Your favourite Dune novels

Hey guys, just wanted to start by saying that DUNE is one of my favourite books since childhood. My parents were huge fans, used to discuss it a lot and introduced me to it. I was immediately captivated by the talks about a mysterious sand planet, giant sandworms and evil and twisted fat Baron Harkonenn. I've read DUNE for the first time at the age of 10 or 11 and felt in love with it's unique blend of mystery, fantasy and sci-fi unlike any other fantastic novel I've come across at that time. It's psychedelic imagery and a teenage protagonist who disovers something great and special about his destiny appealed to me as a kid even more than Star Wars did, and Lynch's film added more to it. I might even say that Frank Herbert's allusions to Middle East culture inspired me later to go on and study oriental studies in university (although it did not turn out very well, since I later have chosen to pursue a diffrent path entirely).

Despite all that things as a kid I've never known that original DUNE had a sequel, even 5 of them - all written by Frank Herbert himself. For some reason we had only the first book at home, and my parents never mentioned anything about a continuation. May be they knew about it, and did not want to spoil anything to me, so it was a taboo, or may be they just completely avoided anything besides the first book, making it a kind of untouchable sci-fi Bible of sorts.

So anyway, for a long time the DUNE universe consisted for me only of the original novel, Lynch's movie and Westwood games. Only in a course of last 3 years (and I'm 30 now) I've got acquainted with all the other novels in the series (up to Brian and Kevin's Dune 7), completing this amazing journey. Man, how much I've missed this years. The way the series are evolved and expanded after the first novel is astonishing, and I never regret reading any other part of the story.

So here I just wanted to share my list of Dune novels in the order from most to the least favorite.

  1. HERETICS. To me it's a perfect balance of story, action, politics, religion, mystery, sex, suspense, pacing, plot twists and revelations a Dune novel can achieve. It also introduces some of my favorite Dune characters ever - Miles, Sheanna, Darwi, Waff, Murbella.
  2. DUNE. Total classic. One of the greatest inspirations from literature I have ever experienced. It should have been on the first place if I still were a kid, but for me it remains a childhood love, today I much more prefer the later more grown-up storyline.
  3. GOD EMPEROR. A complete game-changer, an ultimate culmination of Dune weirdness. Not quite a traditional novel, more like a memoir of a god trapped in a giant body of a worm creature. Even though it was pictured on the cover of the copy I've read, I could not believe Leto's transformation until I've read about it in every detail. It gave me chills every time FH described his appearance or nuances of his feelings. If not beeing so slow and lacking interesting plot developments, this book would have definetely been on top of my list.
  4. CHAPTERHOUSE. Second part of Heretics, continuing the story from where it left in the 5th book. The Murbella twist in the end is one of my favorite in the series, and further explorations of the post-Scattering Dune added greatly to this unbelievable and yet so real world of far away future.
  5. CHILDREN. I liked the fact of an Atreides being a villain, it surely shoke some of the childhood foundations, and such a beautiful description of Alia's inner torture and exploring her complex relations with the Baron. The beginning of Leto's transformation - again, when you think you've seen all the weirdness FH can suggest you, he does not stop to amaze and shake your imagination.
  6. MESSIAH. The aftermath of the first book, yet for me somehow bland and less inspiring. The rise and decay of Paul the Emperor - it was very strange to see the so beloved childhood hero to fall, but then it tempers your feelings.
  7. DUNE 7 (aka HUNTERS and SANDWORMS). I have no doubt that the majority of story developments were included in FH's outline. I have nothing against the thinking machines returning. To me it seemed very much logical, since from the very beginning in Dune we are told about the Butlerian Jihad and how it shaped the world. Leto II's vision and Golden Path also become much more clear and his frightening premonitions at the end of God Emperor about the seeking machines, the booming sound approaching and the Kralizec start to make a lot of sense. And I totally dig Duncan as The One. Despite that I found the writing style to be naive and lacking the poetry and mystery of the FH novels, some plot decisions not very convincing and sometimes predictable (two super skilled mentats failing to see who the face dancers on board the Ithaca are for so many years, Teg's unreasonable demise, etc.) , but I very much respect the work Brian and Kevin did, as overall they made a great and touching conclusion.

So here it is. I know it must have been done a thousand of times on various forums all over the Internets, but still - what do you guys think, what are your favorite Dune novels? :)