How seductive it is to live in peace, she thought. — Lady Jessica, "Children of Dune", p. 197.
Without a shadow of a doubt, "Children of Dune" is one of the most intense books of the first trilogy, packed with political debate and the by-now-familiar touch of mysticism that runs through the entire arc of Paul Muad'Dib.
9 years have passed since the events of "Dune Messiah", which set the first arc of Atreides rule over the Universe in motion — gradually bringing rivalries and conflicts around the new model of governance, one that is grounded above all in Fremen belief, culminating in the religion of Muad'Dib.
Muad'Dib's Jihad brought many consequences to the Empire: it increased the power and influence of the Fremen, yes, but it also drastically changed life on Arrakis and for its people.
The dream of Liet-Kynes had become reality — not in 3,000 years as he had originally imagined, but within the first years of the Atreides Empire (or Mahdinat). The Muad'Dib government dramatically reshaped the landscape of Dune, which now had long stretches of green and water flowing freely in the open air, carried by qanats from one end of the vast desert to the other — something the Fremen could never have imagined even in their wildest dreams.
But not everything can stay perfect forever. With Arrakis changed so drastically and the planet having become the center of the Imperium, Arrakeen — the planetary capital — grew and evolved at an astronomically staggering pace, receiving thousands of travelers and pilgrims seeking the blessings of Muad'Dib. Slowly, the Fremen began to grow less cautious and more careless with the old customs — this marks the "leaving of the caves" for the new generation.
Danger lurks on every side. Alia had become a deep and darkening well, and with each passing day her regency drifts further from Muad'Dib's dream.
The Golden Path is far more than a journey — it is a spiritual learning experience, individual and collective at the same time; in the end, it is the salvation of the Universe. There is only one path to evolution and it lies in the future, but its ideals are deeply rooted in the past. That path is intrinsically tied to the Atreides twins, whose destiny is still uncertain, but who both hold in mind the salvation and the return of Dune to its origins. There is also the figure of the Preacher — mysterious yet captivating — is he really who we think he is?
"The mystery of life isn't a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." — Leto Atreides II