Customer Reviews

Chapterhouse Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 6)

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

It may not have been his intent, but fate has made Chapterhouse Dune the last book in Frank Herbert's Dune series. There may be others, and they may even be good (I haven't yet read them), but this book represents Herbert's final words on the subject. Although not perfect, and definitely leaving things open for another book, this is, overall, a worthy addition to the series.

In this book - a direct sequel to Heretics of Dune with many of the same characters - the Bene Gesserit sisterhood is under siege, threatened by the Honored Matres, a somewhat darker version of their own organization, that is sweeping viciously across the galaxy like a barbarian horde. With the original Dune lifeless after a Matres attack, the Bene Gesserit are trying to create a similar world out of their headquarters. Although they don't think of it in those terms, they are really trying to create a planetary ghola, a clone similar to that of recurring character Duncan Idaho. The book focuses on the war between the two sisterhoods.

The book does have its flaws. The rather open-ended conclusion may be forgiven if we believe that Herbert had another book intended. The characters are, as usual, overly serious and everything they do is filled with hidden meanings. Also, there is a feeling that Herbert was making up parts of this story as he goes along, with new movements suddenly appearing (such as the futuristic Jews who have never been previously mentioned although they have supposedly always been around).

In the end, what is the central point or character of this series? Is it a history of the Bene Gesserit, the House Atreides, Duncan Idaho or some combination of all these. My feeling that the center of this saga is the Tyrant Leto, with the first trilogy (Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune) a story of his origin, the central book (God Emperor) the tale of his emperorship, and the final trilogy (Heretics, Chapterhouse and an intended final book) to be the story of Leto's Golden Path.

That is my theory. Whatever your own ideas, if you have enjoyed the previous books, you should enjoy this one also and when you conclude it, you will have read one of the most significant series in science fiction.

I read the first of Dune series 14 years ago, and had no conception of the breathtaking distances that the author would take towards the "last" book of the Dune Chronicles. While it is conceivable that someone with sufficient patience can read Chapterhouse Dune and fully appreciate it with no other Dune Chronicles exposure, it would seem criminal to recommend this book to someone without ensuring they had read the first five beforehand. Or, for something of a treat, read Chapterhouse, and then jump to the first five as "prequels"! I recently did something similar when I read the second and third Dune Chronicle books for the first times in 14 years, having reread the last two books in the last few months: quite an enthralling effect! The hardest part of reading this book was coming to the ending, and feeling selfishly deprived regarding the prospect of finding out What Will Happen Next as a result of the author's death, which in turn came shortly after the death of his wife following a long fight with cancer. Herbert created an astonishing world of breathtakingly evolved characters and contexts to appreciate them in. I have reread this book and others of the series numerous times. As is the case for meeting interesting characters in real life, it is poignant getting to know these characters only to lose the ability to anticipate being in touch with them later on, to find out how they're doing... The formidable detail and richness of perspectives is such that while reading it I was at times fearful of discovering a gimmick or a cliche to undo the trance worked by the book. This never happened. The publishing of the Dune Prequels is quite exciting in itself, and I hope that somewhere in the late elder Herbert's notes, are some detailed indications of SEQUELS, future Atreides audacities, Bene Gesserit contemplations and plotting, and passionately drawn characters to fall in love with and be fascinated by all over again.

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."

this book details the seeming hopeless struggle of the Bene Gesserit against the Honored Matres, who have destroyed Arrakis and driven the Bene Gesserit into hiding on the hidden planet Chapterhouse. there, the Bene Gesserit are creating a new Dune and attempting to breed a new population of the great sandworms.

as usual, Herbert has severely altered his focus between books, although this time not quite as drastically. still, it is wise while reading Herbert to not become attached to characters, alliances or situations as they are subject to drastic change, indeed even complete obliteration, at any given moment- heros become villains, villains become heros, main characters become mere pawns. perhaps most frustrating this time around is the virtual imprisonment of Duncan Idaho within a no-ship to hide his presence from the Matres. still, he is vitally important to the main thrust of the novel and to the conclusion, which is perhaps the most brilliant and perplexing twist Herbert has ever thrown at us. after much head-scratching and pondering, it seems to me the perfect end to the greatest sci-fi epic ever.

Chapterhouse Dune is the last in the Dune series by Frank Herbert. The story continues closely after the end of Heretics of Dune. The Bene Gesserit are slowly transforming there home planet to replicate Dune in order to monoploize the Spice. But it is a race against time, their enemies the Honored Matres are closing in. And there may be even greater powers than either lurking in the Galaxy.

This was a disappointing end to the series. It is never clear why the Bene Gesserit are so inferior militarily to the Honored Matres when they are superior in every other way. The final showdown between the two was anti-climactic (what was the Honored Matres ultimate weapon? it was never explained) and the ending was little bit puzzling. Herbert ends this book pretty much as he ended the previous one, a small group flying away with a sandworm to start a new Dune somewhere else in the galaxy. And why did Herbert throw in those god-like beings in the story? That whole subplot didn't make much sense.

The series as whole was enjoyable for its scope, politics, religion and ecology, but it was never clearly written, leading to frustration at times.

Let's get this straight; Frankie boy was a genius, plain and simple. He would think nothing of writing a book for the sake of building a series and it shows itself in this effort, the sixth Dune novel. While a fantastic story (deep into politics and the nature of survival), you still get the feeling that he was building up to a climax with this book being the penultimate one. Well, in 1999 (I think), Brian Herbert discovered Frank's notes for the unreleased 'Dune 7', which included a complete outline and story for what was to be the final book in the series.

