What do you think?
Rate this book
Legends of Dune #1-3
Legends of Dune Trilogy
This Mass Market Boxed Set contains the three volumes of the Legends of Dune:
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, 0-765-34077-1
Dune: The Machine Crusade, 0-765-34078-X
Dune: The Battle of Corrin, 0-765-34079-8 Dune: The Butlerian JihadFrank Herbert's Dune series is one of the great creations of imaginative literature, science fiction's answer to The Lord of the Rings.
Decades after Herbert's original novels, the Dune saga was continued by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson. Working from Frank Herbert's own notes, the acclaimed authors reveal the chapter of the Dune saga most eagerly anticipated by readers: the Butlerian Jihad.
Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the war in which humans wrested their freedom from "thinking machines." In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler's passionate grief ignites the struggle that will liberate humans from their machine masters; here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange. . . .
Dune: The Machine Crusade
More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; 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--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.
And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.
Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade.
Dune: The Battle of Corrin
It has been fifty-six hard years since the events of Dune: The Machine Crusade. Following the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. Synchronized Worlds and Unallied Planets are liberated one by one, and at long last, after years of victory, the human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.
Unfortunately, Omnius has one last, deadly card to play. In a last-ditch effort to destroy humankind, virulent plagues are let loose throughout the galaxy, decimating the populations of whole planets . . . and once again, the tide of the titanic struggle shifts against the warriors of the human race. At last, the war that has lasted many lifetimes will be decided in the apocalyptic Battle of Corrin.
In the greatest battle in science fiction history, human and machine face off one last time. . . . And on the desert planet of Arrakis, the legendary Fremen of Dune become the feared fighting force to be discovered by Paul Muad'Dib in Frank Herbert's classic, Dune.
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, 0-765-34077-1
Dune: The Machine Crusade, 0-765-34078-X
Dune: The Battle of Corrin, 0-765-34079-8 Dune: The Butlerian JihadFrank Herbert's Dune series is one of the great creations of imaginative literature, science fiction's answer to The Lord of the Rings.
Decades after Herbert's original novels, the Dune saga was continued by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson. Working from Frank Herbert's own notes, the acclaimed authors reveal the chapter of the Dune saga most eagerly anticipated by readers: the Butlerian Jihad.
Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the war in which humans wrested their freedom from "thinking machines." In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler's passionate grief ignites the struggle that will liberate humans from their machine masters; here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange. . . .
Dune: The Machine Crusade
More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; 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--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.
And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.
Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade.
Dune: The Battle of Corrin
It has been fifty-six hard years since the events of Dune: The Machine Crusade. Following the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. Synchronized Worlds and Unallied Planets are liberated one by one, and at long last, after years of victory, the human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.
Unfortunately, Omnius has one last, deadly card to play. In a last-ditch effort to destroy humankind, virulent plagues are let loose throughout the galaxy, decimating the populations of whole planets . . . and once again, the tide of the titanic struggle shifts against the warriors of the human race. At last, the war that has lasted many lifetimes will be decided in the apocalyptic Battle of Corrin.
In the greatest battle in science fiction history, human and machine face off one last time. . . . And on the desert planet of Arrakis, the legendary Fremen of Dune become the feared fighting force to be discovered by Paul Muad'Dib in Frank Herbert's classic, Dune.
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 3, 2006
17 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
Brian Herbert
237 books2,161 followersBrian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Patrick Herbert.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 15, 2021
Going in with low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised and am baffled by the hate.
Let me preface this by saying that you will be more familiar with certain characters and seeing their origins and fates will perhaps be more meaningful if you have read Sandworms of Dune first. Appropriately, that's particularly the case for Erasmus and for Serena Butler (also for Norma Cenva, later the "Oracle of Time").
While this prequel trilogy veers away from the original Dune's style in terms of more frequent focus on external action than internal dialogue (relative to the original series), the descriptiveness of world-building and character development echoes what one would expect from Dune.
