Rating: 
Summary: Plumbing new depths
Review: I see from the other reviews of House Corrino's two predecessors that many readers enjoyed those books. If you are one of those readers, I expect you will enjoy House Corrino as well.But if, like me, you were appalled by House Atreides and House Harkonnen, House Corrino is an even more depressing experience. There is the usual cardboard character develoment and multiple plot strands. Many plot developments are simply ludicrous. Baron Harkonnen and Rabban take etiquette lessons to try to win popularity. Piter de Vries kidnaps the newborn Paul Atreides (who is unguarded despite his critical importance to the Bene Gesserit who know Piter is taking an unhealthy interest in Jessica) and runs around an oddly deserted Imperial Palace carrying him with seemingly no idea what to do next. Shaddam decides to take out an entire planet to kill his half-brother rather than simply have Fenring arrange an "accident" for him. Further, despite being repeatedly told of the delicate balance between the Emperor and the Landsraad, Shaddam repeatedly launches assaults on Major Houses with impunity. Other storylines, such as Anirul's inner voices, go nowhere. There are the usual inconsistencies with the original Dune book. For instance, if aerial bombardment of entire cities or planets is so widespread in House Corrino why is it not used in Dune when the Harkonnen and Sardaukar attack the Atreides on Arrakis? Finally, a word of warning, House Corrino takes us up to Paul's birth, and does not explain how the Atreides came to Arrakis.
Rating: 
Summary: A superb finale to the Dune Prequel Trilogy!
Review: Say what you will about the writing skills of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, their story makes for incredibly gripping listening. Especially with the superb vocalizations of reader Tim Curry. As I've noted in my reviews of the previous two readings (Dune: House Atriedes and Dune: House Harkonnen), Curry handles the reading duties with exceptional wit, zest and obvious enjoyment. His vocal renderings of the characters are nothing short of perfect. I bought this cassette edition the week it came out and I've been listening every day since. There are times when I simply don't want to get out of my car because I'm right in the middle of an action sequence and I want to discover how it turns out. The tapes begin with a bang -- Fremen attacking and easily verpowering sloppy, slumbering and drunken Harkonnen soldiers who are guarding an illegal stockpile of melange. From there, the story line jumps from the shortsighted, self-centered schemes of Emperor Shaddam Corrino to the synthetic spice research and manufacturing on IX to the relationship between Duke Leto Atreides and his concubine Lady Jessica to Prince Rhombur Vernius' attempts to return to his captured planet to... Let's just say there are so many plot threads and jumps to another world, another character, another violent plot from either Baron Harkonnen or Shaddam Corrino that you won't get bored. Not even slightly. Even though I know how the story eventually turns out (because of Frank Herbert's Dune book), I'm still caught up in the drama of it all -- relishing each plot unfolding. I haven't finished the tapes yet. But I can tell you I'm hanging on every word and I will, truly, be sad to see the story end. If you want to be highly entertained with a darn good story, and you have drive time to and from work or various locales, please don't hesitate to pick up this cassette series. That goes double if you've already spent time with the Dune world as seen through the eyes of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. This chapter in the saga is better than Dune: House Atreides and on par with -- or even slightly better than -- Dune: House Harkonnen. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to get back to the story...
Rating: 
Summary: Best of the three pre-quels
Review: I found Dune Corrino to be the most interesting of the three prequels. The writing has jelled. The story arcs reach their peak and come to a conclusions. Too many dangling arcs in the first two volumes. At the same time this volume suffers the defects of the first two. The writing is superficial, i.e. you'e read it once, you've read it all. Papa's books had a lot of texture. I find new things re-reading the original Dune for the fifth time, but not Brian's book. Overall it is enjoyable but wont be a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read Despite its Faults...
Review: And trust me, there are a few. Hardcore Dune fans (and when I say "Dune", I mean those six books Frank Herbert wrote before his death in 1986) have been less than receptive to the idea that Frank Herbert's son Brian teamed up with Kevin Anderson (of "Young Jedi" infamy) to write three prequels to Dune. If you don't believe me, visit alt.fan.dune on Usenet. Their beefs are many, and that is their right. The first two books had difficulty staying true to Herbert's original vision, though even Frank had contunity problems. None the less, Brian and Kevin seem to be open to change as they use this last installment to "pull it all together". Almost twenty years have passed since Shaddam IV and Fenrig plotted to create a synthetic substitute for the Spice called Amal. While Fenrig is away attending to his duty as "Imperial Spice Minister", Shaddam discovers the existance of a half brother living in seclusion. Instead of waiting for Fenrig's learned council, Shaddam dispatches his troups and carpet bombs the planet. Duke Leto, still filled with grief at the death of his son (from House Harkonnen) is pleased to hear Jessica is pregnant. When she is called away to Kaitain by Lady Anirul (the Emperor's wife and head of the KH breeding program), Leto and Prince Rhombar decide it would be a good time to plan an assult to help Rhombar retake the machine planet Ix, his former home. After the death of Parot Kynes, the Imperial Planetolgist sent to study Dune, his son Liet assumes his duties and attempts to rally the Fremen behind him. His first act: get rid of the smugglers and bribe the Guild themselves. A good portion of the book is also spent on Junction, and looking more closely at the mysterious Spacing Guild. Several mysterious highliner accidents are investigated - the first of their kind on almost 10,000 years. Finally, we're shown exactly what an Axotl tank is, what it does, and what lengths the Tleilax will go to in order to protect "The Great Belief". I'm not going to lie, this book has problems. I think at this point I can tell what is Brian's writing and what is Kevin's (all those two page chapters have to go, Young Jedi). Be that as it may, this is the first book Frank Herbert did not write that approaches his stature. It's a good effort, in some places it's good writing, and we've come a long way from House Atreides. While I can't call this book "as good" as Frank Herbert's Dune, unlike the rest of the zealots I'm glad to see something being done with the franchise, and I look forward to more. I will never consider it cannon, but I will continue to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: too much, too simple, too short
Review: The latest installment from Herbert Jr. and Anderson leaves a lot to be desired. House Atreides and House Harkonnen attempted to open the Dune universe to a larger audience with a more light-hearted style and an easier to follow plot. The entire trilogy makes an effort to fill some of the holes left in the original Dune novels, but the new books are not on the level Dune readers have come to expect. House Corrino was not the way I expected the trilogy to conclude. The movements of the characters seem childish and less "thought-out." There is more action, yes, but it doesn't flow as well as the previous two novels, considering that this book is supposed to bridge the gap between the trilogy and the first Dune novel. Fans of the Dune universe will no doubt read this book with much anticipation, but I think the outcome they encounter will not mesh well with their expectations. This book containted far too many irrelevant subplots, the style left much to be desired, and it didn't conclude in a fashion consistent with its place in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best in the series but a fun romp through Dune
Review: Emperor Shaddam Corrino is firmly entrenched on the Imperial thrown during his spice war (i.e. rooting out illegal stockpiles of melange from various houses and worlds in unsavory ways). His assistant, Count Fenring, is devilishly clever as he manipulates the Emperor and thus is basically the power behind the thrown. Of course, the spice wars don't go exactly as planned since the Emperor's project Amal (a synthetic form of spice) falls apart...in part thanks to Duke Leto Atreides. Liet becomes the Naib of all the sietches on Dune and helps further humiliate the opposing Harkonnens on the planet. The ending Fremen chapter in the book is exceptionally prophetic since those who've read the original Dune novel (by Frank Herbert) know the reason why the worms act the way they do toward the end of this novel (House Corrino). The Bene Geserit continue on in their quest for the Kwizatz Haderach but get thrown a curve when Jessica delivers Paul, a son, rather than a daughter that their breeding program requires. Duke Leto, Prince Rhombur, Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho mount an offensive to take back the world of Ix for the renegade Vernius family, thus aiding in the destruction of project Amal (which was taking place on Ix) and saving Dune from destruction by Imperial forces (the Emperor planned to attack and Char Dune to a crisp so that he would have the only form of spice: Amal). There are weaknesses in the story, however. Most notably is the introduction and demise of Mephistis Cru, an 'etiquette' advisor for the Baron Harkonnen who's storyline does not advance the history of Dune in the slightest (or any of the parallel stories as far as I can tell). The entrance of Rhombur into a navigators enclosure. From my understanding, no one was allowed to see a navigator except those who are within the guild itself. And the discovery of the Atoxl tanks by the invading Atreides forces and others (including Fenring) who'd seen the tanks. According to Dune, no one ever saw these tanks or a Tleilaxu female...ever! Except for the Tleilaxu specialists themselves. This seemed inconsistent with Frank Herbert's vision. But even with these problems, the book moves along at a good clip (sometimes overly simplistically so for a Dune book). From about page 300 on I was thoroughly engrossed in the novel and had trouble putting it down (I have the British version which is typeset differently than the American hardback). A fun jaunt through the Dune universe for those out there with an interest in Science Fiction and those fascinated by the history of the Dune characters that Frank Herbert conjured up out of his incredible mind. Have fun with it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is by far the most sophisticated storytelling of all the three books in the prequel trilogy. I am very surprised at the quality of character involvement and narration refinement involved, making the novel the most unpredictable of the trilogy. I would recommend reading the whole trilogy just for this inspiring finale.
