History Literature / ChapterhouseDune

* BigBad: Whoever chased the Honored Matres back from the Scattering.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Paul slaughters billions under the godhead of the Madhinate, and his son Leto II is the greatest tyrant in history; yet both claimed their actions were necessary to avoid an even greater catastrophe -- the complete and total extinction of humanity. (And considering that Paul and Leto both share an ability to see into the future, they are probably ''right''.) The Bene Gesserit are similarly portrayed as scheming witches, yet by the time of ''Heretics of Dune'' and ''Chapterhouse: Dune'', they have inherited the responsibility of safeguarding humanity's future.

* TheChessmaster: Odrade

* CompellingVoice: The Bene Gesserit have the Voice. Jessica uses this in the first novel to facilitate the escape of her and Paul, by making the guards kill each other. The fear of this prompts various defenses, including stationing deaf-mutes as guards for important people and, later, conditioning people to reflexively kill at the first sign of Voice being used. In the original novel, the Bene Gesserit have to study the target of the Voice in order to adjust their pitch accordingly.
* ConLang: Many of the phrases and terms used throughout the book have some basis in real-world languages. The Fremen speak a clear development of Arabic. Galach, the official language of the Imperium, is described as an Anglo-Slavic hybrid with some other tongues mixed in for good measure -- and it shows... in the rare instances when we get to read some actual untranslated phrases from it.

* CyborgHelmsman: Odrade has one on her trip to Junction
* DarwinistDesire: the Bene Gesserit are still breeding to produce stronger genetic stock, but are actively avoiding the breeding of another Kwisatz Haderach.

* DeusSexMachina: An offshoot of the Bene Gesserit called the Honored Matre arise whom use sex as a form of hypnosis. Numerous galaxy-spanning, [[GambitRoulette wheels within wheels]] plots are derailed when it is discovered that there is a man with the same power. And this man trains other men to use that power. Leading to a feud carried on mostly through ''sexual guerrilla warfare''.

* EnergyWeapon: Only useful without DeflectorShields, which are ubiquitous, so almost a subversion/aversion. (A lasgun shot hitting a shield is highly unpredictable, and can cause either a nuclear-level explosion or only destroy both shooter and shootee). Also, lasguns are presented unusually realistically for sci-fi (except for the universe-physics-specific shield bit). In Leto II's future, lasguns have come back into general use after he banned shields, leading to a massive arms race after [[spoiler:his death]].
* PreciousPuppy: Tleilaxu [[CallASmeerpARabbit chairdogs]]! They bleed and squeak when Honored Matres abuse them.

* GratuitousForeignLanguage: The ''Dune'' universe is positively riddled with words seemingly inspired by or derived from Arabic and Farsi (most of the future religions have some Islam in them). Even Hebrew shows up once or twice. Amongst other things, ''K'fitzat ha'derekh'' (compare to Dune's ''Kwisatz Haderach'') is a magical ability ascribed to some real-world Chassidic holy men -- specifically, the ability to teleport.

* LastOfHisKind: Scytale, the last true Tleilaxu Master.

* PaintingTheMedium: Some words like "SPICE" and "VOICE" tend to be printed in capital block letters to give them a sort of mystical echo (see above for DEATH in the Discworld novels). However, there are no capital letters in the Hebrew language, so the Hebrew translation has these words printed in bold and in a larger typeface than the rest of the sentence. This method makes them even more creepy and resfonant than the original, if at all possible.

* ThePlan: Odrade’s plan to bring the Bene Gesserit and Honored Matres together.

* SpaceJews -- Literally, as of ''Chapterhouse''. As much as the other major religions have shifted in 20,000 years, there are still people who observe Passover, speak ritual Hebrew, and have a conception of a nation of Israel. They managed to survive by first going into hiding, then pretending to be revivalists.

* SplitPersonalityTakeover: Advanced Face Dancers at the time of ''Heretics of Dune'' make a memory-print of their victim's mind and therefore mimic them perfectly. Too perfectly, as it turns out. Leave one in the job long enough and [[spoiler:he forgets he's a Face Dancer.]]

