determines to drive on towards his own, shockingly different, future vision.
The unlikely cabal determined to rid the universe of Maud'dib consists of the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit, the Tleilaxu, The Guild, and the wife of Maud'dib himself. The Tleilaxu are the only creators of technology in the Dune universe, and constantly skirt around the prohibitive restrictions against advanced machines. They are fronted in the conspiracy by Face Dancers, genetic mules who are expert shapeshifters. The Guildsman are the only race that can pilot starships. The ingest massive quantities of the melange spice to do so, enabling them to see just enough seconds into the future to safely steer ships through hyperspace. This stranglehold on shipping and travel lets them wield enormous influence in galactic affairs. And yet. They fear Maud'dib and his Fremen.
