Science Fiction

Heretics of Dune

Heretics of Dune

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  • Create Date：2021-08-13 08:54:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Frank Herbert
  • ISBN：0593098269
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Summary

Book five in Frank Herbert's magnificent Dune Chronicles--one of the most significant sagas in the history of literary science fiction。

Leto Atreides， the God Emperor of Dune， is dead。 In the fifteen hundred years since his passing， the Empire has fallen into ruin。 The great Scattering saw millions abandon the crumbling civilization and spread out beyond the reaches of known space。 The planet Arrakis-now called Rakis-has reverted to its desert climate， and its great sandworms are dying。

Now， the Lost Ones are returning home in pursuit of power。 And as factions vie for control over the remnants of the Empire， a girl named Sheeana rises to prominence in the wastelands of Rakis， sending religious fervor throughout the galaxy。 For she possesses the abilities of the Fremen sandriders-fulfilling a prophecy foretold by the late God Emperor。。。

Includes an introduction by Brian Herbert

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Reviews

Yev ，

This was the first book of an unfinished trilogy。 Heretics rehashes Dune and adds new elements。 The characters and power dynamics take on new names， though they are still the same roles。The original Dune was published in 1965， almost 20 years prior。 From 1977 to 1983， the Star Wars trilogy was released， the last of which was released the year prior to the publication of Heretics。 This made for a strange read as it's clear that this was meant to be a commercial work hoping to gain from the popula This was the first book of an unfinished trilogy。 Heretics rehashes Dune and adds new elements。 The characters and power dynamics take on new names， though they are still the same roles。The original Dune was published in 1965， almost 20 years prior。 From 1977 to 1983， the Star Wars trilogy was released， the last of which was released the year prior to the publication of Heretics。 This made for a strange read as it's clear that this was meant to be a commercial work hoping to gain from the popularity of Star Wars， though at the same time it's a rejection as well。This can be seen in-text: "Here's a three P-O，" they said meaning such a person surrounded himself with cheap copies made from declassee substances。 Herbert later writes that "It is built of materials that will last much longer still" which is followed by "My objections don't matter。" This must've been troublesome for everyone involved。 It was also a troubling time for Herbert， as his wife died the year this was published and he'd die in two years。Heretics is much more action and adventure oriented than prior books。 The philosophy is still there， though it's a different sort。 Heretics is by far the harshest on religion， making a mockery of any and every sort consistently and constantly。 The adversaries the characters face are disappointing caricatures， especially the Tleilaxu。Heretics happens long after the fourth book， so I wonder how much it bothers people that the entire cast changes so much so often。 I didn't care much， but I know a lot of people become very attached to characters and may not be able or willing to form an emotional connection with new ones。 I'd say this is an ensemble rather than a single character dominating the narrative， as there are number of viewpoints presented and they all matter。"Unabashed" sums up the book。 There are many outright assertions and blunt statements of opinion that seem out of place。 I wrote in my previous Dune review that "I believe how much we enjoy anything is often a matter of how willing we are to overlook its flaws。" Unfortunately， the flaws exceeded how much I was able to overlook。 There was far too much reliance on handwaving about everything in general。 The result was suitable， but it made it feel too arbitrary。The sex scenes are meant to show how powerful eros is， but when there's a literal （view spoiler）[ female sex cult that enslaves any man after a single time， only to have another a male character unlock his true sex potential and make one of them cry out they can't possibly lose to a penis， and because he's so virile， she's immediately impregnated （hide spoiler）] makes it difficult to take any of it seriously。The treatment of women by the crypto-Islamic culture is far more horrific， though far less detailed， than anything shown by The Handmaid's Tale， which was published the following year。My expectations may now be for suitable for Chapterhouse: Dune。 。。。more

