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  • Chapterhouse Dune
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Chapterhouse Dune

Chapterhouse Dune

byFrank Herbert
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Top positive review

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Bryan DesmondTop Contributor: Dragon Ball Z (TV Show)
4.0 out of 5 starsSo ends the Dune Saga.
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020
Ah, Frank. You left us too soon.

So ends the Dune Saga. Unfinished, with one planned book remaining. Of course there are the books by his son, Brian, but that's not a can of worms (no pun intended) I need to open here and now. It's a sad thing, when a master cannot complete their opus. I've seen it with Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time, though admittedly Sanderson stepped in and did a better job than I have any reason to expect Brian Herbert did. Can of worms, can of worms...

Chapterhouse: Dune opens shortly after the events that concluded Heretics of Dune. It is not made explicit how many years have passed, but it can't have been more than a decade (and this is quite a short span given how many years passed between books four and five, and between books three and four before it). For this reason, it was very fun to fall into the novel shortly after Heretics. As is typical of Frank, he sets up new and interesting pieces to move around his cosmic chessboard while maintaining the complexities of the series at large, and continuing on with the same ultimate issue of the fifth book: The Honored Matres.

One of the best things that can be said for Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune is that they both dive so, so deeply into the Bene Gesserit, who are in general one of the most fascinating groups I have ever read about. They are an incredible mix of philosophical wisdom, metaphysical insight, moral fitness, and pure discipline. They are that ultimate guiding hand in the background, the universe's teachers ensuring the maturation of humankind. This being the case, we see in the Honored Matres a natural enemy for the Sisterhood. They who thrive in chaos. The wild thing that no one can govern. An unknown entity out of unknown space, remnants of the Scattering of humankind. Throwing these two groups at one another, not to mention the other players still making waves in the Dune universe, makes for some of Frank's most enticing conversations. But it must be said, he was faltering at times, here at the end.

Frank spent a great deal of time dealing with what felt like needless obfuscation in this final entry. The Bene Gesserit have always been a group so far advanced in mental disciplines that you can read the words and feel like you're missing the real meaning. This has actually been something I've always enjoyed about them, because it doesn't feel like nonsense. It feels like a real offshoot of modern humanity, and a believable eventuality of dedicated breeding in a sci-fi universe. Be that as it may, it felt like Frank was shuffling his feet in some areas here. One could site real-life influences for this (Frank gives an absolutely beautiful tribute at the end to his wife Bev who died during the writing of this book), or perhaps it had more to do with my own mental space and mood while reading it, but no matter the reason it is a truth of my experience. Important to note though, I think he wrote a hell of an ending for this one. The problems I had with the earlier portions of the book completely dropped away in the last hundred pages or so, and I was incredibly eager for more. Which, of course, made Frank's death only a year after the publishing of Chapterhouse hurt even worse.

I also want to mention that there were a surprising amount of errors in the kindle version of this book. Grammatical errors, missing letters, misplaced italics. None of the other installments have these issues, so I can only imagine it will be fixed for future readers (especially with so much buzz around the series right now due to Villeneuve's forthcoming adaptation--the very inspiration for my own re-read.)

Problems with this installment aside, facts are facts. Frank Herbert was a master. A giant in the genre who paved the way for so many. I owe a lot to him, and to Dune. It will hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life. And I look forward to revisiting it for many years to come.
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Top critical review

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Picky Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsJust...stop after the first one.
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2021
There is an old internet joke: A book cover of DUNE, photoshopped to read, "Just Stop Here, You'll Be Better Off."
Well...I broke down and read all six of the books written by Herbert...and the joke is true.
Seriously, don't bother.
By the time we get to Book 6 here, the man was very obviously out of ideas, and worse, he was out of fresh ways to express his old ideas. Books 4 and 5 were pretty awful, and this final novel isn't really a novel at all, more like the odds and ends that were edited out of the previous story for being overlong and irrelevant.
NOTE: The first novel, DUNE, *very much deserves* its standing as a true classic of science fiction. Everyone should read DUNE.
But I seriously regret spending the money and time on the following five novels.
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From the United States

Bryan DesmondTop Contributor: Dragon Ball Z (TV Show)
4.0 out of 5 stars So ends the Dune Saga.
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
Ah, Frank. You left us too soon.

So ends the Dune Saga. Unfinished, with one planned book remaining. Of course there are the books by his son, Brian, but that's not a can of worms (no pun intended) I need to open here and now. It's a sad thing, when a master cannot complete their opus. I've seen it with Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time, though admittedly Sanderson stepped in and did a better job than I have any reason to expect Brian Herbert did. Can of worms, can of worms...

