Cover of Heretics of Dune

Heretics of Dune

by Frank Herbert · first published 1984

16mentions
4recommended by
13HN commenters
2008–2024first – last mentioned

31% recommend46% neutral23% critical

With more than ten million copies sold, Frank Herbert's magnificent Dune books stand among the major achievements of the human imagination. In this, the fifth and most spectacular Dune book of all, the planet Arrakis--now called Rakis--is becoming desert again. The Lost Ones are returning home from the far reaches of space. The great sandworms are dying. And the children of Dune's children awaken from empire as from a dream, wielding the new power of a heresy called love...

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What Hacker News says

  • cgriswald · Sep 2, 2019 · Recommends

    …Read Children of Dune. If you liked Messiah you'll probably like this as well. Read God Emperor of Dune. This one stands alone. Lots of people hate it. Whether you like it or not, don't stop. Read Heretics of Dune. If you don't like it, stop. Read Chapterhouse: Dune. Weep that it's over. In my experience, people who like Dune generally will enjoy at least through Children of Dune. Anyone who enjoys God Emperor…

    on “The Secret History of Dune” ↗
  • cocoy · Mar 19, 2008 · Recommends

    Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most. Dune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like…

    on “Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?” ↗
  • pmoriarty · Jun 30, 2018 · Recommends

    "Personally I found 2nd and 3rd books the worst." I absolutely agree. Children of Dune and Dune Messiah are by far the worst. The series picks up with God Emperor of Dune, and my favorites are the last two: Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune. The original Dune book was also good, but overrated compared to the last two in the series.

    on “Frank Herbert's seventh Dune novel (2005)” ↗
  • cgriswald · Sep 24, 2020 · Recommends

    …book in the series after multiple re-readings of the entire series (previously was Dune Messiah), but it is certainly not for everyone. It's okay to quit here. If you made it through God Emperor, read Heretics of Dune. If you enjoyed it, read Chapterhouse: Dune. (If you didn't enjoy Heretics, don't bother). Lament that it is over. If you must, read Sandworms of Dune which is written by the son, but is supposedly…

    on “Mentat Wiki: exploring ways to become a better thinker” ↗
  • magicalist · Oct 11, 2014 · Recommends

    Yeah, I find Heretics of Dune to be much better than Children of Dune, for instance, both in characterizations and the ideas it explores. I'll break ranks, though, and say I actually enjoy the plot after God Emperor of Dune quite…

    on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗
  • gnosis · Dec 27, 2010 · Mentions

    * Heretics of Dune * Chapterhouse: Dune * Lem's Cyberiad * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy * The Illuminatus Trilogy

    on “Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?” ↗
  • kizz246 · Dec 22, 2016 · Critical

    …society and mass hysteria Speaker for the Dead - Really fascinating book. I love sci-fi where there is an alien species that humans have trouble understanding for whatever reason Books I unrecommend: Heretics of Dune - Ugh. Tedious. I actually couldn't finish it. Didn't start Chapterhouse either. Information Doesn't Want to be Free - Pretty basic. How many footnotes do you really need before you just include them…

    on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗
  • softwaredoug · Sep 20, 2021 · Critical

    Heretics of Dune. I mostly enjoyed the previous Dune books. Particularly the first three. But God Emperor of Dune was kind of meh (lots of waxing philosophical with Leto...). It was hard to get into Heretics of Dune…

    on “Ask HN: What books have you not finished?” ↗
  • duskwuff · Jun 20, 2023 · Mentions

    > Isn't the little death the middle ages term for orgasm? Did you ever read Heretics of Dune? :)

    on “ChatGPT: Fear Litany” ↗
  • 0xff00ffee · Apr 21, 2020 · Mentions

    Meh. Since this article is largely anecdotal, I might as well add my 'dote to the anec: I'm on Book 5 of Dune (Heretics of Dune), averaging roughly one a week since this started. I read my weekly issue of The Economist throughout the week with breakfast. For my "project" I'm studying up on STM32 low-power states, something I've…

    on “A Side Effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic? Reading Got a Lot Harder” ↗
  • anotherevan · Jul 4, 2015 · Critical

    …reminded me how much I liked the first book[2]. [1] Have not seen the Children of Dune miniseries. [2] I'm in the "first book was good, the rest was crap" camp. I read through 'til about halfway through Heretics of Dune before asking myself why I was still reading and stopped.

    on “Dune, 50 years on” ↗
  • zimbu668 · Feb 10, 2015 · Mentions

    …Dune<pause> Dune, Dune Messiah<pause> Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune<pause> Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune <pause> Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune <pause> I don't think I have it in me to do that again for Chapterhouse: Dune.

    on “Why reading a book 100 times is a great idea” ↗
  • anotherevan · Oct 12, 2014 · Mentions

    I loved the first book, and hated the rest. I got as far as half-way through Heretics of Dune when I suddenly asked myself, "Why are you still reading this?" and stopped. I've since re-read Dune three or four times (most recently by way of an excellent audio-book version).

    on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗
  • anotherevan · Mar 24, 2016 · Critical

    …reminded me how much I liked the first book[2]. [1] Have not seen the Children of Dune miniseries. [2] I'm in the "first book was good, the rest was crap" camp. I read through 'til about halfway through Heretics of Dune before asking myself why I was still reading and stopped.

    on “On David Lynch's 'Dune'” ↗
  • qorrect · Dec 28, 2018 · Mentions

    The Prime Number Conspiracy, Heretics of Dune, and Im looking for an investment book to read.

    on “Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2019?” ↗

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