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 , a descendant of Paul, 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 (another descendant of House Atreidis). 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 the original Leto. Which OF COURSE meant that he had to die. *sighs*
What I really didn't see coming or didn't want to consider possible despite all the signs was Arrakis' destruction. 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 Dune! *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!

I often complain about series and deride their success but here I am reading a series and I think I understand the attraction: escapism, pure and simple. As the pages turned I smiled, recognizing Bene Gesserit (now with more fully described superhuman powers – like Jedi), Duncan Idaho, and yes even the great worms. I surrounded myself, wrapped up like a great cozy blanket, in the familiarity of the world building and closed the door to this reality. I think maybe that is why series are so popular, it is a chance to shut the door, close the windows and embrace another world.

As Heretics of Dune begins, the reign of “the Tyrant” Leto II, the God-Emperor has been over for 1,500 years and has replaced the Butlerian Jihad as a back-story myth and Paul Muab dib and the Lady Jessica have taken the roles of a far distant savior and holy mother. The void left by the death of God-Emperor and the collapse of his empire resulted in the Scattering, a universal diaspora of humanity that provides Herbert an opportunity to re-tool his already complex world building and now various groups vie for power: Bene Gesserit, Bene Thleilaxu, Ix, Guild, Rakis priests and the emergence of a new and ruthless power, the Honored Matres. Heretics also contains a reference to ancient Vincent van Gogh paintings and frequent references to Christian text and old Earth allusions. Heretics also introduces one of the more charismatic and interesting characters in the series: Miles Teg, a mentat military genius trained by the Bene Gesserit.

Herbert was a market adaptive best-selling author and a long-range visionary genius. Heretics is a throwback to the mysterious, espionage, court intrigue and machinations of the original Dune. While the series had lagged somewhat under the great worm God Emperor Leto II, Heretics revives the complexity that made Dune so attractive to readers. Herbert uses a very entertaining science fiction story as a vehicle to examine and explore politics, religion, economics, sociology, myth and military science.

There were three years between the time I put down God Emperor of Dune and when I finally came back around to finish the series. Heretics of Dune has revitalized my interest in Herbert’s fine work with Dune.

*** 2021 reread -

Somewhere I had opined that this book was almost as good as the brilliant first book and I again adopt that opinion.

While I revised my opinion of the fourth book, God Emperor of Dune, to better appreciate Herbert's great vision, my opinion of this fine work continues to be high.

Miles Teg is truly one of Herbert's great Dune characters and his interactions with the Honored Matres, particularly the final scenes where he displays superhuman abilities are some of the series best.

While the original six should be read in order, this is something of a reset and I'll want to revisit this one again.

You seldom learn the names of the truly wealthy and powerful. You see only their spokesmen. The political arena makes a few exceptions to this but does not reveal the full power structure.

Each of these dune novels is different from the rest, this one takes place 1500 years after the last one and 4500 years after the events of the first book.
Heretics of dune delves deeper into the inner workings of the bene gesserit order, the tleilaxu and yet another Duncan Idaho gola. Through an endless series of political machinations the bene gesserit order attempts to come out on top of a power game against humans returning from deep space, looking to conquer the old empire.

This is probably the best written book of the series but it left me with more questions than answers. Is anyone totally clear on what the golden path is? To make humans immune to prescience? To shake things up and make humanity change? To make it stagnant so it won’t destroy itself? To make more people with super powers? What’s the deal with Duncan? What’s the deal with Miles Teg? What’s the deal with sheeana ? It seemed like this was all building up to something that didn’t happen or I missed some stuff. I’m wondering if the last book is a direct sequel to this but it’s probably another huge time jump. I may have to read this again sometime and I guess I’m locked in for chapterhouse: dune at this point.

