Dune: The Butlerian Jihad

The opening novel of the Legends of Dune trilogy jumps thousands of years into the past, to the war that shapes everything in the Dune universe. Humanity is ruled by the thinking machine Omnius and its evermind cymeks. Serena Butler, Xavier Harkonnen, and Vorian Atreides launch the Butlerian Jihad — the war that ends all “thinking machines” and makes the Duniverse what it is.

Because it is chronologically the earliest Dune novel, some readers pick it up first; most long-time fans recommend reading Frank Herbert’s Dune before starting the Legends trilogy.