Chapterhouse: Dune opens shortly after the events that concluded Heretics of Dune. It is not made explicit how many years have passed, but it can't have been more than a decade (and this is quite a short span given how many years passed between books four and five, and between books three and four before it). For this reason, it was very fun to fall into the novel shortly after Heretics. As is typical of Frank, he sets up new and interesting pieces to move around his cosmic chessboard while maintaining the complexities of the series at large, and continuing on with the same ultimate issue of the fifth book: The Honored Matres.

One of the best things that can be said for Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune is that they both dive so, so deeply into the Bene Gesserit, who are in general one of the most fascinating groups I have ever read about. They are an incredible mix of philosophical wisdom, metaphysical insight, moral fitness, and pure discipline. They are that ultimate guiding hand in the background, the universe's teachers ensuring the maturation of humankind. This being the case, we see in the Honored Matres a natural enemy for the Sisterhood. They who thrive in chaos. The wild thing that no one can govern. An unknown entity out of unknown space, remnants of the Scattering of humankind. Throwing these two groups at one another, not to mention the other players still making waves in the Dune universe, makes for some of Frank's most enticing conversations. But it must be said, he was faltering at times, here at the end.

Frank spent a great deal of time dealing with what felt like needless obfuscation in this final entry. The Bene Gesserit have always been a group so far advanced in mental disciplines that you can read the words and feel like you're missing the real meaning. This has actually been something I've always enjoyed about them, because it doesn't feel like nonsense. It feels like a real offshoot of modern humanity, and a believable eventuality of dedicated breeding in a sci-fi universe. Be that as it may, it felt like Frank was shuffling his feet in some areas here. One could site real-life influences for this (Frank gives an absolutely beautiful tribute at the end to his wife Bev who died during the writing of this book), or perhaps it had more to do with my own mental space and mood while reading it, but no matter the reason it is a truth of my experience. Important to note though, I think he wrote a hell of an ending for this one. The problems I had with the earlier portions of the book completely dropped away in the last hundred pages or so, and I was incredibly eager for more. Which, of course, made Frank's death only a year after the publishing of Chapterhouse hurt even worse.

I also want to mention that there were a surprising amount of errors in the kindle version of this book. Grammatical errors, missing letters, misplaced italics. None of the other installments have these issues, so I can only imagine it will be fixed for future readers (especially with so much buzz around the series right now due to Villeneuve's forthcoming adaptation--the very inspiration for my own re-read.)

Problems with this installment aside, facts are facts. Frank Herbert was a master. A giant in the genre who paved the way for so many. I owe a lot to him, and to Dune. It will hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life. And I look forward to revisiting it for many years to come.
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EEE
4.0 out of 5 stars Open Ended, but Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2021
Verified Purchase
Finally I have finished reading Frank Herbert's Dune books. Its taken a while because when I read God Emperor on publication, I decided it was such a confusing lump of a book that I was DONE. And decided that Dune was really a wonderful standalone book, and proceeded to read it twenty or so times over the years. I still maintain that belief, but found Chapterhouse to be significantly less awful than the other sequels, although it, too, made journeys into oddness. Some new players come onto the field, As well as some old, everyone, of course, with their own hidden motivations. It's far from perfect, but there are some thoughtful moments that are worth reflecting on. But here on out, I'll probably just keep reading Dune.
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Alton Franklin
4.0 out of 5 stars An amazing work, however...
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
..it was a bit stilted in parts. The storyline was, at times, a bit disjointed. Unfortunately, as a result, it did became (a little) confusing and, at times, even felt somewhat contrived. Still, it remains a truly worthy companion to the other 5 Dune masterworks.
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mrliteral
4.0 out of 5 stars The epic series concludes
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2003
Verified Purchase
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.
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Travis Stein
4.0 out of 5 stars Alas, we come to the end of a fantastic series.
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2008
Verified Purchase
In Chapterhouse Dune, the usual players are back with the Bene Gesserit and the Bene Tleilaxu coupled with the Honored Matres, who are hell-bent on destroying everything in their path coming back from Leto the Second's Great Scattering. Previously, the reader briefly meets the Honored Matres, the corrupt offspring of the Bene Gesserit sent out into the Scattering and Heretics of Dune ends with the capture of a valuable Honored Matre in Murbella. Fast forward to the present and Murbella is becoming more and more heavily influenced by the Bene Gesserit and starts to give up her Honored Matre roots to become a full Reverend Mother. In Chapterhouse Dune, Murbella becomes a valuable tool for the Bene Gesserit, both in giving them invaluable insight into the ways and ideas of the Honored Matres but also as a valuable advisor to the Sisterhood itself. In addition, the Bene Tleilaxu are being wiped out in incredible numbers from both the Honored Matres from the Scattering and their own corrupt Tleilaxu that came back from the Scattering.

