Chapterhouse Dune (edit title)

Teodora19 edited the books influenced by this book of Chapterhouse Dune Monday, September 14 2009.

• Added Exploration: Themes of Science Fiction, A Brief Guide
• Added English Teacher's Great Books Activities Kit: 60 Ready-to-Use Activity Packets Featuring Classic, Popular & Current Literature (J-B Ed: Activities)

Teodora19 edited the books that influenced this book of Chapterhouse Dune Monday, September 14 2009.

• Added God Emperor of Dune
• Added Heretics of Dune
• Added Dune Messiah
• Added Children of Dune
• Added Destination: Void (Berkley SF, S1864)

Teodora19 edited the books like this book of Chapterhouse Dune Monday, September 14 2009.

• Added God Emperor of Dune
• Added Children Of Dune
• Added Dune Messiah

Teodora19 edited the quotations of Chapterhouse Dune Monday, September 14 2009.

• Added a quotation: “Those who would repeat the past must control the teaching of history.”Bene Gesserit Coda
• Added a quotation: “When I set out to lead humanity along my Golden Path I promised a lesson their bones would remember. I know a profound pattern humans deny with words even while their actions affirm it. They say they seek security and quiet, conditions they call peace. Even as they speak, they create seeds of turmoil and violence.”Leto II, The God Emperor
• Added a quotation: “The person who takes the banal and ordinary and illuminates it in a new way can terrify. We do not want our ideas changed. We feel threatened by such demands. "I already know the important things!" we say. Then Changer comes and throws our old ideas away”The Zensufi Master
• Added a quotation: “We tend to become like the worst in those we oppose.”Bene Gesserit Coda
• Added a quotation: “You cannot know history unless you know how leaders move with its currents. Every leader requires outsiders to perpetuate his leadership. Examine my career: I was leader and outsider. Do not assume I merely created a Church-State. That was my function as leader and I copied historical models. Barbaric arts of my time reveal me as outsider. Favorite poetry: epics. Popular dramatic ideal: heroism. Dances: wildly abandoned. Stimulants to make people sense what I took from them. What did I take? The right to choose a role in history.”Leto II (The Tyrant)
• Added a quotation: “You cannot manipulate a marionette with only one string.”The Zensunni Whip
• Added a quotation: “Confine yourself to observing and you always miss the point of your own life. The object can be stated this way: Live the best life you can. Life is a game whose rules you learn if you leap into it and play it to the hilt. Otherwise, you are caught off balance, continually surprised by the shifting play. Non-players often whine and complain that luck always passes them by. They refuse to see that they can create some of their own luck.”Darwi Odrade
• Added a quotation: “All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.”Missionaria Protectiva
• Added a quotation: “The writing of history is largely a process of diversion. Most historical accounts distract attention from the secret influences behind great events.”The Bashar Teg
• Added a quotation: “Many things we do naturally become difficult only when we try to make them intellectual subjects. It is possible to know so much about a subject that you become totally ignorant.”Mentat Text Two (dicto)

Teodora19 edited the summary of Chapterhouse Dune Monday, September 14 2009.

• Introduction

  The situation is desperate for the Bene Gesserit as they find themselves the targets of the Honored Matres, whose conquest of the Old Empire is almost complete. The Matres are seeking to assimilate the technology and developed methods of the Bene Gesserit, their "last enemy in the million planets" (i.e. the Old Empire before The Scattering). Given the strength and record of the Matres, the Bene Gesserit need a plan.

  In charge of this plan is Mother Superior Darwi Odrade, successor of Taraza. Her prescient visions show an unknown axeman stalking her — an adequate analogy to the Bene Gesserit situation.

  The Bene Gesserit are also creating a new Dune on the planet Chapterhouse. Sheeana, in charge of the Worm project, expects a sandworm soon.

  The Honored Matres conquest destroyed the Bene Tleilax, who falsely assumed that their control of spice production guaranteed their protection. The Matres, we come to see, are surprisingly impulsive in their use of violence. A single Tleilaxu Master remains, albeit in Bene Gesserit captivity. He yields a secret of the Tleilaxu: ghola production. The technology compromises Bene Gesserit ethics; the Tleilaxu method requires a human womb — turning women into "tanks" fit for ghola production. The first ghola produced is that of Miles Teg, the great military commander introduced in Heretics of Dune.

  The Bene Gesserit have three important prisoners on Chapterhouse, held in a no-ship: Scytale, Duncan Idaho and Murbella (the Matre introduced in Heretics). The Bene Gesserit considers them valuable keys to the present predicament. This mode of thinking — that people are tools fit for a task — makes the prisoners uncooperative, despite the shared threat of the Matres.

  The Bene Gesserit intend to wring more secrets of the Tleilaxu from Scytale; namely, how to create spice from the axlotl tanks. Scytale bitterly regrets supplying the Bene Gesserit with ghola technology, but he must barter with them; he is their prisoner. Within Scytale's chest is a nullentropy tube, containing the cells of all Tleilaxu masters and various significant figures of the last few millennia, including Paul Atreides himself.<9> Potentially capable of recreating the Bene Tleilax, he retains his sense of destiny. Additionally, Scytale also wields the mind-controlling whistling language imprinted in all gholas; what ends could Duncan Idaho achieve for Scytale?

  Duncan Idaho and Murbella are living together. The bond created by their mutual imprinting in Heretics has made them somewhat reluctant lovers, as their sexual addiction leads to genuine affection. The Bene Gesserit have accepted Murbella as a novice and are training her to be a Sister, despite their suspicion that she intends to steal their secrets and escape back to the Honored Matres.

  The Bene Gesserit wonder about Idaho's capabilities and potential; they suspect he remembers more than this ghola existence because they see signs of his being a Mentat, a talent not taught to him. They also wonder why Leto II consistently resurrected Duncan; was it his genetic potential? Indeed, he remembers his serial ghola lives, which mystifies him. His mentat awareness tells him that the Bene Tleilax could not have accomplished this, implying that his awareness is linked beyond genetics.

  <edit> Body

  Lampadas, a center for Bene Gesserit education, has been destroyed by the Honored Matres. One Sister, Lucilla, who served as vice chancellor, manages to escape the disaster. She carries the salvation of destroyed Lampadas, later called the Lampadas Horde: the shared-minds of its millions of murdered Reverend Mothers. Unfortunately, Lucilla's ship is damaged by a mine and she makes a forced landing on Gammu.

  Lucilla seeks refuge with an underground group that she knows will be sympathetic to the Bene Gesserit: Jews. Long ago, Jews went underground to escape the repeated pogroms against them. They continued to practice their religion in secret, under cover as "religious revivalists," to conceal their unbroken connection to ancient history. They were so successful that they have survived for 26,000 years while history believed them long since annihilated. The Bene Gesserit — with their memories of the past — were not deceived, and have developed a clandestine relationship with the Jews.

  The Rabbi, trapped in the web of mutual obligation, gives Lucilla temporary sanctuary, but in order to save his organization he must deliver Lucilla to the Matres. To Lucilla's shock he reveals Rebecca, a "wild" Reverend Mother who has gained her Other Memory without Bene Gesserit training. Lucilla shares minds with Rebecca, who promises to take the memories of Lampadas safely back to the Sisterhood. Lucilla is then "betrayed" to the Honored Matres.

  Back on Chapterhouse, Odrade's plans are reaching fruition. She confronts Duncan Idaho and forces him to admit that he is a Mentat, proving he retains memories of many ghola lives. To some degree this is a relief to Duncan, as he no longer has to disguise his abilities, but he realizes this makes his position still more precarious. He also does not reveal that he has been having sporadic mysterious visions of two strangers; an anonymous man and a woman named Marty, who seem to be aware of Duncan when he sees them.

  Lucilla is taken before the Great Honored Matre Dama, and to her surprise she is not killed outright. A game of words begins, and the Matre tries to persuade her to join the Honored Matres, preserving her life in exchange for Bene Gesserit secrets. It becomes known that the Matres dearly want to learn to modify their biochemistry as the Bene Gesserit do. It is speculated that the Matres were driven from The Scattering by an enemy who used biological weapons.

  Meanwhile, Murbella collapses under the pressure of Bene Gesserit training and pregnancy, giving in to "word weapons" that the Bene Gesserit planted to undermine her earlier Honored Matre identity. Murbella realizes that she really admires and wants to be Bene Gesserit, and sees her former Matres as ignorant children. The words of her initiation are repeated with an emphasis not in the original.

