History Literature / GodEmperorOfDune

** {{Invoked|Trope}}- The reason the Fish Speakers are an [[AmazonBrigade all woman force]] is because of Leto's assertion that men, conditioned to violence and deprived of an outlet, will turn on their own populace, while women in the same position will turn to maternal instincts. Leto understands this because he has both male and female GeneticMemory. It gets ultimately subverted, though, as this makes women just as flawed as men, just in different ways: they are just a more easily controlled army then men are.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Leto II, especially when Hwi Noree is threatened.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Leto is apparently betrayed and dies, although this ultimately went out as planned by him in spite of all the tumbles and turns through the way. With his sacrifice, humanity is finally set in the Golden Path.]]

* VillainProtagonist: Leto II. Interesting in that he is [[NecessarilyEvil only evil so that he can preserve humanity]]. This really comes out when you see how Siona and the novel's [[CloningBlues main Duncan]] feel about him, as they are virtually the only people who don't worship or beg of him.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: With his immense knowledge of history, Leto II goes on to round up historians who fabricate and lie to serve their own ideology and has them burned on pyres of their books. When discussing this, Leto II makes it clear that he will not kill historians who simply made errors. While he states that it's because [[PragmaticVillainy he doesn't want to make martyrs]], from Leto's own point of view he's committing these actions to kill and spare because he genuinely believes he's helping humanity.

* AchillesHeel: Leto II, when at the end of ''Literature/ChildrenOfDune'' [[TwoBeingsOneBody combines his body with sandworm larvae]] to extend his life by thousands of years and gain immunity to almost every form of physical damage, also inherits the sandworms' [[KillItWithWater vulnerability to water]]. Of course, this is intentional and part of his plan.
* AffablyEvil: Malky, the Ixian representative. He takes pleasure in being known as a wretched man, and he's one of the few who can really get under Leto's skin. In spite of all that he's always in good spirits and Leto admits a fondness for him.

* AndIMustScream: Leto II's awareness supposedly exists in each of the sandtrout and sandworms produced from his body. In his words, he is ''a pearl of awareness locked in an endless dream''.

* BadassArmy: The Fish Speakers. Created by Leto as a replacement for the Corrinos' Sardaukar, and the Atreides' Fremen warriors. The remnants of the Sardaukar served Leto in the early decades of his reign, but eventually a Duncan Idaho clone rallied them to make a last, futile rebellion against the God Emperor, after which they were permanently disbanded. The Fremen, meanwhile, were not destroyed - but centuries of living on a lush and terraformed planet made them go soft, ending the harsh desert culture that made them such potent warriors in the first place. Fremen bloodlines continued but as a culture they've gone extinct. Many of the Fish Speakers, however, were bred from Sardaukar and Fremen bloodlines.

* BizarreAlienBiology[=/=]BizarreHumanBiology: Leto's sandworm body has grown even bigger, being mostly worm with a human face and hands at one end.

* CrazyPrepared: Leto II is prepared for everything thrown at him, to the point that he’s bored.

* TheEmperor: Leto II as God Emperor

* EvenEvilHasStandards: With his immense knowledge of history, Leto II goes on to round up historians who fabricate and lie to serve their own ideology and has them burned on pyres of their books. When discussing this, Leto II makes it clear that he will not kill historians who simply made errors. While he states that it's because [[PragmaticVillainy he doesn't want to make martyrs]] from Leto's own point of view he's committing these actions to kill and spare because he genuinely believes he's helping humanity.
* FaceHeelTurn: Duncan Idaho frequently dies betraying Leto II. In the end, he is partially responsible for Leto’s death, despite being in charge of protecting him. Though for Leto himself this is JustAsPlanned since his death is part of the Golden Path. It could also be a HeelFaceTurn if you consider Leto II the bad guy.

* AMillionIsAStatistic: Leto II’s enforced "peace" makes Paul’s jihad look benign. Also highlighted in how the death of some historians seem to get greater focus than the plight and death of billions under Leto II.

* NecessarilyEvil: Leto II makes himself the most terrible tyrant in history deliberately, so that when he is dead humanity will scatter and never be controllable by a single power ever again.
** A scattered humanity that cannot be found via any type of prescience is a humanity that cannot be exterminated. (c.f., Siona's initiation to the Golden Path.)

* NoWomansLand: Inverted in that Leto II deliberately elevates women over men, save for a select few. A sharp contrast to the old patriarchal Imperium.

** Leto II asks Hwi Noree if she's familiar with the philosophy of Noah Arkwright (a MeaningfulName, when you consider that "-wright" means "maker" or "builder"). [[spoiler: It turns out to be a pseudonym of Leto II. It's an in-universe shout out to the Biblical character.]]

** {{Invoked|Trope}} The reason the Fish Speakers are an [[AmazonBrigade all woman force]] is because of Leto's assertion that men, conditioned to violence and deprived of an outlet, will turn on their own populace, while women in the same position will turn to maternal instincts. Leto understands this because he has both male and female GeneticMemory. It gets ultimately subverted, though, as this makes women just as flawed as men, just in different ways: they are just a more easily controlled army then men are.