Dune short stories

The Road to Dune (2005) US 1st edition cover

A series of Dune short stories have been written that relate to the Dune novels by Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Some of these stories were originally available for download from the official Dune website, released in a promotional capacity in conjunction with the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels. "Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas'," "Dune: Hunting Harkonnens," "Dune: Whipping Mek" and "Dune: The Faces of a Martyr" were later published as part of the collection The Road to Dune (not to be confused with the Frank Herbert short work of the same name) released in September 2005. "Dune: Sea Child" was published in Elemental, a 2006 benefit anthology for children who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and was later made available as part of the paperback edition of The Road to Dune. "Dune: Treasure in the Sand" was published online in 2006 at Jim Baen's Universe, and was later made available as part of the paperback edition of Hunters of Dune. "Dune: Wedding Silk" was released June 12, 2011 in the Dune e-book short story collection Tales of Dune, which also included previously published stories "Dune: Sea Child" and "Dune: Treasure in the Sand."

"The Road to Dune"

By Frank Herbert (Published 1985 in the short story collection Eye)^[1]

Frank Herbert's own short work "The Road to Dune" takes the form of a guidebook for pilgrims to Arrakis, illustrated by Welsh artist Jim Burns. The work takes place after the fall of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and the ascension of Paul Atreides to the throne in the original novel Dune. Herbert's "Road" discusses the major sites in the capital city, Arrakeen, including the Grand Palace and Temple of Alia. It also features images (with descriptions) of some of the devices and characters seen in the novels, including Paul's personal ornithopter, an Ixian glowglobe, Princess Irulan, Duncan Idaho and Reverend Mother Mohiam.

"Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published in 2001 in the short story collection Dogged Persistence; re-released September 2005 in the collection The Road to Dune)

"Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas" takes place during the Harkonnen attack on Arrakis during the course of the original Dune by Frank Herbert. It depicts a group of Atreides soldiers trapped in a cave in the Shield Wall outside Arrakeen. One of the soldiers, a master story teller, recounts tales of Caladan, the sea-covered ancestral homeworld of House Atreides. A group of Fremen warriors find the soldiers shortly after, and discover that the soldiers have all magically drowned — a fate that has never happened previously on the desert planet of Arrakis.

"Dune: Hunting Harkonnens"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published September 2005 in the collection The Road to Dune; first released online in 2002 prior to the release of the first Legends of Dune novel, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad)

In "Dune: Hunting Harkonnens", Ulf and Katarina Harkonnen and their son Piers (the parents and brother of Xavier Harkonnen) are travelling to Salusa Secundus when they are attacked by thinking machines under the command of General Agamemnon, a cymek. The Harkonnen ship is severely damaged and the 20-year-old Piers is ejected in an escape pod. He lands on the planet Caladan and meets a band of primitives who assist him in taking vengeance against the cymeks.

"Dune: Whipping Mek"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published September 2005 in the collection The Road to Dune; first released online in 2003 prior to the release of the second Legends of Dune novel, Dune: The Machine Crusade)

In "Dune: Whipping Mek", young Vergyl Tantor is serving in the Army of the Jihad on Giedi Prime during the Butlerian Jihad when his mentor and adopted brother Xavier Harkonnen arrives for repairs to be done to his battered fleet of warships. Vergyl, eager to fight the Thinking Machines, is pleased to encounter a mercenary from Ginaz who uses a captured machine for training purposes.

"Dune: The Faces of a Martyr"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published September 2005 in the collection The Road to Dune; first released online in 2004 prior to the release of the third Legends of Dune novel, Dune: The Battle of Corrin)

Leaders Xavier Harkonnen, Iblis Ginjo and Serena Butler are dead by the time of "Dune: The Faces of a Martyr", but still the Butlerian Jihad continues. The Army of the Jihad attack the Tlulaxa homeworld as vengeance for their actions in The Machine Crusade, but one scientist escapes to thinking machine territory. There he offers his services to the evermind Omnius, and sets about creating a clone of Serena. Meanwhile, in the League of Nobles, Vorian Atreides attempts to combat the slurs on Xavier's name by confronting Ginjo's wife.

"Dune: Sea Child"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published May 16, 2006 in the tsunami benefit anthology Elemental; re-released August 29, 2006 in the paperback edition of The Road to Dune, and later in the June 12, 2011 Dune e-book short story collection Tales of Dune^[2])

"Dune: Sea Child" takes place during the events of Chapterhouse: Dune, and focuses on the Honored Matre invasion of the Bene Gesserit planet Buzzell, the only source of precious soostones. Corysta is a banished Reverend Mother, sent to Buzzell for the crime of loving her child and refusing to give it up to the Bene Gesserit's Breeding Mistresses. On Buzzell, and under Honored Matre oppression, Corysta comes across a Phibian baby outcast from the main group. Phibians have been brought to Buzzell by the Matres to harvest the soostones for them; as the Phibians are capable of breathing underwater as well as on land, they can dive deeper and farther from shore than any human can. After Corysta raises the child for months, the Matres find out and attempt to use Corysta's attachment to coerce her into revealing the location of the Bene Gesserit homeworld, Chapterhouse. Corysta refuses, and the Matres take the Phibian child away.

"Dune: Treasure in the Sand"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published August 2006 online at Jim Baen's Universe; re-released June 26, 2007 in the paperback edition of Hunters of Dune, and later in the June 12, 2011 Dune e-book short story collection Tales of Dune^[2])

The events of "Dune: Treasure in the Sand" occur between Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune.

"Dune: Wedding Silk"

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published June 12, 2011 in the Dune e-book short story collection Tales of Dune^[2]). It was originally written as part of their 2008 novel Paul of Dune, but edited out of the final version by the authors.^[3]

"Dune: Wedding Silk" is a pre-Dune story featuring Duncan Idaho and a young Paul Atreides exploring the jungles of the planet Ecaz.^[3][4]

Chronology

References

External links

• Official Dune website