DIrishB
The Timeline Guy
I made a thread about this previously but I believe it was deleted.
Anyway, I began reading the Dune series a few months back, starting chronologically. This meant I had to read the prequel novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, which in themselves are decent reads. But once I got to the original books by Frank Herbert, I was blown away. These novels are an amazing look at humanity in general, offering incredibly insightful philosophical, social, and economic views of society. They're also incredibly important now, especially given the current high cost of gasoline (in the books, both the need for water on the desert planet and the use of melange/spice to travel across the universe is a symbol of our current dependancy on oil). Everything from love, drug addiction, messiahs, war, and more are covered. In the end the books are really an examination about what it really is to be human. I can't say enough about these books, especially the six originals by Frank. Like I said, the prequel novels themselves are fun reads and offer a nice backstory to the originals, but don't offer the deep and thought-provoking views of the originals. If you've never read these books, DO IT NOW!
Later this year, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will be completing the original series with the seventh and eighth books in the series. The first will arrive in August, the last in 2007.
And of course, I'll offer a timeline for the books (novels are in bold, short stories in italics, years are underlined). Anything marked with a "**" is unreleased to its placement is tentative. The short story "A Whisper of Caladan Seas" takes place during the original novel, during the Harkonnen attack on the Atreides on Arrakis, just as Paul and his mother escape into the desert.
BG = Before Guild
AG = After Guild
Anyway, I began reading the Dune series a few months back, starting chronologically. This meant I had to read the prequel novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, which in themselves are decent reads. But once I got to the original books by Frank Herbert, I was blown away. These novels are an amazing look at humanity in general, offering incredibly insightful philosophical, social, and economic views of society. They're also incredibly important now, especially given the current high cost of gasoline (in the books, both the need for water on the desert planet and the use of melange/spice to travel across the universe is a symbol of our current dependancy on oil). Everything from love, drug addiction, messiahs, war, and more are covered. In the end the books are really an examination about what it really is to be human. I can't say enough about these books, especially the six originals by Frank. Like I said, the prequel novels themselves are fun reads and offer a nice backstory to the originals, but don't offer the deep and thought-provoking views of the originals. If you've never read these books, DO IT NOW!
Later this year, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will be completing the original series with the seventh and eighth books in the series. The first will arrive in August, the last in 2007.
And of course, I'll offer a timeline for the books (novels are in bold, short stories in italics, years are underlined). Anything marked with a "**" is unreleased to its placement is tentative. The short story "A Whisper of Caladan Seas" takes place during the original novel, during the Harkonnen attack on the Atreides on Arrakis, just as Paul and his mother escape into the desert.
BG = Before Guild
AG = After Guild
Dune: Hunting Harkonnens 217 BG
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad 203-200 BG
Dune: Whipping Mek 189 BG
Dune: The Machine Crusade 177-164 BG
Dune: Faces of a Martyr 164-160 BG
Dune: The Battle of Corrin 108-88 BG
Dune: House Atreides 10,153-10,156 AG
Dune: House Harkonnen 10,166-10,174 AG
Dune: House Corrino 10,174-10,175 AG
Dune 10,190-10,196 AG
Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas 10,191 AG
Dune Messiah 10,209-10,210 AG
Children of Dune 10,218-10,219 AG
God Emperor of Dune 13,727 AG
Heretics of Dune 15,224-15,229 AG
Dune: Sea Child 15,229 AG **
Chapterhouse: Dune 15,230-15,240 AG
Dune: Treasure in the Sand 15,240 AG **
Hunters of Dune 15,240 AG **
Sandworms of Dune 15,241 AG **