J。M。 Giovine ，

Well， I guess inevitably， a sequel of the Dune franchise would eventually become only a mere bridge， with all included， as well as a cliffhanger in the very end。Say whatever you might about the previous 3， but they were standalones; they attempted a different approach， sometimes even a genuine reminiscent feeling towards the first one， but they were consistent stories that Herbert wanted to tell。 'Heretics' feels rather an spontaneous idea exploited in a 670 pages gap， each one interesting and s Well， I guess inevitably， a sequel of the Dune franchise would eventually become only a mere bridge， with all included， as well as a cliffhanger in the very end。Say whatever you might about the previous 3， but they were standalones; they attempted a different approach， sometimes even a genuine reminiscent feeling towards the first one， but they were consistent stories that Herbert wanted to tell。 'Heretics' feels rather an spontaneous idea exploited in a 670 pages gap， each one interesting and substantial， but in the end， pointless and even empty， at times。 Another millennia has passed since the God Emperor Leto II died， and Arrakis （now called "Rakis"） has return to it's primitive desert-state， but at the same time， worms are disappearing， and with them， the precious melange。 Civilization is crumbling and the Empire is at ruin， so the Scattering happen making millions spreading throughout different corners of the known space。 Now， the Lost Ones are attempting to return home and gain power， and humankind's only hope relays on a girl at Rakis who's able to speak and control the worms， as well as in the newest ghola of Duncan Idaho， a creation of the Tleilaxu to fulfill the objectives of the Bene Gesserit。 And that's the best I could do regarding the plot because。。。 This is an immensely overwhelming novel。 Let's be clear， the Dune novels aren't necessarily easy readings per se， but they weren't the ultimate dense lecture out there， either。 Herbert's prose and style manages to be both: detailed and clear， digestible but substantial， and the problem with this fifth installment sums up within the amount of plots and devices he seeks to exploit and explore when， in the end， nothing really seems to be happening， at least not in the big scale of things。 For starters， I believed Duncan Idaho would be the protagonist， since the book started with his introduction by the Bene Gesserit， but later on， we're taken onto Rakis in order to meet Sheeana， the last remnant of the Fremen， and the girl who apparently was prophesied by the late God Emperor， but then， we're introduced to even more characters such as the villanous Odrade， or the Mother Superior Taraza， the leader of the Bene Gesserit， or Teg， Duncan's Guardian， or Lucilla， the mother superior assigned to imprint Teg， and work as a kind of "mother figure" for Duncan。 There are tons of characters who seems to get plenty of importance， sometimes， even more than the two apparent lead roles， who in the end feels wasted and abandoned， and for a novel that really don't seem to know where exactly is it heading， that represents an issue。 The story cannot help but to feel wrong in the way that the Atreides dynasty doesn't seem to be playing any kind of role here， and for once， I thought focusing on another character as a point of targeting would improve upon the series， but then again， even if this is the book in which we're able to see （once again） the truthful Duncan Idaho， Herbert never does anything particularly special with it aside of a short but intense sex scene with one of the story's antagonists。 Another problem comes from the time lapse in which this takes place: fifteen hundred years after the fourth novel！ and that already took place three thousand years after "Children of Dune"。 I'm not saying there is a certain inconsistency about the franchise's timeline， but the amount of years between novels escalates in the worst ways possible， making the feeling about the saga fading the more this stretches further from the first book。 I do understand Herbert does these time lapses in order to grant a certain "realistic" value to his （de）evolutionary ecosystem inside Arrakis， but in a narrative standpoint， the reader won't help but to feel exhausted and， I have to say it， disinterested。 I guess there were still aspects of the novel that I deeply enjoyed， like the existentialists themes surrounding the Bene Gesserit cult， or the political philosophy of the decadent Empire， or the antagonistic point of view from the religious keepers attempting to venerate the God Emperor still， and as aforementioned， Herbert does the best he can with his style of writing， I just cannot help but to feel the general book as pointless， at least for what the story pointed at after the fourth book， which I still had problems getting through， but at least "God Emperor" benefited from a way interesting protagonist， who also happens to be the villain of the story。 This was clearly another attempt from Herbert to stretch–unnecessarily–upon his franchise， which I do appreciate， but the more I reflect from what I've read so far， this wasn't meant to be one， at least， not one meant to reach the fifth chapter in a saga。 。。。more

Bug1434 ，

Back to what makes Dune good。

Sander ，

Herbert did it again！ This is another masterpiece of storytelling with philosophy， humor， Machiavellian plotting， superhuman powers， ~sexy times~， and MORE explored in exquisite detail。 This is supposedly supposed to be the start of a new Dune trilogy， and I definitely felt the “new beginnings” in an old universe vibe here—a reboot far removed （temporally） from the first few books but still acutely connected。 It was super refreshing being introduced to all new characters—all very interesting in Herbert did it again！ This is another masterpiece of storytelling with philosophy， humor， Machiavellian plotting， superhuman powers， ~sexy times~， and MORE explored in exquisite detail。 This is supposedly supposed to be the start of a new Dune trilogy， and I definitely felt the “new beginnings” in an old universe vibe here—a reboot far removed （temporally） from the first few books but still acutely connected。 It was super refreshing being introduced to all new characters—all very interesting in their own ways。The plot is driven by a master plan that isn’t fully revealed until the final pages of the book。 Even after finishing I feel like there are parts that require a second reading。 This was a bit frustrating but even more interesting and fun as you try to guess the motivations of all the competing interests in the book。Sad there’s only one more of the original saga :（ But excited to read it soon！ 。。。more