Heretics of Dune, from what I understand, supposed to be the start of a new Dune trilogy, followed by ChapterHouse of Dune and a Dune 7, but unfortunately Frank Herbert passed away before finishing it. This review contains some light spoilers. I will give a summary of the plot and then my thoughts with good and bad.
After I have read God Emperor of Dune, one of my favorites in the series, I was eager to read this one. From the start I have to tell you, this is a different kind of Dune book, yet it feels familiar and expands on the mythos, lore and characters. The plot is set 1500 years after the events of the Tyrant, which makes it 5000 years in the future after Muadib’s ruled the Empire. We now can experience Leto’s II grand Golden Path, the evolution of human kind, people venturing in the depths of the galaxy keeping the human race alive and well, an event called The Scattering. There are no significant wars happening people are living in peace, and with the help of Ixian technology, the new Navigation Machines, they no longer need spice to travel in space, people being off the hook from mélange. This puts the Spacing Guild in a fierce competition they have never faced before. But the space travel is not the only thing having competition, the spice monopoly as well is thrown away because the Bene Tleilax found a way to create spice in their axotl tanks. Ixian people and the Fish Speakers join forces, as it was obvious that will happen, but nowadays even men can train to be a Fish Speaker warrior. Bene Gesserit, ruled by the Supreme Reverend Mother Taraza, are still using their breeding program but this time with much more care in order not to create another Muadib or even worse, another Tyrant. This time we get to explore their planet with no name only referred as Chapter House, sneakily hinted in the previous book, which was their home in the last centuries. There are no longer Major Houses ruling the empire, only Bene Gesserit are fighting against Bene Tleilax for the supreme leadership. But apparently they are not the only ones wanting to rule the Old Empire, as people from The Scattering, a rebellion faction also want to join the fight, with new developed technology and weapons, with fierce leaders called The Honored Matres, which are basically corrupted Reverend Mothers.
So far sounds like a good normal plotline, but it would not be Dune if it wasn’t a bit creepy, weird and outstanding at the same time. The weird and interesting parts start now. These Honored Matres are using sex as a tool to control their man, in a different way that Bene Gesserit are using sex. I think the difference was the love, as these Honored Matres didn’t have any joy left in them, they were consumed by sex orgasms and power, like a powerful drug only living on the high of a bigger dose, oppose to some Bene Gesserit, some of them being ‘Heretics’ for using love in their matting process.
Also on the planet Arakis, now called Rakis, which return to its desert form, a girl called Sheena can ride the worms, like the old Fremen used to do. The worms, are known as the Divided God, because pearls of Leto’s II soul and mind live in every single one of them. Sheena, supposedly Siona descendant, also descendant of Muadib, is the Golden Child and priests from Rakis are worshipping her. I guess they didn’t learn their lesson with other Messiahs. Bene Gesserit have their plans with the girl.
And obviously it would not be a Dune book without Duncan Idaho, another ghola, this time in a body of a child trained and watched on the planet Gammu, also known as Geidi Prime, the Harkonnen’s home planet. Again the Bene Gesserit are interested in this ghola because of the Leto’s II obsession of bringing him back to life again and again. This ghola is trained to be a Mentat, a warrior and a bit Bene Gesserit by my new favorite character of this series Miles Teg, a former Atreides descendant, with the looks of Duke Leto the first.
This is the plot of Heretics of Dune. I have to start with the good parts. I like the fact we get to explore other planets aside from Rakis, this time the plot being divided in 3 parts: the events that happen on Rakis, surrounding Sheena, the events from Gammu with Duncan Idaho and Miles Teg and the Chapter House planet where the cult of Bene Gesserit make their schemes. I was pleased to visit the strange planet of the Harkonnens, which despise their disappearance, their planet, after so many millennia still feels evil, unwelcoming and overall creepy keeping their old Harkonnen architecture. This planet is infested with traitors, treachery and Honored Matres minions. My favorite characters were Miles Teg and Lucila, a Reverend Mother and a Imprinter, both of these characters resembling Duke Leto I and lady Jessica in their facial features and behavior. Duncan, yet appearing in every Dune book is different and the each time, but him as a child is a new one.
I loved the expansion of the Bene Gesserit lore and Bene Tleilax lore and there were plenty of moments where my jaw dropped. I understand that many of people will not get so far to read Heretics of Dune, and I agree we can easily end the series with the first book, or Dune Messiah, or with the first Trilogy or even with the God Emperor of Dune. For me it could have easily ended that way, but like I said this is a new Dune, where Frank Herbert tried something new yet keeping it familiar with the rest of the books. The world building is soo good and this time it seems with get to stay with these characters following their journey onto the next book. This is something I wanted ever since Children of Dune, some characters to follow and not to jump 3000 years into the future. Don’t get me wrong I loved Leto II, Moneo and Siona but I wanted more of them. And now I have the new Duncan, Sheena, Lucilla and perhaps my favorite character Miles Teg. Miles Teg gives the best performance, the best action scenes and it feels like old Atreides characters. There are definitely some interesting Bene Gesserit characters this time and they are no longer only “those evil witches with their plotting schemes”.
Now with the bad stuff and oh boy there are plenty. Despite the praise I have given to it there are some issues. First of all being Sheena which is not a fully developed character, but this time being a trilogy I guess I have to wait for her development. She feels like a plot device rather than a character. She is the new golden child because she can ride worms but that’s kinda it. Which gets me to the next issue, I don’t have a proper main character. Yes there are good characters in this book but none of them fully fleshed out, instead we get to spend time with characters that are not important at all or don’t matter to the story. Perhaps these issues will be solved in the next Dune book. The intro is very long and have to introduce many characters which feels like a lot of exposition with little things being interesting. Chapters are long and in many of them nothing of value happens which can be very boring and tedious to read and I think that’s why it took me so long to finish it. Another bad point is that, in all Dune fashion the reader is kept in the dark until second act where everything is revealed and story starts to make sense and characters weird decisions and schemes are not so weird anymore and start clicking. But that’s not the case here. The great scheme is revealed in the last 20 pages or so and it feels like an afterthought than something planned from the beginning. Is that what the Golden Path was all about? It was clear that the Bene Gesserit cult were trying to escape the Tyrant curse but did they? At the end I was still confused of why things happened the way they happened. I won’t spoil it here but still…. Also the great finale is rushed. It felt like 30 pages or so were missing and we skipped directly at the end. Why? Maybe it will be expanded in the next book and a lot of the unanswered question will be addressed.
All that being said the book kept me entertained and the expanded lore was great. I love the ideas Dune books are dealing with it, and every new book is different and fresh so the reader can find various plots to grasp. The reader can come back and focus on a totally different thing and have a new experience, so Frank Herbert style of writing is very cool. I will finish the original series so I guess next stop is Chapter House of Dune.

