Dune Blood of the Sardaukar
BOOM! STUDIOS
WRITTEN BY: Brian Herbert & Kevin j. anderson
ART BY: adam gorham
COLORS BY: patricio delpeche
LETTERS BY: ed dukeshire
Dune authors and lore keepers Brian Herbert (original author Frank Herbert’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson expanded the world of Dune for over 20 years. They have created a world and mythos rich and dense and Blood of the Sardaukar is no different. Based on a 2019 short story, the one-shot tale takes place at a pivotal moment for the House of Atreides as the young Paul Atreides, and future Maud’Dib, flees his family estate setting in motion the plot of the original Dune novel. While it does create a tight action packed story that expands the world of Dune, this title does little to create a connection for new readers interested in the Dune franchise and the upcoming movie.
Blood of the Sardaukar focuses not on Paul Atreides, but on one of the assassins sent to kill the members of the house of Atreides. The main character is Jopati Kolona who features in the ongoing Dune the Caladan Triology book series. Blood of the Sardaukar is the graphic novel of a 2019 short story by Herbert and Anderson. The Sardaukar warriors assist the Atreides rival house Harkonnen in attacking and overthrowing the House of Atreides. In the mold of Dune and other science fiction epics, all is not what it appears and the political schemes are layered deep within the center of the Dune universe.
While Blood of the Sardaukar may not be inviting to new readers it is rewarding for current or lapsed fans. Frank Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson provide depth and nuance to what originally was a plot device that sent Paul Atreides into exile. New readers have better options for a starting point, but Blood of the Sardaukar should interest lapsed fans into exploring the new Caladan series.
SCORE: 7.0