Pod Emperor of Dune

At long last, we get out act together and record our thoughts on the whole main Dune series, discussing the overarching plot, comparing our respective rankings, and considering how the series fits into the greater sci-fi canon. We hope to be back for future Dune content and, just maybe, some other nerdy podcasts about sci-fi. In the meantime, thank you for listening and watch out for sandworms!

In this episode, we take a look back at all of Sandworms of Dune, discussing our thoughts on the this novel, its plots, and its characters, on its own merits, as the second half of the non-Frank-Herbert mainline Dune lineup, and as the conclusion to the Dune series as a whole.

In this episode, we take a look at the final third or so of Sandworms of Dune, in which the thinking machines orchestrate a duel between competing Paul gholas only for Duncan to turn out to be the Kwisatz Haderach they were looking for, the Oracle of Time shows up and finds both saving the human fleet and destroying Omnius to be barely an inconvenience, the Face Dancers are summarily dispatched before they can actually execute any of their plan to turn on the machines, and we see the final state of the Dune universe - complete with a surprising number of happy endings for characters from throughout the series.

In this episode, we take a look at the second third or so of Sandworms of Dune, in which the Bene Gesserit of the Ithaca are met with a hostile reception on the world of Qelso, Edrik brings a dying Tylwyth to Rakis before falling prey to a fatal ambush at the hands of the Face Dancers, Murbella desperately works to prepare for the machine invasion in the face of plague and betrayal and the loss of another daughter, and the Face Dancer saboteurs aboard the Ithaca are finally revealed…but not before succeeding in leading the no-ship directly into the hands of the thinking machines.

In this episode, we take a look at the first third or so of Sandworms of Dune, in which the Ithaca crew traumatically awakens several gholas while the ship is attacked by one or more elusive saboteurs, the Baron and Paolo are summoned to Synchrony as the machine fleet makes its bizarrely slow way to destroy humanity, and Khrone continues to manipulate the factions of the Old Empire to surreptitiously undermine Murbella's attempts to mount a resistance to the oncoming danger, and tragic consequences ensue when Edrik and Tylwyth use the oceans of Buzzell as a testing ground for genetically-engineered sand…er, seaworms.

In this episode, we take a look at the final third of Hunters of Dune, in which several members of the Ithaca crew narrowly escape a deadly trap on the planet of the Handlers, Murbella finally defeats the rogue Honored Matres after they strike a devastating blow against her nascent fleet at Richese, Uxtal achieves some success in his Tylwyth ghola project but shortly thereafter receives some karmic comeuppance, and a war fleet is launched by Marty and Daniel…aka Erasmus and Omnius, aka the exact same thinking machines who were apparently at the center of the Butlerian Jihad, somehow. We also discuss the book as a whole, including our feelings on the novel in relation to the previous Dune entries, the reliance on characters and plot elements introduced in various intervening prequels, and our likes and dislikes of the story so far before the story is tied up in Sandworms of Dune.

In this episode, we take a look at the second third or so of Hunter of Dune, in which Murbella continues conquering the remaining Honored Matres in her attempts to unify the old Empire before the Outside Enemy attacks, Uxtal continues making gholas to make himself useful to both the Face Dancers and the Honored Matres, Khrone chafes under the watchful eyes of emissaries from Marty and Daniel while secretly working for his own purposes, and discord continues on the no-ship regarding their goals and gholas - one of which appears to have mystical sandworm abilities, for…reasons.

In this episode, we (finally) take a look at the first third or so of Hunters of Dune, in which the Chapterhouse escapees jump dimensions and start up a ghola factory, Murbella attempts to wrangle her combined New Sisterhood to be united against the coming enemy, the Scattering Face Dancers are revealed to have their own plans and motivations, and one of the last surviving Tleilaxu is pressed into service churning out even more gholas - including a most unwelcome face from the past.