This is the most disappointing Dune novel that I have completed up to this point and really discouraged me from reading Chapterhouse: Dune especially if it has more of the same forgettable characters. In my opinion the Dune Saga is the Story of Paul and Leto Atreides, Since neither of them are in this novel I just could not connect with this dull main cast.

The guards ushered Frank into the office. As usual, the Reverend Publisher was seated at her desk, writing.

So many lives touched by her decisions, he thought.

"Well?"

She looked up. He had promised himself that he would not flinch before the fire of her gaze, and once more he broke his promise.

"It is... almost finished."

"Almost." Her irony was palpable, a force. "Almost is not enough. You know that, Frank. When will it be done?"

"I think... a month. At most two. I am working as hard as I can, Reverend Publisher. I am... not well."

He hated himself for his servility.

"So, why then did you found a dynasty? Your son can assist you. He will continue when you are gone. There are many books left to write."

His throat was suddenly dry. But of course there was no pitcher of water. It would have been unthinkable.

"I am... preparing him. He will be ready in time."

She glanced at him again, and again he flinched.

"There is a transcriber on that desk. Write a page now. I want to see how you work."

He sat down, and fed a sheet of paper into the machine. His lips moved soundlessly. She knew what he was saying. By now, the Litany was stamped deep into his psyche, impossible to eradicate. She smiled secretly to herself. The training was brutal, but it was effective. She watched his mouth, as it formed the words it had spoken so many times before:

n  I have no taste.
Taste is the sales-killer, the hesitation that brings total profit meltdown.
I will conquer my taste.
When I have stamped it out, I will look at what I have written.
I will read through it from start to finish.
There will be nothing left of a great series.
Only crap will remain.n

3.5 – 4 stars

I 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?