Yes! I hear you say...well...we'll have to wait a bit longer I'm afraid because Brian and Kevin Anderson are doing their Butlerian Jihad series first (3 books), which won't be over until about 2004. Well we got used to waiting for Frank's books I suppose...

I found this story to be the most sinister one. In every chapter there is a revelation or some indication of what is to happen next: characters like the Face Dancers and Honoured Matres shrouded in mystery, the Handlers and Futars (who bred them?), the (still) unknown qualities of the Reverand Mothers. Herbert liked to tease, and the by now infamous last chapter is still pondered over to this day. I've seen literally hundreds of different analytical studies of this chapter alone, nevermind the book or the series. Because of the open ending, the book, more than any other, has taken on a cult feel; I've seen people even try to finish the story off themselves on many different websites and forums.

Addictive in the extreme, I've always got one of Frank's books (usually Dune ones) on the go at any time. I may take a week to read them, I may take a month or two...but each and every one is a sci-fi classic in its own right. My personal favourite was 'Heretics' (so well plotted and action packed and, dare I say it, even more readable than 'Dune'!).

If you like Star Wars, you must get these books. In fact, you will be laughing at how primitive Star Wars is in the face of these masterpieces. Star Wars always borrowed heavily from this anyway :P

What happened to this series? The first three books made a good story. The last three sketched only the barest outlines of any plot at all, simply as a framework for 1500 pages of Herbert's ideas on philosophy and politics. These stories are apparently suppoesd to have some significance since people always start dying at a ridiculous pace near the end of the books, but by then I didn't even care. The characters are one dimensional at best, simply used as pawns in Herbert's debates. Some of the ideas discussed are well presented, which is why the books rate at least two stars, but putting these discourses under the category of a "Dune" story is just ridiculous. And can anyone, anyone at all, give a clue what that last chapter is supposed to mean??

This was the last DUNE book that Frank Herbert would ever get to write, and it's a good thing that he even got to finish it, because he died shortly after. The title of the book was given by his wife, Bev, who died before Frank did. I've read all the books in the series, some of them more than once. Although I liked this book, I wouldn't say it's Dune's equal. But it is definitely worth reading and is one of the best endings to a series that I've read. What I mean is that I found the ending very appropriate. THE FOLLOWING MAY BE SPOILING MATERIAL IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL OF BOOK FIVE--HERETICS OF DUNE. As you know, at the end of book 5, Dune is destroyed completely. In book six, another planet is being transformed into Dune. Forests and jungles are being stripped away in favor of the desert. At least one sandworm was salvaged from Dune and is being placed on this "new" Dune. But the primary focus of book six is on a new threat known as the HONORED MATRES. These are powerful females, very much like the Bene Gesserit. As in most of the Dune books, the battles aren't so much physical as they are verbal and psychological. Some old characters make reappearances in this book and some new characters are introduced. I'm not sure if Herbert intended this to be his last Dune book, but from what I've read, it's a very fitting ending to a fantastic series!

An alternative title to this novel may have been: Darwi Odrade, a portrait.

Maybe a little melodramatic, but I think it might explain why many people find themselves not liking this novel. This is a landscape painting of Chapterhouse, and all of those connected to it. The planet is personified by Odrade herself. Changing course slowly, secretly, making plans inside of plans. One so devious and intricate that no one sees the true purpose or goals until after they had been attained. Willing participation in the golden path.

While there are two more novels written by different authors, honestly though Chapterhouse Dune stands in its own unique way as a fitting conclusion to Herbert's portion of the golden path. Its continuation being your own responsibility.

Reading the novel is like watching a painter, stroke by stroke, creating a piece of art. Paralleling the Van Gogh painting in Odrade's possession. While the thing is being made you can appreciate the technique and the form and skeleton of the composition, and only after it had been admired and examined from a distance can it be truly finished and appraised.

What may have seemed a frivolous dialogue about clam soup in the novel is finally seen as something integral as the piece is finished - it becomes a singular brushstroke that is a part of the whole - which can never be complete without that brush stroke.

The novel barks at form of metaphysics throughout that is explaining, brushstroke by brushstroke, how to decipher the piece as a whole by constantly reminding you how the masterpiece could be made up of seemingly frivolous parts strung along threads of poetry, binding together the multifaceted galaxy shaking events casually referred to, smashing into a momentary denouement that immediately splinters into a new series of threads leading off into the unknown.

I loved Dune. I enjoyed Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. My brain was stretched by God Emperor of Dune (perversely my favourite in the series). Heretics of Dune was exciting and promised good things for the final chapter.

Then I read Chapterhouse: Dune.

I once read a review which stated "This is not a book to be set aside lightly. It should be thrown, with emphatic force." Now I understand.

I slogged through the slowest of the slow (and let's face it, the Dune books are meditative at the best of times), most plodding book I have ever read, hoping that maybe something on the next page would redeem it. People that I came to care about in previous installments just stopped mattering to me. By the end I was reading just so I could say I'd read the whole series.

And let's face it, we can tell that Herbert was ramping up for another couple books with this one, can't we. So many things left hanging, knots untied, events unexplained.

I'll probably read the series again, but I'll stop with Heretics. Colour me unimpressed.