A Messiah too detailed

While this book was amazing (this being the first time I have read it), they style of allowing the reader to know the outcome of the book was a little off putting. Throughout the entirety of the book, we knew Paul would be the one. It was almost guaranteed what would happen to almost every other character we met. We knew the destiny of Leto, his terrible death at the mercy of his dear Dr. Yuet. The Barron had to die at the hands of one of Paul's family members, and the Emperor would be ultimately destroyed by Paul himself. While the story was beautifully constructed, having that foresight did not allow the book to have as great an impact on the reader.

Similarly, knowing beforehand that Paul was the Messiah not only according to Bene Gesterite lore or the Freemen prophecies took away from his accomplishments. Whenever Paul did something amazing or noteworthy I began to think well of course he did that, he is going to be the messiah... he is supposed to do those things. I don't think people normally know ahead of time that people are going to be the Messiah, even with careful inbreeding. In the back of the book, when there is an explanation of the Bene Gesertie goals, the planned birth between the female Paul should have been and the nephew of the Barron had "the high probability of producing Kwisatz Haderach" (509). There should be no predetermined savior. We cannot know what they will do. Therefore, I think our understanding as readers of the writings of the Princess Irulan before those things actually took place diminished Paul's ability to become a Messiah in our eyes.