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Dune: The Butlerian Jihad: Book One of the Legends of Dune Trilogy Audiobook
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(3.47) - 10,565 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Frank Herbert's Dune series is one of the grandest epics in the annals of imaginative literature. Selling millions of copies worldwide, it is science fiction's answer to The Lord of the Rings, a brilliantly imaginative epic of high adventure, unforgettable characters, and immense scope. Decades after Herbert's original novels, the Dune saga was continued by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, an acclaimed SF novelist in his own right, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson. Their New York Times bestselling Prelude to Dune trilogy (House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and House Corrino), formed a prequel to the classic Herbert series that was acclaimed by reviewers and readers alike. Now Herbert and Anderson, working from Frank Herbert's own notes, reveal a pivotal epoch in the history of the Dune universe, the chapter of the saga most eagerly anticipated by readers: The Butlerian Jihad. Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the long-ago war in which humans wrested their freedom from "thinking machines." Now, in Dune: 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 war that will liberate humans from their machine masters. We learn the circumstances of the betrayal that made mortal enemies of House Atreides and House Harkonnen; and we experience the Battle of Corrin that created a galactic empire that lasted until the reign of Emperor Shaddam IV. Herein are the foundations of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Suk Doctors, the Order of Mentats, and the mysteriously altered Navigators of the Spacing Guild. 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 . . . . Ten thousand years before the events of Dune, humans have managed to battle the remorseless Machines to a standstill . . . but victory may be short-lived. Yet amid shortsighted squabbling between nobles, new leaders have begun to emerge. Among them are Xavier Harkonnen, military leader of the Planet of Salusa Secundus; Xavier's fiancée, Serena Butler, an activist who will become the unwilling leader of millions; and Tio Holtzman, the scientist struggling to devise a weapon that will help the human cause. Against the brute efficiency of their adversaries, these leaders and the human race have only imagination, compassion, and the capacity for love. It will have to be enough.
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"I enjoyed this collaboration between the two authors. It describes the period leading up to the machine wars which predates the Dune story by 11,000 years. It also sets the background to the Spacing Guild, the Suk doctors, and the Bene Gesserit, as well as the Freemen. One challenge I had near the end was the connection of jihad with the League of Nobles. The notion of a holy war in a society (Nobles) without any faith seemed odd. How are they going to bridge the gap between the Zensunnis and Zenshiites who shaped the Freemen and the rest of society? Then 11,000 years later society is stratified as before the machine wars at the commencement of the Dune series as we know it. I supposed I will need to read the sequel to this one to find out."
— Sean (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“This is a good, steady, enjoyable tale...Fans who will be sorry to see the end of this series will be heartened by the hint that the Dune saga is far from over.
— Publishers Weekly on Dune: House Corrino -
Rich interweaving of politics and plotting made tbhe Dune novels special. And Dune: House Atreides does its predecessors justice.
— USA Today -
A spirited and entertaining adventure...The real pleasure here comes from watching the authors lay out the plot threads that will converge in Dune.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dune: House Atreides
Awards
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Winner of Audie Award Winner, 2003
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad Listener Reviews
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Markus Bawidamann, 1/8/2017
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" I cheated, I listened to this on tape (to and from work), its good, if you like to know more about the Dune world. "
— Bob, 2/14/2014 -
" I really wish I could give this author a negative star rating. With the exception of reviews on this book, mostly for the purpose of warning people who liked Frank Herbert's Dune series, I will pretend that these books do not exist. "
— Navarra, 2/4/2014 -
" The Dune Saga is a must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
— Ricco, 1/22/2014 -
" These books never get old as they explain some of the things that led up to Dune. "
— Gary, 1/20/2014 -
" Horrible beyond belief as someone who's read the original 6. Barely got 30 pages in before I stopped. Not willing to finish. To think Herbert's own son could sign off on this must have Frank spinning in his grave at excessively high RPM. Yes, it's that bad. "
