Dune Books in Order: Every Book & Series + Chronological Order

Frank Herbert’s Dune books in order begin with Dune, followed by Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. His six-book original series is still the best place to start. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson later expanded the universe with prequels, stories set between Frank Herbert’s novels, and two books that continue the story after Chapterhouse: Dune.

I recommend publication order for a first read. It introduces Arrakis, the Bene Gesserit, the Fremen, and the great houses in the order readers first met them. You’ll also find the chronological order below, along with the short fiction, companion books, graphic adaptations, and screen versions.

Jump to:

• Dune Books in Publication Order
• In What Order Should I Read the Dune Books?
• Dune Books in Chronological Order
• Dune Short Stories and Novellas
• Dune Companion Books
• Dune Graphic Novels & Comics
• Dune Screen Adaptations

Dune Books in Publication Order

The Dune novels are easiest to follow when they’re grouped by series. Start with Frank Herbert’s original six books. Then move into the prequels, interquels, and continuation novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The Original Series

Start with Frank Herbert’s six novels. Dune can stand on its own, while Dune Messiah and Children of Dune complete the first major arc. God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune carry the story far beyond Paul Atreides and explore the long-term consequences of his rise.

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)

Prelude to Dune

The Prelude to Dune trilogy follows the previous generation of House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and House Corrino. It gives more background on Duke Leto, Lady Jessica, Baron Harkonnen, Emperor Shaddam, and the political struggle that leads into Dune. Read it after Frank Herbert’s books, even though it takes place earlier.

1. Dune: House Atreides (1999)
2. Dune: House Harkonnen (2000)
3. Dune: House Corrino (2001)

Legends of Dune

The Legends of Dune trilogy is set thousands of years before Dune. It covers humanity’s war against the thinking machines, the Butlerian Jihad, the ancestors of the Fremen, and the events that reshape human civilization.

1. Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
2. Dune: The Machine Crusade (2003)
3. Dune: The Battle of Corrin (2004)

Continuation of the Original Series

Frank Herbert died before writing the novel he planned to follow Chapterhouse: Dune. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson later used his outline and notes as the basis for Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. These two books continue unresolved storylines from Frank Herbert’s final novels, so save them until after Chapterhouse: Dune.

1. Hunters of Dune (2006)
2. Sandworms of Dune (2007)

Heroes of Dune Books

The Heroes of Dune books fill gaps around the original series. Paul of Dune sits between Dune and Dune Messiah. The Winds of Dune follows Dune Messiah. Princess of Dune returns to Irulan and Chani before the events of Dune.

1. Paul of Dune (2008)
2. The Winds of Dune (2009)
3. Princess of Dune (2023)

The Schools of Dune

The Schools of Dune trilogy begins after the war against the thinking machines. It follows the early development of the Bene Gesserit, the Mentats, and the Spacing Guild’s Navigators, along with the political struggles that shape the Imperium.

1. Sisterhood of Dune (2012)
2. Mentats of Dune (2014)
3. Navigators of Dune (2016)

The Caladan Trilogy

The Caladan Trilogy is a direct prequel to Dune. Each book focuses on a member of the Atreides family: Duke Leto, Lady Jessica, and Paul. Together, the trilogy follows the family through the final period before they leave Caladan for Arrakis.

1. Dune: The Duke of Caladan (2020)
2. Dune: The Lady of Caladan (2021)
3. Dune: The Heir of Caladan (2022)

In What Order Should I Read the Dune Books?

Read Frank Herbert’s six novels first, beginning with Dune. That gives you the world, characters, politics, and ideas in the order Herbert intended readers to encounter them.

After Chapterhouse: Dune, you have a choice. You can continue the unresolved story with Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, or step back into the prequels. If you plan to read every novel, follow the publication list above.

I’d save the chronological order for a reread. Beginning thousands of years before Dune removes some of the mystery from Frank Herbert’s original novel and introduces the universe through books written much later.

Should I Only Read the First 3 Dune Books?

You can stop at several points without feeling as though you made the wrong choice. Dune works as a complete novel. Dune Messiah and Children of Dune then form a strong first trilogy and give you a natural place to pause.

If you’re still invested after Children of Dune, keep going through all six of Frank Herbert’s novels. The later books shift their focus and move across a much larger stretch of time, but they develop the ideas that the first trilogy introduces.

Chapterhouse: Dune ends with unresolved threads because Frank Herbert died before completing his planned follow-up. Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune continue that storyline, although they were written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson and have a different voice.

Dune Books in Chronological Order

The chronological order begins long before Paul Atreides and mixes novels with short fiction. I recommend this order for readers who already know Frank Herbert’s original series.

The short stories are included inside Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition or Sands of Dune. “Blood and Water” and “Fremen Justice” are excerpts from novels, so they’re optional and don’t add separate story material.

1. “Hunting Harkonnens” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
2. Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
3. “Whipping Mek” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
4. Dune: The Machine Crusade
5. “The Faces of a Martyr” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
6. Dune: The Battle of Corrin
7. Sisterhood of Dune
8. Mentats of Dune
9. “Red Plague” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
10. Navigators of Dune
11. “Imperial Court” (Sands of Dune)
12. “Edge of a Crysknife” (Sands of Dune)
13. Dune: House Atreides
14. Dune: House Harkonnen
15. “Blood and Water” (optional excerpt from Dune: House Harkonnen)
16. Dune: House Corrino
17. “Fremen Justice,” also published as “Nighttime Shadows of Open Sand” (optional excerpt from Dune: House Corrino)
18. “Wedding Silk” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
19. Princess of Dune
20. Dune: The Duke of Caladan
21. Dune: The Lady of Caladan
22. Dune: The Heir of Caladan
23. Dune
24. “A Whisper of Caladan Seas” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
25. “Blood of the Sardaukar” (Sands of Dune)
26. “The Waters of Kanly” (Sands of Dune)
27. Paul of Dune
28. Dune Messiah
29. The Winds of Dune
30. Children of Dune
31. God Emperor of Dune
32. Heretics of Dune
33. Chapterhouse: Dune
34. “Sea Child” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
35. Hunters of Dune
36. “Treasure in the Sand” (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition)
37. Sandworms of Dune

Dune Short Stories and Novellas

Most of the shorter Dune fiction is collected in a few books, so you don’t need to track down old magazines or individual ebook releases. These stories are optional, but they fill gaps between the novels and revisit characters from several eras.

