Dune short stories

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 and act as bridge stories between books of the series.

The Road to Dune
The Road to Dune takes the form of an illustrated guidebook for pilgrims to Arrakis, following the ascension of Paul Muad'dib to the imperial throne in Dune.


 * By Frank Herbert and Jim Burns (illustrator) (Published in the 1985 short story collection Eye)

A Whisper of Caladan Seas
"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, Sergeant Hoh Vitt,a master story teller, recounts tales of Caladan, the ancestral homeworld of House Atreides.


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

Hunting Harkonnens
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.


 * By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (First released online in 2002 prior to the release of the first Legends of Dune novel, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad; re-released in 2005 as part of The Road to Dune.)

Whipping Mek
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.


 * By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (First released online in 2003 prior to the release of the second Legends of Dune novel, Dune: The Machine Crusade; re-released in 2005 as part of The Road to Dune.)

The Faces of a Martyr
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 Omnius, and sets about creating a clone of Serena Butler. Meanwhile, in the League of Nobles, Vorian Atreides attempts to combat the slurs on Xavier Harkonnen's name by confronting Iblis Ginjo's wife.


 * By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (First released online in 2004 prior to the release of the third Legends of Dune novel, Dune: The Battle of Corrin; re-released in 2005 as part of The Road to Dune.)

Sea Child
"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.


 * 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)

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


 * By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Published August 2006 online at Jim Baen's Universe; re-released June 26, 2007 in the US paperback edition of Hunters of Dune)