In 1965, American sci-fi author Frank Herbert released the novel Dune. It was the beginning of the stunning out-of-this-world series that would captivate the hearts of science fiction fans around the world.
The Dune franchise has grown and evolved over the decades from the awe-inspiring books that have been brought to life as audiobooks, to the box office smash hit films.
Want to get acquainted with everything Dune? Or need a refresher on the popular saga and its characters? This guide will give you a basic understanding of the book, its history, and everything you need to know.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Dune series.
What is Dune about?
Dune is set roughly 20,000 years from now, in the year 10,191. In this world, humans have colonized planets all over the universe. A feudal interstellar society of various noble houses controls planetary fiefs. Duke Leto Atreides, the ruler of the ocean planet Caladan, is assigned by Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV to take control of Arrakis, a dangerous planet also known as Dune, where he moves with his concubine, Lady Jessica, his son Paul, and his most trusted advisors. While a barren desert wasteland, complete with giant sandworms, Arrakis is prized because it’s the only place to get the most valuable substance in the universe: melange, or “the spice,” a drug that extends human life, provides superhuman levels of thought, and makes faster-than-light travel practical. It also drives the Bene Gesserit, an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds with physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman abilities.
While Leto suspects the stewardship offer is a trap set by his enemies, the Emperor among them, he cannot refuse and sets off to run the spice mining operation. He also begins working out a peaceful relationship with the planet's native Fremen people. Anything else about the story would be a spoiler, so let’s just say there is a terrible betrayal, and Leto’s son Paul rises to become the powerful leader he is destined to be.
The first book in the series, Dune, was written by Frank Herbert and released in 1965 to great acclaim. It tied with Roger Zelazny’s This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966 and won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. Dune is thought to be the world’s best-selling science fiction novel of all time.
What was the inspiration for Dune?
Dune was partially inspired by Frank Herbert's 1957 trip to see the 40 miles of coastal dunescape, the Oregon Dunes, in Florence, Oregon. While his article about his trip went unpublished, Herbert was quite taken with the dunes. It sparked his interest in dunes and deserts. (That article can now be heard in the fascinating backstory, The Road to Dune.)
Among other inspirations were T. E. Lawrence, the renowned British army officer known for his part in the Arab Revolt during WWI, and Herbert's interest in the superhero mystique and messiahs. Herbert has also said that melange, the fictional drug at the heart of Dune, was influenced by hallucinogenic mushrooms. His vision of the spice first appeared in an unfinished short story, "Spice Planet," about a man with a young son living on a hostile planet.
Initially released in eight parts in Analog magazine, Dune was considered a long book at the time—it's 412 pages—but it's quite easy to get lost in. With its fantastic, extensive world-building, imaginative storylines, and compelling dialogue, Dune was light-years ahead of other science fiction novels when it debuted.
Who are Dune's main characters?
Paul Atreides is the son of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica, and heir to the House of the Atreides. He is the central character of the first Dune books.
Duke Leto Atreides is the 20th Duke of House Atreides, and he is sometimes referred to as "Leto the Just" or "The Red Duke."
Gurney Halleck is a loyal warrior of the Atreides. He is in service to House Atreides and teaches Paul how to fight.
Lady Jessica is a Bene Gesserit and concubine of the Duke. She uses her considerable talents to help protect her family and prepare Paul for what she knows is his destiny.
Duncan Idaho is a fearless swordmaster in service of House Atreides. An expert in stealth tactics, he acts as the eyes and ears for Duke Leto.
Gaius Helen Mohiam is a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother who once trained Paul's mother, Lady Jessica, and now seeks to test Paul before he leaves for Arrakis.
Wellington Yueh is a skilled doctor who has been a part of the closest inner circle of House Atreides for some time.
Thufir Hawat is the Master of Assassins for House Atreides. Head of security, he is a phenomenal strategist with a mind sharper than a supercomputer.
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is House Harkonnen's head and Dune's chief antagonist. He feeds off malevolence and wields his ability to float through the air with the help of his gravity-defying suit.
Glossu "Beast" Rabban is the older nephew of the Baron. A fearsome figure known for his uncontrollable rage, he works as an enforcer for his uncle.
Chani is a skilled Fremen fighter and Paul's love interest. She was born in Arrakis and will do anything to defend her people.