Terry ，

3。5 – 4 starsI had always considered this one of the weaker entries in the Dune series， but I find myself revising that opinion after this re-read。 Something that has become clearer to me as I’ve read through the Dune series again this time has been the fact that Herbert’s greatest strength in all of them may lie in his characters with which he has a deft hand。 It is most often because of them， I think， that I find the Dune series worth reading even when some other aspects of it may seem as thou 3。5 – 4 starsI had always considered this one of the weaker entries in the Dune series， but I find myself revising that opinion after this re-read。 Something that has become clearer to me as I’ve read through the Dune series again this time has been the fact that Herbert’s greatest strength in all of them may lie in his characters with which he has a deft hand。 It is most often because of them， I think， that I find the Dune series worth reading even when some other aspects of it may seem as though they are coming off the rails a bit。 That and the intriguing ideas of course。 Not only does Herbert posit an intriguing society based on some far-out sf-nal ideas， but he lods them with musings on politics， religion， and basic human nature that make them well worth the price of admission。 Politics and religion are still dominant themes in this volume， but one thing really stands out: sex。 Not to say this is an explicit book， but the power and motivation of sex as a lever to hold others in sway is certainly central。And guess who’s back？ That’s right， our old friend Duncan Idaho has been resurrected yet again in ghola form， this time to serve the purposes of the newly resurgent Bene Gesserit Order who appear as fascinated by the Atreides’ old swordmaster as nearly everyone else in the Dune universe。 1500 years have passed since the fall of the god-emperor， though his presence is still felt， and his golden path continues to steer humanity along the tracks he has set for them。 Between the end of the last volume and our present one humanity has suffered a massive collapse due to the fall of Leto’s empire which resulted not only in the Famine Times， but also in a subsequent mass exodus of humanity known as the Scattering。 Now the prodigal brothers and sisters， a mass of humanity that dwarfs the numbers of those left in the core worlds， are returning home and the spectre of war threatens all of humanity。 After four previous volumes we finally begin to get a glimpse into the inner workings of some of the most mysterious elements of Herbert’s mythology: namely the Bene Gesserit and the Bene Tleilax。 Perhaps the most horrific revelation is the one made about the Tleilaxu axlotl tanks which have been key to producing the much-desired Duncan Idaho gholas， the allure of which （whom？） also seem tantalizingly close to finally receiving an answer。 The danger in this kind of revelation， of course， is that it may not live up to one’s hopes。 I think Herbert does a pretty good job in avoiding that trap， though， and he still manages to keep making his expanding and changing Dune universe interesting and surprising。 There is at least one old lesson that it appears the universe at large *still* hasn’t sufficiently learned even after the example of the god-emperor: don’t fuck with the Atreides！ Even latter-day scions of the family like Darwi Odrade and Miles Teg have the genetic heritage to fuck you up！In this volume I’d say that the aforementioned new characters of Miles Teg and Darwi Odrade really shine， and Duncan Idaho is one of my perennial favourites so I’m happy to see him once again。 We even get a new glimpse of the seemingly ubiquitous character by witnessing much more of his pre-Idaho personality as embodied in a ghola that is still quite young and being trained by the Bene Gesserit in preparation for awakening his old memories and personality。 If I was going to point to anything that felt like a weakness in the book it might be something you could call ‘GRR Martin Syndrome’: namely， that while I was captivated by at least half of the storylines Herbert weaves in this book， I found some others to be a little less interesting。 Even with the knowledge it gives us of Tleilaxu society， the story of Waff， the ‘Master of Masters’， wasn’t particularly compelling to me， and I also found myself wanting to skip through the Sheeana chapters with the petulant girl-child and its cadre of Rakian priests of the Divided God in all their dullard glory。 By the end of the book， though， all of the strands do come together， with each playing into the others to produce a truly unexpected conclusion…which of course leaves many questions to be answered in the next， and final， volume。 Join me， won’t you？ 。。。more

