Since this week, the series Dune: Prophecya prequel to the Dune films directed by Denis Villeneuve, is broadcast on the HBO channel and the Max platform. If the cast does not include actors from the Star Wars saga, this new science fiction epic is not unrelated to the universe of George Lucas… Or rather its extended universe. Like the cinematic success, this work is an adaptation of a novel; not one of the original six volumes written by Frank Herbert, the creator of Dunebut a book written by his son, Brian Herbert, associated with another author that fans of the Legends universe know well: Kevin J. Anderson.
More than a decade after the death of Frank Herbert in 1986, Brian Herbert chose to continue his work in the Dune universe by teaming up with the author, already recognized at the time for his work in the Star Wars saga . Indeed, from 1996, Kevin J. Anderson was at the origin of the Jedi Academy trilogy, creating characters as iconic as Exar Kun, Kyp Durron or Admiral Daala and establishing for the first time Luke Skywalker as a true teacher of the ways of the Force. His work, continued in The Black Saberintermediate volume of the Callista trilogy, inspired other of his works: the scenario of the first comics of The Legend of the Jedifeaturing the confrontation between Exar Kun, Ulic Qel Droma and Nomi Sunrider, but also the youth novels of the Young Jedi Knights. These fourteen volumes co-written with his wife Rebecca Moesta, between 1995 and 1998, developed the children Solo, Jacen and Jaina, more than other authors had done until then, and the characters they introduced (Tenel Ka , Zekk, Raynar Thul…) shaped the New Jedi Order and the series that followed until the conclusion (if we can call it that) of the Legends universe in 2014.
In addition to his novels and comic book scenarios, Kevin J. Anderson was involved in several collections of short stories at the time and also participated in the writing of The Essential Chronology. To find out more about his work, I invite you to (re)discover the exclusive interview he gave to Star Wars Universe five years ago!
Since 1999, Kevin J. Anderson has devoted most of his work to books about the universe Dune which he co-wrote with Brian Herbert. A first trilogy entitled Before Dune thus saw the light of day between 1999 and 2001, followed by another, Dune, Genesisfrom 2002 to 2004. Then came the works Dune 7 in 2006-2007, Legends of Dune (2008, 2009 and 2023 for the latest volume to date), Dune, the origins between 2012 and 2016 (it is on this cycle, entitled Great Schools of Dune in VO, which the HBO series carries), the trilogy of Chronicles of Calladan between 2020 and 2022 and a number of short stories and short stories to round it all out. As you will have understood, between Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, it has been a very intensive collaboration for a quarter of a century! The two authors even stepped out of their favorite universe a little with another science fiction trilogy, The Constellation of Tiaraat the beginning of the 2010s. And all this work did not prevent Kevin J. Anderson from releasing, at the same time, a good number of solo works, co-written with his wife or with other authors!
It is therefore likely that this live action adaptation of his work, obviously the first, is far from being the last from such a renowned author. And, who knows, maybe one day we will see his characters again in the Star Wars universe, like those of Timothy Zahn?
