by Tanya LaPointe

Titan Books, out now

Immerse yourself in the world of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and discover the incredible creative journey that brought Frank Herbert’s iconic novel to the big screen.

Tanya Lapointe continues her excellent work in writing fascinating behind-the scenes guides (she wrote two of the Blade Runner 2049 production books) with this gorgeous and essential companion to Dune: Part One. If you’ve been lucky enough to experience the majesty of the movie, you’ll no doubt have been impressed by the scale of the production design – from environments to costumes to tech to weaponry. It’s all covered off here in great detail, and Lapointe being an executive producer on the movie means that she has an inside track on the decisions that were made.

This hefty hardback comes in a cardboard slipcase and is printed on the high quality heavy stock paper that you’d expect for such an art/coffee table book from Titan. The Foreword by Denis Villeneuve extols the virtues of production designer Patrice Vermette, and much of his work is showcased here, followed by an introduction by Brian Herbert (son of Frank) and Kevin J. Anderson, authors of Dune prequels and sequels. Anderson served as a creative adviser on the movie, and it’s clear that at every stage of the production the approval of the Herbert estate was sought to make something authentic to the source.

In chapter This is Just the Beginning, it’s revealed that in 2016 Villeneuve shared his lifelong desire to adapt the novel, and we follow how the rights were secured, moving swiftly to the design and scripting process. In Caladan, home of House Atreides, the book looks at the concept art used to build the world, the location shooting, the main players, and their vehicles. The same format is used for Giedi Prime, Salusa Secundus and Arrakis, with individual chapters on the Fremen and the attack on Arrakeen. Background is shared to give you a better understand of the different factions and planet, and we all loved reading about scenes that didn’t make the final cut.

And if you want a musical accompaniment to your reading, composer Hans Zimmer has produced a 9 track 1 hour 44 minute album of ambient music (available on WaterTower Music’s YouTube Channel.

Verdict: Titan continue to produce the gold standard in ‘making of’ books, and this essential companion to Dune should be at the top of every Dune fan’s Christmas list. 10/10

Nick Joy

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk