That’s Draft 7, 142,000 words, and the grand finale of the Schools of Dune trilogy that was begun with SISTERHOOD OF DUNE (2011) and followed by MENTATS OF DUNE (2014). Look for NAVIGATORS OF DUNE to be released next May (approximate date) by Tor Books (US) and WordFire Press (UK). Here is the excellent cover by Stephen Youll.

Brian and I did our basic plotting of NAVIGATORS in an afternoon at a restaurant when we were both guests in Seattle at Norwescon in Seattle in March 2013, during the book tour for HELLHOLE AWAKENING. We were coming off the heels of MENTATS OF DUNE and the story was fresh in our minds, so we wanted to get the story framework down.  We mapped out the broad strokes.

First, though, we had to write and deliver the final manuscript for HELLHOLE INFERNO, which we did. It wasn’t until October 2014 before we got together, spending four days at Brian’s house just brainstorming all the details. After those intense, productive days, we went to our separate corners, exchanged the outline back and forth, fleshing it out, developing the details.  We started writing the draft in early 2015 and have been working on it ever since, going back and forth. Now, in the seventh draft, it’s ready for the editor and our trusted test readers.

NAVIGATORS marks the 17th book Brian Herbert and I have done together since 1999—by my rough guess over 2 million words in collaboration!  And we’re still friends.  We want to thank all our fans for the enthusiasm and support for so many years. We hope you enjoy NAVIGATORS OF DUNE when it’s published next Spring.