The trilogy as a whole deals with overarching themes of: the danger of blind faith, the perils of leadership, the effects of war on the human psyche individually and collectively, the opportunistic narration of history, and the perhaps standard sci-fi "man vs. machine" dialectic of brutal futurist notions of progress vs. sometimes just-as-brutal reactionary zealous (for lack of a better word) Luddism, offering worthwhile insights including the chapter-opening quotes typical for Dune books.
We see the first rider of worms, the first Reverend Mother (though she does not explicitly claim that title in the story, she's referred to as such in one of the aforementioned chapter-opening quotes), the Butlerian Jihad and the origins of a prohibition on "thinking machines", and the origins of galaxy-wide reliance on melange. This serves to humanize and otherwise show the 'actually-existing' behind the legends, something which is ultimately at the core of Dune's approach and messaging since Paul Atreides. Even the age-old Atreides-Harkonnen feud is explored in The Battle of Corrin.
Frank Herbert left extensive notes on certain subjects covered (the Butlerian Jihad, for one, and more than likely the origins of the Bene Gesserit, etc.), so there was *some* direction in place. There's some noticeable divergence from the original books' style, but it does not come across as directionless by any means.
Don't be put off by people saying only the original Dune is worth a read. Check it out and decide for yourself!
Let me preface this by saying that you will be more familiar with certain characters and seeing their origins and fates will perhaps be more meaningful if you have read Sandworms of Dune first. Appropriately, that's particularly the case for Erasmus and for Serena Butler (also for Norma Cenva, later the "Oracle of Time").
While this prequel trilogy veers away from the original Dune's style in terms of more frequent focus on external action than internal dialogue (relative to the original series), the descriptiveness of world-building and character development echoes what one would expect from Dune.
The trilogy as a whole deals with overarching themes of: the danger of blind faith, the perils of leadership, the effects of war on the human psyche individually and collectively, the opportunistic narration of history, and the perhaps standard sci-fi "man vs. machine" dialectic of brutal futurist notions of progress vs. sometimes just-as-brutal reactionary zealous (for lack of a better word) Luddism, offering worthwhile insights including the chapter-opening quotes typical for Dune books.
We see the first rider of worms, the first Reverend Mother (though she does not explicitly claim that title in the story, she's referred to as such in one of the aforementioned chapter-opening quotes), the Butlerian Jihad and the origins of a prohibition on "thinking machines", and the origins of galaxy-wide reliance on melange. This serves to humanize and otherwise show the 'actually-existing' behind the legends, something which is ultimately at the core of Dune's approach and messaging since Paul Atreides. Even the age-old Atreides-Harkonnen feud is explored in The Battle of Corrin.
Frank Herbert left extensive notes on certain subjects covered (the Butlerian Jihad, for one, and more than likely the origins of the Bene Gesserit, etc.), so there was *some* direction in place. There's some noticeable divergence from the original books' style, but it does not come across as directionless by any means.
Don't be put off by people saying only the original Dune is worth a read. Check it out and decide for yourself!
September 24, 2012
These (and the "House" series) are pitiful reminders of how good writing is sometimes necessary.
Look, I liked Rico Slade Will Fucking Kill You because the writing fit the genre. That is, it's not the best written book ... on some pages it starts competing for "worst written" book award. BUT, it fit. The story was not epic, it was a written parody of B and Z grade Action-Adventure schlock from the 80's and 90's and the writing was meant to resemble what our eyes and ears saw during that time.
THESE BOOKS, though, are a different matter entirely. Sure, the ideas and the stories told inside them (especially in the House books where the whole Harkonnen vs. Atreides feud is explained) are great ... but to get to those nuggets of gold ... man, even manure is easier to shift through WITHOUT nose plugs.
It's been years since I read these books. Everytime I look at the Herbert section in a bookstore, my eyes bleed a little to see these ones intermixed with Frank Herbert's volumes of wonder. Even when he couldn't fully succeed (basically the last two or three books in the series), it didn't ruin the books.
