God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

This was probably the most bizarre of the novels so far, in that the protagonist, Leto II is plotting his own demise, and continues to welcome disaster in the face of peace. Being alive and worshiped for 3,500 years as both an emperor and God, he is no longer human, and he distances himself from the life forms that he observes as they travel right where he knows they will. He is bored with everything in life, and continually tells  Duncan Idaho's ghola that he would welcome it. He is in control of everything, even Siona, the only human he cannot see in the future. Many chapters begin with excerpts of Leto II's journals and each entry is deep and sad. His humanity slowly fades away, and he becomes more strange and scary with each entry. Once Leto II falls in love, he changes for a little while, from the distant and strange God to a lonely human. Everything that Leto looks forward to is a step toward his own death.
The most important characters were Leto II, Duncan Idaho and Siona. Each of their stories involved the question of what power really is, and if it is worth paying the price. Siona was a rebel, and everything that she did, even though it was monitored, was to resist the future that Leto wanted, "The Golden Path". Duncan Idaho was focused on who he was, and who he became. He had a difficult time understanding why he was resurrected over and over again. Leto's story was focused on the true meaning of life and what humanity was destined for.
I found this book to be the saddest of all the novels. Leto payed a heavy price in order to save humanity and  continue to provide the melange or spice to the Bene Gesserit and the Space Guild.
His narratives and journal entries were very melancholy and the fact that he was bored with life made him different from every character in the novel.
This is a tough read, but it concludes the story of Paul's family. I'm debating on reading Heretics of Dune.