The Road to Dune

This 2005 companion anthology is essential reading for dedicated Dune fans and nearly irrelevant to everyone else. The highlight is Frank Herbert's original correspondence with editors during Dune's difficult path to publication — a genuinely fascinating look at how one of science fiction's greatest works almost never made it into print. Spice Planet, the alternate proto-Dune narrative, offers an interesting parallel-universe glimpse at Herbert's early creative vision. The new short stories by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are more divisive; many series fans find them weaker than the original material. The anthology format means uneven quality throughout. Mature teen and adult Dune readers will find real treasures here. Casual SF readers should start with the original Dune instead.