The books by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson are very close to ruining the entire series ... even those by Frank Herbert. That is the grandest tragedy of them all.
Look, I liked Rico Slade Will Fucking Kill You because the writing fit the genre. That is, it's not the best written book ... on some pages it starts competing for "worst written" book award. BUT, it fit. The story was not epic, it was a written parody of B and Z grade Action-Adventure schlock from the 80's and 90's and the writing was meant to resemble what our eyes and ears saw during that time.
THESE BOOKS, though, are a different matter entirely. Sure, the ideas and the stories told inside them (especially in the House books where the whole Harkonnen vs. Atreides feud is explained) are great ... but to get to those nuggets of gold ... man, even manure is easier to shift through WITHOUT nose plugs.
It's been years since I read these books. Everytime I look at the Herbert section in a bookstore, my eyes bleed a little to see these ones intermixed with Frank Herbert's volumes of wonder. Even when he couldn't fully succeed (basically the last two or three books in the series), it didn't ruin the books.
The books by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson are very close to ruining the entire series ... even those by Frank Herbert. That is the grandest tragedy of them all.
January 24, 2023
Each successive volume just keeps getting worse. This rating is an average of the three books. And, honestly, I feel like I'm being overly generous.
The Butlerian Jihad: Well, that was disappointing. Hopefully future volumes in this series of prequels will be better.
The Machine Crusade: Yikes! It’s just getting worse. Seriously, is the only thing the authors are interested in is milking Dune as a literary cash cow? Are they really this unimaginative that they they have no viable career alternative than wringing every excruciating penny they can out of this franchise? If the last book in this trilogy isn’t an improvement, I’ll be walking away from these authors permanently.
The Battle of Corbin: Wow, I just finished this book, Star Wars: The Battle of Corrin, and boy oh boy was it ...terrible. Sure it had the proto-Jedi knights with their ever ready pulse-blades and the wicked sorceresses replaced the vile Sith Lords, but for book three of the Legends of Star Wars ... Wait ... ah ... Legends of Dune?! What's going on here?
Seriously, as a novel attempting to create a narrative on the Dune Universe this is a mildly interesting, at best, chapter for a Star Wars trilogy. During the last two-thirds of the book I got so sick of being told that the evil Sith Lords, oh sorry there I go again, the evil thinking machines had been locked up for 20 years I was ready to vomit. Every chapter for over 400 pages had to remind the reader of this fact and some chapters were as short as 2-3 pages, most were probably 5-6 pages. There's also the fact that this book turns the entire "history" of the Dune Universe into nothing more than a weekday afternoon space opera, meaning a melodramatic soap opera set in space, that only weakens the emotional, sociological and philosophical impact of Frank Herbert's masterpiece Dune. Now the entire epoch of Dune is about nothing but the petty, and it doesn't get much pettier than this, rivalries of the two families who, in one way or another, have their hands (genes) in EVERY important plot in the universe. Seriously, Brian and Kevin, this is the best you could do? Very, very disappointing. Extremely disappointing even when compared to the first two less than spectacular books in this trilogy. This ... this is nothing less than a travesty and a shameful insult to Frank Herbert.
The Butlerian Jihad: Well, that was disappointing. Hopefully future volumes in this series of prequels will be better.
The Machine Crusade: Yikes! It’s just getting worse. Seriously, is the only thing the authors are interested in is milking Dune as a literary cash cow? Are they really this unimaginative that they they have no viable career alternative than wringing every excruciating penny they can out of this franchise? If the last book in this trilogy isn’t an improvement, I’ll be walking away from these authors permanently.
The Battle of Corbin: Wow, I just finished this book, Star Wars: The Battle of Corrin, and boy oh boy was it ...terrible. Sure it had the proto-Jedi knights with their ever ready pulse-blades and the wicked sorceresses replaced the vile Sith Lords, but for book three of the Legends of Star Wars ... Wait ... ah ... Legends of Dune?! What's going on here?
