3.5
Heretics of Dune
ByPublisher Description
Book Five in the Magnificent Dune Chronicles—the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time
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 these 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....
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 these 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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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesHeretics of Dune Reviews
3.5
“I want to rate this book higher, but I kinda feel like Herbert’s writing skills went backwards a bit on this one. I definitely vibed with it more than God Emperor though. It felt the most like the original of any sequel. Excited to finally finish the series with Chapterhouse!”
“I really liked the direction this book took after God Emperor. I enjoyed God Emperor but I felt it was too expository at times and didn’t balance it with plot as well as previous installments. I think Herbert really upped the action in this one while also maintaining his philosophical exploration of the books themes throughout. Generally this one starts to look at sex as an instrument of power and control and while I think I get what he’s trying to say, I’m not sure on the real world parallels as with the themes of previous books of the dangers of messianic myths. Of course this book is a continuation of previous themes but overall this was the focus of this one. Apart from that I really liked the world building we got in this one taking a step away from the planet Dune to show us other worlds and really focusing on things from the sisterhoods perspective. We got to see more the tleilaxu in action as well which I found quite interesting since they’ve been skulking in the shadows for 4 books now.
Some people have said they found it slow but I didn’t find it to be that way. There is a lot to explore, unpack, and experience with most chapters. There’s just a LOT of chapters as this is the second longest book in the series after Dune. I think Frank’s prose in this one was great and easy to follow and as always the way he describes things is just so beautiful and vivid. A lot of times I’d find myself engrossed in learning about these new worlds and imagining the scenes as they unfold that I’d read right past the page I planned to read.
So if you like Dune and you’ve read through God Emperor and you liked it, I think this is an absolute must read.”
“Least fav of the dunes”
“frank where did you leave me??? come pick me up i’m scared”
About Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert is the bestselling author of the Dune saga. He was born in Tacoma, Washington, and educated at the University of Washington, Seattle. He worked a wide variety of jobs—including TV cameraman, radio commentator, oyster diver, jungle survival instructor, lay analyst, creative writing teacher, reporter and editor of several West Coast newspapers—before becoming a full-time writer.
In 1952, Herbert began publishing science fiction with “Looking for Something?” in Startling Stories. But his emergence as a writer of major stature did not occur until 1965, with the publication of Dune. Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune followed, completing the saga that the Chicago Tribune would call “one of the monuments of modern science fiction.” Herbert is also the author of some twenty other books, including The White Plague, The Dosadi Experiment, and Destination: Void. He died in 1986.
In 1952, Herbert began publishing science fiction with “Looking for Something?” in Startling Stories. But his emergence as a writer of major stature did not occur until 1965, with the publication of Dune. Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune followed, completing the saga that the Chicago Tribune would call “one of the monuments of modern science fiction.” Herbert is also the author of some twenty other books, including The White Plague, The Dosadi Experiment, and Destination: Void. He died in 1986.
Other books by Frank Herbert
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