The Twins
Of all the Dune books I believe Children of Dune is the most character focused. We get to see new characters develop and older characters change in (mostly negative) ways. The concepts of Ancestral Memories and being Pre Born are two ideas which I will break down in my analysis of Leto II and Ghanima.
Who is Leto II? This character is critical I think mostly because the person Leto II is in this book is a much different from what he becomes by the events of the third book: God Emperor of Dune. Leto is interesting because although he is a mature person for his young age due to the Ancestral Memories he is clearly still brimming with the idealism of youth. He uses his prescience to outmaneuver the political schemes of his Aunt Alia and eventually confronts his father about the choices that he has made. Paul was unwilling to go down the Golden Path because of what it meant both physically and emotionally. Leto II sees himself as the savior of humanity because of his willingness to go through a genetic metamorphosis and become the Tyrant that will lead humanity on a path which ensures our survival. I think the dynamic between Leto II and Paul is really interesting because through Ancestral Memories, Leto II knows what Paul has been through. Literally he knows everything that happened to his father before his birth, and yet his choice is still his own. He decides to forge his own path. A Golden Path.
Who is Ghanima? I think Ghanima is an underrated character and tragically her arch is mainly contained within the one book: Children of Dune. She is not gifted with the lifespan her brother attains at the end of the book, but her actions within this one novel make up for this somewhat unfair deal in terms of the overall narrative. Ghanima and her brother fight and kill a pair of full grown tigers which have been genetically modified and bread for assassination. After this attack, Ghanima uses her Bene Gesserit training (Through Ancestral Memories) to use a psychological trick which hides her memories of the attack and makes her believe that her brother Leto II is dead. This way they can fake Leto’s death even from a Truthsayer of the Bene Gesserit. Why do they need to fake Leto’s death? That is a question that is better anwsered by reading the third book in the series: Children of Dune.