Trish ，

Oh my， it seems as if Frank Herbert saved a plot almost as complex as the one of the first four books for the last two！  I'm very much looking forward to Villeneuve's interpretation of Dune that will be shown in theaters this year so I decided to not only read the original book but also the rest of the series。 1500 years have passed since Leto II， the God Emperor， has died。 Arrakis is now called Rakis and has become a desert planet again。 As planned by Leto， his death spawned the resurgence of s Oh my， it seems as if Frank Herbert saved a plot almost as complex as the one of the first four books for the last two！  I'm very much looking forward to Villeneuve's interpretation of Dune that will be shown in theaters this year so I decided to not only read the original book but also the rest of the series。 1500 years have passed since Leto II， the God Emperor， has died。 Arrakis is now called Rakis and has become a desert planet again。 As planned by Leto， his death spawned the resurgence of sandworms （able to thrive when the desert took over again）。 While his death resulted in the hope that spice will be flowing once again， it has also triggered a kind of exodus， called the Scattering， when the Empire crumbled。 Dominant powers in what is left of the Empire are the Bene Gesserit， the Ixians （inventors pushing the boundaries of what is technologically allowed ever since the Butlerian Jihad， thus developing （amongst other things） the no-ships which are invisible to detection）， and Bene Tleilax （an isolationist group of genetic manipulators that have developed the axlotl tank in which the gholas are being bred and in which they can now produce spice even; they have also developed a new form of face dancers）。 Manipulators one and all and all of them strangely … weak now。The ones who left the Empire are called the Lost Ones。 Most powerful amongst them are the Honoured Matres - an off-shoot of the Bene Gesserit that， while having peculiar powers， also seem to have devolved from the Sisterhood: they have lost the ability to absolutely control their bodies and emotions。 Nevertheless， they should not be underestimated。  Simultaneously， it has come to the Bene Gesserit's attention that there is a young woman on Rakis that can control the sandworms （Sheeana （view spoiler）[， a descendant of Paul （hide spoiler）]， as is only to be expected， causes mayhem amongst the fish speakers that have turned into priests on Rakis as people start worshipping her like they used to worship Muad'Dib）。 Perhaps it is therefore no coincidence that the Lost Ones are returning now of all times， bent on conquest。 The Bene Gesserit have foreseen this conflict and prepared accordingly despite the Sisterhood being divided internally。 Thus， another Duncan Idaho ghola has been bred and is being trained while they are also keeping tabs on Sheeana。 Another asset in their struggle for supremacy is a former military commander， （Bashar） Miles Teg （（view spoiler）[another descendant of House Atreidis （hide spoiler）]）。 Darwi Odrade， one of his daughters （biological， unbeknown to him）， is a Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit and sent to Rakis to take over the keep there。 So yes， all forces are converging on Dune。 And then， the unthinkable happens 。。。 I could go into more detail about the battles， the assassinations （both attempted and successful）， deceptions， the captures and escapes， the fight between religious fanatism and cold logic， the plots and counter-plots。 Equally， I could tell you of the weird but highly interesting powers the different factions display or accidentally trigger。 But I shan't。 Discovering the richness of the plot yourself is half the fun of reading these books after all。 Seriously， I had my doubts about how I'd like these last two books after how volume 4 ended （what could possibly come after that， especially since there was nobody left for me to connect with）。 I should have trusted the author more。 Just seeing the Atreidis legacy， all the consequences even from small actions from about 5000 years earlier - it all brought home just how big the threat to humanity was and why such drastic sacrifices were necessary to ensure the Golden Path would be followed 。。。 or did something happen that thwarted Leto's plans？ As predicted， I didn't connect too much with most characters here。 However， I did love Duncan very much again and I pitied him for his "childhood"。 I also loved everything about Teg。 He was brilliant and very much like （view spoiler）[the original Leto （hide spoiler）]。 Which OF COURSE meant that （view spoiler）[he had to die （hide spoiler）]。 *sighs* What I really didn't see coming or didn't want to consider possible despite all the signs was （view spoiler）[Arrakis' destruction （hide spoiler）]。 I mean， Chapterhouse had been talked about in the previous book already （sneaky） and became more and more important here。 Nevertheless， we're talking about （view spoiler）[Dune （hide spoiler）]！ *cries* No idea what will happen now。 Naturally， there is only victory or defeat （and there is no telling which would be part of the Golden Path） but what either will look like is a mystery - showing the author's mastery！ 。。。more

Melissa ，

God I thought this book would never end。 This could easily have been 100 pages less and the story would have been the same。I could not believe that the destruction of an entire planet took place within a paragraph。 A literal blink and you miss it moment。 I usually don't like drawn out action scenes， which endeared me to Dune in the beginning。 But come on， give us a little bit of excitement！ The only character that really interested me was Duncan。 He's been an interesting character from the begin God I thought this book would never end。 This could easily have been 100 pages less and the story would have been the same。I could not believe that the destruction of an entire planet took place within a paragraph。 A literal blink and you miss it moment。 I usually don't like drawn out action scenes， which endeared me to Dune in the beginning。 But come on， give us a little bit of excitement！ The only character that really interested me was Duncan。 He's been an interesting character from the beginning， but my opinion on him changes from book to book。 He was my least favorite part of God Emperor， but here he was the only thing that kept me reading。 I really enjoyed his arc。 Although I don't like the idea of him being kept prisoner and forced to breed。 Yuk。Teg was ok。 I liked the reveal towards the end， but for the rest of the book he was pretty meh。 Sheanna was pretty forgettable as well。 I think she could have been really interesting if she were developed more。 I am looking forward to seeing more of her in the next one。 I think。I actively disliked the bene gesserit and reverend mothers。 This whole plot line left me feeling pretty uncomfortable， not gonna lie。 Frank Herbert is getting a little。。。。 weird。 I dislike his musings on sexuality and the breeding program gives me the heebie geebies。 Also， by the end of the book I was ready for Herbert to PERMANENTLY REMOVE the word whore from his vocabulary。 Overall， this was suuuuuuch a colossal disappointment coming off the high that was God Emperor。 There was so much that Herbert could have done with the story that I don't get why he had to focus on what is， IMO， the least interesting part of the series。 I give zero fucks about the bene gesserit， I'm sorry。2 stars。。 。。。more

