Heretics of Dune (Dune Chronicles)
by Frank Herbert
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Book Summary Information
Author: Frank HerbertEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02-03
ISBN: 0441016774
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Book Reviews of Heretics of Dune (Dune Chronicles)
Book Review: intricate, dense, enigmatic, deep
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been slowly re-reading the Dune series of novels, all of which I read when they first appeared. This was the first one that kind of lost me, mostly because I didn't understand what Herbert was getting at. Happily, it got much better when I re-read it, to the point that I think this is the best volume since the first one. Below is my interpretation, in which I have not attempted to hide spoilers.
The tyrant, Leto II, has long since disappeared from the scene. He shaped the economic and political systems in the human universe in a way that led to crisis and supreme innovation. First, during a terrible famine - when trade broke down as spice production dropped to near-zero - huge portions of humankind "scattered" into new areas of space. Members from all the great orders, each with niche specialties, disappeared and re-made themselves into new types of power. Second, the original great powers also evolved, incorporating the developments that the Atreides embodied and then created once in power. The Bene Gesserit brought Atreides attributes into the heart of their order, forcing the sisterhood to re-evaluate its mission but also adding genetic attributes. Third, the influence of Leto II could still be found in the worms on Rakis, which he had altered as much as they had altered him when they split from his body upon death. This somehow held a portion of humanity to certain patterns, culminating in a mutant child, Sheanna, who can somehow communicate with them directly. The result was a fantastic era of experimentation, in which the ancient monopolies on spice, space travel, and genetics were eroded decisively, merging in a way as the competing groups gained competencies.
The center of this book is the Bene Gesserit, which is evolving in response to the threat of an new empire, the Honored Matres, a rival sisterhood that has mastered seduction in ways that can enslave any male they choose. The great treat of this is that the reader can understand how the Bene Gesserit work in a far more detailed way than in previous volumes. With the enhanced abilities that the spice confers on them, they push human capabilities to new levels, not just in extending political discipline beyond a single life time (e.g. their breeding programs), but in control of their minds and bodies, even their emotions. Their purpose, while cryptic and never completely defined - seeds for the imagination! - is related to survival and perfection of the human species as well as perpetuating their order, which is now more of a military power than the indirect and hidden power that it was before. This is one of the greatest imaginative constructs in all of science fiction and is revealed bit by bit throughout this novel.
In the face of the threat, the Bene Gesserit seek to ally themselves with the Bene Tleilaxu, the secretive masters of genetics who turn out to be religious zealots as well. In the process, the Bene Gesserit learn many of that order's greatest secrets, in particular the axlotl tank (which can grow humans as well as manufacture spice). The focus of their interaction is the latest version of the Ghola Idaho, who was bred to match the skills of the Matres from the male side. A war ensues, with the Matres destroying entire planets in order to counter the Idaho threat to their power. During this conflict, leaders of the Bene Gesserit begin to question whether the sisterhood has lost its way - its humanity - because they can deny even love in their manipulations to dominate galactic politics. This is where the "heretics" come in.
At the same time, one of the Bene Gesserit operatives - Miles Teg, the supreme military leader - discovers new abilities, the ever-present unknown that arises in the Herbert series. He gains super-human speed, but also something akin to yet beyond the prescience of his Atreides ancestors. The meaning and implications are left largely to the imagination of the reader. I think he represents a new variation, which will enable the Bene Gesserit to fight the savage Matres. Teg's transformation, in my opinion, is not as believable as many of the other fantastic details of the book. The result is a new diversity in the human species, pushing it into new areas in the face of a great threat.
This is really brainy stuff, a deep philosophical approach that I found wonderful and fascinating. As with the greatest scifi, the reader enters worlds so fantastic and detailed that they are awe-inspiring. I will read this again someday and see many more things than I did before, no doubt.
REcommended with the greatest enthusiasm. Herbert's book is fabulously fertile.
Summary of Heretics of Dune (Dune Chronicles)
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...
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...
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