* SuperSoldiers:
** The Sardaukar, the original Fremen when organized, the Fish Speakers
** Leto II's Fish Speakers, an AmazonBrigade, become more feared than the Sardaukar.
* SwordFight: Swords and knives are the main weapons used in ground combat. {{Justified|Trope}}: [[DeflectorShields shields]] stop projectile weapons, and [[PhlebotinumOverload explode like nukes]] when attacked with [[EnergyWeapon lasguns]].
** This is inverted during and after Leto II's reign, as he bans shields within the Empire in order to force warfare to start evolving again. By the time of ''Heretics'', ground and space combat are much, much deadlier as lasguns and even nastier weapons are in full use.

* ThemeNaming: (Nearly) all the Bene Gesserit have names of the form Something-us (Female Name) (Surname), which is slightly odd considering -us is a male suffix. Though this seems to be less common after Leto II’s reign.

** The series as a whole shows [[DeconstructedTrope just how disastrous these tropes would be]] in [[RealityEnsues reality.]]

* TheEmperor: Purposely averted in the shadow of Leto IIs 3,500 years of rule, there’s no single unified governing force in the old Imperium.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Only useful without DeflectorShields, which are ubiquitous, so almost a subversion/aversion. (A lasgun shot hitting a shield is highly unpredictable, and can cause either a nuclear-level explosion or only destroy both shooter and shootee). Also, lasguns are presented unusually realistically for sci-fi (except for the universe-physics-specific shield bit). In Leto II's future, lasguns have come back into general use after he banned shields, leading to a massive arms race after [[spoiler:his death]].

* AndIMustScream: Leto II's awareness supposedly exists in each of the sandtrout and sandworms produced from his body. In his words, he is ''a pearl of awareness locked in an endless dream''.
** The [[spoiler:Axlotl tanks]] of the Bene Tleilax are no better.

* AddictionPowered:
** Guild Navigators breathe great quantities of melange/spice, giving them limited powers of prescience, enough to find safe passage when their ship is traveling faster than light. The general population doesn't gain this benefit.
** Some Mentats enhance their mental abilities (said to exceed even the most advanced electronic computers) via consumption of sapho juice; however, a Mentat must endure lifelong training (and have suitable genetic characteristics) in order to achieve their capabilities.
** Bene Gesserits depend on some drugs and the Spice for some of their abilities, each Reverend Mother is addicted.
* AerithAndBob: While the first book introduces many distinctly-European names, such as Paul, Jessica, Gurney, and Duncan (even Baron Harkonnen, whose first name is Vladimir), the names get far more exotic as the cast fills out throughout the series. Notable examples include the Latin-European-Greek full names of the Bene Gesserit.

* TheCasanova: Duncan Idaho, dear god. Described as having a devastating masculine appearance and animal magnetism. Brought back to life as a ghola hundreds of times to be used as a stud in various sex-related schemes that resulted in thousands of children and eventually millions of people with his genes. This comes full-circle when the Tleilaxu conditioning he receives from his last incarnation allows him to [[spoiler:seduce an Honored Matre]].

** Duncan Idaho more so. See TheCasanova above.

'''Note''': ''Chapterhouse: Dune'' has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert [[AuthorExistenceFailure died shortly after publication]], it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in Literature/HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

* LivingLieDetector: Bene Gesserit can notice the visual and auditory cues that denote a lying person. Many courts employ Bene Gesserit for this specific purpose, as "Truthsayers".

** The Mentats derive their enhanced mental abilities (said to exceed even the most advanced electronic computers) via consumption of sapho juice; however, a Mentat must endure lifelong training (and probably genetic enhancement as well) before the sapho juice can have its stated effect.

''Chapterhouse: Dune'' is the sixth and final installment in [[Creator/FrankHerbert Frank Herbert's]]
''[[Franchise/{{Dune}} Dune Chronicles]]''. It was published in 1985 by Putnam and rose to #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

''Chapterhouse: Dune'' continues shortly after the events of ''Literature/HereticsOfDune''. The Tleilax and Rakis have both been destroyed, cutting off the supply of the precious Spice and Honored Matres have overrun the Old Imperium, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood forced to flee at every turn. Mother Superior Odrade is fighting for time to put [[ThePlan her plan]] to save the sisterhood and the Imperium in motion.

