Heretics of Dune is the fifth book in the Dune series. We’re more than a thousand years removed from the Tyrant, Leto II. On Rakis, formerly known as Arakis AKA Dune, Sheana’s family was killed by a giant sand worm, but her life was spared. The worms never try to touch her but deliver her to the priests. What will the end game be?
Poor Duncan Idaho has been brought back as another in a long line of gholas to serve a new master. The Bene Gesserit have come back to power, but there’s a new threat to the old Empire. They want him as a weapon against some kind of danger they expect. Along the way, we meet Miles Teg, the famous Bashar General of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. He’s a master strategist and commands the respect and admiration of even his enemies.
I enjoyed this story. It was a welcome break after God Emperor. There’s actual dialog that moves the story along instead of a series of reports and anecdotes from the archive. It took a little getting used to that so much time had passed since Leto’s death. The galaxy is slowly coming out of their forced peace, but there’s something wrong. Those who had left during the great scattering to seed the universe are coming back and not all of them are good. The only hope is to ensure Duncan and Sheana both survive. The new threat comes from the Honored Maters of the scattering. They resemble the Bene Gesserit, but they’re violent and impulsive. They’ve come do Dune and are intent to destroy it.
