Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining tale that the diehard fans will enjoy
Review: Emperor Shaddam Corrino sees his plan to become the sole ruler of the Million Worlds nearing fruition on the planet Ix. Shaddam may be a maniac, but his plot is rather simplistic yet with a high probability of success. To achieve his goal, he has researchers using slave labor to invent and subsequently produce Amal, a synthetic spice to replace that found on Dune.
Duke Atreides has his own agenda for Ix. He plans to free the planet's population so as to thwart the plan of the Emperor though how remains a mystery. On the other hand, Duke Harkonnen of Dune has his own concept for Ix in which he becomes the great dictator. As the three forces come closer to a final confrontation, a universe hangs in the balance.
The third Dune novel based on the notes of the late Frank Herbert is an entertaining tale that the diehard fans of the series will enjoy. The story line is action packed and filled with political, social, and military confrontations. At times DUNE: HOUSE CORRINO seems forced as if the authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson had to remind the audience (or themselves) that this is a Dune tale. Still, the plot draws to a satisfying conclusion the threads left from the previous two novels (see DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES and DUNE: HOUSE HARKONNEN). Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Don't expect a masterpiece...
Review: I have to laugh. I read the previous review of House Corrino before I actually read the novel and everytime someone said "Vermilion Hells!" I snickered. It's true, that phrase seems to be used over and over in the book. I should have kept a running total of how many times that phrase is used. The authors also seem it necessary to remind us that Gurney Halleck has an "inkvine" scar on his face every time he shows up. Thanks, I got it! All in all it's an enjoyable read. If you go into it expecting these books (all 3 House books) to be on par with the original series you'll be in for a letdown. Standing on their own, they're fun to read and move along at a nice pace. I don't mind some of the inconsistencies that seem to drive some Dune fanatics mad. The fact that Paul Atreides is said to be born on Kaitan in "House Corrino" as opposed to Caladan is fine. The account of him being born on Caladan was written by Princess Irulan who could have deliberately changed his birthplace to try and suggest he wasn't of "noble" blood. When you take into account that memories are fading you can explain away alot of the inconsistencies. So don't expect the original series...just enjoy some good tales with decent writing.
Rating: 
Summary: An uninteresting prequel to a classic sci-fi book
Review: The original Dune is one of my favorite books. Frank Herbert created a world that was beautifully and convincingly imagined, where high technology had reduced warfare to a matter of swords and knives and where an exotic drug both prolonged life and made interstellar travel possible. However, the later sequels to Dune degenerated into characterless strategy books. His son, unfortunately, goes in the opposite direction in his prequels (this is the third) and produces character studies with a bare minimum of plot. The younger Herbert is a competent author, but his story is stretched paper thin in an attempt to include all the major characters from Dune without any dramatic action that would contradict the older book. There is practically no reason, for instance, to have included the Fremen in this series, and very little reason to have included the Harkonens. All in all, this book and the series to which it belongs are unsatisfying and unnecessary. The subtle games of politics and nuance practiced in the world of the origninal Dune universe are completely missing, which robs the characters of much of their fascination. Reading this book on it's own without having read Dune, the entire concept of Galactic Empire seems silly and outdated. It's a measure of the writing skill of Frank Herbert that he was able to make it so convincing in his orginal work.
Rating: 
Summary: the spice must flow but this series doesn't
Review: I only read Frank Herbert's first two Dune books but I thought I would give these prequel books a chance to see what could be done with them. Sadly though the answer to that is not much.
I found this book to be the worst of the three so I chose to review it instead of the others.
The problem as I see it is this: If you are going to do a prequel to a popular story then it should add something in some way to the original. But these books add NOTHING to the Dune universe that I can see. This book is like a bad soap opera. Shaddam comes across as a maniac and not someone who could command the loyalty of an empire. There is enough evidence and room for conjecture available for his enemies to crush him and it is never used. In this universe political power plays are a way of life, and rumors and lies can bring down grand misfortune on those they are directed out so why should Shaddam be any different.
And I found many events just too convenient. Shaddam's schemes just happen to be helped along by outside forces when he needs them such as the Guild's "tainted spice" investigation and Fenring always being where it will help Shaddam the most during crucial times. And we also have all the drama of Jessica's impending labor when Leto can't be there.
So I am left to ask what character insight does this three book prequel really give us anyway? Having read Frank Herbert's first two Dune books I knew what was going to happen to the main characters before I read these prequels so there is no mystery or tension involving them.
I gave this book one star because it does a decent job fleshing out some of the background characters as well as keeping some elements of court politics and intrigue interesting now and then.
Rating:
Summary: Any Dune Fan Will Like Corrino
Review: Corrino is the third book in the Brian Herbert Dune prequels but don't let that fool you. You can easily pick up this book and begin reading without having ever read *any* of the Dune books at all. At a basic minimum, you should have at least read Frank Herbert's Dune book that started it all.
I'm about half way through this title at the moment and I'm finding that a lot of the material feels like deja vu. I haven't read either of the prequels but I have read the first Dune novel and Corrino is eerily remniscent of those storylines.
All in all I like Corrino bc I'm a Dune fan and fully intend on reading Atreides & Harkonnen but the intricate storylines and creativity that made Frank Herbert a legend are qualities that are strangely missing in son Brian. I suppose that's what happens when you try to improve on someone else's literary masterpiece. Hey Brian, how about developing your *own* universe instead of borrowing from your father's.
Rating: 
Summary: Hooray for the Herberts!
Review: I loved it!I read the first series 25 years ago and thought it was amazing,but a little complicated and convoluted.Reading them was almost like doing homework.This prequel was much easier while still maintaining the richness and power of the original series. A must read for all true sci-fi fans!!!
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first two
Review: Let me start by saying it's better than the first two. Let me continue by saying that when I got to the end of this third book, I was thinking the story could have been told (and told better) in just one book by discarding the fluffy nonsense and keeping just the meat of the story.
Bad writing. It's still there, and it hasn't gotten any better. Just one example of the completely ridiculous phrases is on page 552, "hold on to the gossamer strands of her sanity." On its own, that phrase is already ludicrous; what makes it even more so is the fact that the authors had already overused (and misused) the word "gossamer" a dozen times.
Unbelievable actions. Literally millions of innocent civilians are murdered without justification, and without repercussions. A universe where governments behaved this way would not survive the reign of one emperor, let alone 10,000 years.
Hectic ending. The last 150 pages are unnecessarily hectic as the authors try to wrap up the many threads initiated by the unbelievable actions previously mentioned. House Moritani, House Harkonnen, House Atreides and Emperor Corrino are all undertaking major military operations. Furthermore, Jessica is in labor and the amal project is reaching its culmination. As if all of this weren't enough, the authors throw in an additional plot line involving the twisted Mentat Peter DeVries. The motivation for his actions in particular has gone beyond the realm of the unlikely into the neighborhood of mind-boggling-ly (is that a word?) stupid. Usually, when authors have a character do something uncharacteristic it's because of a need to move the plot forward, but this plot already had too much going on without this. This unnecessary and absurd thread seriously detracted from the ending.
Inattention to detail. I have previously mentioned that the authors sometimes appear not to have read the original Dune Chronicles series. Well, now I wonder if they've read their own work. On page 49, they write "A few years ago, distracted by a document he'd been studying, Leto had accidentally crushed the insect." But that's not actually what happened in House Harkonnen; what actually happened is that Leto was distracted FROM the document BY a guard and the document fell on the insect.
Freedom. Why do "the good guys" keep using the word "free"? Leto and Rhombur might be good enlightened leaders, but that doesn't make them any less than complete autocrats or make their peoples any more free than they would be under the Tleilaxu or Harkonnens or Corrinos. This could have provided a fruitful line of discussion had the authors been trying to paint their characters as unaware of their own failings in this regard, but Herbert & Anderson don't seem to have given this a second thought (despite their excessive use of the word "free") and never manage to move beyond their naïve notion of good versus evil to explore this idea.
Overall, I would rate it slightly higher than the first two books in the series, somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. Still no masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Amazing that the old boring Dune series served as inspiration for these splendid prequels.
Witness the introduction of a [quote] Bene Gesserit makeup specialist [unquote] !
Comic relieve at House Harkonnen featuring an etiquette instructor and a young Feyd Rautha !
Over 300 chapters per volume !
There's so much innovation and addition here that it is hard to believe it's all crammed into 3 volumes.
Whereas the original Dune was difficult to comprehend and really rather bookish this great joint effort reads like a dream. Everything is patiently explained in full detail and there are helpful reminders in every chapter on who, why and what to avoid confusion.
Still, given the overall complexity I can't really recommend this trilogy to anyone under the age of seven.
A solid 6 stars. (The meter stops at 5 so that should read 5 plus 1. Stupid system!)
Rating:
Summary: a worthy addition to Dune and a fitting end to the trilogy
Review: "House Corrino" is the third and final book in the "Prelude to Dune" trilogy, otherwise known as the "House" trilogy. To understand this story, it is necessary to have first read "House Atreides" and "House Harkonnen" because the plot lines that started in the first book build to a climax in "House Corrino". By the time that we get to this novel the former rulers of Ix, House Vernius, had long since been deposed with the last scion of the ruling family living under the protection of his friend, Duke Leto Atreides. Leto and Rhombur (the last of the Vernius family) are working together to finally reclaim Ix from the Tlielaxu and return Rhombur to power. Leto's mistress, the Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica is pregnant with his child. Leto wants a son, but the Bene Gesserit need a daughter from Jessica and Leto for their breeding program which is only one generation away from completion. Meanwhile, Shaddam IV, the Emperor of a Million worlds is seeking an alternative to the Spice that runs the Imperium. Spice is native only to the planet Arrakis and Shaddam wants an artificial source of Spice that he controls. Shaddam is playing both sides of the game, working to control Arrakis through the planet's overlord Vladimir Harkonnen as well as trying acquire a synthetic spice from the Tlielaxu on Ix. If this sounds complicated, the reason is simple: it is complicated. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson are weaving multiple storylines together to build a whole that is far grander than any of the parts. Brian is the son of the creator of the original 6 book Dune series and he has taken on an ambitious project: to write a prequel series that can complement the original books, expand the universe that Frank Herbert crated, and stand on its own merits. While different in style and theme than Frank's work, the "Prelude to Dune" novels are fully a part of the greater "Dune" universe and are worthy additions to the series. What makes the challenge of writing these novels even tougher is that as a prequel trilogy with characters that we will meet in Frank Herbert's classic (in every sense of the word) novel "Dune", the authors have to create a story that fits within the continuity of "Dune" yet is compelling enough of a story to stand alone. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson are to be commended for their success. This trilogy fits both requirement and has surely led more readers to discover Frank Herbert's "Dune". -Joe Sherry
Rating:
Summary: Fitting ending to a nice trilogy
Review: House Corrino proves to be a fitting ending to a what I would considered as a pretty nice trilogy of books that tell the tale of major events that could place before the original trilogy. While the story took certain forgivable liberties with the original Frank Herbert premise, I found it to be within a very acceptable framework. While it would be a mistake to say that this trilogy is just as good as the one written by Frank Herbert, standing on its own merit, Dune House trilogy proves to be pretty entertaining and well told. In all three books, various plot lines were easy followed and they intermixed very nicely within the plot. House Corrino, in my opinion, is probably the weakest of the three books simply because its too pat. The authors have to tied all the loose ends to a fitting conculsion and they probably short changed the plot to make it work. Thus they resorted in changing the premise of the continued story to make everything fit together. For example, I mean, its bit silly that the Bene Gesserit didn't know that the child of Jessica will be a boy. A group that looked into the human species as an exact science should have known such an information of such importance to them far before the birth. After all, we can do that even now!!! In using this case as an example, it shows how the authors artifically created an unrealistic premises within the Dune universe to create a format where they can tied couple of loose ends together. Thus, lies the weakness of the book. (And why the reader of this review should considered my 4 stars to be 3.5). But overall, the book was enjoyable reading and it should satisfied anyone who enjoyed the universe of Frank Herbert....as long as they don't expect the writing and the style to be that of Frank Herbert.
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