On Chapterhouse, the last remaining sandworm has begun the Spice cycle anew, turning the once lush and fertile world into desert. In addition, the sisterhood has the last remaining Tleilaxu Master, Scytale, in their possession, giving them the technology of the Axolotl tanks in order to make both gholas and artificial spice. Odrade chooses to use this technology to restore Miles Teg to lead the sisterhood into combat. Odrade and her inner-circle deduce that the Honorer Matres are on the run from something even worse out in the Scattering.

'''Note''': ''Chapterhouse: Dune'' has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert [[AuthorExistenceFailure died shortly after publication]], it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

* ActionGirl / ActionMom:
** Murbella

* CatGirl: The Futars introduced in ''Heretics of Dune'' are the creation of Lost Tleilaxu returning from the Scattering. They're basically [[MixAndMatchCritters humanoid cat-people]], and are kept as pets and feral weapons by the Honored Matres, despite being designed originally as weapons ''against'' them..

** Even with mental processing as incredible as that, the Bene Gesserit still only learn those abilities as a ''supplementary'' skill for their main areas of expertise. The mentats, however, specialize specifically in HyperAwareness and so are infinitely more adept then even the best Bene Gesserit. Then you take a Bene Gesserit and train her (or occasionally him) as a Mentat...

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Whoooooooooo boy...

''Chapterhouse: Dune'' continues shortly after the events of ''Litterature/HereticsOfDune''. The Tleilax and Rakis have both been destroyed, cutting off the supply of the precious Spice and Honored Matres have overrun the Old Imperium, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood forced to flee at every turn. Mother Superior Odrade is fighting for time to put [[ThePlan her plan]] to save the sisterhood and the Imperium in motion.

* {{Badass}}: Odrade, Sheeana, Murbella, Duncan Idaho, Teg

* YourHeadAsplode: [[spoiler:Logno's]] death. Murbella slams her to the floor so hard that her head gets "pulped".

Chapterhouse: Dune has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert [[AuthorExistenceFailure died shortly after publication]], it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

\\

Note: Chapterhouse: Dune has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert [[AuthorExistenceFailure died shortly after publication]], it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

\\

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Mainly due to the effects of the Spice, many people extend their life far greater than would be possible without. The Emperor Shaddam is described by his daughter Princess Irulan as looking around 50, though being in his late '80s. He dies due to work-related stress rather than old age.

* MadLibThrillerTitle: ''Dune...'' or ''...of Dune''

* StandardTimeUnits: Years are known as "Standard years", or SY, and are described as being about 20 hours less than the "so-called primitive year".

''Chapterhouse Dune'' continues shortly after the events of ''Litterature/HereticsOfDune''. The Tleilax and Rakis have both been destroyed, cutting off the supply of the precious Spice and Honored Matres have overrun the Old Imperium, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood forced to flee at every turn. Mother Superior Odrade is fighting for time to put [[ThePlan her plan]] to save the sisterhood and the Imperium in motion.

Note: Chapterhouse: Dune has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert [[AuthorExistanceFailure died shortly after publication]], it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

Note: Chapterhouse: Dune has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert shortly after publication, it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

On Chapterhouse, the last remaining sandworm has begun the Spice cycle anew, turning the once lush and furtile world into desert.


Chapterhouse: Dune has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert shortly after publication, it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune written by Brian Herbert and Creator/KevinJAnderson. Some fans however still insist that either the notes for 'Dune 7' don't exist or that the authors didn't follow them.

Chapterhouse: Dune is the sixth and final installment in [[Creator/FrankHerbert Frank Herbert's]]
[[Franchise/Dune Dune Chronicles]]. It was published in 1985 by Putnam and rose to #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Chapterhouse: Dune has an open ending, leaving many of the plot points introduced in Heretics and in Chapterhouse unresolved. Since Creator/FrankHerbert shortly after publication, it has been a point of contention among fans as to whether Frank Herbert had intended a third book to fill out the Heretics/Chapterhouse story or if he purposely intended to leave the story open and let the readers determine their own ending. 15 years after Chapterhouse: Dune was published, Frank's son Brian announced that he had found plans for "Dune 7", these plans culminated in HuntersSandwormsOfDune

Chapterhouse Dune continues shortly after the events of Literature/HereticsOfDune.

[[redirect:Franchise/{{Dune}}]]