House Harkonnen, though, was not noteworthy in storytelling sophistication and very predictable, but House Corrino stands worthy of the Dune name.
Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent With Dune proper, fall short of expectation.
Review: Like the previous books in the prequel, I find it to be light reading stuff as compared to Herbert senior's work, and taken as a whole, some characters' over-the-top antics seem... juvenille, especially Shaddam; Leto's speech that supposedly inspires wild cheers and standing ovations is hardly inspiring. Phrases such as 'wheel-within-wheels' and many others, which have been used to describe or review Frank Herbert's work, are actually used here as part of the story! The opening text at the beginning of each chapter in the Dune series served to enhance that chapter and create a sense of depth but in the prequels, it seemed forced and at times laughable. It seems to this reader that even Dune Revenant, the fan fiction posted on various sites, despite being a first draft, captured the complexity, politics, theology and the heart of Frank Herbert's creation more successfully than the authors of the prequels.
Rating:
Summary: inconsistent and poorly styled
Review: Readers of the previous Dune prequels (Atreides and Harkonnen) already know that the prequels fail to live up to original series in terms of complexity and quality. What is most surprising is that Dune: House Corrino fails to live up to the already limited expectations that we have of the prequels. House Corrino is inconsistent with the original series. Key plot elements, such as the melange project and the existence of no-globes, still violate the original series tenets. Of more concern is the reliance on blood-thristy mass destruction in this new book. Atomic and laser-based warfare enter this book with glee, thus destroying the new martial framework that F. Herbert invented and that B. Herbert and Anderson continued in the first 2 prequels. Not only is this book inconsistent with the original, it is inconsistent with the other prequels. If you read this book, you will find that the Ressert, Rhombur, and Idaho characters cannot maintain their identity that was established in House Harkonnen. You will also find that this book fails to adopt the multi-year, intricate plotting that Herbert & Anderson tried to draw on before. This book takes only 1 year and attempts to stuff it so full of action and excitement that it reads like a book written after a movie. More disturbing is the blatant piracy of key scenes from the Star Wars movies. The use of weaponry, the resolution of certain characters, and the chaste romance will remind you more of Luke Skywalker and the crew than they will of any character from the Dune universe. In short, this book seems to be written in Anderson's Star Wars style with only minimal intervention by Herbert. Brian Herbert is a quality writer, as his efforts in _Man of Two Worlds_ shows. Anderson's reliance on gimmicks, weaponry, and Manichean illustrations come through in this book and make it an unworthy addition to the Dune universe in general and the Herbert/Anderson prequels in particular.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read Especially for Dune Junkies
Review: After waiting about a year since the last prequel I ordered this book from the UK site just so I could read it a month earlier than the US publishing date. The book certainly lives up to its expectations. It is consistent in style and content with the last two installments and it seems most likely we will be seeing a fourth as hinted at in the book. Most interesting are the additional detail of little discussed topics from the original Dune series. I found it especially interesting to see the history of the "No-Ship" unveiled. Learning more about the Tleilaxu race and Ixians makes the book worth reading alone for explanetory purposes. Foreshadowing, as when the Guild Highliner is stranded in foldspace, is used with tremendous force. I only wish this trajectory in the story was explained more in depth but I imagine that will come. I have some problems with inconsistencies such as in the original Dune series the Ghola Tanks were much more of a mystery and it now seems that Shaddam Corrino and Leto Atreides had evidence of their workings and origin from an early stage. I also still do not understand why the Spacing Guild does not claim absolute power over the universe. As seen from the book they can do what they wish and are hardly accountable to the Emperor or Fremen. It is still difficult to understand their motivation in life. Characters such as Guerney, Thuffir and Duncan are fleshed out with effectiveness. All in all a very entertaining and surprisingly quick read.
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