House Corrino (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 3) - Softcover

Brian Herbert; Kevin J. Anderson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553580337 ISBN 13: 9780553580334

Publisher: Spectra, 2002

Synopsis

The triumphant conclusion to the blockbuster trilogy that made science fiction history!

In Dune: House Corrino Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring us the magnificent final chapter in the unforgettable saga begun in Dune: House Atreides and continued in Dune: House Harkonnen.

Here nobles and commoners, soldiers and slaves, wives and courtesans shape the amazing destiny of a tumultuous universe. An epic saga of love and war, crime and politics, religion and revolution, this magnificent novel is a fitting conclusion to a great science fiction trilogy ... and an invaluable addition to the thrilling world of Frank Herbert’s immortal Dune.

Dune: House Corrino

Fearful of losing his precarious hold on the Golden Lion Throne, Shaddam IV, Emperor of a Million Worlds, has devised a radical scheme to develop an alternative to melange, the addictive spice that binds the Imperium together and that can be found only on the desert world of Dune.

In subterranean labs on the machine planet Ix, cruel Tleilaxu overlords use slaves and prisoners as part of a horrific plan to manufacture a synthetic form of melange known as amal. If amal can supplant the spice from Dune, it will give Shaddam what he seeks: absolute power.

But Duke Leto Atreides, grief-stricken yet unbowed by the tragic death of his son Victor, determined to restore the honor and prestige of his House, has his own plans for Ix.

He will free the Ixians from their oppressive conquerors and restore his friend Prince Rhombur, injured scion of the disgraced House Vernius, to his rightful place as Ixian ruler. It is a bold and risky venture, for House Atreides has limited military resources and many ruthless enemies, including the sadistic Baron Harkonnen, despotic master of Dune.

Meanwhile, Duke Leto’s consort, the beautiful Lady Jessica, obeying the orders of her superiors in the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, has conceived a child that the Sisterhood intends to be the penultimate step in the creation of an all-powerful being. Yet what the Sisterhood doesn’t know is that the child Jessica is carrying is not the girl they are expecting, but a boy.

Jessica’s act of disobedience is an act of love — her attempt to provide her Duke with a male heir to House Atreides — but an act that, when discovered, could kill both mother and baby.

Like the Bene Gesserit, Shaddam Corrino is also concerned with making a plan for the future — securing his legacy. Blinded by his need for power, the Emperor will launch a plot against Dune, the only natural source of true spice. If he succeeds, his madness will result in a cataclysmic tragedy not even he foresees: the end of space travel, the Imperium, and civilization itself.

With Duke Leto and other renegades and revolutionaries fighting to stem the tide of darkness that threatens to engulf their universe, the stage is set for a showdown unlike any seen before.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Praise for the Dune novels of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson:

Dune: House Harkonnen

“Succeeds admirably.”
— The New York Times Book Review

“The second Dune series is proving to be more accessible and just as entertaining as the original.”
— The Oregonian

“Extraordinarily well-developed and continually fascinating.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“Entertaining ... page-turning ... Dune fans will enjoy visiting familiar places and encountering familiar characters.”
— Contra Costa Times

Dune: House Atreides

“Rich interweaving of politics and plotting made the Dune novels special. And Dune: House Atreides does its predecessors justice.”
— USA Today

“A spirited and entertaining adventure ... The real pleasure here comes from watching the authors lay out the plot threads that will converge in Dune.”
— The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[The] authors have woven a web of plots and ideas every bit as complex and compelling as the original Dune novels.”
— St. Petersburg Times

“A rousing story.”
— New York Post

About the Author

Brian Herbert, the son of Frank Herbert, is the author of numerous acclaimed science fiction novels, including Sidney’s Comet; Sudanna, Sudanna; Prisoners of Arionn; The Race for God (a Nebula Award nominee); and Man of Two Worlds (written with Frank Herbert). He has also written Dreamer of Dune, a comprehensive biography of his illustrious father.

Kevin J. Anderson has written twenty-six national bestsellers and has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFC Reader’s Choice Award. He also set the Guinness world record for “Largest Single-Author Book Signing.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Spectra
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0553580337
• ISBN 13: 9780553580334
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 688
• Illustrator: Stephen Youll