  Dortujla, the head of a Sisterhood keep on Buzzell, arrives on Chapterhouse reporting that Handlers and their half-man/half-cat enslaved Futars have offered alliance, though Dortujla's Mentat analysis suggests they intend dominance. She speculates that if the Handlers found Buzzell then Matres may too; smugglers would have sold their information indiscriminately. Why have the Honored Matres not already attacked? Odrade sees an opportunity and orders Dortujla to return to Buzzell with the Sisterhood's offer of surrender. Dortujla is to set up a meeting at Junction — the old Spacing Guild complex — which the Matres control. Unbeknownst to them, Miles Teg has intimate experience with Junction from his human life.

  Lucilla's verbal battles with the Great Honored Matre continue for weeks. When she reveals to Dama that although the Bene Gesserit know how to manipulate and control the populace, they practice and believe in democracy, Dama's desire to destroy the Sisterhood is redoubled; the Bene Gesserit teach dangerous knowledge and believe in ridiculous ideas like democracy! Dama kills Lucilla.

  Odrade decides that the task of awakening Teg's human memory is best suited to Duncan Idaho, and so he and Murbella take over Teg's training. It is a job that Duncan excels at, but he has reservations regarding the traditional way of awakening a ghola, remembering the pain he went through to release his own memories.

  Odrade and Tamalane tour Chapterhouse and visit Sheeana to consider promotion. Arriving at the inland sea of Chapterhouse, Odrade is dismayed to see how small it has become. As she swims, she accepts the ruthlessness of some decisions, and returns to the shore with the decision to accelerate the terraforming by removing the last sea on the planet.

  Arriving at Desert Watch station, Odrade confronts Sheeana as a test of her suitability for promotion. But Odrade is undermined by her lingering affection for Sheeana and so does not force the full truth out of her, but discovers that Duncan and Sheeana have been allied together for some time and have exchanged much information. Sheeana does not reveal that they have been considering the option of reawakening Teg's memory through Imprinting, nor does Odrade discover that Sheeana has the keys to Duncan's no-ship prison.

  While Odrade is away, Bellonda (a chief advisor to Odrade) decides to get rid of Duncan Idaho, whom she believes is too dangerous. However, she underestimates Duncan's capabilities; when she confronts him he protects himself with Teg, since Teg would never serve them after witnessing the murder of his teacher and friend. With his centuries of awareness — his serial lives — Duncan manipulates Bellonda by revealing his genius as a Mentat. He chides the Sisterhood by focusing on things that they refuse to face, arguing that their emergency plan of Scattering is flawed. Nobody sent to the Scattering has ever returned; therefore they are being trapped. Bellonda leaves, realizing not only that Duncan is too useful to kill, but also that Odrade probably manipulated her into this precise situation. She releases the blocks on Duncan's information flow, giving him full access to the data on the no-ship's computers. "If you have a tool, use it properly," she admits to herself.

  Odrade's molding of Scytale continues apace. She points out to him that his dream of Scytale's great revival is fatally flawed, because the Tleilaxu who scattered are no longer true to his beliefs and indeed serve the Matres. Scytale is amazed and terrified when Sheeana arrives with a baby sandworm. The Bene Gesserit have assured their own long term supply of spice, destroying Scytale's main bargaining card.

  At Duncan's suggestion, Teg is awakened by Sheeana using imprinting techniques. Teg's mother had conditioned in him a resistance to imprinting; under Sheeana's sensual assault, his old conditioning is triggered and his memories are awakened. In his awakening he cannot help but reveal the new physical abilities given to him by the T-Probe, the device used by the Honored Matres to torture him in Heretics. Odrade frees and appoints him again as Bashar of the military forces of the Sisterhood for the assault on the Honored Matres.

  Finally it is decided that Murbella is ready to become a Reverend Mother. Odrade relaxes the strictures, and for the first time ever, a man — Duncan — is allowed to watch a spice ceremony. Duncan is filled with trepidation, first because he fears Murbella will not survive the ritual, and second because he wonders whether she will still love him after going through such a life changing experience. Odrade watches with equal trepidation because Murbella is vital to her plan to deal with the Honored Matres and to reform the Sisterhood. Odrade believes that the Bene Gesserit made a mistake in fearing emotion, and that in order to evolve, the Bene Gesserit must learn to accept emotions. Murbella, Odrade is pleased to find, takes and survives the hard path to becoming a Reverend Mother.

  Murbella goes through a manic phase after becoming a Reverend Mother, and her feelings for Duncan are not the same — a fact that worries Odrade as much as Duncan. Whether it is a temporary effect of the experience or a permanent one is unknown.

