So You Want to Read 'Dune.' Here's How to Tackle the Series in Order. (2024)

So you're fired up about Dune's recent big-screen adaptations, and while you're queuing up your rewatch of Dune: Part Two on Max, you're wanting to dive into the world of Frank Herbert's beloved science fiction novels. Congratulations! You've got an exciting literary journey ahead. And whether you've dabbled in Dune lore before or you're completely new to the wild world of Arrakis, there's something for everyone in this Titanic-sized series about power, violence, and fate.

Published in 1965 by a publisher of automotive manuals after 20 (!) mainstream publishers rejected it, Dune is the world's best-selling science fiction novel. It's also considered one of the best books of all time, as well as a seminal work in the sci-fi genre. The book's massive success inspired Herbert to write several sequels, which brought the total number of novels in the series up to six when he died in 1986.

More than a decade after Herbert's death, his son, Brian, teamed up with science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson to coauthor a trilogy of Dune prequels. (This would come to be known as the Prelude to Dune series.) Herbert and Anderson have remained dynamic collaborators in the years since, churning out over a dozen novels together. But what's the right way to go spelunking through all these books and their complicated chronology? There's no right answer; some argue that the books should be read in the order of the fictive timeline, while others argue that they should be read in the order of publication.

Here's our advice: Read Frank Herbert's six novels first, then dabble in the spin-offs however you like. Given that many are grouped into smaller series within the larger story, you can sample bits and pieces of the universe. That's the beauty of Dune—it's a detailed series that rewards completionism, but the entry points are numerous.

Read on for a full breakdown of the books, listed here in the order in which they were published. Happy reading, spiceheads!

Dune is set far in the future, in an intergalactic feudal society where powerful noble houses fight for control over resources, armies, and planetary power. House Atreides is ordered to take control of Arrakis, a barren desert planet with a brutal climate. Arrakis is the only place to mine melange, a natural resource that produces a psychoactive drug called spice, which allows human beings to unlock their minds. On Arrakis, House Atreides is betrayed by its rival House Harkonnen, which sets off a battle over the valuable planet. The planet itself is inhabited by giant sandworms and a native population known as Fremen, who, over the generations, have learned to survive with water as their most precious resource and currency. When House Atreides scion Paul is targeted as a potential messiah to lead the planet—and galaxy—toward a new era, an epic story of war, betrayal, and mysticism unfolds. Cinephiles, this one is a must: Denis Villeneuve's Dune and Dune: Part Two span this book.

In Herbert's first sequel, Paul Atreides, now known as Muad'Dib, rules the known universe as the most powerful emperor of all time. Worshipped as a messiah by the people of Arrakis, Paul faces enmity from the warring political houses under his control. Is any one ruler meant to have such absolute power? In Dune Messiah, Herbert unmakes his previous novel, all while warning, "No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a hero." Film fans, don't miss this one—you'll want to be caught up when Villeneuve's Messiah lands in theaters.

Children of Dune picks up with Leto and Ghanima Atreides, the twin children of Paul Atreides, nine years after their father's mysterious disappearance into the wastelands of Arrakis. The twins' prophetic abilities are coveted by their manipulative aunt Alia, who rules the Empire, but these two young prophets refuse to be anyone's pawns.

Thirty-five hundred years after the events of Children of Dune, the once-desert planet of Arrakis is now a lush paradise, and Leto Atreides sits on the throne. Millennia ago, Leto merged with a sandworm to grant himself immortality, but the cost to his humanity has been enormous. Can a rebellion led by Siona, a rival relative, unseat this fearsome despot?

Leto Atreides is dead, Arrakis (now called Rakis) is once again a desert wasteland, and the Empire has fallen into ruin. A young girl named Sheeana seems to fulfill a prophecy foretold by the late God Emperor, sending religious fervor through the galaxy. Is Sheeana destined to return the Empire to its former glory?

