Duke Leto Atreides, a man of noble and just character, was overshadowed by the fame of his son Paul, who was destined to become the most powerful person in history.
The first novel in the three-part series depicts the time immediately preceding the events of the legendary novel Dune, a period in which the noble House Atreides moves its operations from its home planet to an unknown world, the desert planet of Arrakis. The story tells of how Duke Leto earned the Emperor's favour as well as the animosity of House Harkonnen and embarked on a path that ultimately led to his own death.
It reveals the relationships between the members of the household, the upbringing of the young Paul, the complex relationship between the Duke and his concubine, and details the backgrounds of important characters such as Duncan Idaho, Gurney Halleck, Thufir Hawat, and Wellington Yueh. Nor are the other movers and shakers of the story and their machinations left aside: Baron Harkonnen, Count Hasimir Fenring, and the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, the Imperial Court's Truthsayer.
