Skip to content

Dune

Books like Dune

30 fantasy books to read after Dune, by Herbert, Frank, the closest match first.

  1. Dune Messiah

    Dune Chronicles book 2

    1. Dune Messiah

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Twelve years after the events of Dune, Paul Atreides rules the known universe as Emperor, and his Fremen warriors have carried a holy war across the stars. He sees what...

  2. Children Of Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 3

    2. Children Of Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Fifteen thousand years after Leto II's death, the remnants of the Bene Gesserit contend with the ruthless leaders of an alien culture to forge a new civilization and preserve the...

  3. God Emperor Of Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 4

    3. God Emperor Of Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Leto II, God Emperor of Dune, trades his humanity for immortality and becomes the magnificent sandworm of Dune in a desperate attempt to save humankind.

  4. Heretics Of Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 5

    4. Heretics Of Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Thousands of years after the death of God Emperor Leto II, the Bene Gesserit and the Bene Tleilax struggle to direct the future of Dune, now called Rakis

  5. Chapterhouse: Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 6

    5. Chapterhouse: Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Fifteen thousand years after Leto II's death, the remnants of the Bene Gesserit contend with the ruthless leaders of an alien culture to forge a new civilization and preserve the...

  6. Hunters Of Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 7

    6. Hunters Of Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Fleeing from the monstrous Honored Matres - dark counterparts of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood - Duncan Idaho, the military genius Bashar Miles Teg, a woman named Sheeana who can talk...

  7. Sandworms Of Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 8

    7. Sandworms Of Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    As the no-ship Ithaca flees through space, the heroes of HUNTERS OF DUNE finally meet the Enemy who followed the violent fanatics, the Honored Matres, back to their universe. The...

  8. Hunters Of Dune

    Dune Chronicles book 7

    8. Hunters Of Dune

    by Herbert, Frank

    • Same series
    • Same author

    Hunters of Dune and the concluding volume, Sandworms of Dune, bring together the great story lines and beloved characters in Frank Herbert's classic Dune universe, ranging from the time of...

  9. Ender's Game (1986)

    The Ender Quintet book 1 Start here

    9. Ender's Game (1986)

    by Card, Orson Scott

    • On the same lists

    The first in a famous series that seems to become more literary as its characters age. Follows a child prodigy and in the process makes the reader think about war, the means to war, and even loneliness.

    Earth has survived two invasions by an insect-like alien race, and the International Fleet is training the most gifted children to lead the next defence. Six-year-old Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is...

  10. Ringworld (1971)

    Ringworld book 1 Start here

    10. Ringworld (1971)

    by Niven, Larry

    • On the same lists

    One of the most famous books of the genre, that follows the pros and cons of living on a spinning ring instead of a round planet. The fact that makes this book so famous is that after the author’s ideas were proven impracticable, he wrote a sequel explaining the inadequacies.

    In the year 2850, Louis Wu turns 200 and is bored with life. Then a two-headed alien Puppeteer called Nessus offers him a job: join a small expedition to a...

  11. Foundation

    11. Foundation

    by Asimov, Isaac

    • On the same lists

    Some softer elements, like FTL and antigrav cars, but otherwise a rational series.

    Book Flap Description  One of the great masterworks of science fiction, the Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive...

  12. Altered Carbon

    Takeshi Kovacs book 1 Start here

    12. Altered Carbon

    by Morgan, Richard K.

    • On the same lists

    Humans can transfer their conciousness into new bodies. This sets up a detective style story about a murder.

    After dying in a particularly gruesome death, ex UN-envoy Takeshi Kovacs wakes up to find himself "re-sleeved" into a fresh body with a job offer: find who killed Laurens Bancroft...

  13. The Forever War (1976)

    The Forever War book 1 Start here

    13. The Forever War (1976)

    by Haldeman, Joe

    • On the same lists

    In this novel, time travel is a kind of side effect of space travel at near light speeds.

    William Mandella is a physics student drafted into an elite force to fight an alien enemy on the far side of the galaxy. Travel between the front lines takes a...

  14. Red Rising (not Magic, But Hunger Games Survival Meets School Setting With Some Fantasy Elements)

    14. Red Rising (not Magic, But Hunger Games Survival Meets School Setting With Some Fantasy Elements)

    by Brown, Pierce

    • On the same lists

    Books in this sub-genre focus almost entirely on magic, but Red Rising stands in stark contrast to that. Part dystopia, part sci-fi fantasy, Red Risingfocuses on the story of a...