Hayley Abramowitz ，

five books in， i've learned to trust in the slooooooow build。 herbert does that very well， and i admire that he knows how many factions are too many factions。 you never lose track of anyone， but it still feels like a complex game。 also delighted that for the fifth book in a row everyone wants to fuck duncan five books in， i've learned to trust in the slooooooow build。 herbert does that very well， and i admire that he knows how many factions are too many factions。 you never lose track of anyone， but it still feels like a complex game。 also delighted that for the fifth book in a row everyone wants to fuck duncan 。。。more

Bart ，

This is the 5th article on my reread of the Dune series。 It's an analysis of 11，600 words。 Among other things， the text looks at Herbert’s narrative bluff， and examines the Bene Gesserit’s motivations。 It discusses love， heresy and variation as themes in the novel， and looks at how the book’s characters are permutations of those of Dune。 I try the explain why I liked this book the most of the sequels， even with all its shortcomings。 The most important focus of the analysis is on a major shift in This is the 5th article on my reread of the Dune series。 It's an analysis of 11，600 words。 Among other things， the text looks at Herbert’s narrative bluff， and examines the Bene Gesserit’s motivations。 It discusses love， heresy and variation as themes in the novel， and looks at how the book’s characters are permutations of those of Dune。 I try the explain why I liked this book the most of the sequels， even with all its shortcomings。 The most important focus of the analysis is on a major shift in the series， as in Heretics， under the influence of Einstein and quantum theory， Herbert casts prescience not as something passive， but as an active， shaping force。 This sea change alters the ontology underlying the series drastically。 I also look at an underlying principle Herbert uses: perception shaping reality。（。。。）Full analysis on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It 。。。more

Joshua Judd ，

Frank Herbert must have been high on his own supply of the spice melange when he cooked up the plot for this book because I cannot， for the life of me， divine what on God's green earth possessed him to take the Dune Chronicles in this direction。 Recommended only to those in search of Duncan Idaho erotica。 I give Heretics three stars。 Frank Herbert must have been high on his own supply of the spice melange when he cooked up the plot for this book because I cannot， for the life of me， divine what on God's green earth possessed him to take the Dune Chronicles in this direction。 Recommended only to those in search of Duncan Idaho erotica。 I give Heretics three stars。 。。。more

Mathieu Germain ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Meh， not horrible be the worst of the chronicle so far。Just a bit too many clunky tone shifts to romance novels。 It might be small but it broke the flow for me。

Liam Hennessy ，

Id rate it 2。5The first 150 pages felt disjointed and glued together。 After that stuff kicks off and everything becomes more fast paced。The ending was wayyy too quick for my liking and it shouldve been more in depth with its sequences。

Matthew Rutschky ，

very well written

Jonathan ，

Herbert has not run out of thoughts， but mostly out of plot。 He has lost the anti-messianic thread， completed in God-Emperor of Dune， and now plays with ideas arising out of the various creations he’s imagined and their trajectories。 It makes for interesting philosophizing， but mediocre storytelling。

Adam Farmer ，

The first half was a little scattered with a lot of flashbacks making the timeline a little confusing。 But the action picked up in the second half and all of the scattered pieces started to fit together in the wonderful menagerie of characters。 It certainly wasn’t as entertaining as it’s predecessors， but it was still a great addition to the Dune saga。

R。K。 King ，

Well-written prose and some interesting expansion of world-building couldn't save this book for me。 Am I just getting Dune fatigue？ Considering how amazing the first Dune book is， as well as the Dune universe overall， I am dismayed at how bored I was with this one。Each book in the series has declined in its impact， I feel。 By the time I reached this one， #5 in the series， I just care very little about the remaining characters now。The immense jumps in time between books has far removed any charac Well-written prose and some interesting expansion of world-building couldn't save this book for me。 Am I just getting Dune fatigue？ Considering how amazing the first Dune book is， as well as the Dune universe overall， I am dismayed at how bored I was with this one。Each book in the series has declined in its impact， I feel。 By the time I reached this one， #5 in the series， I just care very little about the remaining characters now。The immense jumps in time between books has far removed any characters I used to care about。 There is some interesting stuff going on regarding the character use of Duncan this time around， but it's not enough。What made the first Dune novel so impactful has almost faded by this point。But， as I said at the beginning of this review， the dialogue and descriptions are as on-point as always through the series， and there is some additional world-building going on that expands the depth of the Dune universe itself。 But the plot just isn't going in an interesting direction。Unfortunate， considering the first book Dune is still the greatest sci-fi novel ever written IMO。I welcome suggestions for a new contender in that arena。Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story， plus inside info， musings， promos and more: RK King Writes 。。。more

Calin Biris ，

Mult mai antrenant volumul decât Împăratul-zeu al Dunei。 Mi-a plăcut。

Alice Veiros ，

I really enjoyed the characters and plots in this one！ It was really interesting to read and definitely a page-turner in some chapters。 I have lots of other good things to say but none without spoilers， so if you enjoyed the previous volumes I would advise you to read this one too :）