Stilgar is the Fremen chieftain, a wise, respected, and fearless leader.
Piter De Vries is another of Baron Harkonnen's sadistic and dangerous henchmen.
Feyd-Rautha is the younger nephew and heir-presumptive of the Baron.
What is the planet of Arrakis like?
Arrakis is a desert planet, which makes for harsh living conditions. This is one of the reasons the Emperor, who views House Atreides as a threat, makes Duke Leto the fief ruler of the planet at the beginning of the first book in the Dune saga. And it's a trap.
There are few plants and animals that live on Arrakis. The most successful life form on the planet is the giant sandworm. The planet has no surface water source, though large salt flats indicate it once had them. There are underground reservoirs and open canals.
The people who make up the planet's native population are the Fremen. They came to Arrakis thousands of years before as part of a Zen Buddhist-like religious sect and gradually adapted to the harsh living conditions. They are incredibly skilled at fighting and work hard to conserve little water. They worship the giant sandworms, which they have learned how to ride. Their eyes are fully "blue-in-blue" from all the melange they consume.
What is melange? What does it do?
Melange gives users a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness. Depending on the dose, it can also allow some humans to see into the future. Despite its vast popularity and various uses, melange is highly addictive. For habitual users, withdrawal is ultimately fatal.
The spice can only be found on the hostile desert planet of Arrakis. The drug is a secretion created by the larvae of giant sandworms, who also fiercely guard the deposits. Humans battle the giant sandworms for the spice to mine them, as melange is a precious commodity in high demand, not only on Arrakis but across the entire universe.
Humans who use the spice extensively develop what is known in the universe of Dune as "spice eyes," in which every user's irises eventually turn a dark shade of blue. These blue spice eyes are a source of pride among the Fremen, the native inhabitants of Arrakis, who also use melange in other things, such as food, drinks, clothing, and weapons.
Who are the Bene Gesserit?
The Bene Gesserit (pronounced "benny jess-uh-rit") is a powerful force in the Dune universe. The group is exclusively composed of women who diligently train themselves, emotionally and physically, until they obtain superhuman abilities.
The Reverend Mothers are members of the group with all the powers available. Their skills are in great demand, and they often align themselves with Houses to benefit their political positioning. Lady Jessica, the mother of Paul Atreides, is a Bene Gesserit.
The Kwisatz Haderach is a male Bene Gesserit who is capable of unlocking the genetic memory of his ancestry. In the saga, Paul becomes the Kwisatz Haderach.
The Bene Gesserit use melange in a ritual to gain their powers. Known as the "spice agony," only women have ever been able to survive its effects to attain supernatural abilities. But the members hope to one day produce a male who can withstand the spice agony. The origin of this ritual is explained in The Battle of Corrin. Because of their abilities, the Bene Gesserit and their powers are sometimes misunderstood, and outsiders view them as witches.
What is the Bene Gesserit "Litany Against Fear"?
The "Litany Against Fear" originated with the Bene Gesserit. It is a mantra recited to help the speaker keep fear at bay when facing a great test of pain or hardship. The litany is as follows:
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
How many Dune books are there?
There are 21 books in the Dune saga with two more on the way. Frank Herbert wrote the original books in the series. When Herbert died in 1986, his son Brian Herbert and acclaimed author Kevin J. Anderson took over writing further books in the series, including several prequels. Following is a breakdown of the Dune books in publication order.
Dune is the first book in the original series by Frank Herbert about the rise of Paul Atreides on the desert planet Arrakis. The other books written by Herbert are:
Dune Messiah (1969)
Children of Dune (1976)
God Emperor of Dune (1981)
Heretics of Dune (1984)
Chapterhouse Dune (1985)
This is a series of prequels set before the events of the first books. It explores the possibilities before Dune and the origins of some of its characters. These books were written with the help of notes made by Herbert before his death in 1986.
House Atreides (1999)
House Harkonnen (2000)
House Corrino (2001)
This is the second prequel trilogy, set 10,000 years before the events in the original 1965 novel, Dune. These books explore the universal war, the Butlerian Jihad, fought against sentient machines and robots.
The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
The Machine Crusade (2003)
The Battle of Corrin (2004)
Hunters of Dune (2006)
Sandworms of Dune (2007)
This duology, planned initially as a quartet, is set between the events of Dune (1965) and Dune Messiah (1969). It takes a deeper dive into Paul's attempts to gain control of the empire.
