Dune #3: Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

Easily the most memorable character in the first sequence of Dune novels is the Preacher, a mysterious prophet introduced in Children of Dune. The blind old man (who may or may not be Paul Muad’Dib) speaks out against the policies of Alia’s regency and deplores the way the Fremen culture has become twisted in so little time. Using such a wise, all-knowing character, in my opinion, enabled Herbert to be more didactic in his writing without being too obvious. Through the words of the Preacher, the ecological and evolutionary themes running throughout the first three Dune novels become crystal clear — a wonderfully emotional conclusion to a brilliant trilogy.