Brendan Kraus ，

Heretics of Dune is the 5th chapter in Frank Herbert’s Dune saga。 Set over 1500 years since the thrilling conclusion of God Emperor of Dune。 At the end of that book we saw that the God Emperor predicted after his death we would see a scattering where people escape into the unknown areas of space。 Those people are now returning。 The Bene Gesserit， the matriarchal order now find themselves facing a rival， The Honored Matres， an all female force similar to the Bene Gesserit who use sexual prowess t Heretics of Dune is the 5th chapter in Frank Herbert’s Dune saga。 Set over 1500 years since the thrilling conclusion of God Emperor of Dune。 At the end of that book we saw that the God Emperor predicted after his death we would see a scattering where people escape into the unknown areas of space。 Those people are now returning。 The Bene Gesserit， the matriarchal order now find themselves facing a rival， The Honored Matres， an all female force similar to the Bene Gesserit who use sexual prowess to obtain power。 On the planet Rakis （Formerly Dune and Arrakis） a young girl emerges with the ability to communicate with the great sandworms。 On the planet Gammu a Duncan Idaho Ghola is being trained by Bene Gesserit Bashar Miles Teg。 Their paths seemingly on an inevitable collision course。I think my big problem with Heretics is that to much of it to me feels like setup。 So often when I’m reading this book I find myself thinking “ok lets move on”。 Odrade the character I like but her excursion into the Desert with Sheena and Waff is so dull for me。 Even with the big reveal。 Miles Teg is a similar tale。 LOVE the character but his storyline with Lucilla and Duncan just feels like setup that isn’t super captivating。 I think the 3rd act is really strong but feel things could be stronger if we learn about Tarza’s true plan sooner。 Feels like it is just dropped on us。 All the maneuvering of Taraza just does not have that special something that the political maneuvering other Dune books has。 A little hard to follow at times and dull in to many places。 Just feels like glorified setup。 Perhaps if Frank had finished the series this would play better in context。 3。5/5 。。。more

Lydia ，

This book fulfills the promise of political intrigue and conspiracy established in the original novel， along with a healthy dose of Herbert's awe of sex and femininity。And I finally learned that the Tleilaxu are not from Ix。 I guess the two X names just stuck together in my mind。。。 This book fulfills the promise of political intrigue and conspiracy established in the original novel， along with a healthy dose of Herbert's awe of sex and femininity。And I finally learned that the Tleilaxu are not from Ix。 I guess the two X names just stuck together in my mind。。。 。。。more

Barb ，

I enjoyed it， but had a harder time following it towards the end！

Jen Hunt ，

I really wish I didn’t have the personality type where I have to finish something I start。 Not enjoying this series in the least。 I keep wondering why this has such a cult following。

Nick ，

Just finished this last night。 Amazing。 I thought this was the second best in the series so far for me， after the original Dune。 This story introduces some amazing new characters including an atriedes decendant who happens to be a BG trained mentat General， Miles Teg and the atriedes decendant reverend mother odrade。 Both show amazing abilities and with Teg ， suppressed abilities that later show up in times of great agony， sounds like an atriedes In this book we dive into the Bene Gesserit and T Just finished this last night。 Amazing。 I thought this was the second best in the series so far for me， after the original Dune。 This story introduces some amazing new characters including an atriedes decendant who happens to be a BG trained mentat General， Miles Teg and the atriedes decendant reverend mother odrade。 Both show amazing abilities and with Teg ， suppressed abilities that later show up in times of great agony， sounds like an atriedes In this book we dive into the Bene Gesserit and Tleixalu。 We learn alot more of these two powers in how they operate。 We learn about the axotl tanks， the new face dancers， their myth and lore ， ideas and goals of these two leading factions。 We are also introduced to a new enemy ， the honored matres。 We see alot more action， technology， sex and blood than previous entries。 5 stars 。。。more

Radu Mureșan ，

Intre Children of Dune si God Emperor of Dune， time gap。Intre God Emperor of Dune si Heretics of Dune， timp gap。Prima data m-a deranjat deoarece in fiecare carte apar personaje noi pe care le vedem doar in acea carte， dar ca sa dezvolti universul acesta， iti trebuie acesti ani lipsa。 Herbert nu a dezamagit nici aici， iar la cum se termina cartea。。。 phew， abia astept sa incep Chapterhouse: Dune。

Direncan Kurtaran ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Odrade aşağıya， solucana usulca seslendi: "Hey！ İhtiyar solucan！ Planın bu muydu？"Yanıt gelmedi; Odrade gelmesini beklememişti zaten。 Odrade aşağıya， solucana usulca seslendi: "Hey！ İhtiyar solucan！ Planın bu muydu？"Yanıt gelmedi; Odrade gelmesini beklememişti zaten。 。。。more

