The Dune prequel series is a sequence of novel trilogies written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Set in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, the novels take place in various time periods before and in between Herbert's original six novels, which began with 1965's Dune. In 1997, Bantam Books made a $3 million deal with the authors for three Dune prequel novels, partially based upon notes left behind by Frank Herbert, that would come to be known as the Prelude to Dune trilogy. Starting with 1999's Dune: House Atreides, the duo have published 14 Dune prequel novels to date. In 2011 Publishers Weekly called the series "a sprawling edifice that Frank Herbert’s son and Anderson have built on the foundation of the original Dune novels." Jon Michaud of The New Yorker wrote in 2013, "The conversion of Dune into a franchise, while pleasing readers and earning royalties for the Herbert estate, has gone a long way toward obscuring the power of the original novel."
Dune itself is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history, and won the 1966 Hugo Award and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. Herbert wrote five sequels before he died in 1986.
Brian Herbert and Anderson have also published Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007), sequels to Frank Herbert's final novel Chapterhouse: Dune (1985) which complete the chronological progression of his original series and wrap up storylines that began with his Heretics of Dune (1984).
Prelude to DunePrelude to Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. The series takes place in the years leading up to the events in the original novel Dune (1965) and explores the origins of some of its characters. In 1997, Bantam Books made a $3 million deal with the authors for three Dune prequel novels that would come to be known as the Prelude to Dune trilogy. The novels draw from notes left behind by Frank Herbert after his death in 1986.
The books in the series are: Dune: House Atreides (1999) Dune: House Harkonnen (2000) Dune: House Corrino (2001)
In May 2020, Boom! Studios was announced to have acquired the comic and graphic novel rights to Dune: House Atreides, with the intent of doing a 12-issue comic adaptation written by the original authors Brian Herbert and Anderson.
Plot
The Prelude to Dune series begins four decades before the events of Dune, with an eager Crown Prince Shaddam plotting to succeed his aging father Elrood IX, young House Atreides heir Leto becoming close with the ruling family of the important technology world Ix, and the Bene Gesserit scheming behind the scenes to create the Kwisatz Haderach. As the series progresses, Leto becomes the new Atreides Duke, Shaddam becomes the emperor and aligns with the Bene Tleilax in their takeover of Ix to develop synthetic spice, and the Bene Gesserit punish Baron Vladimir Harkonnen for raping one of them with a disease that slows his metabolism. The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen then plots his revenge against the Bene Gesserit. The Spacing Guild, having found the Tleilaxu synthetic spice to be fatal to its Navigators, forces Shaddam to capitulate to the Landsraad, with Leto playing a role in forcing Shaddam to sign humiliating peace accords, confirming his status as the emperor's leading rival.
Reception
Dune: House Atreides debuted at No. 13 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and rose to No. 12 in its second week of publication. Dune: House Harkonnen debuted at No. 11 on the same list, and rose to No. 8 its second week. The third installment, Dune: House Corrino, debuted at No. 8 on the New York Times list.
John Snider of SciFi Dimensions found Herbert and Anderson's Prelude to Dune prequels to be "pulpy", though he allowed that they "make [Frank] Herbert's esoteric and philosophical stories more accessible to general audiences."
Legends of Dune
Legends of Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. The series takes place over 10,000 years before the events of the 1965 novel Dune, and chronicles the universe-spanning war against thinking machines that would eventually become known as the Butlerian Jihad. It also explores the origins of the families and organizations that populate the distinctive universe in other Dune works.
The books in the series are: The Butlerian Jihad (2002) The Machine Crusade (2003) The Battle of Corrin (2004)