How to read the 21 novels in chronological order

So you’re excited about Dune on the big screen, and you’re ready to dive into the world of Frank Herbert’s beloved sci-fi novels. Congratulations! You have an exciting literary journey ahead of you. What if you’ve dabbled in Dune before or if you’re completely new to the wild world of Arrakis, there’s something for everyone to love in this titanic series about power, violence, and fate.
Published in 1965 by an automotive textbook publisher, after twenty (!) Mainstream publishers rejected the story, Dune is the world’s best-selling science fiction novel of all time. It is also considered one of the best books of all time, as well as a flagship work in the science fiction genre. The massive success of the book inspired Herbert to write a number of sequels, which brought the total number of novels in the series to six upon his death in 1986.
More than a decade after Herbert’s death, his son, Brian, teamed up with science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson to co-write a trilogy of Dune prequels. (This would come to be known on Prelude to Dune series.) Herbert and Anderson remained dynamic collaborators over the ensuing years, together producing more than a dozen novels. But what’s the right way to go through all of these books and their complicated timeline? There is no right answer; some argue that books should be read in chronological order of fictional chronology, while others argue that they should be read in order of publication.
Here’s our advice: read Frank Herbert’s six novels first, then try out the unauthorized spin-offs as you see fit. Since many of the spinoffs are grouped into smaller series that exist in the larger story, you can sample chunks of the universe. This is the beauty of DuneâIt’s a detailed series that rewards completion, but there are many entry points.
Read on for a full breakdown of the books, listed here in the order they were published. Happy reading, spice heads!
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