Alejandro ，

The book was generally enjoyable throughout as it set up questions and got fun when the questions were being answered。 I enjoyed the various motivations and schemes by new characters in a universe that felt more expansive than previous books。 I really liked the premise of large groups of people who had scattered across the universe coming back slightly recognizable yet alien and dangerous。 One maybe issue is that the book sometimes felt like at times it had less heft than previous books。 The an The book was generally enjoyable throughout as it set up questions and got fun when the questions were being answered。 I enjoyed the various motivations and schemes by new characters in a universe that felt more expansive than previous books。 I really liked the premise of large groups of people who had scattered across the universe coming back slightly recognizable yet alien and dangerous。 One maybe issue is that the book sometimes felt like at times it had less heft than previous books。 The answers to the main questions set up by the book felt based on within universe logic rather than being suggestive allegories about our world。 This relative lack of gravitas surprisingly added to the last 200ish pages being a real page turner for me since there was less to stop and ponder and I could just enjoy the ride。 Not the most thought provoking book in the series once questions were answered， but not necessarily worse for it。 。。。more

Dylan ，

7。5/10 Spoilers for Dune 1-4 “Bureaucracy destroys initiative。 There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation， especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines。 Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept。 Who enjoys appearing inept？” Thoughts Heretics is an interesting novel as it is a follow-up to God Emperor of Dunes which felt like the true ending to the Saga。 How do you follow up a masterpiece that is GEoD。 Well， no matter 7。5/10 Spoilers for Dune 1-4 “Bureaucracy destroys initiative。 There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation， especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines。 Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept。 Who enjoys appearing inept？” Thoughts Heretics is an interesting novel as it is a follow-up to God Emperor of Dunes which felt like the true ending to the Saga。 How do you follow up a masterpiece that is GEoD。 Well， no matter it was always going to disappoint if I had those expectations however I did not， so I didn’t feel disappointed。 If anything， I was surprised by the additions to the series。 As it gives a more in-depth look into behind the scenes of the series in particular with the Bene Gesserit。 We have been wondering so much about their involvement， but now we are understanding their upbringing， procedure， and general thought process of this sisterhood。 What surprised me most was probably the character work displayed for the sisterhood。I really enjoyed reading about Taraza and Odrade in particular。 These two individuals are particularly close。 This creates this interesting dynamic because of what we know about the sisterhood and their stances to certain emotions in particular love。 It's interesting how Lady Jessica actions in pre-Dune have significantly impacted the way BG， how they condition its members。 Jessica is that living reminder of love being a bad thing as from that Paul came to power then Leto II which was the tyrant dictator that was not pleasant for them to say the least。 Even though this is not a sequel in a traditional sense， the effects of Leto II reign can still be felt throughout the galaxy。 One thing the other Dune sequels never provided is seeing how Leto reign would impact other civilisations we see small glimpses here。 They a reason why I think Herbert is the second-best world-building in fiction behind Tolkien and continues that trend。 The sense of the history of Rakis， the culture that developed that grew or regressed in certain elements like God emperor is awesome to read upon。 We not only get much more development of BG but furthermore， we get the deeper motivations of Tleilax。 Which is the knowledge we wanted to know since Messiah to God Emperor what is their goal。 I would probably admit this is probably the weakest POV character （well second or 3rd weakest） by far in this book。 I didn’t care about Master Waff compared to every other POV character。 However， that stated Waff has some interesting conversations with BG and Honored Matres。Though I readily admit I was disappointed with the Honored Matres I did not care about them。 Like their motivation and power can come across as juvenile even BG consistently calling them whore lol。 Unsure what Herbert mindset was when developing these figures， they obviously pose a big threat but feel like the biggest jokes on occasions。 I think the empathises of sex being their weapon just came across as silly。 Anyways talking about reoccurring faces well Duncan is back and I enjoyed his plotline once again。 I do think this time Frank has addressed a certain criticism of Duncan character consistently gets in this instalment which I enjoyed。 （view spoiler）[ Regarding the resetting of character development， it's tiring to see this really well-written character getting reset already twice。 This is basically addressed when all the Duncans personalities- memories fuse so Messiah-Children and God-Emperor Duncan is one person。 （hide spoiler）]Teg is probably the best-written character in this novel which is funny as it's basically a Leto。 Throughout the Dune Saga， the idea of free will is consistently being debated especially with Prescience。 With the character of Teg and Odrade， the idea of free will is explored quite throughout especially with the two-character backstories of what is pre-determined and what is free will。 They are also political topics its addresses which get boring for this review but I liked the way it handles certain topics。 Leadership however I talk about briefly it's interesting to see how leadership portrayed in the Dune Saga we talked as a general monarchy to slowly transitioning to something else。Anyways let's briefly discuss character work。 This is a particular field I expected to be quite bare-bones and straight-up bad。 However， It's Dune and Frank is a good writer so he great at making distinct characters quite fast。 Odrade introduction this is the most apparently you already feel for the character pretty early on with discussions。 Anyways I hope to talk about each individual character， but I just state it better than I suspected。 However， that said I believe Dune 1-4 has superior character work。 One advantage those novels had is well it's one story， so they are reoccurring faces this is a start to a new story altogether。 Another Strength is politics， the Dune Saga tackles this with extreme care。 The first 40% felt like the original Dune in that regard。 It was probably my favourite section in Heretics which was the scheming。 Frank is amazing at doing it。 Those plans within plans and intelligent characters trying to outwit or outclass the other。 It can be boring for some， but I love it。Though I think it's best to be aware this novel is far more space opera than philosophy science fiction as Dune 1-4。 Of course， it still has that intact but it's a more straightforward narrative than any of the Dune novels。 I don’t think it’s a bad thing just it's very different。 The Cons to this type of storytelling for me is that I never been the biggest fan of Herbert action sequences。 Like I love the novels but how action is described never really grabbed me。 Except one sequence in Dune and I love the beginning of God Emperor。 That said like the other novels its still minimal but more action than the rest of the series。 You're probably curious about the flaws of the novel。 Well， I already highlighted some like the Honored Matres and regarding the use of sex for them。 But my biggest one has to come to the climax of the novel。 （view spoiler）[ The secret thing inside Duncan and the legit climax of the novel is fucking an Honored Matres。 I wish I was joking but that literally， the climax of Duncan arc in this novel is fucking an Honored Matre。 I guess it's been building up a 16-year-old body Duncan is going to screw someone but it's just so odd to me。 Furthermore， the Duncan story is good just it's been done better in Messiah haha though Teg getting Duncan memories was well done。 （hide spoiler）] To end with positive I think the ending is excellent and fitting。 Conclusion In Conclusion， over time I have kinda been back and forth but ultimately this is a good novel。 Unsure if this is the sequel that people wanted but I liked my time being in this interesting world。 Though God Emperor felt like an ending this does follow up God Emperor nicely by being quite distant to not undermine that story。 In certain ways， it's more of a sequel than I expected but， in another sense， it's also a different story altogether。 Maybe the word would be it’s a thematically a sequel？ I know this is a first of an incomplete trilogy but honestly If you are coming in knowing that you should be fine。 I think this novel alone is worth reading just because how it enhances the stories before and the one its telling is compelling。 7。5/10 。。。more