In this episode, we take a look back at all of Chapterhouse: Dune, discussing our thoughts on the characters, plotlines, and how we thought about this novel in relation to the previous entries in the Dune saga, as we look ahead to examining the controversial posthumous conclusion to the series in Hunters and Sandworms of Dune.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-six through forty-eight of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Sheeana recruits some other dissatisfied Reverend Mothers to the plan to escape from Chapterhouse by stealing the no-ship, Duncan makes a desperate play to keep the no-ship out of the hands of the mysterious old couple and their net, new Reverend Mother Superior slash Great Honored Matre Murbella confers with Odrade about the future now that Sheeana and Duncan have abandoned her and the Order, and we get a fascinating glimpse into the perspective of the mysterious and powerful Marty and Daniel…who appear, with no one else observing them, to just be puttering about gardening, revealing clues about their possible Face Dancer origins through their conversation.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-three through forty-five of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Sheeana makes a decision about her future with the Bene Gesserit, Odrade is killed but her memory witnesses her plans coming to fruition, Murbella becomes both the Reverend Mother Superior and the Great Honored Matre in the span of a few murderous seconds, and the new joint leader begins to figure out how to secretly convert the Honored Matres into Bene Gesserit as she had been converted - without losing too many of her true Sisters to the violent instincts of the Honored Matres.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-one and forty-two, in which Odrade finally meets the infamous Spider Queen, this is quickly made pointless as Logno finally makes her play against her hated superior and becomes the new Great Honored Matre, the attack on Junction appears to go surprisingly well for the forces of the Bene Gesserit, and Miles and Odrade come to realize that all may not be as it seems - and that the Matres may have another card up their sleeves.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-nine through forty of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Odrade makes what she expects to be her final farewells to Chapterhouse and the Sisterhood as she journeys to her meeting with the Honored Matres, the Mother Superior's favorite pilot Clairby makes an unexpected appearance as the cyborg pilot for the trip to Junction, Miles oversees a devastatingly effective attack on Gammu, and Murbella intervenes in order to ensure that the Bene Gesserit's forces honor ancient agreements and take in the refugees from Rebecca's group - finally giving the wild Reverend Mother the chance to return the millions of memories from Lampadas that Lucilla had entrusted to her.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-six through thirty-eight of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Duncan has several revelations as he tries to adjust to the changes in his relationship with Murbella after her Spice Agony, Rebecca continues to spar with an increasingly frustrating and distrustful Rabbi, the Reverend Mother Superior calls a Convocation to announce her bold plans to mount an attack on Junction while she is distracting the Honored Matres with her faux surrender, and Odrade acknowledges that she will likely not survive the encounter and announces her somewhat surprising choices for the two chosen inheritors of her memories - the still-secretive youngest-ever Reverend Mother Sheeana and the newly-minted Reverend Mother Murbella.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-four and thirty-five of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Odrade must make decisions about who to take to near-certain death on Junction, Bellonda figures out Odrade's plan but keeps quiet about it for now, Tamalane Shares her memories and seems to judge the things Sheeana is hiding not to be a threat, and Murbella undergoes her Spice Agony - which, from her experience, definitely deserves the title.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-two and thirty-three of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which we cringe our way through Duncan's plan to awaken the memories of the old Bashar in the young ghola Miles, Odrade must deal with the aftermath of that decision as the awakened ghola exerts his simultaneous loyalty and independence, Dortujla returns from Junction with news of a successful at the cost of her health and several Sisters' lives, and Odrade calls the Bashar to prepare for an attack on the Matres - hinging on intelligence she will have to risk her own life to gather on Junction.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty and thirty-one of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Odrade continues working on getting what the Sisterhood needs out of Scytale, Sheeana arrives with long-awaited news about a new generation of sandworms, the Mother Superior must make a difficult choice about saving the life of her driver Clairby, and Murbella stands firm against any demands that she give up Duncan to become a Reverend Mother - which, it turns out, is exactly what Odrade wants.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty-eight and twenty-nine of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which the Mother Superior's party finally makes it out to the desert, Sheeana manages to hide her most important secrets from Odrade while being surprised with a proposed promotion, Duncan helps Murbella to work through some bizarre and unsettling dreams, and Odrade receives some welcome promising news on the sandworm front - though not before getting an unexpected eyeful when trying to look at the desert through Sheeana's window.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty-five through twenty-seven of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Odrade gets at least halfway to see Sheeana out in the desert, Spider Queen exults in her ascendancy but seems to start to fall into the Sisterhood's Dortujla trap, Duncan makes the case for his life to a murderous Bellonda, and Odrade decides to sacrifice one of Chapterhouse's remaining seas - after going skinny dipping in it, as one does in front of all of one's underlings on a work trip.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty-two through twenty-four of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Odrade procrastinates on her responsibilities as she prepares to finally head to the desert to speak with Sheeana, Rebecca's people on Gammu are scattered and both she and the Rabbi are forced into hiding by agents of the Honored Matres, Murbella struggles to reconcile her desire to be a Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit with the love for Duncan that she will be expected to give up, and Duncan strives to construct a Mentat revelation from various conversations with Murbella and Odrade - including an odd encounter where Odrade burst into his room late at night to wax philosophical about the van Gogh painting she's weirdly obsessed with and convinced says something profound about humanity.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters nineteen through twenty-one of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which the Mother Superior's leadership is called into question by the Sisterhood, Duncan struggles with how to unlock the Miles ghola's memories in a less-traumatic way, both Murbella and Duncan struggle in their own ways with how she is changing on her long journey from defiant Honored Matre prisoner to willing Bene Gesserit devotee, and Duncan has an unsettling revelation about the mysterious elderly couple in his visions - raising questions of whether they might be powerful allies against or even worse enemies than their foes the Honored Matres.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters sixteen through eighteen of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Scytale has another frustrating conversation with the Mother Superior, Odrade wrestles with the effects of thinking like an Honored Matre, an exiled Reverend Mother returns from the planet of Buzzell with news of an intriguing offer, and Lucilla has a final conversation with Great Honored Matre…and finally oversteps in her antagonism of the Spider Queen.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirteen through fifteen of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which the Mother Superior has dinner in the Chapterhouse dining hall and meets a promising acolyte named Streggi, Murbella has the startling revelation that she sincerely wants to become a Bene Gesserit, Odrade and her advisors conduct an inspection of various aspects of Central, and she decides to reveal to them that her plan is to immediately recover the original Miles Teg's memories in his child ghola…which we can only hope is a less traumatic experience than it was for Duncan, though that seems unlikely.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters eleven and twelve of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which we are reacquainted with Scytale in his current incarnation, the Tleilaxu Face-Dancer-turned-Master schemes and struggles to gain the upper hand in negotiations with Odrade, Lucilla is not immediately killed but instead brought before Great Honored Matre for questioning, and the Spider Queen attempts to bargain with Lucilla for information…while making us all uncomfortable with her bizarre relationship with a captive Futar.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters nine and ten of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which Rebecca is dragged before Great Honored Matre for questioning, the Rabbi becomes worried about the effects of Lucilla's memories on an increasingly bold and self-confident Rebecca, Odrade reveals to Duncan that she and her Sisters have figured out that he is a Mentat with the memories of many of his past ghola selves, and Duncan has one of what are apparently periodic (and thus far entirely unexplained) visions of what he perceives of as an elderly couple on a in a flower garden, which certainly raises a number of questions.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters seven and eight of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which we catch up on the whereabouts of Reverend Mother Sheeana, the Mother Superior and her advisors speculate on the nature of Duncan and his relationship with Murbella, Odrade struggles to carry out a new Been Gesserit Scattering while trying to understand how the first one could have led to the rise of the Honored Matres in the first place, and Murbella resists falling in line with the culture and values of the Bene Gesserit despite their hopes for her to undergo the spice agony and join them…which seems completely valid since they, you know, stole all her children.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters four through six of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which the new character of Grand Dame Logno has an uncomfortable meeting with her boss Great Honored Matre, Odrade has some weird introspection before receiving extremely bad news about the Bene Gesserit planet of Lampadas and some familiar faces from Heretics, Lucilla turns out to have at least temporarily survived the destruction and receives both aid and betrayal when seeking refuge on Gammu, and we learn about the existence of top-secret allies of the Bene Gesserit who have secrets of their own…but we have to say, these allies being "secret space Jews" wasn't a writing choice that really on either of our bingo cards.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters one through three of Chapterhouse: Dune, in which we catch up with our good friend Reverend Mother Superior Darwi Odrade and company on Chapterhouse Planet, we get an idea of how the war against the Honored Matres is going (spoiler alert: so far, not great), we are introduced to what seems to be Odrade's counterpart among the Honored Matres, and we learn that the late Miles Teg might not be entirely out of the picture…in some form, at least.

