Book Review: Chapterhouse Dune (Dune #21 Chronological Order, #6 Publication Order)

 

Chapterhouse Dune is the final book in the second "Great Dune Trilogy" and a direct sequel to Heretics of Dune. It was published in 1985 and was the sixth and final book in the Dune series, penned by the original author, Frank Herbert. To say the storyline is convoluted is an understatement. It boils down to the war between the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Matres. The Matres are trying to take control of the Universe, and have almost completely taken over the Old Empire. They are now trying to take control of the Bene Gesserit so they can combine the technological and superhuman abilities of the Bene Gesserit with their own. 

The length of the book will vary depending on which version you get, but the hardcover version comes in at around 450 pages. The overall storyline is not bad, but the execution of the story could be much better. There are a ton of characters in the book, making it hard to keep track of all their various roles. Like all the novels in the second trilogy, while characters from the original trilogy of novels are referred to, Duncan Idaho (or a version of him) is the only character from the original books that appears in this one. The vast majority of the book is set up, jumping back and forth between the points of view of members of the Bene Gesserit and the Honour Matres. Most of the action occurs in the last 75 pages or so (which is another thing that made it hard to get through), and it ends in a cliffhanger. Herbert would pass away the year after the book was published, leaving the result of the storyline in doubt; however, his son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson would write two follow-up novels based on Frank's notes for a seventh book to finish the story. 

Ultimately, the storyline in this book diverges significantly from the original Dune novel. It has very little to do with the storyline involving Paul, Jessica, the Harkkonens, etc. It also gets a bit weird. It is not as good as the original novel or any of the multiple prequel novels that were written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson to set up the events of the original novel. I think it is worth reading, if nothing else, to see where Frank Herbert took the story, but I wouldn't call it a must-read, especially if you were primarily invested in characters like Paul, Jessica, Chani, and Irulan.