“May thy knife chip and shatter…”
Need to satisfy your insatiable craving for Spice Melange while Denis Villeneuve prepares to shoot Dune Messiah? Abrams Books has you covered with the third and final entry in its graphic novel adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel.
Going on sale this July, Book 3: The Prophet depicts the epic battle for Arrakis as young Paul Atreides accepts his destiny as Lisan al Gaib, the messianic figure who will lead the Fremen to victory over the outsiders (i.e. Baron Harkonnen and the Padishah Emperor) looking to suck the arid planet dry of its most precious resource.
“I am tremendously excited about the publication of Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 3: The Prophet,” said Brian Herbert, who translated his father’s book alongside Kevin J. Anderson. Since the late ‘90s, the duo have kept the literary side of the Dune-inverse alive via a steady stream of novels and short stories.
“Abrams ComicArts has done a high-quality job of publishing my father’s great novel Dune in its three parts,” Brian continued. “We could not ask for a better publisher. I have enjoyed working with my co-author Kevin J. Anderson on this, and on our numerous other interesting projects.”
“The third volume of our Dune graphic novel adaptation is such a wonderful grand finale, even bigger and more spectacular than the previous two volumes,” added Anderson. “With our script, we opened up the pages to give the artists more room to show off their talents, and I think it truly captures the grandeur of Frank Herbert’s original novel.”
The artwork, a sliver of which you can check out below, hails from the illustrative team of Raúl Allén, Patricia Martín, and Jesús R. Pastrana.
Get an Exclusive Look Inside Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 3: The Prophet
“Working on this book with Brian, Kevin, Patricia, Jesús and everyone at Abrams ComicArts has been a dream come true,” Allén concluded. “I hope Dune fans out there enjoy it as much as we did creating it, and that it opens a window for new readers to discover Frank Herbert’s story in the same way my brother did for me when we were kids. Luis, you did not get to see this, but more than ever, I drew this one for you. The spice must flow!”
Believe it or not, everything from Star Wars to Game of Thrones owes an undying debt of gratitude to Frank Herbert’s magnum opus, which perfectly melds allegory with grand (and often densely packed) world-building. “I think it first has to be entertaining because if it’s not entertaining, nobody’s gonna read it,” the author said in 1982, stating that his overall mission was to appeal to both science fiction die-hards and genre newcomers alike.
Mark your calendar and start that thumper! Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 3: The Prophet officially goes on sale from Abrams Books Tuesday, July 16.