Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert

Chapterhouse, though the last book in the Dune series written by Frank Herbert, is by no means the last book in the magnificent Dune series. Now that Brian Herbert has found his father's notes on the proposed Dune 7, we can now wait for it to finally be published.

Chapterhouse is the sequel to the second major plotline in the Dune series beginning with Heretics of Dune. In it, Herbert fleshes out some characters and develops the plot. It basically ends in a cliffhanger with the protagonists escape. But we are not told where to or to what end. Suffice to say that Heretics and Chapterhouse are both precursors to Dune 7 where everything would have come together and everything explained.

Chapterhouse is not inferior to the earlier Dune series. In fact, Herbert's ideas are brought to a new level or even totally changed. It is interesting to note the evolution of the plot, the humans, the universe is paralleled by the evolution of Herbert's thoughts.

All in all, Chapterhouse is a great book with many interesting ideas on many topics. But one can't escape the feeling that the series isn't finished yet. Not for those who don't like to be left hanging in suspense.