Paul of Dune (2008)
The Winds of Dune (2009)
This is a sequel trilogy to the Legends of Dune series, set a century after the events of The Battle of Corrin (2004). It details the beginnings of the Bene Gesserit, Mentat, and Suk schools after the Butlerian Jihad and the growing threats from an anti-technology group.
Sisterhood of Dune (2012)
Mentats of Dune (2014)
Navigators of Dune (2016)
This most recent (and still ongoing) trilogy covers the events leading directly up to the events of Dune (1965).
Dune: The Duke of Caladan (2020)
Dune: The Lady of Caladan (2021)
Dune: The Heir of Caladan (2022)
All the Dune universe books are available for your listening pleasure. The adventure, drama, and excitement of these books have been captured by a range of incredible voice talents, including legendary 17-time Audie Award recipient and Audible Hall of Fame narrator Simon Vance; American actor, writer and award-winning narrator Scott Brick; and the remarkably talented (and sorely missed) late actress Katherine Kellgren.
How did Dune make it to the big screen?
While Dune is a hugely popular novel and worldwide success, it hasn't proven easy to adapt to film. It was first optioned in 1971 by Apjac International, but the project never took off. The rights then went to a French company, with Alejandro Jodorowsky set to direct. But despite more progress made on this adaptation, it ran over budget before it started and was also scrapped. (A 2013 documentary, Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune, looks at this attempt in depth.)
In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis commissioned Herbert to write a new screenplay with the hopes of making a film, but this project also ran out of steam—by 1978. In 1981, De Laurentiis renegotiated the rights and brought on director David Lynch, who was being considered as the director of Return of the Jedi at the time. Lynch's Dune (1984), which stars Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Patrick Stewart, Sean Young, and Francesca Annis, was released to negative reviews and considered almost unwatchable by many critics. But today, it is widely embraced as a cult classic.
After the failure of 1984's Dune, no further adaptations were made until John Harrison adapted it into a miniseries for the Syfy channel in 2000. Frank Herbert's Dune aired in three parts: stars Alec Newman, William Hurt, Saskia Reeves, James Watson, P. H. Moriarty, Ian McNeice, and Giancarlo Giannini. It was one of the channel's most-watched broadcasts and went on to win two Emmy Awards.
In 2008, Paramount Pictures attempted to adapt Dune, with Peter Berg set to direct, but due to budget issues and staffing problems, the effort was dropped in 2011. In 2016, Legendary Entertainment acquired film rights for Dune. Denis Villeneuve signed on to direct in 2017, the casting officially began in 2018, and production began in 2019. The original release date for Dune was set for November 2020, then moved to December 2020. Due to the pandemic, the studio delayed its release by almost a year.
What you need to know about 2021's Dune
The Dune adaptation from Warner Bros. Pictures was released in theatres on October 22, 2021. An ever-so-slightly earlier release dropped on the HBO Max streaming service the day before. The movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve, follows much of the novel's first part, but some of the stories have been left out for conciseness and clarity. For example, Feyd-Rautha, the younger nephew and heir-presumptive of Baron Harkonnen, famously played by Sting in David Lynch's 1984 version of Dune, does not appear in the 2021 Dune film since he is more crucial to the latter part of the novel. But don't worry; the giant sandworms still make the cut.
Villeneuve’s Dune movie sports a stunning, star-studded leading cast: Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides), Oscar Isaac (Duke Leto Atreides), Zendaya (Chani), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Stellan Skarsgård (Baron Vladimir Harkonnen), Jason Momoa (Duncan Idaho), Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck), Dave Bautista (Glossu "Beast" Rabban) Charlotte Rampling (Gaius Helen Mohiam), Chen Chang (Dr. Wellington Yueh), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Babs Olusanmokun (Jamis, a Fremen from Sietch Tabr), and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Dr. Liet Kynes).
Will there be more Dune movies?
As filmmaker Denis Villeneuve claimed was his intention from the beginning, the 2021 Dune covers the novel's first half, with a second film, Dune: Part Two, planned for the second half. Villeneuve has been quoted as saying that he would never have agreed to direct Dune if he was expected to fit the whole book into one movie.