Dray ，

I read the first Dune book when i was in my late teens on the 60s and liked it then。 i decided to re-read it recently and I've kept going through the series。 It is astounding （to me）。 I am flatly amazed that no one has made 10 episode series out of each book。 it is an amazing story， combining genetics， tech， religion， politics， ecology and more。And it gets better as you progress through the books。 it reads as well today as when they were published （eons ago）。 I do not know any other series that I read the first Dune book when i was in my late teens on the 60s and liked it then。 i decided to re-read it recently and I've kept going through the series。 It is astounding （to me）。 I am flatly amazed that no one has made 10 episode series out of each book。 it is an amazing story， combining genetics， tech， religion， politics， ecology and more。And it gets better as you progress through the books。 it reads as well today as when they were published （eons ago）。 I do not know any other series that can say the same。 amazing！ 。。。more

Hannah Johnson ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book had the most plot lines of any of the Dune series I've read to date。 Herbert is an expert at weaving past themes， families， and purposes into his books - the difference in this one is that he seems to face his own mortality。 Many pathways become closed off to the old characters types （Bene Gesserit， Tleilaxu， Ixians， and more） due to the new ascendancy of the Honored Matres。 The fact that the focus of the Matres power being on sex also seems to me to be a mirror into Herbert's aging。 O This book had the most plot lines of any of the Dune series I've read to date。 Herbert is an expert at weaving past themes， families， and purposes into his books - the difference in this one is that he seems to face his own mortality。 Many pathways become closed off to the old characters types （Bene Gesserit， Tleilaxu， Ixians， and more） due to the new ascendancy of the Honored Matres。 The fact that the focus of the Matres power being on sex also seems to me to be a mirror into Herbert's aging。 Overall， it was a good book but some of the themes appear to be misled to me。 。。。more

Erik Wilson ，

I can understand a lot of the hate and criticism this book gets， but I thought it was very comparable to both God Emperor and Messiah。 This book opens a lot of eyes to the Dune Universe that the you don’t always see firsthand in a lot of the other books。 You understand the Tleilaxu much more in this one， as well as get to see how intricate the Bebe Gesserit plans are from their own perspective。 I thought the characters were all very interesting and also sensible， with Teg’s transformation at the I can understand a lot of the hate and criticism this book gets， but I thought it was very comparable to both God Emperor and Messiah。 This book opens a lot of eyes to the Dune Universe that the you don’t always see firsthand in a lot of the other books。 You understand the Tleilaxu much more in this one， as well as get to see how intricate the Bebe Gesserit plans are from their own perspective。 I thought the characters were all very interesting and also sensible， with Teg’s transformation at the end being the most intriguing for sure。I think this book is just as good as many of the others in the series， and I look forward to reading the next one。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Heretics of Dune

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Heretics of Dune&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Heretics of Dune&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0