Heretics of Dune

Heretics of Dune (1984) is the fifth book in Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction series, the Dune Chronicles. Set 1,500 years after Leto II’s death, the novel centers on the Bene Gesserit’s fight against two threats that seek to destroy them: the Tleilaxu with their formidable genetic technology, and the Honored Matres, a vengeful force with a carnal talent for subjugation. With the leadership of Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade and retired Supreme Bashar Miles Teg, the Bene Gesserit place their hopes on two youths, the ghola Duncan Idaho, and Sheeana, the girl from Rakis (once Arrakis) who can control the giant sandworms. The novel addresses themes of Change and Resistance to the Status Quo, The Critique of Religious Corruption, and Love and Empathy as Vital Human Traits.

This guide refers to the 2019 Ace/Penguin Publishing Group Kindle edition. 

Plot Summary

God Emperor Leto II has been dead for 1,500 years, but the memory of the “Tyrant” still has a hold on the universe. The Tleilaxu have synthesized melange in their axolotl tanks, and the Ixians have invented navigation machines. Both innovations break the monopolies on spice and space travel and alter the power dynamics of the Old Imperium.