Dune has often been called the science-fiction version of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but unfortunately we don't have nearly as much scholarship on the making of Frank Herbert's Dune. This book helps to remedy that, at least partially. Brian Herbert provides several short commentaries on the origins of the Dune story. It'd be nice to have gotten more insight; this is certainly nothing like Christopher Tolkien's History of Middle-earth.

That said, the real meat of this book is the earlier draft of Dune, as well as deleted and alternative chapters. These are fascinating as they repeat many of the same themes as the final book but a much simpler plot. Unfortunately, again I wish Brian Herbert had provided more commentary to point out the differences between the drafts and the final text. How would the story have changed if some of the chapters about the trip from Caladan had been included?

Overall, I definitely recommend this to Dune fans, but also feel it could have been so much more.

Note: I have not read the short stories by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson because I have not read their other books (the short stories are sequels to some of their other work).

Die originale Ur-Geschichte des Autors zu der Wüstenplanet. Die Korrespondenz von Herbert mit seinem Agenten, entfallene Kapitel und ein paar Kurzgeschichten. Ergibt zusammen ein kurzweiliges Buch für Dune-Fans

Firstly, all the short stories in the last 100 pages are already it's own separate book, Tales of Dune, so I've read them already. Thus, the book felt like it ended abruptly. That being said, I enjoyed reading the sort of "Dune but a different universe" part of this book. It was cool to see what things were similar, and what was different. I especially enjoyed all of the unreleased chapters from Dune and Dune Messiah. The letters between Frank and his editors, publishing companies, and fans felt like a really nice way to end the series, as this was my last Dune book (out of 26!).

3.5/5, it would have been 4 if the short stories were new.

I listened to this book via Audible.

The Road to Dune is a collection of letters to and from author Frank Herbert giving context to the popular series, as well as a very early draft of the story, a selection of deleted scenes from the books, and a few short stories from his son Brian Herbert and collaborator Kevin J. Anderson. All told, it's a very insightful look into the creation of the classic series.

I think the most interesting part of the collection is Spice Planet, an early version of the Dune story that clearly set the stage for what was to come later. Many of the proper nouns are different, but key elements are still present. The overall gist of the story takes a different twist at the end, and the duke's son isn't quite as important, but it's still a compelling tale.

The letters offered some insight into the author, his life, and the struggles it took to get Dune published. It was a nice peek behind the curtain.

The short stories at the end were my first exposures to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's work on Dune, and I definitely enjoyed them. I'm looking forward to diving into their full-length novels that expand the universe.

The Road to Dune is a great read for any fan of the series who is interested in learning more about the universe Frank Herbert created.

A quick, good read for all writers. You will feel buoyed and validated in Goldberg’s hands.

This is a really cool book for any Dune fan. It includes letters Frank Herbert wrote while writing and editing the first novel, drafts of chapters from Dune and Dune Messiah, which are absolutely fascinating.

My one complaint is, although it's called The Road to Dune, this collection mostly showcases Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's work. The first half of the book is an alternate Dune novel entitled Spice World that Frank Herbert outlined. Unfortunately BRIAN Herbert wrote the novella, so the writing style is, well, not as great. Also, there are several short stories about Dune based on Frank Herbert's notes. Again, though, Brian and Kevin wrote them. If you really do not like what Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson hath wrought in their prequels and sequels, you may not enjoy this book too much. That said, this book complements Dune very well due to its inclusion of the budding of Frank's imagination. I would have preferred a more Frank Herbert-centric collection, but alas.

This book is worthy of any fan's attention regardless of any shortcomings.

I'm a Dune fanboy so any extra content I can get my hands on I'm almost certain I'll enjoy. This book contains short stories, deleted chapters, and even a polished draft of Dune called "Spice World", you can tell from this collection of Dune related material that Herbert had been researching and writing what would eventually become Dune and Dune Messiah for years.

This book is a solid companion if you enjoyed Dune, Dune Messiah, and the Legends of dune trilogy and are interested in understanding how the Dune universe was ultimately developed.

3,5 stars

An entertaining window into the past, our past that is, another glimpse of Frank Herbert's writing style. These are a little rough, unpolished, and no new information, but a welcome little supplement to the Dune universe.

4,25/4,5⭐️

The Road to Dune is an incredible book.

But do not be mislead, this is not a prequel, nor is it really an expansion of the Dune universe. Instead it is a glimpse into the evolution of everything Dune, a view of its pre layered subtlety, an origin story of the idea itself, not an origin story of the universe created.

The lead novella, Duneworld, contains characters familiar but not really. Names which morph onto the mantles of other characters in Dune are present, but are different protagonists with different motives, roles, and presentations. And missing from Duneworld are the native Fremen, as is the foundational presence of environmentalism. It is more of a space opera in some ways, but having been to Dune, you see its harbingers in Duneworld.

The innocuous and nondescript reporting piece which ignited Dune in Herbert’s mind is presented. What a brilliant individual! Also included are chapters dropped to keep serialization within contracted length, alternate endings, paths not taken, and several short stories bridging several of the prequels.

This book is for those interested in the creative process of Frank Herbert, of the spall of ideas, of paths not taken, and potentialities not reached. If you enter the path with that in mind you will be transported to a wondrous place, but a place not Dune, more of a place from which to consider Dune.

Happy wandering.

So Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson found Frank Herbert's early drafts for Dune and Dune Messiah, including a long and very deviant outline for the original novel. I hoped they would publish them in a format something like Christopher Tolkien's History of Middle-Earth series. They didn't. They rewrote the early Dune variant into a complete novel, but one with no value whatsoever - none as part of the Dune canon, of course, and also none as insight into how Dune developed, because there's no way to recover the actual outline from Herbert Jr. and Anderson's rewriting. The deleted chapters from later but rejected drafts are barely treated any better. At least they aren't rewritten, but Herbert and Anderson don't give any indication of what kind of draft each was part of, let alone what motivated the changes. Then they include some of their own Dune short stories, connected with their ginormous prequel project, but not particularly relevant here. The only decently illuminating reading here was a summary of Frank Herbert and his agent's correspondence with prospective publishers and others before and immediately after Dune was published, including Herbert's ill-fated proposal for a magazine article on sand dune stabilization that started the whole thing, but that's a paltry few tens of pages out of nearly 500. If Christopher Tolkien's work is like a carefully documented archaeological excavation of his father's writings, this is more like a looter's collection.