In Herbert's final Dune novel, Arrakis has been destroyed, and the fate of the Empire rests in the hands of a mysterious matriarchal order known as the Bene Gesserit. On the planet Chapterhouse, the sisters are breeding sandworms and seeking to control spice production, with the goal of remaking the galaxy for a brighter future.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Prelude to Dune trilogy begins with this story of the generation before the one in Dune—namely, that of Leto Atreides, father of Paul. In House Atreides, we see how Leto's rivalries and relationships sowed the catalyzing events of Dune.

In House Harkonnen, Leto Atreides's longtime rival, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, comes into view. We also meet Abulurd Rabban, brother and foil to the baron. Turns out, there are good people in House Harkonnen—who knew?

In House Corrino, Herbert and Anderson conclude their prequel series, bringing the story up to the climactic events set to unfold in Dune. This tapestry of politics, warmongering, and spice battles ends with the birth of Paul Atreides, preparing us for the saga we know and love (and now have already read).

Working from Frank Herbert's notes, titled "Dune 7," his son and Kevin J. Anderson again expanded the series in Legends of Dune, a new trilogy. The first installment, The Butlerian Jihad, digs into an event Herbert often referred to but never captured at scale: the long-ago war in which humans fought for their freedom from "the thinking machines." Set 10,000 years before Dune, this volume sees the familiar chess pieces come into view.

Legends of Dune continues with The Machine Crusade, set two decades after The Butlerian Jihad. The thinking machines fight back, refusing to go quietly into that good night. Meanwhile, on Arrakis, a band of outlaws take their first steps to becoming the Fremen, a race of people that OG Dune fans know and love.

Check out that sandworm on the cover! The Legends of Dune trilogy concludes with The Battle of Corrin, which tees up a final apocalyptic showdown between humans and robots. Fans of Dune know how this one ends, but it sure is fun to see how Herbert and Anderson get there.

Dune Sequels, a two-volume spin-off series, concludes the storyline from Herbert's six original novels, with insight from a long-lost outline found hidden in one of the author's safety deposit boxes. In Hunters of Dune, we pick up with the escaping fugitives last seen at the end of Chapterhouse: Dune as they strengthen their powers and fight for the future of the human race.

Herbert and Anderson answer more burning questions in this second volume of the Dune Sequels series—namely, the future of Arrakis and the outcome of the war between man and machine.

The Heroes of Dune spin-off series opens with this tale of Paul Atreides, set between Dune and Dune Messiah. Dune ends with Paul ruling Arrakis, while Dune Messiah opens with him ruling the galaxy. Just how did he gain control of the Empire? Read Paul of Dune to find out.

Heroes of Dune continues with this second and final installment, set after the events of Dune Messiah. The Winds of Dune picks up after Paul Atreides's disappearance into the Arrakis desert, leaving the Empire in crisis and the line of succession in question. Who will hold everything together?

The Great Schools of Dune trilogy opens with Sisterhood of Dune, set almost a century after the game-changing Battle of Corrin. With the thinking machines destroyed, political and religious movements rise, setting the stage for an epic conflict between reason and faith. You'll want to read this one to prepare for HBO's upcoming Dune: The Sisterhood.

The thinking machines are gone, but a new school opens to teach humans the efficient techniques of those machines. The Butlerian jihadists staunchly oppose any machinist way of life, however, and pick a dangerous fight with the Mentat School. What ensues is a showdown for humanity's future, with the risk of a potential dark age.

Want to learn more about the Bene Gesserit sisterhood from Herbert's original novels? Then Navigators of Dune is the book for you. In this third and final volume of the Great Schools of Dune trilogy, we learn about the origins of the Bene Gesserit and see their secretive way of life develop. This one will be important when Dune: The Sisterhood hits HBO Max.

The latest trilogy from Herbert and Anderson, The Caladan Trilogy, begins with The Duke of Caladan, a prequel about the life of Leto Atreides. Just how did the ruler of a quiet planet become such a power player in a galactically fateful story? If that's the question on your mind, this is the book you ought to hit next.