Princess of Dune

By: Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

"[Series narrator Scott] Brick turns in a rewarding performance" —AudioFile on Dune: The Duke of Caladan

"Scott Brick delivers an impressive one-man show."—AudioFile on The Winds of Dune

Set two years before Dune, Princess of Dune is the never-before-told story of two key women in the life of Paul Muad’Dib—Princess Irulan, his wife in name only, and Paul’s true love, the Fremen Chani. Both women become central to Paul’s galaxy-spanning Imperial reign.

Raised in the Imperial court and born to be a political bargaining chip, Irulan was sent at an early age to be trained as a Bene Gesserit Sister. As Princess Royal, she also learned important lessons from her father—the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. Now of marriageable age, Princess Irulan sees the machinations of the many factions vying for power—the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Spacing Guild, the Imperial throne, and a ruthless rebellion in the Imperial military. The young woman has a wise and independent streak and is determined to become much more than a pawn to be moved about on anyone’s gameboard.

Meanwhile, on Arrakis, Chani—the daughter of Liet-Kynes, the Imperial Planetologist who serves under the harsh rule of House Harkonnen—is trained in the Fremen mystical ways by an ancient Reverend Mother. Brought up to believe in her father’s ecological dream of a green Arrakis, she follows Liet around to Imperial testing stations, surviving the many hazards of desert life. Chani soon learns the harsh cost of Fremen dreams and obligations under the oppressive boot heel of the long Harkonnen occupation.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2023 Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Disappointed in the Audio

I typically love ALL of Scott Brick performances i have listened to every dune book and given them a 5 star review, But this book sounds like they ran Scott's voice though an AI Vocoder in a hallway with an echo. I have uninstalled and reinstalled and tried listening on a different device. it all sounds OFF compared to all his other readings. Ill still listen to it but i might have to run the "sample" in the future before buying any more books.

I am really wondering if they just put his voice into AI at this point

Commander general zhenha had some big balls..

Another great blend into the ever revolving saga of DUNE. It contains a little bit of everything I enjoy about the dune universe. Sneaky little tlyloxsu creating abominations, black hearted harkkones delving pain, spaced out guild members and the BG chick's kicking ass and lookin good while doin it. 👍👍 Thanks Brian and Kevin!!

I enjoyed it.

It’s not my favorite in the series, but it was enjoyable. I recommend, but don’t go into it expecting anything mind-blowing.

Wensicia was the star

I enjoyed this novel as it did not focus on the Atreides. Irulan’s story was more interesting than Chani’s but it was Wensicia who I enjoyed the most and hope the authors continue her story to see what happened to her before Children of Dune.

Awesome story once again!!

Another awesome story with twists and turns. Hats off to the authors and to Scott’s oral interpretation!!

Sci-fi feminism at its peak

This might be my favorite book in the Dune series. Watching
the women that end up loving Paul, the most come into their own long before him was so interesting and empowering

Another Great BH/KJA Dune Novel

I love the expanded Dune novels, and this was another great one. This one helps flush out CHOAM

now I can continue

This latest addition was well worth the wait as I reread all of the Dune books. As a fan, I was not disappointed at any turn of events. You learn to embrace the suck of each tragic outcome even if you're hoping that certain things actually pan out on the side of the just.

Appreciate the plethora of heroine’s in this book!

I agree with the other reviews that Wensicia stole the show. Her voice as a character was definitely and nice and refreshing highlight in reading. It underscores how much of a place female characters have in the larger Dune canon. Simply exhilarating! Please keep the character stories coming!

Love learning more about these beloved characters.

I was happy to hear that there is a new book in the series. The storylines were good, albeit a bit predictable, but I enjoyed them. I think a book expanding on the exploits and journey of Wensicia, her experiences and dealings during the downfall, and her ultimate attempt to kill Leto II would be fun. There’s still a lot to explore in the Dune universe. Thanks for continuing to expand it.