• Eye includes Frank Herbert’s illustrated “The Road to Dune,” an in-universe guide to Arrakis. This is a different work from the later companion collection with the same title.
• Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition collects “A Whisper of Caladan Seas,” “Hunting Harkonnens,” “Whipping Mek,” “The Faces of a Martyr,” “Sea Child,” “Treasure in the Sand,” “Wedding Silk,” and “Red Plague.”
• Sands of Dune collects “The Waters of Kanly,” “Blood of the Sardaukar,” “Imperial Court,” and “Edge of a Crysknife.”

Chapbooks

“Blood and Water” was released as a standalone excerpt from Dune: House Harkonnen. “Fremen Justice,” also published as “Nighttime Shadows of Open Sand,” was released as an excerpt from Dune: House Corrino. Neither one contains a separate story that you’ll miss by reading the novels.

Dune Companion Books

The companion books aren’t required for the main story, but they’re useful if you want Frank Herbert’s early material, collected short fiction, background information, or a closer look at his life.

1. The Road to Dune by Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson (2005). It includes correspondence, deleted material, short fiction, and Spice Planet, an alternate version developed from Frank Herbert’s early outline for Dune.
2. Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (2017). This expanded collection gathers most of their shorter Dune fiction in one volume.
3. Sands of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (2022). This collection contains four stories set around the original novel and the earlier history of Arrakis.
4. Dreamer of Dune by Brian Herbert (2003). This is Brian Herbert’s biography of his father rather than a Dune novel.
5. The Dune Encyclopedia edited by Willis E. McNelly (1984). Frank Herbert approved this in-universe reference work and wrote its foreword, but later publications conflict with parts of it. Treat it as an alternate, noncanonical companion.

Dune Graphic Novels & Comics

The Dune comics include novel adaptations, film adaptations, original stories, and prequel series. I’ve listed released collections instead of every individual issue whenever the collection contains the full run. The issue range is included beside each collection so you can see exactly what it contains.

Individual issues are listed only when a released collection does not yet contain them. Variant covers, later printings, and foreign-language editions aren’t included because they repeat the same material.

1. Dune: The Official Comic Book (collects the complete 1984 film adaptation) (1984)
2. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1: Dune (2020)
3. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 2: Muad’Dib (2022)
4. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 3: The Prophet (2024)
5. Dune Messiah, Book 1 (2026)
6. Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel (2022)
7. Dune Part Two: The Official Movie Graphic Novel (2025)
8. Dune: House Atreides, Vol. 1 (collects #1-4) (2021)
9. Dune: House Atreides, Vol. 2 (collects #5-8) (2021)
10. Dune: House Atreides, Vol. 3 (collects #9-12) (2022)
11. Dune: Tales from Arrakeen (collects both one-shots) (2022)
12. Dune: The Waters of Kanly (collects #1-4) (2023)
13. Dune: House Harkonnen, Vol. 1 (collects #1-4) (2023)
14. Dune: House Harkonnen, Vol. 2 (collects #5-8) (2024)
15. Dune: House Harkonnen, Vol. 3 (collects #9-12) (2024)
16. Dune: House Corrino, Vol. 1 (collects #1-3) (2024)
17. Dune: House Corrino, Vol. 2 (collects #4-6) (2025)
18. Dune: House Corrino, Vol. 3 (collects #6-8) (2025)
19. Dune: Edge of a Crysknife: Hiding Among Harkonnens #1 (2025)
20. Dune: Edge of a Crysknife: Rage of Shai-Hulud #1 (2025)
21. Dune: Edge of a Crysknife (collects both one-shots) (2026)
22. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1: Dune: Deluxe Collector’s Edition (2022)
23. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 2: Muad’Dib: Deluxe Collector’s Edition (2023)
24. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 3: The Prophet: Deluxe Collector’s Edition (2025)
25. Dune: The Graphic Novel: The Complete 3-Book Boxed Set (2025)
26. Dune: House Atreides Deluxe Edition (collects #1-12) (2025)
27. Dune: House Harkonnen Deluxe Edition (collects #1-12) (2026)
28. Dune Deluxe Boxed Set: The Official Graphic Novel Movie Adaptations (2026)

Dune Screen Adaptations

The screen adaptations cover different parts of the bibliography, so it helps to know which books they use.

• Dune (1984) adapts Frank Herbert’s Dune in a single film.
• Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000) is a television miniseries based on Dune.
• Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2003) adapts material from Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.
• Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) divide the story of the first novel between two films.
• Dune: Part Three is based on Dune Messiah.
• Dune: Prophecy (2024) is inspired by Sisterhood of Dune and focuses on the early Bene Gesserit. It isn’t a direct scene-by-scene adaptation of the novel.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more science fiction authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Science Fiction Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• The Expanse Books in Order
• Ender’s Game Books in Order
• Red Rising Books in Order