Skip to content

The Butlerian Jihad

The Butlerian Jihad

ClassicsDystopian
Pages
704
Published
2002
Language
English

Synopsis

Ten thousand years before the events of Dune, humanity is enslaved by the thinking machines it once created. The immortal machine mind Omnius rules much of the known universe with the help of the cruel, curious robot Erasmus, while the last free humans of the League of Nobles struggle to hold on against the mechanical empire.

When a terrible act of violence galvanizes the human worlds, a holy war erupts — the Butlerian Jihad — a desperate crusade to destroy the machines and reclaim human destiny. Across this sweeping conflict move the ancestors of the great houses to come: Serena Butler, the Atreides and Harkonnen forebears, the brilliant Norma Cenva, and the tormented slave-scholar who serves Erasmus.

The first book of the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, dramatizes the founding catastrophe of the Dune universe and the origins of its factions, technologies, and taboos.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

AdventurousDarkTenseAtmospheric
Survival

Genres

Classics Dystopian Fantasy Science Fiction Space Opera Adventure

Authors

B
Brian Herbert

Brian Herbert (born June 29, 1947, in Seattle, Washington) is an American science fiction author and the son of Frank Herbert, creator of the Dune series. Since 1999 he has co-written numerous New York Times bestselling Dune prequels and sequels with Kevin J. Anderson, expanding his father's universe. In 2003 he published Dreamer of Dune: The Biography of Frank Herbert, a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Related Work. He also writes solo science fiction, including the Timeweb trilogy, and ha...

K
Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 170 books, 58 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, as well as unique steampunk fantasy novels Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, written with legendary rock drummer Neil Peart. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series, the Wake the Dragon and Terra Incognita fantasy trilogies, the Saga of Shadows trilogy, and his humorous horror series fe...

Characters

Serena ButlerProtagonist

A noblewoman whose personal tragedy ignites the jihad.

Thinking MachinesAntagonist
ErasmusAntagonist

An independent robot who studies and torments humans.

OmniusAntagonist

The all-controlling machine overmind.

Vorian AtreidesSupporting

Son of the machine warlord Agamemnon, an Atreides forebear.

All characters in The Butlerian Jihad

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Butlerian Jihad the first book in a series?

    This novel is the first installment in the 'Legends of Dune' prequel trilogy, which explores events leading up to Frank Herbert's original 'Dune' series. While it introduces new characters and a distinct conflict, it is designed to provide background for the broader Dune universe.

  • Does this book connect to Frank Herbert's original Dune novels?

    The Butlerian Jihad is set approximately 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert's original 'Dune' and details the origins of key elements and historical events frequently referenced in the main series, such as the prohibition of thinking machines. It provides context for the political and technological landscape of the later books.

Read all 3 reviews