Elrood IX

Dune: House Atreides

First edition cover
Author	Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Audio read by	Scott Brick
Cover artist	Stephen Youll
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Prelude to Dune
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Spectra
Publication date	1999
Media type	Print (hardcover & paperback)
Pages	624
ISBN
OCLC	40754615
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 21
LC Class	PS3558.E617 D86 1999
Followed by	Dune: House Harkonnen

Dune: House Atreides is a 1999 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the first book in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune.Bantam Books made a $3 million deal for the novels in 1997. The Prelude to Dune novels draw from notes left behind by Frank Herbert after his death.

Dune: House Atreides debuted at #13 on The New York Times Best Seller list, and rose to #12 in its second week of publication.

The novel begins on the planet of Arrakis, 35 years before the events of the original novel Dune. The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has just taken over the governorship of Arrakis (also called Dune) from his younger brother Abulurd, who has allowed spice production to decrease heavily. The Baron sees an opportunity for large profits and begins to store up illegal spice hoards.

On the Imperial Capital planet Kaitain, the young planetologist Pardot Kynes has just arrived from his homeworld of Salusa Secundus for an audience with the Padishah Emperor Elrood Corrino IX. The old Emperor is giving Kynes the mission of going to the only known source of melange, Arrakis, in order to find out how the precious substance is produced. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince Shaddam and his minion Hasimir Fenring are plotting against Elrood. Shaddam is not getting any younger, and it seems that the already 157-year-old Emperor could rule for another 50 years. Shaddam decides to poison his father in order to speed up his succession to the throne.