“Those who would repeat the past must control the teaching of history.”

I really enjoyed this one. I think it was the one that felt the closest to Dune out of the entire series. I loved that the focus of this one is really just the two powerful sects of women. We have an intense battle going on between the Honored Matres and the Reverend Mothers. It's this interesting power struggle because each side is handling it vastly differently. The Honored Matres tend to rely on brute strength and the control they hold over everyone around them. They shoot for destruction. The Bene Gesserit and the Reverend Mothers have taken a different approach. They are working to ensure the survival of at least some of the Sisterhood in various different ways. Even being willing to bargain with their enemies; of course as we've all learned by this point the Sisterhood always has an angle.
I enjoyed that though we had a slight time jump in this one we still got some familiar characters. I was getting tired of following new characters each book. The political scheming is back in full force in this one and it was interesting to watch how it played out. Odrade had a plan pretty early in the book that we don't fully get until the very end. The spice control dynamic is still super important in this one, with the Bene Gesserit willing to destroy their home in order to control it. I enjoyed the way we illustrated the differences but also the similarities of the two factions of women. I thought it was interesting that the book really focused on the lack of emotions and how this played a role. However, I felt like it was unfinished. It just didn't seem like an all wrapped up series. I was left with lots of questions and it just felt too open. ( )

I found the first 3/4 of this book to be a bit of a grind with all of the unclear (to me at any rate) veiled references of a plan as characters talked to themselves (or other memory). But the last 1/4 of the book or so really picked up the pace and ended… well I have to say. But the last three pages, the final section were incredibly cryptic! Who were those two people Duncan occasionally say in his dreams? Apparently real with some control. Like so many others who have read this book I really wish that Frank Herbert lived long enough to write his final 7th volume. I am going to read Brian and Kevin’s take on how this epic might have ended. On to Hunters of Dune. ( )

An incredible addition to the 2nd part of the unfinished trilogy set after the Tyrants demise. Heretics was compelling but padded and often times quite aimless. Chapterhouse takes Frank Herberts strength in writing deep and challenging ideas with compelling characters and an explosive, larger than life story. The best description of this book would be a slightly more action-packed God Emperor of Dune; my favorite of the 6.

Overall, this was my first journey into Dune and its both unfortunate and fortunate introduction. Peering at Frank Herberts vision and blood seeping into his long spanning SF novels left unfinished, I could not be more happier. I first read the first book around 2020 following Messiah; then its ending left me speechless. Picking up 3 years later I picked up Children of Dune continued.. it painted a much larger and greater prospect that touched me deeply. Thank you. ( )

What a pointless slog of a story. "Dune" has been a part of my life since I was 5 or 6, and to see this part of it end like this is kind of... sad. Ah well. We all grow up.

This book is almost as garbage as "God Emperor of Dune", except more happens in it, so it wins by comparison. Though much of the story is again spent with characters internally debating or debating with each other about maybe doing something eventually. Though they do get around to parts of it. The frequent confusing POV switches were as confusing as ever, and omniscient until they weren't, which was also frustrating.

The constant references to sex magic (which we never actually see) were frustrating. People here and on Reddit call this the weird sex book, and it is, but it's all flash and no substance. The most graphic scenes we "see" are a furry/human orgy in the dark, vanilla shower sex, post-coital bed lounging, and the rape of a child, so that's... that. It also contains a ridiculous amount of rightwing griping about taxes and voting, about how ableism is cool, and also one of the weirdest instances of a Christian writing a group of Jews that was at turns stupid and incredibly offensive. We are not just Christians wearing yarmulkes, which is how Herbert writes them.

It's also painfully obvious that although Herbert possibly seemed to grasp that he needed to write more women in this universe, he has no idea how women talk or interact with each other. And it's uncomfortable to read.

None of the characters in this story are appealing. The narrative is miserable. The love "story" isn't compelling. It's a tired retread of the same characters in previous books, but worse. The "philosophy" and politics are pretty dumb. And somehow Herbert took one of my favorite artists - Vincent van Gogh - and made me dread every time his name was brought up.

I will give Herbert this, though: he added furries to the story. That's kind of neat. He didn't go very far with it, but it's amusing that that's in there.

Overall, this was a waste of time for a series that should have ended at least three books prior. People were writing better SF than this in the 80s (and Steven Brust had magic genetics, reincarnation, and past life stuff, too). And they're writing better now. As someone with a soft spot for all the "Dune" adaptations, I hope they never adapt this. ( )

My least favorite of the Dune books. ( )