Heretics of Dune

Who are the “heretics” referred to in the novel’s title, and what does it mean to be deemed heretical? What do these heretics reveal about the novel’s themes of religious and political corruption?

Analyze the different forms of love in the novel such as romantic, filial, and platonic love. Why are these types of relationships considered taboo? What benefits do the protagonists experience from engaging in loving relationships?

What is the significance of the novel’s various dichotomous settings? Some considerations to explore are rural versus urban (the Gammu forest versus the capital city of Ysai), interior spaces versus exteriors (the Rakian and Gammu Keeps and the no-globe versus the desert and the Scattering space), and public versus private (the Rakian square versus the priests’ quarters).

Does the novel’s representation of women adhere to stereotypes about sexuality and gender, or are women portrayed as having agency? Some topics to consider are gender essentialism, the role of women as mothers, the employment of the term “mother” in organizational titles, reproductive rights, women’s sexual pleasure, and heteronormativity.

The novel features two youths, Sheeana and Duncan, as crucial figures in the Bene Gesserit’s plans. The narrative also delves into adult characters’ vivid and obscured childhood memories. What role do childhood and memory play in the novel? What lessons are the youths learning from the adults, and in return, what are these youths teaching the adults?

Heretics of Dune takes place 5,000 years after the first novel Dune and 1,500 years after God Emperor of Dune. Planets have changed names but are still recognizable. Some traces of the past remain such as spice and the desert, while others have disappeared such as the Harkonnens and other Major Houses. What are some characters’ relationships with history as represented in the Harkonnen no-globe, Other Memories, and the Bene Gesserit Archives? Is the past relevant to their lives, or is history irrelevant and forgotten?

How does the novel portray the modern universe? Do technological advances offer progress, or do they hinder humankind? How is biotechnology represented?

In the previous novels in the series, the Duncan Idaho ghola represents loyalty to the Atreides. In Heretics of Dune, most of the novel focuses on the reverse dynamic of the Atreides’ loyalty to Duncan. Analyze how Odrade, Teg, and Lucilla regard Duncan. How do they view him and gholas in general? What determines their loyalty to him? What does Duncan represent?