  <edit> Conclusion

  Odrade calls a Convocation (a meeting of all the Bene Gesserit) announcing her plan to attack the Honored Matres. She tells them that this attack will be led by Teg. She also announces candidates to succeed her as Mother Superior; she will share her memories with Murbella and Sheeana before she leaves.

  Odrade goes to meet the Great Honored Matre with Dortujla and Tamalane. To Odrade's surprise Dama seems cooperative; Odrade wonders whether she was wise to have prearranged the attack. After a while she realizes that Dama intends no reasonable negotiation.

  Under cover of Odrade's diplomacy, the Bene Gesserit forces under Teg attack Gammu with tremendous force. Teg uses his secret ability to see no-ships to secure control of the system. Survivors of the attack flee to Junction, and Teg follows them there and carries all with him. Victory for the Bene Gesserit seems inevitable. In the midst of this battle, the Jews (including Rebecca with her precious memories) take refuge with the Bene Gesserit fleet.

  Logno — chief advisor to Dama — assassinates Dama with poison and assumes control of the Honored Matres. Her first act surprises Odrade greatly; she surrenders to Odrade. Teg arrives, and reports come in. Too late Odrade and Teg realize they have fallen into a trap, and the Honored Matres use a mysterious weapon hinted at throughout the book to turn defeat into victory. Murbella saves as much of the Bene Gesserit force as she can and they begin to withdraw to Chapterhouse.

  Odrade, however, had planned for the possible failure of the Bene Gesserit attack and left Murbella instructions for a last desperate gamble. Murbella pilots a small craft down to the surface, announcing herself as an Honored Matre who, in the confusion, has managed to escape the Bene Gesserit with all their secrets. She arrives on the planet and immediately announces her intentions by killing an overeager Honored Matre with a blinding speed enhanced by Bene Gesserit training that makes her faster than any Honored Matre before her.

  Murbella is taken to the Great Honored Matre and immediately declares herself hostile. Unable to control her anger, Logno attacks but is disposed of by Murbella, who becomes Great Honored Matre by having killed her predecessor. Awed by her physical prowess, the remaining Honored Matres are forced to accept her as their new leader. Odrade is also killed in the melee and Murbella Shares with her, thereby also becoming Reverend Mother Superior.

  Murbella's ascension to the leadership of the Honored Matres and the Bene Gesserit is not accepted as victory by all the Bene Gesserit. Some feel that she will suborn the spirit of the Bene Gesserit and many worry that her plan of merging the two orders is doomed to failure. Some then decide to flee Chapterhouse, notably Sheeana, who has a vision of her own. They ask Duncan if he wishes to join them, and upon his agreement escape in the giant no-ship, with Scytale, Teg and the Jews from Gammu still aboard. Murbella recognizes their plan at the last minute, but is powerless to stop them, realizing at the same time that Duncan's departure solves many problems for her. Watching this escape with interest are Daniel and Marty, the observers Duncan had been having visions of, who by all indications are independent Face Dancers.

  The story ends on a cliffhanger with several questions left unanswered regarding the merging of the Honored Matres and Bene Gesserit, the fates of those on the escaped no-ship (including the role of Scytale, the development of Idaho and Teg, and the role of the Jews), the identity of the god-like characters in the book's final chapter and the ultimate mystery of what chased the Honored Matres back into the Old Empire.

Shelfari edited the description of Chapterhouse Dune Saturday, August 1 2009.

• Now--the conclusion to Frank Herbert's l3-million-copy epic masterpiece. The desert planet Arrakis, called Dune, has been destroyed, and the heirs to Dune's power, have colonized a green world--and are turning it into a desert, mile by scorched mile. "Impressive...the whole saga will be one of the monuments of modern science fiction."--Chicago Sun Times. TP: Berkley.

Shelfari edited the contributors of Chapterhouse Dune Tuesday, July 21 2009.

• reordered the contributors.
• 1 : Frank Herbert:

Timothy Gray edited the series of Chapterhouse Dune Saturday, July 18 2009.

• Added this book in the series: Dune Chronicles book 6 (Primary series)

Shelfari edited the contributors of Chapterhouse Dune Saturday, July 18 2009.

• Added a contributor: Frank Herbert: (Primary Author)

Shelfari edited the first sentence of Chapterhouse Dune Thursday, July 16 2009.

• When the ghola-baby was delivered from the first Bene Gesrit axlotl tank, mother Superior Darwi Odrade ordered a quiet celebration in her private dining room atop Central.