Sandworms of Dune

Sandworms of Dune, a science fiction novel by American authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, serves as the chronological finale to Frank Herbert's original Dune series. It is the second of two books the duo wrote to wrap up the storyline, drawing from notes Frank Herbert left for his own intended seventh novel, Dune 7. The book was published on August 7, 2007.

The story picks up with the no-ship Ithaca's passengers, who have spent over fifteen years seeking a new homeworld for the Bene Gesserit. Duncan Idaho tries to evade the tachyon net of the thinking-machine leaders Omnius and Erasmus, previously known as the old couple Daniel and Marty. Onboard are young gholas of Paul Atreides, Lady Jessica, and others. In the Old Empire, Mother Commander Murbella of the New Sisterhood rallies humanity for a final stand against the machines. New Face Dancers infiltrate major organizations, sending gholas of Paul (called Paolo) and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen to the machine capital, Synchrony.

The Spacing Guild, prompted by Face Dancer infiltrators, replaces its Navigators with Ixian navigation devices and cuts off their melange supply. Navigator Edrik hires Waff, an imperfectly awakened ghola, to create advanced sandworms that produce the spice they need. Waff alters sandtrout DNA to create aquatic worms, releasing them into Buzzell's oceans, where they thrive and yield a concentrated "ultraspice." Murbella orders Ix to copy the Honored Matre Obliterator weapons for her fleet, but Ix is secretly run by Face Dancer leader Khrone, who pursues his own domination plot.

Omnius's forces attack worlds with a deadly virus, reaching Chapterhouse and crippling the Sisterhood, though survivors unite humanity for a last stand. Aboard the Ithaca, Sheeana restarts the ghola project, but axlotl tanks are poisoned, killing ghola babies of Serena Butler, Gurney Halleck, and Xavier Harkonnen. Sabotage is suspected. Scytale, the last Tleilaxu Master, regains his memories by dying before his younger self. Gholas of Wellington Yueh, Stilgar, and Liet-Kynes recover their memories through trauma. The Ithaca lands on Qelso, a world being terraformed into a desert by sandworms; Stilgar and Liet-Kynes stay to help natives slow the desert's advance.

Waff, after creating new sandworms, asks Edrik to return him to Rakis to reintroduce worms there.