Una vuelta al sabor clásico de la trilogía original. Después de Dios emperador de Dune tenía mis dudas con seguir o no con la saga, ya que aquel libro se sumergía demasiado en los pensamientos filosóficos de Leto y su senda de oro resultando de lo más abstracto.
En este quinto volumen de la saga se retoma la acción que caracterizaba la primera trilogía y eso se agradece. Los libros de Dune siguen adoleciendo de paginitis y Herbert nos cuenta en muchas páginas lo que podría hacer en pocas, dotandole de dinamismo a su saga. De echo juntando los tres volumenes de la segunda trilogía en un solo tomo de unas 700 páginas le habría quedado otra obra maestra.
En este libro en particular me ha agradado conocer más sobre los Tleilaxu y la Benne gesserit, dos facciones que en los otros libros pedían protagonismo a gritos. Los personajes femeninos: Taraza, Odrade y Sheanna demuestran ser muy poderosos e inteligentes y sobre ellos descansa buena parte de la trama. Por otra parte, tenemos otro ghola de Duncan Idaho, al que no dejan descansar en paz y a Myles Teg, uno de los mejores personajes de la saga, que me ha dejado alucinado con esas últimas escenas peleando por su vida en la fábrica Harkonnen. Por otra parte, las honoradas matres, el reverso tenebroso y sexual de la Benne Gesserit viene a ser un enemigo perfecto que puede deparar muchas sorpresas. Lo único que no me ha gustado del libro es que hay tantas traiciones que al final te preguntas por los objetivos reales de los personajes y tampoco me sirve utilizar lo de " Leto ya lo predijo" para ventilarse esta questión.
Con ganas de continuar aunque me daré un descansito porque estos libros exigen atención.

Re-Read 8/3/21:

Returning to the world of Dune, or rather, what's become of what was once a vibrant, vital center of the universe, is always a treat. Even after Leto had seeded himself across the world.

But truly, the standouts are never whom you thought they should have been.

In this re-read, the fourth, if I'm not mistaken, I had almost all of my attention on a certain young BG who was meant to imprint our young Duncan Idaho in his latest of five thousand years of incarnations.

It's strange how our focus changes over time. I kept thinking over and over about her role in the BG beyond the whole intrigue and massive conflict going on with the HM.

Just what IS the Golden Path by this point? True genetic freedom, not just the unlocking of unimaginable powers, but the freedom to spread those to ALL of humanity's offspring? Or is this another genetic trap, a new kind of pressure to make us eventually jump once again?

Just what DID you see, Leto?

Fascinating. Always fascinating. Some of the best SF. Detailed, rich, and dense.


Original Review:

I have to admit that I put this one on the backburner for years and years and years, even though I attempted to re-read the series several times over the decades, I always got stuck right at the end of God Emperor of Dune and something in me just didn't want to pick up the two novels afterward.

This is strange to me! I thought the fifth and sixth books were rather awesome, frankly!

And that's why I'm skipping books 2, 3, and 4 altogether and jumping right back into the books that I have only read once. And then I'll be picking up the series carried on by Anderson and Frank's son following the events of Chapterhouse.

So how did I think this book held up after all these years?

Pretty good! There were a few slow parts, but the one thing that Heretics does very well is the worldbuilding. The Great God Leto II has been dead for 1.5k years after taking a dip in the aqueduct, turning into sandtrout that have now become full sandworms. That means that poor Paul's son has a trapped consciousness inside these gigantic monstrosities after having lived for 5k years. (Since birth+as a sandworm+trapped consciousness.) Freaky cool. And of course, religion has a bit part to play in these books as they always have.

