 First edition cover | |
| Editor | Patrick LoBrutto |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frank Herbert Brian Herbert Kevin J. Anderson |
| Audio read by | Scott Brick |
| Cover artist | Stephen Youll |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dune franchise |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 489 |
| ISBN | 9780765312952 |
The Road to Dune is a collection ofscience fiction works and related material by American writersFrank Herbert,Brian Herbert, andKevin J. Anderson. A companion book to theDune novels, the book was released in September 2005.
This companion work to theDune novels includes an alternate novel based on Frank Herbert's original notes for his 1965 novelDune, letters between Frank Herbert and his editor, the original article by Frank Herbert which inspired the creation ofDune — "They Stopped the Moving Sands" — as well as unused chapters fromDune and its sequelDune Messiah (1969), and the short stories in theDune universe written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
Spice Planet is an alternateDune story written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson based upon the original story outline that Frank Herbert made forDune.[1] It features House Linkam (a version ofHouse Atreides) temporarily taking control of Duneworld from their rivals, House Hoskanner (the forerunner of theHarkonnens), 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 — otherwise it will go permanently to the Hoskanners. Much like inDune, 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 originalDune 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 thatSpice Planet was a unique and worthy story in its own right, not just a precursor toDune. 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.[2]
The authors note that if Herbert had written a novel likeSpice Planet rather thanDune, it would have been about the length of most paperback novels and that publishing it might have been much easier.[3]
This collection of letters details the trials and tribulations that Frank Herbert went through to haveDune published inAnalog magazine and later byChilton 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" 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 writingDune.
Also included inThe Road to Dune are deleted chapters and alternate scenes from the first two novels in theDune chronicles,Dune andDune Messiah. These include alternate and extended scenes between Paul andReverend MotherMohiam, between Paul andDr. Yueh, between Paul andThufir Hawat, between Paul and his fatherDuke Leto Atreides, the passage to Arrakis on theSpacing Guildheighliner, the escape from Arrakeen and between Paul and amuad'dib mouse. TheDune Messiah scenes include a new chapter betweenAlia Atreides and Duncan Idaho, a new introduction and a discarded ending that features the death of the conspiratorsEdric, the Reverend Mother Mohiam and possiblyPrincess Irulan at the hands of a Fremen mob incensed by Paul Atreides' death.
TheDune 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 inElemental, a 2006 benefit anthology for children who survived the 2004 Indian Oceantsunami, is also included in the paperback edition ofRoad to Dune.