In this episode, we take a look back at all of Heretics of Dune, discussing our thoughts on the characters, plotlines, and how we thought this novel compares to the previous entries in the Dune saga, as we look ahead to reading about the continued adventures of Odrade and company as they face off against the Honored Matres.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-six and forty-seven of Heretics of Dune, in which Miles leads a suicide mission against the Honored Matres on Rakis to allow various key Bene Gesserit personnel to escape, all or most Rakian life is obliterated and only a single sandworm taken to Chapter House seems to have survived, Duncan is under no-ship arrest and turns out to have knocked up the scheming Murbella, and current Reverend Mother Superior Odrade plots how to best lead her Sisterhood despite not having universal support and having lost Taraza - though the former Mother Superior remains a voice in her head, with Dar nevermore being fully parted from Tar.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-three through forty-five of Heretics of Dune, in which Miles finally meets with an Honored Matre face-to-face, she very quickly comes to regret that decision when he makes use of his new abilities, the Bene Gesserit undergo a forced leadership change, and Miles plots to recruit support to steal a no-ship - but not before stopping to consume yet another inhumanly large meal, of course.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty through forty-two of Heretics of Dune, in which Tylwyth makes an unsettling discovery about the Face Dancer playing the role of the late Hedley Tuek, Taraza convinces him to actually share everything he knows about the capabilities of the Honored Matres, Lucilla and Burzmali reach a safe house only to be met with an unexpected enemy, and Duncan's hidden Tleilaxu conditioning allows him to turn the tables on his attempted sexual conditioning by the young Honored Matre Murbella - all, bizarrely, taking place with Burzmali and Lucilla spectating, as if it wasn't weird enough already.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-seven through thirty-nine of Heretics of Dune, in which a disguised Duncan follows a mysterious guide through the Gammu countryside, Miles gets hangry after the exertions of his escape from captivity, Lucilla is strangely affected by Ysai as she and Burzmali make their way through the many strange sights of the city, and Miles eats an inhuman amount of food while meeting an apparent agent of the Honored Matres - and prepares to encounter the real deal.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-four through thirty-six of Heretics of Dune, in which Taraza wrestles with how to proceed after Odrade makes an unexpected decision, the two of them speak face-to-face when Taraza heads to Rakis to judge the situation on the ground, Miles resists torture and brain scans at the hands of his captors, and in the process he somehow manages to unlock some surprising new abilities, proving that you can, in fact, teach an old dog some very useful new tricks.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters thirty-one through thirty-three of Heretics of Dune, in which the no-globe contingent finally makes a break for it, Miles is captured helping Lucilla get Duncan to safety, Odrade makes a bold and unexpected move in her forging of an alliance with Tylwyth, and Burzmali comes through with some new allies and an intricate escape plan…which, conveniently for him, *just so* happens to require that he partake of Lucilla's skills as an Imprinter.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty-eight through thirty of Heretics of Dune, in which Odrade recalls a confrontation with the Rakian priesthood, tensions remain high in the confines of the no-globe as a frustrated Duncan against rebuffs Lucilla's advances, the sandworm brings Team Odrade to the hidden ruins of Sietch Tabr, and Odrade goes exploring and discovers a fortune's worth of spice…as well as a voice from the distant past, as she finds a message from Leto the Tyrant to the modern Sisterhood.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty-five through twenty-seven of Heretics of Dune, in which Odrade leads Tylwyth into the desert to witness Sheeana summoning a sandworm, tensions rise between the no-globe inhabitants as Duncan rebuffs the Imprinter's advances, Burzmali puzzles out where to look for Miles and is sent back to Gammu to pursue this theory, and Sheeana successfully commands a sandworm to allow her party to take a ride on its back…and it promptly takes off into the desert for parts unknown, as they make history as the first new sandriders in a particularly nerve-wracking way.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty-three and twenty-four of Heretics of Dune, in which Taraza second-guesses herself as she tries to balance the competing priorities on Rakis and Gammu, we learn that Odrade's existence among the Bene Gesserit is perhaps more precarious than we might have previously assumed due to her "dangerous" talent, the Harkonnens turn out to have actively lived up to their reputation of general evil and terribleness even millennia after the Baron's death, and Miles successfully thwarts Lucilla by managing to awaken Duncan's memories of his original life…through extreme physical and emotional trauma, of course, because Duncan cannot catch a break in any lifetime, apparently.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twenty through twenty-two of Heretics of Dune, in which Odrade observes an unusually violent dance routine in the city of Keen, Duncan and his protectors make their way to a place of safety due to Patrin's sacrifice, Miles resolves that he cannot allow Lucilla to enact her orders until he awakens the ghola's original memories, and Hedley tries to bargain with both the Bene Gesserit and the Bene Tleilax…with rather violent results for both him and Tylwyth.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters seventeen through nineteen of Heretics of Dune, in which Odrade sizes up the precocious Sheeana, Lucilla wrestles with the distasteful orders she has been given regarding the current Duncan ghola, Miles foils a Schwangyu-assisted attempt on the ghola's life and escapes the fortress on Gammu with Duncan and Lucilla, and the leaders of the Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilax meet face-to-face…allowing Taraza to learn a number of important Tleilaxu secrets, in large part because Tylwyth has a shockingly bad poker face.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters fourteen through sixteen of Heretics of Dune, in which Odrade drops a pretty significant bomb on Miles, Odrade meets Sheeana after the capable acolyte Kipuna sacrifices herself to save the girl from an attack on the temple complex, Miles recalls a formative conversation with Reverend Mother Taraza, and our esteemed author gives us a clear lesson on areas (read: human sexuality) where his editor should have perhaps interjected to say "Frank…maybe this isn't your forte".