Seriously, as a novel attempting to create a narrative on the Dune Universe this is a mildly interesting, at best, chapter for a Star Wars trilogy. During the last two-thirds of the book I got so sick of being told that the evil Sith Lords, oh sorry there I go again, the evil thinking machines had been locked up for 20 years I was ready to vomit. Every chapter for over 400 pages had to remind the reader of this fact and some chapters were as short as 2-3 pages, most were probably 5-6 pages. There's also the fact that this book turns the entire "history" of the Dune Universe into nothing more than a weekday afternoon space opera, meaning a melodramatic soap opera set in space, that only weakens the emotional, sociological and philosophical impact of Frank Herbert's masterpiece Dune. Now the entire epoch of Dune is about nothing but the petty, and it doesn't get much pettier than this, rivalries of the two families who, in one way or another, have their hands (genes) in EVERY important plot in the universe. Seriously, Brian and Kevin, this is the best you could do? Very, very disappointing. Extremely disappointing even when compared to the first two less than spectacular books in this trilogy. This ... this is nothing less than a travesty and a shameful insult to Frank Herbert.
March 26, 2023
The Battle of Corrin is definitely the strongest of the three novels in this prequel trilogy, seemingly tying all loose ends (sometimes in a way that felt a bit too hasty — such as with Seurat) into a nice bow, and leaves just enough open ended for future books.
Overall, although it took a bit for me to get into this trilogy, I ultimately ended up enjoying it immensely. The rampant timeskips in this book may sometimes make your head spin, but the characters — particularly Vorian and Erasmus and Norma for me — act as narrative anchor points that make seeing the grand ways that the universe changes throughout their existences exciting. Definitely recommend this trilogy if you enjoy Dune, or if you just enjoy thousands of pages of sci fi fantasy.
Overall, although it took a bit for me to get into this trilogy, I ultimately ended up enjoying it immensely. The rampant timeskips in this book may sometimes make your head spin, but the characters — particularly Vorian and Erasmus and Norma for me — act as narrative anchor points that make seeing the grand ways that the universe changes throughout their existences exciting. Definitely recommend this trilogy if you enjoy Dune, or if you just enjoy thousands of pages of sci fi fantasy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2025
I began the Butlerian Jihad trilogy with genuine excitement. The premise of humanity’s struggle for survival against sentient machines sounded incredibly compelling. And at first, it was. But as I continued, finishing the trilogy became a real challenge.
The writing is noticeably simplistic, often repetitive, and lacks the depth that characterizes Frank Herbert’s original Dune novels. What frustrated me most was the decision to kill off many of the key characters developed in the first two books, only to spend much of the third reintroducing a new cast and reestablishing the world. As a result, the much-anticipated Battle of Corrin is crammed into what feels like just a handful of pages.
Reading these books was difficult—not because the ideas weren’t interesting, but because the execution felt tedious. Still, if you’re a fan of the Dune universe and want to explore its early mythology, there’s some enjoyment to be found here. Just be prepared for a long and often repetitive journey.
The writing is noticeably simplistic, often repetitive, and lacks the depth that characterizes Frank Herbert’s original Dune novels. What frustrated me most was the decision to kill off many of the key characters developed in the first two books, only to spend much of the third reintroducing a new cast and reestablishing the world. As a result, the much-anticipated Battle of Corrin is crammed into what feels like just a handful of pages.
Reading these books was difficult—not because the ideas weren’t interesting, but because the execution felt tedious. Still, if you’re a fan of the Dune universe and want to explore its early mythology, there’s some enjoyment to be found here. Just be prepared for a long and often repetitive journey.
August 25, 2015
Great ending of the trilogy
July 28, 2010
Dune (Volume 1 in the DUNE series) by Frank Herbert (1965)
September 18, 2013
It was a painfully slow trilogy, but it would have made a great single novel.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews