First published in 1965, Frank Herbert’s Dune is a beloved science fiction classic. This October, Ace is publishing a deluxe hardcover edition, complete with a gorgeous (and we mean gorgeous) cover and illustrated endpapers by artist Matt Griffin. Check out all the images below!

Artist Matt Griffin says:

“Having been a huge Dune fan since I was about 14, this was a dream project for me. And, being a dream project from a young age, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make the best images I could.

My favourite part of a job like this is the preliminary work. I read the book (again). I look at images of deserts, and worms (or centipedes, or anything long and scary-looking). I fill my brain up with anything that feels right and appropriate to the story. I let that all swirl around my head and then I doodle. I play with ink and water, or charcoal, or whatever I can get my hands on. It is a happy time.

One of the things I looked at a lot were rock formations particular to deserts. The wind erosion makes very distinctive wave patterns in the stone and carves it all into very visually appealing shapes. I thought this would be a perfect basis for an image of a Sietch. So I went about making the first image – ‘Home to the Sietch’.

I tried all kinds of ways of making the patterns, but in the end found a way of using a broad, dry brush and sparse ink to get the effect I wanted. I roughed the composition, making sure it all swirled towards the cave entrance (I knew I could have a nice contrast of light by showing the entrance, enhanced by a couple of glow globes in the foreground). Then I took the scans of my brush work and put them in piece by piece, warping as I went and adding light and shade to make them undulate.

For the second image I had a lot of ideas. Too many. But the chance to draw a sand worm was too appealing, so I knew it would feature one of them, somewhere. I decided to do Paul, summoning a big one for his first go at harnessing Shai Hulud.

Often I’ll think an image is finished before it is. It takes some external eyeballs and encouragement to push it further, to where it really needs to be. That was the case with this – I was happy enough, but the art director Adam Auerbach and Brian Herbert (son of Frank) both urged me to do more. They wanted to see more worm. And I’m so glad I listened. This final image is far better then the versions before it.

I was also glad I looked at long scary creatures aside from worms. I had remembered one of the scariest of all – the Sea Lamprey – from another cover job, and realised its mouth was the perfect model for a Sand Worm’s. And all of that came together for this, called: ‘Shai Hulud.’

An Arrakeen dream come true. I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands.”