The consists of six books written by Frank Herbert—, , , , , and —and several other books written by his son,, and . The original series began in 1965, while Brian Herbert’s expansion continued into the 2020s.
In Dune, Paul Atreides and his family move to the planet of Arrakis, colloquially called Dune. The planet is known for the production of the Spice, a product of initially unknown origin that allows the Empire to run. When Paul’s father, Duke Leto, is attacked and murdered by House Harkonnen, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, flee into the desert, where they are rescued by Fremen, the people native to Arrakis. It’s with the Fremen that 15-year-old Paul becomes a leader, first by coming into the role as the Kwisatz Haderach, and later, by becoming Duke. It is also among this group of Fremen that Paul meets Chani Kynes.
Who is Chani Kynes?
Chani Kynes is a central character in the first two installments of the Dune Saga. She is the romantic companion of Paul Atreides and mother to his children, including Leto Atreides II, Paul’s heir and the eventual Emperor. While she and Paul are married only as Fremen and not formally within the society in which Paul serves as Emperor, their pure love is at the core of Paul’s evolution and Leto’s immortality.
Chani makes her entrance in as Paul analyzes a dream in which she has appeared. She is a slim girl with dark hair and large, striking blue eyes—no white at all, a unique Fremen trait. Within the dream, she refers to him as “Usul,” the private name he’ll eventually take with the Fremen, and asks him about the waters of his homeland. Chani lives on the planet Arrakis, commonly known as Dune. Her people are the planet's native inhabitants, though it is believed by many that the Fremen no longer exist. But Paul’s father, Leto Atreides, introduces him to Dr. Liet-Kynes early in their time on Arrakis, and this man offers proof that the Fremen still live, far beyond the borders of the Atreides settlement in the city of Arrakeen.
It is only after Baron Harkonnen and his ally Emperor Shaddam IV have joined forces to attack House Atreides, murdering Leto and prompting Paul and his mother to flee into the desert, that we meet Chani outside of the dream realm. A warrior herself, Chani is well-skilled in the use of the Fremen crysknife. Paul is immediately attracted to her, in part due to his prior connection to her, and they quickly form a friendship when she is assigned to look after Paul and Lady Jessica. Eventually, Chani becomes Paul's lover and bears him a son, Leto II, who is murdered by enemies of House Atreides.
In , set 12 years after the events of , Chani dies giving birth to twins, Leto II and Ghanima, leading Paul to wander off into the desert in grief. Later, in and , Leto and Ghanima are able to use the Bene Gesserit skill of calling upon their Other Memory to confer with Chani. Finally, in Brian Herbert’s sequels and , written with Kevin J. Anderson, Chani and Paul are reunited as awakened gholas—the Fremen version of a cross between a golem and a clone. They declare their everlasting love for each other and live happily ever after.
