How to read all the Dune books in order

Dune: Part 2 is set to complete the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s original book – Dune (1965) – although Villeneuve has already expressed interest in another instalment.

"There is Dune’s second book, The Messiah of Dune [aka Dune: Messiah], which could make an extraordinary film," he told CBC Radio Canada. "I always saw that there could be a trilogy; after that, we’ll see. It’s years of work; I can’t think of going further than that."

Alongside the potential of more films, HBO Max recently commissioned a prequel series, The Sisterhood, which will see Villeneuve serve as executive producer.

Didn’t know there was a sequel or a prequel? Well that’s just the tip of the iceberg (or sand dune).

Herbert’s original novel is just the start of a collection of stories longer than your average sand worm. The author actually wrote six Dune books during his lifetime, but the series didn’t stop there, as, following his death in 1986, Herbert’s son Brian teamed up with sci-fi writer Kevin J Anderson to produce literally dozens of prequels, sequels and spinoffs.

Today, there are 23 Dune books in circulation, so we’ve decided to do the decent thing and list them for you in full. Below you’ll find the complete list of Dune novels in order of release and chronological order (although we decided to leave out the short stories because the RadioTimes.com team didn’t really fancy a breakdown just two weeks into January). Plus, we’ve grouped them into their different collections in case you want to split things up a bit more.

Here’s the complete list of Dune novels.

Want more complete lists? Here's how to read the Jack Reacher books in order and how to read the Percy Jackson series in order, as well as how to read the Harry Potter books in order.

How to read the Dune books in order of publication

Below is the complete release order of the Dune books – including both Frank Herbert’s original series and Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson’s follow-up novels.

1. Dune (1965)
2. Dune Messiah (1969)
3. Children of Dune (1976)
4. God Emperor of Dune (1981)
5. Heretics of Dune (1984)
6. Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
7. House Atreides (1999)
8. House Harkonnen (2000)
9. House Corrino (2001)
10. The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
11. The Machine Crusade (2003)
12. The Battle of Corrin (2004)
13. Hunters of Dune (2006)
14. Sandworms of Dune (2007)
15. Paul of Dune (2008)
16. The Winds of Dune (2009)
17. Sisterhood of Dune (2011)
18. Mentats of Dune (2014)
19. Navigators of Dune (2016)
20. The Duke of Caladan (2020)
21. The Lady of Caladan (2021)
22. The Heir of Caladan (2022)
23. Princess of Dune (2023)

How to read the Dune books in chronological order

If you’re looking to take on Dune’s epic canon from start to finish, here’s the complete list of Dune novels in chronological order.

1. The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
2. The Machine Crusade (2003)
3. The Battle of Corrin (2004)
4. Sisterhood of Dune (2011)
5. Mentats of Dune (2014)
6. Navigators of Dune (2016)
7. House Atreides (1999)
8. House Harkonnen (2000)
9. House Corrino (2001)
10. Princess of Dune (2023)
11. The Duke of Caladan (2020)
12. The Lady of Caladan (2021)
13. The Heir of Caladan (2022)
14. Dune (1965)
15. Paul of Dune (2008)
16. Dune Messiah (1969)
17. The Winds of Dune (2009)
18. Children of Dune (1976)
19. God Emperor of Dune (1981)
20. Heretics of Dune (1984)
21. Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
22. Hunters of Dune (2006)
23. Sandworms of Dune (2007)

Dune books by Frank Herbert (original series)

Traditionalists among you may be looking to just read Frank Herbert’s original six books, so we’ve listed them below for you.

1. Dune (1965)

2. Dune Messiah (1969)

3. Children of Dune (1976)

4. God Emperor of Dune (1981)

5. Heretics of Dune (1984)

6. Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)

The first novel, Dune, is the original starting point and tracks the journey of Paul Atreides as he is transformed from a reluctant hero and Duke's heir into a messianic figure for the Fremen known as Muad'Dib.

The second novel, Dune Messiah, is set 12 years after the end of the first Dune novel and examines the impact of Paul's rule over the Known Universe.

The third novel, Children of Dune, is set nine years after the end of Messiah and follows the story of Paul's children Leto II and Ghanima.

The fourth novel, God Emperor of Dune, takes place 3,500 years after the previous novel, where Leto II know rules as God Emperor of Dune.

The fifth novel, Heretics of Dune, charts a new story, a millennium and a half after the reign of Leto II, and follows the Bene Gesserit sisters facing a dangerous new threat, the Honored Matres.

The sixth and final novel in Frank Herbert's unfinished series, Chapterhouse: Dune, directly continues the story of the previous novel.

Following his death, Frank Herbert’s son Brian and Kevin J Anderson also published two novels that would conclude the arc and unfinished storylines of Herbert’s original series, these are Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007).

Prelude to Dune

Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson’s first trilogy was a set of prequels, each set in the years before the original Dune.

7. House Atreides (1999)
8. House Harkonnen (2000)
9. House Corrino (2001)

Legends of Dune

The writing duo then produced a second set of prequels set over 10,000 years before the events of Herbert’s first novel.

10. The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
11. The Machine Crusade (2003)
12. The Battle of Corrin (2004)

Heroes of Dune

The first two parts of the Heroes of Dune series focuses on the time between Herbert’s original novels. Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson originally intended to write four books, but postponed the last two to work on another project. Consequentially, the last book, Princess of Dune, was only published last year.

13. Paul of Dune (2008)
14. The Winds of Dune (2009)
15. Princess of Dune (2023)

Great Schools of Dune

This trilogy acts as yet another prequel to the original series, but is also the sequel to the Legends of Dune collection.

16. Sisterhood of Dune (2011)
17. Mentats of Dune (2014)
18. Navigators of Dune (2016)

The Caladan Trilogy

The writers’ latest collection, The Caladan Trilogy, takes place after House Corrino in the first prequel series but is still set before the events of Dune (1965).

19. The Duke of Caladan (2020)
20. The Lady of Caladan (2021)
21. The Heir of Caladan (2022)

Read more:

• Dune: Part Two ending explained – What happened to Paul and Chani?
• Dune: Part Two review – A spectacular return to Arrakis
• Stellan Skarsgård says reading Dune was “useless” for his Baron Harkonnen portrayal
• Dune director on casting Austin Butler: ‘I needed a playboy – a rockstar’
• Dune: Part Two cast – Full list of actors and characters in sequel
• What is the age rating for Dune: Part Two? Age suitability explained
• How to watch Dune: Part One on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming
• How to read all the Dune books in order

Dune: Part Two is out in cinemas from Friday 1st March 2024. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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