In this episode, we take a look at chapters twelve and thirteen of Heretics of Dune, in which Miles foils an attempt by the Honored Matres to use a captured Reverend Mother Superior Taraza for their own purposes, it turns out that Taraza's capture wasn't as much of a win for the Matres as it may have seemed, Odrade recalls some of her history serving the designs of the Breeding Mistresses of the Bene Gesserit, and Taraza lectures Miles and Odrade about these new and mysterious enemies and the dangers of the Bene Gesserit's plans…with some, uh, dated references. Also, Elayne attempts to use her limited knowledge of the actual plans of the various factions in the novel to make some predictions.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters nine through eleven of Heretics of Dune, in which Sheeana ascends from desert orphan to the people's priestess with some unseen assistance from the Bene Gesserit, the existing priesthood engages in some behind-the-scenes maneuvering as they deal with their new prophet who isn't exactly what they expected, a teenaged Duncan struggles with his identity and concerns about the Sisterhood's plans for him, and Lucilla endeavors to out-maneuver Schwangyu's machinations to render Duncan useless to Reverend Mother Superior Taraza's faction - and, at least for now, seeming to come out on top.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters six through eight of Heretics of Dune, in which we witness the tragic origin story of the young sandrider Sheeana as she is discovered by the very shady Rakian priesthood, Miles Teg recalls his formidable Bene Gesserit mother Janet Roxbrough warning him of the dangers of the Tleilaxu, the Masheikh Tylwyth Waff faces off with the mysterious Honored Matres of the Scattering, and the Matres seem to have spent their long years away turning arrogance into an art form - apparently to their disadvantage, given the outcome of their meeting with the Tleilaxu.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters three through five of Heretics of Dune, in which we learn about the harsh discipline at the Bene Gesserit stronghold on Gammu through the eyes of the young Duncan Idaho ghola, get some background on Miles Teg as he recalls being persuaded and/or guilt-tripped and/or manipulated out of a happy retirement of farming, set foot on the Tleilaxu homeworld for the first time and encounter an unexpected returning character, and get a number of surprising insights into the Tleilaxu culture - from their surprisingly religious fanaticism to their leaders' functional immortality to some questionable tidbits about their reproductive habits.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters one and two of Heretics of Dune, in which we encounter yet another Duncan Idaho ghola, get some insight into the modern Bene Gesserit through the lens of four quite different Reverend Mothers, hear some tantalizing hints about the state of the universe and the mysterious Honored Matres of the Scattering, and discover that this far future includes…batmen and…chairdogs?

