Heretics of Dune

Fifteen hundred years after the death of the God Emperor, the galaxy has been transformed by the great diaspora known as the Scattering. On a wild, changed Arrakis, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood works to preserve civilization and its own secret designs — but a new threat is returning from the far reaches of space: the Honored Matres, a violent order of women who conquer through domination and pleasure.

At the heart of the sisterhood's plans are a young girl named Sheeana, who can command the great sandworms, and yet another ghola of the ancient swordmaster Duncan Idaho. As the Bene Gesserit gamble everything on their designs, the aging Bashar Miles Teg must defend them against overwhelming force.

Heretics of Dune reopens Frank Herbert's saga after its great leap forward, returning to political intrigue, religious manipulation, and the deep game of the sisterhood. The fifth novel sets in motion the confrontation that Chapterhouse: Dune would carry to its end.