''The Road to Dune'' is a collection of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

works and related material by American writers Frank Herbert,

Brian Herbert Brian Patrick Herbert (born June 29, 1947) is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert (who died in 1986). Brian Herbert's novels include ''Sidney's Comet'', ''Prisoners of Ar ...

and Kevin J. Anderson. A companion book to the ''Dune'' novels, the book was released in September 2005.

This companion work to the ''Dune'' novels includes an alternate novel based on Frank Herbert's original notes for ''Dune'', letters between Frank Herbert and his editor, the original article by Frank Herbert that inspired the creation of ''Dune'' — "They Stopped the Moving Sands" — as well as unused chapters from ''Dune'' and ''

Dune Messiah ''Dune Messiah'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Frank Herbert, the second in his ''Dune'' series of six novels. A sequel to '' Dune'' (1965), it was originally serialized in '' Galaxy'' magazine in 1969, and then published by Put ...

'', and the short stories in the ''Dune'' universe written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

''Spice Planet''

''Spice Planet'' is an alternate ''Dune'' story written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson based upon the original story outline that Frank Herbert made for ''Dune''. It features House Linkam (a version of

House Atreides ''Dune'', also known as the ''Dune Chronicles'', is an American science fiction media franchise that originated with the 1965 novel ''Dune'' by Frank Herbert and has continued to add new publications. ''Dune'' is frequently described as the best ...

) temporarily taking control of Duneworld from their rivals, House Hoskanner (the forerunner of the Harkonnens), to settle a dispute between them. The Hoskanners had received a monopoly concession on the recently discovered Duneworld, but as melange had grown in popularity in the Empire, other Houses had begun to dislike the Hoskanner's wealth and pushed House Linkam to challenge House Hoskanner. The Emperor, secretly allied with the Hoskanners, orders Linkam to take over Duneworld for two years with the promise that if they produce more melange, then they will receive the concession — else it will go permanently to the Hoskanners. Much like in ''Dune'', the Hoskanners sabotage and thwart to the best of their abilities, although the Linkams enlist the help of the Imperial Planetologist to devise a way to neutralize the sandworms and vastly increase the efficiency of operations. The story has some obvious links to the original ''Dune'' novel, such as many of the same characters, but some key themes are underdeveloped in this version:

When we arranged all the chapters and read through the remarkable outline, we found that ''Spice Planet'' was a unique and worthy story in its own right, not just a precursor to ''Dune''. Although the harsh desert is very similar to the one familiar to millions of fans, the tale itself is thematically different, focusing on decadence and drug addiction instead of ecology, finite resources, freedom, and religious fanaticism.

The work is a view into "what-might-have-been" had Frank Herbert bowed to the pressure of his editors and written a novel at a length of most paperbacks during the mid-1960s — roughly 20,000 words."Ironically, if Frank had written ''Spice Planet'' according to his original plan — a science-fiction adventure novel about the same length as most paperback books published at the time — he might have had a much easier task finding an editor and a publishing house." pg 27, Introduction to ''Spice Planet'', ''The Road to Dune''

Letters of ''Dune''

This collection of letters details the trials and tribulations that Frank Herbert went through to have ''Dune'' published in ''

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

'' magazine and later by Chilton Books. The letters detail how he was encouraged to cut the length of the novel and to ease up on his descriptions of Paul Atreides's prescient powers.

"They Stopped the Moving Sands"

"They Stopped the Moving Sands" is an uncompleted article about how sand dunes were held in place by specially designed grasses. The article was never published, but was the impetus for Frank Herbert writing ''Dune''.

Missing chapters from ''Dune'' and ''Dune Messiah''

Also included in ''The Road to Dune'' are deleted chapters and alternate scenes from the first two novels in the ''Dune'' chronicles, ''Dune'' and ''Dune Messiah''. These include alternate and extended scenes between Paul and

Reverend Mother An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

Mohiam, between Paul and Dr. Yueh, between Paul and Thufir Hawat, between Paul and his father Duke Leto Atreides, the passage to Arrakis on the

Spacing Guild The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction ''Dune'' universe which possesses a monopoly on interstellar travel and banking. Guild Navigators (alternately Guildsmen or Steersmen) use the drug melange (also called "th ...

heighliner, the escape from Arrakeen and between Paul and a

muad'dib Paul Atreides (; later known as Paul Muad'Dib, and later still as The Preacher) is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is the primary protagonist in the first two novels in the series, ''Dune'' (1965) ...

mouse. The ''Dune Messiah'' scenes include a new chapter between

Alia Atreides Alia Atreides is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. Introduced in the first novel of the series, 1965's '' Dune'', the character was originally killed in Herbert's first version of the manuscript. At the ...

and Duncan Idaho, a new introduction and a discarded ending that features the death of the conspirators

Edric Eadric, alternatively spelled Edric or Edrick, is a name of Anglo-Saxon or Jute origin and may refer to: * Eadric of Kent (died c. 686), king of Kent from 685 to 686 * Eadric Streona (died 1017), ealdorman of Mercia under Æthelred II and Cnut * Ea ...

, the Reverend Mother Mohiam and possibly

Princess Irulan Princess Irulan is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. She first appears in ''Dune'' (1965), and is later featured in ''Dune Messiah'' (1969) and '' Children of Dune'' (1976). The character's birth and earl ...

at the hands of a Fremen mob incensed by Paul Atreides' death.

Short stories

The ''Dune'' short stories "A Whisper on Caladan Seas", "Hunting Harkonnens", "Whipping Mek", and "The Faces of a Martyr" by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are included in this collection. The story "Dune: Sea Child", originally published in ''

Elemental An elemental is a mythic being that is described in occult and alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsus and his subsequent fo ...

'', a 2006 benefit anthology for children who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

, is also included in the paperback edition of ''Road to Dune''.

References