So, you’ve started watching Dune: Prophecy. Maybe you’re already a Dune fan firmly entrenched in the world created by author Frank Herbert. You know your Atreideses from your Harkonnens, your Arrakis from your Giedi Prime. Or maybe, you’ve just watched the two recent movies. Maybe this is your first foray into this world. Wherever you stand, we’ve compiled a timeline of the Dune novels and screen adaptations, should you wish to further explore, or revisit, this epic world. 

1920: Author Frank Herbert is born.

1963 – 1964: The first part of his science fiction novel Dune is serialised as Dune World in the magazine Analog.

1965: The second part of the novel is released in Analog as Prophet of Dune.

1965: The whole novel is eventually published.

1969: The sequel Dune Messiah is published.

1976: Children of Dune is published.

1981: God Emperor of Dune is published.

1984: Heretics of Dune is published.

1984: The first film adaptation is released, directed by David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides. Here's the actor giving a Dune: Prophecy 101.

1985: Chapterhouse: Dune, the final Dune novel written by Frank Herbert, is published.

1986: Frank Herbert passes away at the age of 65.

1999: Frank’s son Brian teams up with author Kevin J Anderson to continue the legacy. They write a prequel to Frank’s original work, titled Dune: House Atreides. It is the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership that continues to this day.

2000: Another prequel, Dune: House Harkonnen, is published.

2000: A miniseries adaptation based on Frank’s first book airs, titled Frank Herbert’s Dune, starring Alec Newman as Paul Atreides.

2001: The prequel Dune: House Corrino is published. It is the third book in Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson’s Prelude to Dune trilogy, the other two being House Atreides and House Harkonnen.

2002: Dune: The Butlerian Jihad is published, kicking off a new trilogy: Legends of Dune.

2003: Dune: The Machine Crusade is published. It is the second book in the Legends of Dune Trilogy.

2003: The 2000 miniseries is followed up with another. Titled Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, it is based on his books Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.

2004: The Legends of Dune trilogy continues with the publication of The Battle of Corrin.

2006 – 2007: Two sequels to Frank Herbert’s final Dune book, Chapterhouse: Dune, are published: Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. They are also written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson.

2008: The Heroes of Dune trilogy kicks off with the publication of Paul of Dune.

2009: The Heroes of Dune trilogy continues with the publication of The Winds of Dune.

2012 – 2016: The Great Schools of Dune trilogy is published: Sisterhood of Dune (2012), Mentats of Dune (2014), and Navigators of Dune (2016). Sisterhood of Dune would become the inspiration for the TV series Dune: Prophecy.

2020 – 2021: The first two books in the Caladan trilogy are released: The Duke of Caladan (2020) and The Lady of Caladan (2021).

2021: The second film adaptation is released. Titled Dune, it directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides.

Cool facts about Dune

2022: The film wins six awards at the Oscars.

2022: The third book in the Caladan trilogy, The Heir of Caladan, is published

2023: Princess of Dune, the third book in the Heroes of Dune trilogy, is published.

2024: The sequel to Villeneuve’s 2021 film is released, Dune: Part Two, with the director back in place.

2024: Dune: Prophecy starts airing.

Here’s how to read the books in publication order:

Here’s how to read the books in chronological order:

Immerse yourself in this epic world with Dune: Prophecy airing Express from the US on Mondays at 03:00, and in prime time at 21:00, on M-Net channel 101. Missed the first episode? Catch up on DStv Stream here. Follow the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #MNet101 and #DuneProphecy. 

Feature image: HBO