While it would be impossible to form an opinion of this novel without the context of the entire Chronicles, it is also important to consider how wonderfully well-written Chapterhouse: Dune was. The conclusion might baffle a casual reader, but it is difficult to fathom that anyone would approach any of Herbert's Dune novels with naivete or even without the ability to immediately recognize how masterfully crafted every component was. The prose, being the dialogue and the story and characters, is rich with imagination and intelligence. Setting, too, is just as much a part of the plot and drama of it all as in every prior novel. Often dizzying, and thusly rewarding revisit, Chapterhouse: Dune is a masterwork of a genius not just of the science fiction genre, but of fiction itself.