Chapterhouse Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 6) by Frank Herbert
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Book Reviews of Chapterhouse Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 6)
Book Review: A stellar finish to one of sci-fi's best book series--Dune
Summary: 5 Stars
Frank Herbert dedicates this, his last novel, to the memory of his beloved wife Bev who while he was writing the book. Not long after finishing Chapterhouse Dune, we lost Frank Herbert as well. His death ended one of science fiction's best series of novels. His son Brian has created several prequels based on Herbert's notes, but no one really can replace the wonderful writing style that made the Dune series so unique.Chapterhouse Dune is the final, apocalyptic battle between the Bene Gesserit and their bastard offspring, the Honored Matres. In Heretics of Dune, the previous novel, we meet the Honored Matres for the first time. One of them is captured and converted (but how thoroughly) to a Bene Gesserit. Meanwhile, Darwi Odrade, Mother Superior, fights to save what little is left of the Bene Gesserit planets.
We get a much closer look at Bene Gesserit training from the inside, life on their secret Chapterhouse Planet and a hint of greater forces at work behind the scenes. The ending is equivocal; either Herbert intended another novel to answer these questions, or he deliberately left it open for us to fill in the blanks.
Either way, this is an exciting conclusion to the Dune Series and along with Heretics, one of the best novels in the series. If you are curious which books can be read in what order, you can read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse as a single trilogy, or just Heretics and Chapterhouse. Of course, if you are impressed by Herbert's Dune series, you will want to read them all in order: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Dune. In addition, Brian Herbert has added Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen, which are "prequels."
Book Review: A classic ending to a classic series, only minor flaws.
Summary: 5 Stars
Some have said that this book ended with another book intended to follow it. While I tend to agree, those who say the ending isn't satisfying obviously don't appreciate Frank Herbert or his visions. This review is mainly for experienced Dune fans: those who know what the "Scattering" was, well, this is like the final Scattering. The characters branch out in different directions, with different destinations and unknown fates ahead of them. Rather than complain about this, and ask for a typical happy ending where you know exactly what happens, why not appreciate the genius of a final Scattering? Let your imagination run wild. The characters are thrust into unknown futures.. end of story. A whole world of possibilities exists, considering the people who depart and the intentions they have. I won't add any plot spoilers here for those who haven't read it yet, but let me just say this is a wonderful book. Maybe it was hard to appreciate the ending the first time I read it, but on the second, and especially the third read I was fully content with it. Unfortunately, I am deathly afraid that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will now attempt to write a Dune "conclusion" even more horribly bastardized than their Dune "prequels". The only problem I had with this novel was Frank Herbert's introduction of the Jews into it, once he did that, he laid a foundation for his son to introduce all of these "Terran" (ancient earth) ideas into all of his crappy books. Anyways, long story short, don't listen to the bad reviews, this is a fascinating book, _every bit_ as excellent as the other five. Nothing ever has, or ever will rival these books.Book Review: More sci-fi excellence
Summary: 5 Stars
Just finished this a couple days ago and I'm still stunned at the scope of the series. In a mere six books, Herbert fleshes out an epic tale that stretched my mind far beyond any sci-fi I'd read before. Several characters from past books still live on in my imagination!Chapterhouse closes the series. Sort of. Taken as a novel it's outstanding. Here are a couple things that really stood out for me:
1. The description of Murbella's experience with the Agony and her resultant loyalty to the Bene Gesserit is wholly believable and we gain a better understanding of why the "witches" behave the way they do.
2. Outstanding descriptions of the transformation of a lush world into a desert planet: "anti-terraforming".
3. If you've read Book 4, it totally makes sense when you discover where the Honored Matres come from!
4. Quite a dramatic shock when the Matres use their secret weapon!
As an ending to a series Chapterhouse is generally satisfying but doesn't really serve as a substitute for the sequel Herbert would surely have written if he hadn't passed away the following year. Clearly the book can't be rated lower for circumstances beyond Herbert's control. A few obvious loose ends to be cleared up that a sequel may have taken care of:
1. Scytale and the Bene Tleilax
2. consequences of the new generation of worms
3. destination of Leto II's Golden Path?
4. What's chasing the Honored Matres?
Chapterhouse is a fantastic read and I recommend it highly! The ending of the book kind of baffles me and I'm not sure what to make of it. Very unexpected!
Book Review: The end of a triumph of humanity...
Summary: 5 Stars
For almost half a year I read Frank Herbert's six DUNE books. When I started out with DUNE, I only read it because I loved the David Lynch movie. But I was hooked. Now, it's all over. No more DUNE for poor me. Oh sure, there's the Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson DUNE books, but they're nothing compared to the brilliance of Frank Herbert. Don't get me wrong, they're good in their own respect, but they lack the depth & meaning that the original six had.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, as one of my favorite DUNE characters Miles Teg had been killed, and Dune itself destroyed.
But thankfully, Frank Herbert's magic is readily apparent. Not only do you get to read an incredible story, but you get to amass a wealth of knowledge about humanity that no Humanities class could ever teach.
I would've loved so much to find out more about those people Duncan see in his visions, but I probably never will. It's too bad, that would've made a great book.
Many people have talked about how unfinished the DUNE legacy is because Frank Herbert died before he could write another book, but I think it better this way.
Frank Herbert's imagination gave us the DUNE universe, and by not finishing it, I think he gave us a doorway into that universe, to interpet as we see fit. We can use our own imagination to finish what Frank Herbert started, and that's perhaps the greatest gift Frank Herbert could ever give.
Book Review: 3 pages that rock my world
Summary: 5 Stars
Just when you think you have it all figured out, Frank messes with you mind. I finished reading this book while I was stationed in South Korea in 2001, and after I was done reading it, all I could do was stare at the wall and ponder what had just happened. In three short pages he had changed the dynamic of the entire Dune universe. I have never seen 3 pages of one book be so hotly contested as to what the reader was trying to convey. Even though, the ending left me yearning for more and changed the way I thought about the previous stories. In the earlier books, we are make to believe that humans were the center of the universe and it was there's for the taking, but after the last two chaper of Chapter House, we see a more dynamic universe of infinite possibilities. I am desperately looking forward to Dune 7, even though it will be writen by Frank's son. I don't care much for him as writer, being that I've read all 4 prequels that he has writen, but he does have a talent for peaking the readers intrest. As long as Dune 7 can give us even a modest idea of what was going through Franks mind when he wrote Chapter House, it will be a book worth waiting for.Everyone should read all of the Dune books, there insites into politics and religion will change the way you see thing around you, thank you Frank for opening my mind to new possibilities