Chapterhouse: Dune

Dune (1965) is the first book in the series. It introduces the world of Dune, the Padash Galactic Empire, and the Spice Melange that it relies on. House Atreides moves to the planet Arrakis under the orders of the Padash Emperor. This desert planet is vital, as it is the only place in the known universe that produces the Spice Melange, an addictive substance that has life-extending properties. It can also give users precognition, making it vital for safe long-range space travel.

House Harkonnen, with the help of the emperor’s Sardukar personal guard, attack the Atreides and kill Duke Leto. His son and heir, Paul, flees into the desert with his mother, the Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica. There, he meets and lives among the indigenous people of Dune, the Fremen. Some Fremen view Paul as a religious figure, the prophesized Madi. He uses this to build support among them, eventually taking the mystical Water of Life, which gives him precognition and marks him as the Kwisatz Haderach. Paul leads the Fremen in an attack on the Harkonnens, overthrowing the emperor and claiming his throne.

Dune Messiah (1969) is set 12 years after the original.