As indicated earlier, the Honored Matres are back from the Scattering and hell-bent on not only destroying every planet in Leto's Old Empire, but intently seek the Bene Gesserit's home planet of Chapterhouse Dune so that they may have a firm rule on the galaxy once and for all. Yet, there are some questions surrounding the Honored Matres that the Bene Gesserit begin to ask. Why are the Honored Matres back from the Scattering? Is it strictly their hatred of the Bene Gesserit and all it represents? Or were they driven back from the Scattering by someone or something? These questions are answered in Chapterhouse and the answers are fairly surprising.

In come the Bene Gesserit and their quest to save the known empire. Odrade is now a full Mother Superior stepping in for the deceased Mother Superior Taraza. A lot of the issues that faced Taraza are on Odrade's plate now. A lot of the book revolves around Odrade's "mysterious plan" that she lets others in on in bits and pieces. However, Odrade throughout a lot of the book goes against the typical Bene Gesserit grain and she must balance maintaining order within the Bene Gesserit and it's few factions with battling the Honored Matres against the slaughtering of all of the planets they've worked so hard to populate. There are a few new cogs in her plan as Murbella comes to their side, as Sheeana gradually begins her training for the Bene Gesserit, and a new ghola of an old friend from Heretics of Dune are all part of Odrade's new plan.

What I liked a lot about this book was the fact that the Bene Gesserit finally SEEM to be human. For the past 5 books or so, all the reader saw was a very manipulative religious sect that did whatever it could as long as it benefited the Bene Gesserit line. If it didn't benefit humanity too then that was just too bad. Chapterhouse Dune gives the Sisterhood a very human side as their new Mother Superior in Odrade struggles against time honored traditions and rules of the Bene Gesserit in her attempt to adapt the Bene Gesserit into the modern world and for once, saving humanity as well.

The main reason I give this book only 4 stars, is the fact that the final battle between the Bene Gesserit and Honored Matres was a disappointment overall. I expected a little bit more of an epic battle/struggle/etc that what transpired in the last 40 pages or so. In addition, an improbable solution between the Bene Gesserit and Honored Matres seems a little ridiculous after their vicious hatred for each other and especially their histories throughout the last 2 books or so. Then the Tleilaxu getting very little face time in Chapterhouse and being passively slaughtered without a big fight really was a little disappointing. They were such an intriguing group in the whole plot against Paul, Leto II, and the Bene Gesserit.

Yet, despite my few complaints towards the end, I still absolutely loved Chapterhouse Dune. I haven't enjoyed a series this much since I read Stephen King's Dark Tower Series and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series. As others have said, Herbert spent 6 years just researching the concepts that would make the Dune Series alone and in a great portion of the books, you can tell it's very well-researched and thought out. Couple that with the fact that a lot of these books are going for bargain prices on Amazon Marketplace makes the series an even more attractive one to any potential Dune readers. I almost gave up on the Dune Series 3 years ago when I couldn't understand the first book in Dune. The terminology sometimes is difficult, but my best advice would be just to read through it. Particularly do a lot of your glossary reading in the first book and even though there aren't any glossaries in the rest of the books, you can deduce a lot of terms just from the first book alone. Above all, Thank you Frank Herbert for some of the best science fiction I've read.

-Travis
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J. Harrison
4.0 out of 5 stars Best of the last three books in the series
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2007
Verified Purchase
This book was a great read throughout. The story is original, moves at a rapid pace and the characters are fascinating. Herbert includes everything here that won him a massive fan base from the beginning of the series. This book is a welcome volume after the weaker installments of God Emperor and Heretics, though not as strong as any of the first three books in the series. Be warned that this book contains some sexual content (although less than Heretics). If you like the other Dune books, you will certainly enjoy this volume.
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Alex Galactus
4.0 out of 5 stars Long and Drawn Out
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020
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Not very impressive, the characters are pretty bland for the most part. The storyline is interesting enough to keep you engaged.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Chapterhouse completes my Dune audio collection!
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
I periodically looked for this audio book but found them too high priced whether new or used (especially new). This purchase was exactly what I was looking for and the cds are in very good shape.
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Nathan Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
While not the strongest of the series, it was still awesome, chock full of amazing quotes and Frank's usual weird wisdom. Good if you're a reader, great if you're a Dune fan.
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Eric M.Top Contributor: Fantasy Books
4.0 out of 5 stars The Bene Gesserit revealed...
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert sets the stage for a larger, galactic conflict as the remnants of the Imperium have to face new threats and deeper mysteries after the demise of their God Emperor, Leto II. Can the Bene Gesserit take on a more active role to preserve mankind in the face of calamitous changes and challenges? What role might the ghola of Duncan Idaho play? This book is a must for anyone who wants to read and enjoy both Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, who admirably try to wrap up the series. This book's tone is a bit different and some of the revelations are sudden and strange but whether you want to end the Dune journey here or press on, you shouldn't be disappointed!
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