In this episode, we take a look back at all of God Emperor of Dune, discussing various plotlines, characters, factions, and overall thoughts about this entry in the Dune saga, as we prepare to jump even further forward into the future.

In this episode, we take a look at the gorgeous and insanely well-cast Denis Villeneuve film adaptation of Dune, in which we spend a lot more time on Caladan, Duncan gets to demonstrate some proper badassery, Paul's visions are unreliable but somehow narrated, and oil baths are apparently great for poison-related lung injuries. Here's hoping we get a part two, as the beauty of this film doesn't change the fact that it's only half of the story.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters fifty-three through fifty-four of God Emperor of Dune, in which most of the principal characters die, the reign of the God Emperor comes to an end in nauseating fashion, Duncan and Siona inherit the Empire, and future readers of the Stolen Journals debate how much should be shared - providing some intriguing hints about the future of the Empire in the process. We also check back in with Elayne's predictions for plotlines and character fates.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-nine through fifty-two of God Emperor of Dune, in which Siona and Duncan begin to plot the downfall of the God Emperor, Leto and Hwi continue to bond on their journey to their wedding, Leto continues make poor Moneo's life miserable, and Duncan climbs the wall encircling Tuono Village…which has weird and unexpected effects on Nayla, who really needs to get out more.

In this episode, we take a look at chapters forty-five through forty-eight of God Emperor of Dune, in which Moneo takes the initiative to banish Siona and Duncan to the Museum Fremen village of Tuono until the wedding is over, the unhappy not-couple are less than pleased with their accommodations but treat their hosts unnecessarily poorly, Leto has a brief and bloody reunion with Hwi's mysterious uncle Malky, and Leto is a complete ass to Moneo for no apparent reason - on top of upending all of the majordomo's wedding planning by capriciously decreeing that the ceremony will be held in the very place that Moneo had sent Siona and Duncan to keep them out of the way. Lesson: Moneo shouldn't take initiative, apparently.