Winning the war was just the beginning. Maintaining peace is the true battle.

Dune Messiah is the second book in Frank Herbert’s epic science fiction book series, which picks up after Paul Atreides has won a 12-year intergalactic war. The book, which was published in 1969, will serve as the basis for the movie Dune: Part Three, which is due in theaters this December. So, who dies in Dune Messiah, how does the book end, and how closely will the movie follow the book? Let’s dive in and explore all your burning questions about Dune Messiah…

What is Dune Messiah about?

Dune Messiah is about Emperor Paul Atreides struggling to maintain order and fight off political attacks. The 12-year Fremen Jihad made Paul a hero, but he’s conflicted by feelings of guilt over the billions who died, and his status has made him a target. To make matters worse, Paul foresees that Chani will die in childbirth. If Dune was about Paul’s rise to power, Dune Messiah is about his fall from grace.

What happened in the Dune Messiah ending?

Chani gives birth to twins, a boy and girl, but dies during childbirth. Scytale offers to revive Chani as a ghola, but Paul turns him down, fearing the Chani ghola could be used for sinister purposes. Scytale threatens the newborn twins, but Paul kills him with a crysknife. Due to the universe being set on a new path, Paul’s prophetic powers disappear, leaving him completely blind. Fremen tradition states that a blind person must walk alone in the desert to die, so Paul abdicates his throne, leaves his children, and walks away from civilization, seemingly forever.

Who dies in Dune Messiah?

Chani, Bijaz, Scytale, Farok, Lichna, Otheym, Dhuri, Edric, Kobra, Mohiam, and Farok’s son all die in Dune Messiah. Here is a breakdown of how each character met their end.

• Chani – Dies during childbirth due to an accelerated pregnancy and the Fremen diet taking its toll on her body.
• Bijaz – Stabbed by Duncan Idaho.
• Scytale – Killed by Paul Atreides with a crysknife.
• Farok and his son – Killed with a poisoned dart.
• Lichna – Killed by Scytale, who goes on to impersonate her.
• Otheym – Killed by Scytale.
• Dhuri – Killed by Scytale.
• Edric – Killed by Stilgar.
• Kobra – Killed by Stilgar
• Mohiam – Killed by Stilgar (wow, Stilgar was busy this book).
  
  

Who kills Chani in Dune?

Nobody kills Chani, but she dies during childbirth. It can be argued that Princess Irulan was partially responsible, as she fed Chani chemical contraceptives to prevent her from bearing children. Chani would switch to a traditional Fremen diet to counteract the contraceptives, including massive amounts of spice. This resulted in an accelerated pregnancy that ultimately took its toll on Chani’s body, killing her during childbirth. Paul didn’t blame Irulan for Chani’s death, as his prescient visions had already told him Chani would die in childbirth. If anything, Paul felt Irulan’s actions had given Chani a few extra years as her contraceptives delayed the pregnancy.

Is Dune based off Islam?

Dune is not specifically based on Islam, but author Frank Herbert drew from Islamic culture in his worldbuilding. For example, the concept of Mahdi comes from Islamic culture, and the word Jihad was used to describe the galactic holy war. Herbert has called Dune a science fiction story, not a religious story. In other words, as the author says, the story uses Islamic elements, but it’s not a story based on Islam.

How closely will Dune: Part Three follow Dune Messiah?

Dune: Part Three will follow the core story of Dune Messiah while changing certain elements for the big screen. For example, Dune Messiah features a 12-year time jump, but director Denis Villeneuve has said the film adaptation will have a 17-year time jump. Some of the film’s promotional material hints that we’ll see the Fremen Jihad, a galactic holy war that mostly occurred off-stage in the books. Beyond that, everything else is speculation until the film hits theaters on December 18. Going by the first two films, I would expect the movie to follow the general plot beats, but take creative liberties when it serves the story

Is there more Dune after Dune Messiah?

Yes, Dune Messiah is only the second book in Frank Herbert’s original six-book series. Children of Dune, the next book in the series, was published in 1976. The novel follows Paul and Chani’s twin children Leto II and Ghanima as they rise to power. Herbert would also publish God Emperor of Dune in 1981, Heretics of Dune in 1984, and Chapterhouse: Dune in 1985. A seventh novel was planned, but Herbert passed away before he could finish. Herbert’s son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson used the late author’s notes to finish the story with the books Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007). And that’s not counting all the expanded universe content that has been published. The bottom line is the Dune saga is far from over, and there are plenty of stories that could be adapted on film.

How can I read Dune Messiah?

Dune Messiah remains in print and can easily be purchased at most major book retailers and online shops like Amazon. If you prefer audiobooks, there is a version available on Audible. If you’re on a tight budget, head to your local library, and if Dune Messiah is out of stock, ask your librarian if they can order a copy. Regardless of how you do it, there are plenty of ways to find and enjoy Dune Messiah.

Face your fear, and permit it to pass over you and through you with our key guides to all things Dune:

• Dune: Part Two's ending explained,
• All the Dune sequels and TV show prequels that are planned
• Dune watch order
• Before Dune 3, we look over the ending of the book it's based on: Dune: Messiah.
• Which Frank Herbert story Denis Villeneuve believes would make a great Dune: Part Three
• Movies to watch after you've finished Dune
• Sisterhood of Dune ending explained: Understanding the book that Dune: Prophecy was based on

After reading it all, turn to the inner eye to see its path.