Frank Herbert

On the planet of Arrakis, men, nature, and time attend the evolutionary growth of Leto and his twin sister Ghanima, children of the mighty Muad'Dib, as their aunt Alia plots to obtain the secrets of the twins' visions in order to secure her reign.

Capturing all the complexity and grand themes of the original "Dune, " this prequel weaves a new tapestry of terrible betrayal, grand passions, and momentous destiny into a saga that expands the tale written by Frank Herbert more than 30 years ago.

"The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat. The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius"--Back cover.

Hunters of Dune and the concluding volume, Sandworms of Dune, bring together the great story lines and beloved characters in Frank Herbert's classic Dune universe, ranging from the time of the Butlerian Jihad to the original Dune series and beyond. Based directly on Frank Herbert's final outline, which lay hidden in safe-deposit boxes for a decade, these two volumes will finally answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades....

In this prequel to DUNE, Emperor Shaddam IV intends to gain absolute power by using Ixian slaves to create a synthetic form of melange, but Duke Leto Atreides has a bold plan to save them.

Twelve years after the events in Frank Herbert's Dune, Maud'Dib--Arrakis emperor Paul Atreides--has become the unintended figurehead of a violent dictatorship, and his enemies are multiplying. Vanishing into the desert, he waits as destiny shapes his twin heirs Leto II and Ghanima, who must contend with their scheming aunt Alia while Princess Wensicia, of the enemy House Corrino, plots her own attack on Maud'Dib's familial empire. Exiled Atreides...

Continuing the events leading up to Frank Herbert's immortal saga "Dune, " the exciting conclusion to this trilogy finds the cruel Tleilaxu overlords on Ix manufacturing a synthetic form of amal to supplant the spice from Dune. If amal is accepted, Emperor Shaddam IV will gain absolute power. But if the plot of the Imperial House Corrino succeeds, the result may be the end of civilization itself.

"Duncan Idaho follows a beacon to escape the hunt; Baron Harkonnen and the Reverend Mother make an agreement; Padot Kynes helps some Fremen and visits one of their sietches; Leto explores Ix and overhears a dangerous secret." --

The saga of intergalactic warrior Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto, who struggles with the native inhabitants of the dry planet Arrakis (Dune) to overthrow the terrible Baron Harkonnen and his family and control the special product of the planet, a mind-altering spice produced by giant sand worms.