Dune: The Heir of Caladan

[theradicalchild]

Dune: The Heir of Caladan by Brian Herbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the concluding entry of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s Caladan trilogy, part of the greater Dune series, Paul Atreides finds himself alone on his homeworld of Caladan, with his father Leto infiltrating the Noble Commonwealth and his mother Jessica serving as the reluctant concubine, albeit in name only, of Viscount Giandro Tull on the planet Elegy. Jaxson Aru commands the said rebel organization, proposing with Leto an alliance between House Atreides and House Londine. Meanwhile, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen peruses his destroyed spice refinery of Orgiz on Arrakis, finding a severed arm among its ruins.

Further misdeeds Chaen Marek and Arafa plot with the poisonous barra ferns, and the CHOAM corporation’s Ur-Director Malina Aru recalls insurrection against the Imperium two centuries before, yearning to do something about her traitorous son, although there is concern that the company’s involvement in the rebellion by the Noble Commonwealth would destabilize the government of the Known Universe. In the meantime, Gurney Halleck finds himself captive of the Baron’s nephew Rabban, being no stranger to torture and plotting his escape. Back to Malina, she goes to one of the Noble Commonwealth’s central worlds, Nossus, seeking a stronger human civilization.

Mother Superior Harishka ponders her successor among the Sisterhood, with Jessica having convinced Viscount Tull to reinstate his stipend to the Sisters just as planned. Jaxson approaches the Baron in hopes of securing an alliance, while Duncan Idaho and Paul train in Caladan’s jungle, the latter’s father hoping to bring down the Noble Commonwealth from within. In the jungles, Chaen Marek’s mercenary guards pursue Duncan and Paul, and Malina Aru meets the head of House Harkonnen to berate him for his failure to maintain the black-market spice-export industry, which proved profitable.

Paul and Duncan continue to fight for their lives, while the Baron feels confident Emperor Shaddam will fall for his scheme. On Elegy, despite her husband and son’s fear of abandonment, Jessica still holds feelings for Paul and his father, with her son’s instructor altercating with Marek back on Caladan. The emperor thinks his consort Aricatha to be problematic and sends his special forces, the Sardaukar, to subjugate rebellious worlds, seeing Caladan as one of them. Duke Leto further worries for his concubine Jessica, continuing his false cooperation with Jaxson as he travels to the stronghold planet harboring the CHOAM organization.

A warrior known as the Face Dancer plays some role in the twists that occur in the latter portion of the novel, with critical battles rounding out the end of the trilogy, along with the Sisterhood yearning for Leto and Jessica to bear a daughter and tie-ins to Frank Herbert’s original Dune novels. Ultimately, I very much enjoyed the prequel series to the inaugural novels of the Duniverse, with plenty of politicking and action. However, as with its precursors and the overall series, I found it difficult at times to visualize the trilogy’s dramatic personae. Still, those who enjoyed the book’s precursors will most likely appreciate the concluding entry, and fans of the Herbert family’s work, in general, owe it to themselves to read it.

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