The Dune Saga by American sci-fi author Frank Herbert spans six volumes. The science fiction epic has been supplemented with numerous novels that tell the history of the battle for the highly valuable desert planet, Arrakis.
The first trilogy of Dune novels imagines a distant future in which humans have colonized space. Artificial intelligence or “thinking machines” have been banned. House Atreides and House Harkonnen fight relentlessly over the barren desert planet of Arrakis, home to the Fremen. On the planet, sandworms and sandtrout are used to produce “the spice”— a mind-altering drug with which the future can be predicted.
The main protagonists in the trilogy are Paul Atreides and his rival, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. The first three titles uncover how Paul Atreides became the Fremen’s leader after defeating House Harkonnen. Duke Leto Atreides is Paul Atreides’s father, and Lady Jessica is his mother. Duke Leto was once given feudal rule over Arrakis by Emperor Shaddam IV. His son takes up that legacy by winning the battle for Arrakis. The Fremen make him their Muad'Dib and Emperor. But Paul cannot stop the relentless jihad the Fremen are waging across the galaxy. As global war shakes and divides House Atreides, Paul is drawn deeper and deeper into horrifying power struggles.
How many volumes does Dune have?
The science fiction epic is called the Dune Saga, after its original title, Dune, and consists of six volumes. Following are the Dune audiobooks in order so you can follow the storylines and events of Dune:
Dune (1965)
Dune Messiah (1969)
Children of Dune (1976)
God Emperor of Dune (1981)
Heretics of Dune (1984)
Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
After Frank Herbert died in 1986, his son Brian Herbert teamed up with the American writer Kevin J. Anderson to complete the seventh volume his father had started and went on to add an eighth title:
Hunters of Dune (2006)
Sandworms of Dune (2007)
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson also collaborated on The Winds of Dune, a collection of short stories published in 2009. Some of these stories came from ideas left behind by Frank Herbert. In 2012, the duo released the first book of their Great Schools of Dune prequel trilogy, Sisterhood of Dune, which is also a sequel to their Legends of Dune trilogy.
Is Dune a trilogy?
The Dune series includes two trilogies. The first trilogy consists of Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune.
A second trilogy followed: God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune. Frank Herbert did not finish the third volume. Therefore, after his death, it was split into two volumes and published by his son, Brian Herbert.
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote additional Dune trilogies together. The Prelude to Dune is a prequel series consisting of Dune: House Atreides, Dune: House Harkonnen, and Dune: House Corrino.
The Legends of Dune trilogy features The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, and The Battle of Corrin.
In 2008, Herbert and Anderson launched the first instalment of their Heroes of Dune series, Paul of Dune. The second title is The Winds of Dune.
In 2012, the duo released the Great Schools of Dune prequel trilogy, a sequel to their Legends of Dune trilogy. This includes the Sisterhood of Dune, Mentats of Dune, and Navigators of Dune.
In 2020, they released The Caladan Trilogy, which features Dune: The Duke of Caladan, Dune: The Lady of Caladan, and Dune: The Heir of Caladan.
Dune books in chronological order
1 Dune - Frank Herbert (1965)
2 Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert (1969)
3 Children of Dune - Frank Herbert (1976)
4 God Emperor of Dune - Frank Herbert (1981)
5 Heretics of Dune - Frank Herbert (1984)
6 Chapterhouse Dune - Frank Herbert (1985)
7 The Butlerian Jihad - Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (2002)
8 The Machine Crusade - Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (2003)
9 The Battle of Corrin - Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (2004)
Dune Saga–books in chronological order:
Set in the Dune universe, this original series expands on the battles for the planet Arrakis.
1 House Atreides - Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (1999)
2 House Harkonnen - Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (2000)
3 House Corrino - Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (2001)
4 Dune: The Butlerian Jihad - Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (2002)
5 Dune: The Machine Crusade - Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (2003)
6 Dune: The Battle of Corrin - Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (2004)
Frank Herbert: About the creator of the Dune Universe
Frank Herbert became a hit in the sci-fi world when he launched the first book of the original Dune series in 1965. Some publishing houses initially rejected his works. But when Dune was released, it became a great success. He earned a Nebula Award and Hugo Award for the science fiction novel. The American author was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Then David Lynch directed the first film version of Dune in 1984. The book series was also adapted into a miniseries in 2000. A second film version of Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was released in cinemas in 2021.
