By opens in a new windowBrian Herbert and opens in a new windowKevin J. Anderson
Dune is not only a classic novel, but a vast universe created by Frank Herbert. And with six novels written by Frank himself as well as 13 novels and nine short stories written by us—covering approximately 15,000 years of history in the Dune canon—it can be difficult to figure out where to start.
We strongly recommend reading Frank Herbert’s original novel opens in a new windowDune first. This is one of the seminal works in all of literature, and everyone should read it. After that, we suggest opens in a new windowDune Messiah and opens in a new windowChildren of Dune, to finish Frank Herbert’s original trilogy.
At that point, you have several options. You can keep reading through Frank’s other three Dune novels which span about 5000 years of history, and follow that chronologically by reading our opens in a new windowHunters of Dune and opens in a new windowSandworms of Dune, which were based upon Frank Herbert’s notes…followed by our other prequels and sequels.
As alternatives, we recommend two other entry points:
opens in a new windowDune: House Atreides begins a prequel trilogy that goes back to the generation just before Dune, in which we tell the story of young Duke Leto, his love story with Lady Jessica, their first battles with Baron Harkonnen, and how Crown Prince Shaddam took the Imperial throne.
Or you can go back 10,000 years before Frank Herbert’s Dune, with the trilogy that starts with opens in a new windowDune: The Butlerian Jihad, and another trilogy beginning with opens in a new windowNavigators of Dune…in all, six novels that establish the origins of the Fremen, the discovery of spice, the legendary war against the thinking machines, and the beginning of the feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen.
Yet another option would be to read all of the novels and short stories in chronological order, starting with “Hunting Harkonnens.” Below is a chronological list of novels and short stories, from beginning to end. All the short stories are collected in opens in a new windowTales of Dune, except for the just-released “The Waters of Kanly,” which appeared in opens in a new windowInfinite Stars, edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt.
Two other books of interest are opens in a new windowThe Road to Dune, with a collection of background material, some of the short stories, and the short novel “Spice Planet,” a very different version of Dune, as originally outlined by Frank Herbert and written by us.
And if you want to learn more about the genius of Frank Herbert, who created this grand universe, you will enjoy opens in a new windowDreamer of Dune, Brian’s Hugo-nominated biography of his father.
The Dune Universe in Chronological Order:
“Hunting Harkonnens” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
opens in a new windowDune: The Butlerian Jihad
“Whipping Mek” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
opens in a new windowDune: The Machine Crusade
“The Faces of a Martyr” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
opens in a new windowDune: The Battle of Corrin
opens in a new windowSisterhood of Dune
opens in a new windowMentats of Dune
“Red Plague” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
opens in a new windowNavigators of Dune
opens in a new windowDune: House Atreides
opens in a new windowDune: House Harkonnen
opens in a new windowDune: House Corrino
“Wedding Silk” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
opens in a new windowDune
“A Whisper of Caladan Seas” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
“The Waters of Kanly” (story, opens in a new windowInfinite Stars)
opens in a new windowPaul of Dune
opens in a new windowDune Messiah
opens in a new windowWinds of Dune
opens in a new windowChildren of Dune
opens in a new windowGod Emperor of Dune
opens in a new windowHeretics of Dune
opens in a new windowChapterhouse Dune
“Sea Child” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
“Treasure in the Sand” (story, opens in a new windowTales of Dune)
opens in a new windowHunters of Dune
opens in a new windowSandworms of Dune
opens in a new windowTales of Dune
opens in a new windowThe Road to Dune
opens in a new windowDreamer of Dune [biography of Frank Herbert]
My advice: read the Frank Herbert original trilogy, then stop. You’ve now read a modern classic. It’s a full and complete story.
If you’re left wanting more, even if it’s not in the same arc, then by all means read the rest of Frank’s Dune novels. They probably won’t move you profoundly, but they’re interesting additions to the world-building.
Only if you’re desperate for more Dune and are prepared for some pretty hack writing should you read Brian and Kevin’s work. (If you’ve read other KJA work, you’ll know what to expect.)
I don’t consider the other novels “hack writing” at all. A different style from different people, of course. I have read most, and they do add to the world and re-visit some interesting characters, so for people like me who like to consume every iota of information in the worlds I love, I gladly follow them. The originals by Frank Herbert are the only ones I have re-read, and they are classics for a reason, but it doesn’t take away from the others.
Definitely read DUNE first…I have them all written by Frank Herbert and have read them more than once…
Definitely read DUNE first…I have them all written by Frank Herbert and have read them more than once…
I have been asked this question so many times and I find myself vacillating between the prequels and the original trilogy because history first is always good and I have read every book so often that each works as a stand-alone story for me. Still, Dune is such an epic world-building novel that it sets the stage for every other novel in that universe. In the end, I usually suggest starting with the original trilogy and then going in the direction that your curiosity moves you. Really, there is no wrong answer, it is the kind of series that defines a genre.
There is a wrong answer and that is ten advies reading any but Frank’s novels.
Let’s face it, Frank’s books are objectively superior to the bulk commercial fiction of KJA and Brian and I would recommend you begin with those.
You can then proceed to the rest if you want to carry on experiencing that world but you will need to be prepared for a weaker plot and endless recapping of previous chapters. I’m not sure what their editor was thinking when processing those novels but it is what it is.
I would recommend reading Dune, Dune Messiah and then Children of Dune. Are you enjoying yourself? Are we having fun? Then push on to God Emperor of Dune. Still with us? Was that fun? If so. it might be time to move back and read the The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade and The Battle of Corrin. Bit of a different beast, right? Was that amazing? No? Then skip back to Heretics of Dune, then Chapterhouse: Dune, and finally hold your nose for Hunters and Sandworms? Oh, you actually loved Jihad, Crusade and Corrin? Cool, then just start reading all the BH/KJA books in chronological order, then re-read Dune, Messiah, Children and God Emperor because they are amazing, and then finish up with Heretics, Chapterhouse, Hunters and Sandworms.
I have as much Herbert in me as Hoyt has Heinlein.
Read Dune, Messiah and Children.
Then God Emporer, Heretics, Chapterhouse.
With respect, the other novels are not up to the same standard. I’m a Dune fanatic and put them down in disappointment after skimming the first 100 pages.
I truly do wish they were up to snuff. They are not.