  15. Blackout/all Clear (2011)

    Oxford Time Travel book 2

    15. Blackout/all Clear (2011)

    by Willis, Connie

    • On the same lists

    BLackout / All Clear by Connie Willis won the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel. 

  16. Annihilation

    16. Annihilation

    by Vandermeer, Jeff

    • On the same lists
    Nebula winner 2014

    An expedition enters the strange, shifting Area X and does not come back the same, a weird-fiction Nebula winner.

    Annihilation won the 2015 Nebula Award for Best Novel. It beat out the following nominees to win:The Goblin Emperor Trial by Fire Ancillary Sword The Three-Body Problem Coming Home

  17. The Book Of Lost Things

    17. The Book Of Lost Things

    by Connolly, John

    • On the same lists

    This book makes the list for its unique focus on psychology inside of the sub-genre. Connolly tells the story of a child so lost in books and darkness that he...

  18. Starship Troopers

    18. Starship Troopers

    by Heinlein, Robert A.

    • On the same lists
    Hugo winner 1960

    The world government in this future Earth is run by veterans and citizens must earn the right to vote and hold public office with federal service.

    Book Flap Description  A recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the universe and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against humankind's most frightening enemy. ...

  19. The Last Unicorn

    19. The Last Unicorn

    by Beagle, Peter S.

    • On the same lists

    A beautiful, beautiful tale that will haunt you for the rest of your life. It's a simple story with a hell of a lot of heart. There's a good reason...

  20. American Gods

    20. American Gods

    by Gaiman, Neil

    • On the same lists
    Hugo winner 2002 Nebula winner 2002

    Neil Gaiman is an ever-popular writer who's branched into cinema, comics, and books. Quite a few people will argue that Neverwhere or Stardust is better than American Gods, but I...

  21. Codex Alera

    21. Codex Alera

    by Butcher, Jim

    • On the same lists

    While some of the books on this list offer a fresh take on the classics, Jim Butcher creates something entirely new. It began on a writer's workshop board during an...

  22. Scourge Of The Betrayer

    Bloodsounder's Arc book 1 Start here

    22. Scourge Of The Betrayer

    by Salyards, Jeff

    • On the same lists

    This novel is dark fantasy down to the core, bringing a refreshing tone and plenty of room for development. It's told not from the eyes of the protagonist but the...

  23. Half The World

    Shattered Sea book 2

    23. Half The World

    by Abercrombie, Joe

    • On the same lists

    Abercrombie kicked off his Shattered Sea series with the award-winning Half a King, but his second novel approaches true mastery. Half the World picks up many years after the first,...

  24. Nation

    24. Nation

    by Pratchett, Terry

    • On the same lists

    Pratchett's immensely successful Discworld gets the most attention of his works, but amongst those works lie unrelated novels that deserve even more praise. Nation is one of those, and may...

  25. Stalking Darkness

    Nightrunner book 2

    25. Stalking Darkness

    by Flewelling, Lynn

    • On the same lists

    Flewelling's series takes place in the medieval country of Skala and presents a near-perfect sword and sorcery experience. It details the growth of Alec, saved from prison by Seregil, a...

  26. Seventh Son

    26. Seventh Son

    by Card, Orson Scott

    • On the same lists

    This series is part Fantasy and part Alternate History and takes place after the American Revolutionary War. Supernatural powers are simply a part of life. The main character has tremendous powers.

    Orson Scott Card is best known for his immensely popular Ender's Game series, but he hasn't just tried his hand at the sci-fi genre. Card markets Alvin Maker as a...

  27. The Cycle Of Fire

    27. The Cycle Of Fire

    by Wurts, Janny

    • On the same lists

    The Cycle of Fire is another one of those classic series. The world is in danger, and three children are its only chance of survival. It's a popular plot line,...

  28. Magician

    28. Magician

    by Feist, Raymond E.

    • On the same lists

    It's really hard to go wrong with a good magician's apprentice story, but Raymond Feist manages to push beyond that with an epic scale and several new elements. Magician is...

  29. Song Of The Lioness

    29. Song Of The Lioness

    by Pierce, Tamora

    • On the same lists

    Tamora Pierce's Lioness series manages to touch on difficult issues without ever preaching them. Through Alanna, she explores both feminist and gender identity issues while weaving an epic story of...

  30. The Troupe

    30. The Troupe

    by Bennett, Robert Jackson

    • On the same lists

    Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions. But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only:...

Matches come from series and authors, from the lists the books share, and from the books readers open together. They are rebuilt every night. Back to Dune.

The shortlist

Liked Dune? New releases and the lists readers are opening most, by email.