Objectively, Children of Dune has a better story than Dune Messiah, and I can recognize that after the fact; it is more layered, nuanced, and there's a lot to keep track of and it all ties together pretty well at the end. That all being said, reading this was far more laborious than the previous two. This entry is more philosophical where the previous two books are more political. Herbert is actively getting better at writing with each book, and I like that the idea of with each book, it feels like the audience is getting closer and closer to "the present" (i.e. everything is an account of what has come before in this worlds history). The arc of the planet Arrakis and the worms and the spice is also really interesting when compared to the first book. I did find some aspects annoying like the overall absence of Stilgar (he seemed like a pretty major player in most of the events that ensued, but wasn't really around), and the unanswered questions of why Jessica was back now, or why Duncan tried to kill himself. It was always good, but I kept waiting for it to get great, and while it did deliver that, it came at the very end. I understand that this is both a continuation of what Dune Messiah sets up, and is leading to God Emperor, but in general was more disappointing than what Dune Messiah was supposed to be.