So you've read Dune...now what?

#141: Where to go next on your personal Dune journey

We just wrapped another book over on The Big Read: Dune! To those who stuck with it, I say congratulations. To those who haven’t finished yet, I hope you stick with it!

There were many comments that shared hesitancy over sci-fi generally and Dune specifically. Now that you’ve read this sci-fi classic, it’s time to ask yourself a very important question: How much more Dune do you want? Or perhaps a better phrasing is how much more spice do you want in your life?

I’ve created this handy flow chart so you can self-assess and determine how much more time you want to spend on Arrakis. I hope you enjoy!

I’m Good!

If reading the first Dune book was a slog and you want nothing more to do with it, then you’re good! Ride off into the Arrakeen sunset and never look back.

But wait, before you go! I encourage you to watch Dune Part 1 (2021) and Dune Part 2 (2024). They are epic and pure capital “c” Cinema and retroactively made me like the book more. Dune Part 2 is in theaters now and you should see it on the biggest screen with the best sound.

A little more spice, please!

If Dune piqued your interest, there are several places to go from here. Let’s take a look at books and movies, fiction and non-fiction, that can satiate your need for a little more spice.

Non-fiction Book & Movie

The Spice Must Flow by Ryan Britt is a fun and fascinating exploration of the impact Dune has had on pop culture. It is a quick read that has the potential to deepen your appreciation for the Duniverse. In 288 brisk pages, Britt managed to convince me that “Dune is for everyone.”¹ Proceed with caution, however — Britt gives minor spoilers from the Dune sequels so if that matters to you, make sure you skip those chapters.

Jodorowsky’s Dune is a documentary currently streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max) and it was bizarre. But also fascinating. Filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky is, in my opinion, an experimental filmmaker who decided to adapt Dune before even reading it. He assembled a team of “spiritual warriors” with an end goal to “change the world.” Visual artists like H.R. Giger, Chris Foss, and Jean “Moebius” Giraud came together and storyboarded the entire film, but eventually ran out of money and it was never made.

The best part is seeing the artistic renderings of costumed characters and ships as well as learning about Jodorowsky’s dream cast, which feature Mick Jagger as Feyd-Rautha, Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen and Salvador Dali as Emperor Shaddam IV! This documentary combined with The Spice Must Flow were fun and well worth it even for a casual Dune fan.

Fiction Books & TV Series

If you’re even a little curious where the story goes after Dune, you can’t go wrong with Dune: Messiah and Children of Dune. For me, these books had enough fun and suspense that I felt like they were worth my time. The plot of Messiah is especially intriguing and tense until the end.

But that’s as far as you should go if you only want a little more spice. I read book 4, God Emperor of Dune, and I agree with Ryan Britt when he said: “If the first three Dune novels were unfairly labeled as dense or unapproachable, God Emperor of Dune pretty much lives up to Dune’s ‘difficult’ reputation.”²

I can’t in good conscience recommend 1984’s Dune directed by David Lynch if you only want a little more spice. I also struggle to recommend 2000’s Frank Herbert’s Dune, a three-part Sci Fi miniseries with a 4+ hour runtime.

But, if you had to choose between the two, pick the miniseries. While the special effects resemble an old video game, it has more room to breathe, hews closer to the book, and was wildly successful:

According to an analysis from Broadcasting and Cable published on December 10, 2000, “despite a slow start and a notoriously complicated storyline, Sci-Fi Channel’s adaptation of Dune became the most watched program in the network’s history . . . this miniseries is a decided home run.”³

The spice must flow through my veins!!

If this is you, then you are in for a real treat — there are 7 more books in the main Dune series! And then several more by Herbert’s son, Brian! Happy reading if you choose to pursue more books.

I enjoyed the original trilogy but book 4, God Emperor of Dune, was so bizarre that I couldn’t continue.⁴ I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from continuing if that’s what you want to do.

If you still need more spice, of course watch the cult classic Dune (1984) directed by David Lynch and read Max Evry’s A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune, An Oral History. I can’t recommend either to general audiences which is why these are here in the “spice must flow through my veins” section.

If that’s still not enough spice, YouTube has excellent behind the scenes featurettes and book to film comparisons. I’d start with this 90-minute breakdown by Alt Shift X that has 15M views!

Final Thoughts

I can’t help but love Dune. The world is so rich and original albeit somewhat unapproachable for me. I like action and intrigue and thrills and I think the world of Dune has tons of potential. I’m really glad the new movies were made and I hope we get a part 3 covering Dune Messiah. Part of me wishes we could get the raw materials of Dune in the hands of an author or authors that are more plot focused and better at writing action. The ingredients of this world in the hands of plot-forward writers could be really cool.

I’ll sign off with two more YouTube videos that are short and awesome. The first is how Hans Zimmer developed the music and sound of Dune (2021). Rarely do I think of a composer being responsible for certain sound designs in a movie, but here’s proof of that.

The second is a video from Nerdist that attempts to pull every Dune reference from pop culture. If you do nothing else as a result of this article, please watch this and enjoy.

What did I miss? Please share your recommendations!

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you over on The Big Read for Jane Eyre!

—Kyle

1. Britt, Ryan. The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition

2. Britt, Ryan. The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (p. 175). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

3. Britt, Ryan. The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (pp. 195-196). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

4. Here’s a line from God Emperor of Dune that has aged in a funny way: “Are you thirsty Siona? Thirsty people speak of water, not of sex.” I promise it doesn’t get better in context.