— Jim, 1/5/2014 -
" I don't care what the purists say....these are great reads!! "
— Rob, 12/19/2013 -
" I found this book a bit slow to begin with but this appears to be a theme with the author. It wasn't a problem as the plot was extremely deep and intriguing, and the characters were easy to identify with, given the subject. "
— Carly, 12/5/2013 -
" Not quite as good as the original Dune book, but pretty good for a prequel. "
— Ike, 12/1/2013 -
" Literally the worst book I have ever read. It was a synopsis, not a novel. "
— John, 9/23/2013 -
" Page 194, the description of the Sorceresses, is the only reason this book didn't get 5 stars. "
— V3_Shae, 9/16/2013 -
" Helped tell a story that was really missing from the original books. "
— Ken, 4/16/2013 -
" Fantastic prequel to the Dune saga. "
— Trenton, 2/4/2013 -
" Good use of the story and characters, but the verbal "melange" is just not there "
— Daniel, 12/27/2012 -
" OK, compared to Frank's run on Dune, this book straight-up sucked, compared to the average run of SciFi, this book was alright. There it is. Now having said that, I can't say I won't read the rest of the series. God, I love a pulpy series. "
— Kurt, 11/18/2012 -
" Was quite good. Brian was getting a better feel for the material, I think, and started writing more like himself, and less of a pale imitation of his Father. "
— Dawson, 10/12/2012 -
" I think it is safe to say that with the death of Frank Herbert, there would be no more books set in the Dune universe. I really gave his son a chance, but his prequels are best left on the shelves. "
— Endre, 9/21/2012 -
" I've read the first 3 books of the Dune Chronicles, and Brian may not have his father's writing style, but this book was still a lot of fun to read. "
— Takim, 4/30/2012 -
" This explains lots about Dune "
— Jill, 2/13/2012 -
" I have read this book and all of the Dune series more than once, each time gaining new insights as I read and as I simultaneously understand more about life on earth. These books read as though the story is down-loaded, 'channeled'. "
— Birgitt, 10/14/2011 -
" Enjoyable prequel, probably the best 'grouping' of Dune books after Dune itself. "
— Ice, 9/26/2011 -
" I am not a huge fan of the Dune books but I read them all... so they nust have been good "
— Debra, 8/3/2011 -
" I enjoyed this more than the original Dune. The backstories to the Dune series add an amazing dimension to the whole Dune universe. "
— Rene, 6/30/2011 -
" Page 194, the description of the Sorceresses, is the only reason this book didn't get 5 stars. "
— V3_Shae, 6/29/2011 -
" I think it is safe to say that with the death of Frank Herbert, there would be no more books set in the Dune universe. I really gave his son a chance, but his prequels are best left on the shelves. "
— Endre, 6/3/2011 -
" After the Titans overthrew the old Empire, one of them is careless and allows the thinking machines to take control. Serena Butler, Xavier Harkonen, and Vorian Atreides play inmportant roles in the beginnings of the jihad whcih will put humans back in control. "
— Terry, 4/22/2011 -
" This got kinda bogged down at points, but all-in-all I'm still happy with my Sandwormery. "
— Conor, 2/28/2011 -
" Enjoyable prequel, probably the best 'grouping' of Dune books after Dune itself. "
— Ice, 2/23/2011 -
" An interesting background story to a pivotal event, but it's not Frank's magic (then again, could it ever be?) "
— Aimee, 2/17/2011 -
" Frank Herbert was so great creating the Dune universe that anything besides his work seems just ok or aceptable. I'm reading The Butlerian Jihad because Im a big fan of Dune and is a good idea to tell the stories pervious to Frank's Dune universe. "
— Abiel, 2/7/2011 -
" Dune between book 1 and book 2 of the series. "
— Bill, 1/11/2011 -
" The only reason this book is so good is because this is the ORIGIN of the whole DUNE universe! Without this story, there would be no DUNE! This is the only prequel novel that needed to be written at all! "
— Kevin, 12/22/2010
About the Authors
Brian Herbert, the son of Frank Herbert, is a New York Times bestselling author who has won the New York Times Notable Book Award. He has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards. In 2003 he published Dreamer of Dune, a moving biography of his father that was a Hugo Award finalist. Two of his recent novels are ecological thrillers—Ocean and The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma.
Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 180 books, fifty-eight of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, edited numerous anthologies, written comics and games, and the lyrics to two rock CDs. Anderson is the director of the graduate program in Publishing at Western Colorado University, and he and his wife Rebecca Moesta are the publishers of WordFire Press. There are twenty-four million copies of his books in print in thirty-four languages. His most recent novels are Bats in the Belfry, Skeleton in the Closet, Persephone, and Princess of Dune (with Brian Herbert).
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.