Dune Books in Order
Dune is set thousands of years in the future, in an interstellar empire whose space travel depends on the spice melange, found only on the desert planet Arrakis. The series follows the Atreides family over thousands of years, from Paul’s rise to messiah to the long reign of his son.
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Series facts
- Books
- 6
- Published
- 1965 to 1985
- First book
- Dune
- Latest
- Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)
- Setting
- Set in Arrakis
The reading order
Every Dune book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
- 1Dune1965With Paul AtreidesYoung Paul Atreides travels with his family to Arrakis, a desert planet that is the only source of the precious spice.Buy on Amazon
- 2Dune Messiah1969With Paul AtreidesTwelve years later, Paul is emperor, and a holy war fought in his name has spread across the universe.Buy on Amazon
- 3Children of Dune1976With Leto Atreides IIPaul’s twin children, Leto and Ghanima, are growing up on a changing Arrakis, while their aunt Alia rules as regent and a mysterious preacher wanders the desert.Buy on Amazon
- 4God Emperor of Dune1981With Leto Atreides IIThree and a half thousand years later, Leto II, now part human and part sandworm, rules the universe as the God Emperor, following a plan to save humanity.Buy on Amazon
- 5Heretics of Dune1984Fifteen hundred years after the death of the God Emperor, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood faces a new threat from the returning Lost Ones, and a young girl on Arrakis can command the sandworms.Buy on Amazon
- 6Chapterhouse: Dune1985With Darwi OdradeThe Bene Gesserit sisterhood, hunted by the Honored Matres, retreats to its secret home planet, Chapterhouse, and tries to bring a desert, and sandworms, to life there.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the six books in order, starting with Dune. Many readers stop after the first three, but the later books continue the story far into the future.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Paul Atreides | Leto Atreides II | Darwi Odrade | Duncan Idaho | Alia Atreides | Stilgar | Lady Jessica | Chani |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Dune | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 2 Dune Messiah | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 3 Children of Dune | MMajor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 4 God Emperor of Dune | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 5 Heretics of Dune | MMajor | MMajor | ||||||
| 6 Chapterhouse: Dune | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Dune books
11 characters from Frank Herbert’s chart, with the number of Dune books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Paul AtreidesDucal heir who becomes Muad'Dib | 3 | Dune 1965 |
| Leto Atreides IIPaul's son, later the God Emperor | 2 | Children of Dune 1976 |
| Darwi OdradeReverend Mother | 2 | Heretics of Dune 1984 |
| Duncan IdahoSwordmaster of House Atreides | 6 | Dune 1965 |
| Alia AtreidesPaul's sister | 3 | Dune 1965 |
| StilgarFremen leader | 3 | Dune 1965 |
| Lady JessicaPaul's mother, a Bene Gesserit | 2 | Dune 1965 |
| ChaniFremen woman, Paul's partner | 2 | Dune 1965 |
| Gurney HalleckWarrior-troubadour | 2 | Dune 1965 |
| Baron Vladimir HarkonnenEnemy of House Atreides | 1 | Dune 1965 |
| Miles TegBashar of the Bene Gesserit | 1 | Heretics of Dune 1984 |