Dune: The Duke of Caladan

This first book of a projected trilogy attempts to shift the focus of the classic Dune from Paul Atreides to his father, Leto, Duke of Caladan. This is done by detailing Leto—and Paul’s—final year on their home planet Caladan and showing the circumstances that led to the family’s exile on Arrakis, to Leto’s assassination, and to Paul’s transformation into Maud’dib, the leader of the Fremen Rebellion. Unlike the classic that is both its forebearer and its successor, this is a story that gets deep into the weeds of political chicanery, corporate greed, and ruthless ambition. It also has a difficult time sustaining dramatic tension as the reader already knows the fate of the characters less than one year in their future, making the narrative illuminating but not nearly as compelling as the classic.