In Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Mentats of Dune, the thinking machines have been defeated but the struggle for humanity's future continues. Gilbertus Albans has founded the Mentat School, a place where humans can learn the efficient techniques of thinking machines. But Gilbertus walks an uneasy line between his own convictions and compromises in order to survive the Butlerian fanatics, led by the madman Manford Torondo and his Swordmaster Anari Idaho. Mother Superior Raquella attempts to rebuild her Sisterhood School on Wallach IX, with her most talented and ambitious student, Valya Harkonnen, who also has another goal—to exact revenge on Vorian Atreides, the legendary hero of the Jihad, whom she blames for her family's downfall. Meanwhile, Josef Venport conducts his own war against the Butlerians. VenHold Spacing Fleet controls nearly all commerce thanks to the superior mutated Navigators that Venport has created, and he places a ruthless embargo on any planet that accepts Manford Torondo's anti-technology pledge, hoping to starve them into submission. But fanatics rarely surrender easily . . . The Mentats, the Navigators, and the Sisterhood all strive to improve the human race, but each group knows that as Butlerian fanaticism grows stronger, the battle will be to choose the path of humanity's future—whether to embrace civilization, or to plunge into an endless dark age. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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The expansion of one of science fiction's most enduring epic sagas owes much of its modern continuation to the detailed world-building and archival additions to the Dune universe. Brian Herbert, born June 29, 1947, took on the responsibility of developing his father Frank Herbert's seminal literary universe while also establishing his own distinct voice in speculative fiction.
Brian Herbert began his literary career in the early 1980s, debuting in science fiction with the satirical novel Sidney's Comet in 1983, which inaugurated the Garbage Chronicles series, followed by The Garbage Chronicles in 1985. He went on to write standalone works such as Sudanna, Sudanna, Prisoners of Arionn, and The Race for God, as well as co-authoring Man of Two Worlds alongside his father in 1986. Following his father's passing, Herbert embarked on an exhaustive biographical and archival project, publishing Dreamer of Dune in 2003, a deeply personal memoir and chronicle that became a finalist for the Hugo Award.
To bring new life to the Arrakis saga, Herbert partnered with science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson to craft multi-volume prequel and sequel series based on extensive notes and outline materials left by Frank Herbert. Their collaboration produced bestselling series including the Prelude to Dune trilogy, beginning with Dune: House Atreides, Dune: House Harkonnen, and House Corrino, as well as the Legends of Dune trilogy starting with Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Dune: The Machine Crusade, and Dune: The Battle of Corrin. They completed the original saga's narrative arc with Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, while expanding character lore in novels like Paul of Dune and The Winds of Dune. Beyond print publishing, Herbert serves as president of the entity managing Frank Herbert's literary estate and acts as an executive producer on major film and television adaptations, including the cinematic releases and streaming series Dune: Prophecy.
Herbert's writing combines satirical social commentary, ecological speculative concepts, and grand-scale galactic politics. His early solo works frequently employed humor and absurdist premises to critique technological waste and human bureaucracy. When expanding epic space opera settings, his approach emphasizes detailed historical backstories, complex dynastic rivalries, and the philosophical struggles between humanity and artificial intelligence. Through works like The Road to Dune and various short fiction collections, Herbert blends archival preservation with collaborative storytelling, maintaining the intricate sociopolitical and ecological frameworks that define broad-canvas science fiction.
The Great Schools of Dune