What's most interesting is Miles Teg and the new Duncan Idaho. The similarities between Teg and the original Leto are pretty suggestive and the spice trance doubly so. His little transformation blew me away both times I read it. But Duncan Idaho? The obsessively resurrected clone of the original that has come back nearly countless times over 5k years? It staggers the imagination. Leto II really put him through the wringer, but even after the old god had died, the Bene Gesserit and the Bene Tlailax have turned him into the stage of their own conflict.

And it's these two that really own the stage in this side of the universe.... until the great spreading of humanity came back. :) Enter conflict. :) So good.

This is one of those series that take a lot of dedication and understanding to really enjoy. You really have to get deep into them. But these are very, very enjoyable. This one is very complex and deep in a very similar way to the original classic.

Tons of politics and machinations, and if you love that, you'll love this. :)

What to say, after i have read previous four books, Heretics of Dune came into my hands, and i must say that i am to some degree dissapointed. It has everything that you expect from Frank Herbert, great plot, characters, political intrigues, pace, and yes Arrakis is again desert planet, but something is missing, especially i was dissapointed by the end of the book. It is written fast and Herbert lost himself or it was just like that so he can make part 6, i think the second option is more realistic. Another important notice for me that Heretics of Dune lost spiritual and mystical side which previous books all had it and it was one of the aspects why i fell in love so deeply with the whole Dune universe. The Heretics of Dune is more on political intrigue side mixed with action parts of the charachter Miles Teg and strange sexuality. The most interesting thing for me in the book was strong presence of Tleilaxu, one of the strangest factions in the Dune Universe. Definetely i will read Chapterhouse Dune to finish the original serial but the quality of the books drops after Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune wanted to be highly philosophical but it ends pretentious but it is still better book than Heretics of Dune. Children of Dune still stands as my favorite from the series followed by the first book.

It speaks volumes of this book that up until the last six pages I had absolutely no idea what the endgame was; yet throughout, I was riveted to the page. Herbert's ability to introduce you to a pre-existing world with all of its complexities and idiosyncrasies without telling you a damned thing is at its best in Heretics of Dune, which delineates the decline of the God Emperor's vast domain over which he reigned as a Tyrant for 3500 years.

Organizations at varying degrees of the grotesque, clandestine and corrupt compete for supremacy against each other as well as those returning from "the Scattering," a vast exodus of mankind after the Tyrant's fall. A young girl named Sheeana, who can control the Sandworms, comes to notice, and then power on Rakis. Duncan Idaho is reincarnated yet again. And still, the march of the Atreides family through history continues on, and the mankind continues to advance along along Leto II's "Golden Path," the enigmatic course of action by which he has safeguarded mankind from ultimate catastrophe and, thus, extinction. An excellent and worthy episode in the series.

Compared to the questionable God Emperor of Dune, this regains some of the original Dune novels taste for plots, counter-plots, espionage, conspiracies and so on. God Emperor of Dune was too heavy with little action to break it up, and besides, it was so hard to visualise Leto II as the hybrid creature he became. Heretics of Dune however is a big return to form, with lots of action and different character focus, combined with the mysticism, religion and philosophical discourse that characterises this whole series of novels. This is why I gave this top marks, as it is a page turner and, like the other four books, makes you think about things.

The setting this time is one thousand years after Leto II's death which would be nearly five thousand years after the original trilogy- I mean, Frank Herbert was certainly not conservative with dating his fiction was he? This time, the Bene Gesserit are the books main focus, with their wheeling and dealings, their breeding program all playing a major role. Also, there is actually some *sex* in this book, which was pretty erotic to say the least. About time too. Leto II's Golden Path is reaching its culmination as well, and yes, Duncan Idaho is still reincarnated as a Ghola yet again.

Dune, I am slowly realising, is a classic set of novels - well written and philosophical, dealing with religion, mysticism, martial arts, feminism and a whole spectrum of contemporary issues, despite the fact that these books were written from the mid 1960's to the mid 1980's - and still deal with modern subjects that are as important today as they were back then. Also, well apart from God Emperor of Dune, they are not dry to read, or bogged down with descriptions of future tech, which is a good thing. Recommended.