Sandworms of Dune

Did You Know?

• Sandworms of Dune was originally the working title for the fourth Dune novel, which was eventually published as God Emperor of Dune.
• Sandworms of Dune is the name of a 1978 recording comprising readings by Frank Herbert of passages of the first three Dune novels involving sandworms.

Plot

The no-ship Ithaca has spent nearly twenty years hunting for a new homeworld for the Bene Gesserit, with Duncan Idaho dodging the tachyon net of Daniel and Marty, who are actually the thinking-machine leaders Omnius and Erasmus. On board are young gholas of Paul Atreides, Lady Jessica, and others. In the Old Empire, Mother Commander Murbella of the New Sisterhood tries to unite humanity for a final fight against the machines. The new Face Dancers are infiltrating every major organization, and they have sent their own gholas of Paul Atreides, called Paolo, and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen to the machine capital of Synchrony.

Acting on Face Dancer suggestions, the Spacing Guild is replacing its Navigators with Ixian navigation devices and cutting off their melange supply. Navigator Edrik and his group hire Waff, an imperfectly awakened ghola rescued from the Bene Gesserit attack on Bandalong, to engineer advanced sandworms that can produce the spice they need. He modifies the DNA of sandtrout to create an aquatic worm, releasing them into the oceans of Buzzell. These seaworms thrive and produce a highly concentrated spice called ultraspice.

Murbella orders Ix to copy the Honored Matre Obliterator superweapons for her fleet of warships from the Guild. But Ix is secretly run by Face Dancer leader Khrone, once a servant of Omnius, who pursues his own plan for Face Dancer control of the universe. Omnius's forces attack world after world, releasing a deadly virus and moving on. The plague reaches Chapterhouse, crippling the Sisterhood, but the few survivors unite humanity for one last great stand.

On the Ithaca, Sheeana restarts the ghola project. Gholas of Serena Butler, Gurney Halleck, and Xavier Harkonnen are nearly born when the axlotl tanks are poisoned, killing all three babies and the tanks. Sabotage is suspected as many ship systems keep failing. Scytale, the last Tleilaxu Master, finally recovers his own ghola's past memories, but only by dying in front of his younger self.