Rating: 
Summary: Without Comparison
Review: First off, I must admit that this is the first Dune book I have read, and thus I cannot comment on the other reviewers' tendency to hate this prequel. I have just ordered all the 6 original Dune books, and will very much be looking forward to reading them.However, I absolutely LOVED this book, and while I agree an 8 year old Duncan Idaho defeating Harkonnen troops may be over the edge, his methods are clearly stated in the book and could be justified to an extent. I guess this book is best if you have not read the originals, and until I do, it shall remain on my list of must-reads.
Rating:
Summary: dune house atreides:house atreides
Review: Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have done an excellent job of continuing the Dune saga. This book contains the essense of the original Frank Herbert series. I am anxiously awaiting the coming additions.
Rating: 
Summary: Caricature Developement
Review: I have to admit, I wolfed this book down. It was nice to be back in the Dune world. But the quality of the writing left much to be desired. There's a lot more Caricature Developement vs. character development. You know, the Barron is a sick-o (he's so sick there's no way he could really be a credible threat!). Leto is just sooo noble. The Freeman as sooo free! On and on.
Rating:
Summary: Not Frank Herbert, but a great book in it's own right!
Review: I have read some of the other reviews here, and notice some animosity from some of the reviewers about how it isn't (as good /written like) the original Dune series. I too don't believe that it is as good as the original Dune book, but come on, how many books have been written that are? If you are expecting Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson to write in the exact same style as Frank, you will be dissapointed, but they definately have a great flow of their own, and it reveals more of the Dune tale to readers. Sure there may be some minor discrepancies between this book and the original series, but they are definately few and far between, and will probably only matter to the most hard core of Dune fans. If this book was written as well as it is, but as a standalone book, not in the Dune universe, I believe many of the ratings would go up. It just seems to me that it will almost always be impossible to please all the upper elite crust of hard core fans of any series when the series is continued by a different author. I believe that if you go into this book with an open mind, it will capture your imagination, and take you back again to the Dune worlds that you know and love.
Rating: 
Summary: Painful....
Review: Let me preface my review by stating that it is a HARD thing to try to compete or even complement a work as complex as the Dune series..hell, some have argued that Frank Herbert had a hard time following up on Dune. Be that as it may I must say that this book is very disappointing. It is missing the subtle use of tone and design that Dune contained. Yes, Dune was in its broadest outline a medieval tale of a young man coming of age and wreaking vengeance on those who destroyed his family, but Dune was complex in the design of the politics, history, potrayal and incorporation of human theories of economics and religious manipulation. It is a masterwork on many levels. What House Atreides misses is immersing the reader in universe that is very complex with "wheel within wheels". The dialogue was simplistic and the plotting was heavy handed at times. I think that worse thing was that I did not recognize the characters from Dune in their young stage. Hasimir Fenring is portrayed has a murderous psychopath and at the end of book is in love with the Bene Gesserit Margot - quite a disjoint in portrayal. The clearest example of the writers not absorbing the universe of Dune was the fact that a Bene Gessrit would believe in Feng Shui! Imagine my surprise that a feng shui master was called into designing a birthing center. Overall, if you are a hardcore Dune fan then read this as a form of discipline and completion. But be prepared that it is a pale imitation and an odd echo of the Dune saga. For those new to Dune -- skip this book and go to straight to Dune by Frank Herbert.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fantastic Novel On Its Own Merits
Review: I had never read a Dune novel before I read House Atreides, so I was able to enjoy the book on its own merits, which are considerable. The characters are rich and iconic, the politics deliciously dark and unpredictable, and the battles are momentous. The negative extremes in Herbert's world are all examples of things in today's world, which if left unchecked could end up being just as onerous as they are in the book. The book has a kind of dark gothic feel, and the story moves along nicely. Compared to the original Dune, which I read immediately afterwards, House of Atreides is written in a cleaner, more formulistic style. Because it focuses on the Atreides, who represent truth and courage, it has a more uplifting feel than the original. It was for me, a great intro to the original Dune, which taken on its own can be difficult to follow. Most importantly, it is a classic story, and would be considered as such if it had come out first.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved all Dune books, but always found them a bit dense, because Frank Herbert was not too descriptive, and it was very had to imagine many concepts and things, even though he was a genius and his ideas and concepts continue to be copied today. I believe Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson did a great job, in explaining and giving us a background of the events that took place before Dune, I simply couldn't stop reading, everything was so cleary and well explained and I do think it all made perfect sense, I am not an expert in the Dune Series, but finally I was able to understand many concepts that I didn't before. I am breathless with anticipation awaiting for Dune House Harkonnen.
Rating:
Summary: Immersed again on Dune
Review: Well, I just finished the book, and I must say I was totally immersed and couldn't put it down! I have read and re-read the entire Dune series over 12 times, and frankly did not have high expectations for this book, as Frank Herbert was not the author. I've have been fortunate enough to read Frank Herbert's notes on Dune, in the archives of Cal State Fullerton while I was a student there, so I consider myself an avid Dune fan. I recommend you buy and read this book if you are a fan of Dune and the Imperium. It's great background material for the original series, and an excellent tale of intrigue and coming of age. It's a great read, and I can't wait for House Harkonnen! I'm inspired to read the entire Dune series again...now, where did I leave that copy of Dune??
Rating:
Summary: A Valiant Undertaking
Review: I just finished the novel and I consider it to be a worthy attempt at continuing the master work of Mr. Herbert. It certainly lacks the depth of drama and characterization of the others, but I believe the authors' err mostly on the side of giving their characters a two dimensionality by explaining too much intead of letting their actions speak for themselves, and keeping the scope of the scenes in the book always within the limits of local subplots without interleaving any subplots into each other. This leads to oversimplification of characterization and underdevelopment of dramatic drive. I would tend to believe their next effort will be an improvement, as theirs' is not an easy task. In the production of a final Dune novel they will be working with more fleshed out characters and storylines, and hopefully they will be braver in their willingness to put more of themselves into the work. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let us not forget that this series is one man's masterpiece and its continuation is not a task to be taken lightly. Congratulations on a job well done. I dare your detractors to do better! I look forward to more, and will endeavor to read more of your works.
Rating: 
Summary: "House Atreides" is "Dune Lite"
Review: While I didn't expect this book to be on a par with Frank Herbert, I wasn't prepared for how spectacularly ordinary it is. The most missed element is Herbert's didactic, multi-layered prose style. Herbert had a way of saying more by implication than by actual description. "House Atreides" is just plain bland by comparison. Some of the descriptive metaphors wouldn't be worthy of a freshman creative writing student (the bull falling over like a spaceship, for instance). Most of the characters and situations are described or implied in other Dune works. In most cases, they are not better served by being fleshed out. Ix, for example, is a much more provactive and interesting place because it was never explicitly described in the other Dune books; the reader is left to imagine and fill in the possibilities. "Dune" is a book that most people grow into. "House Atreides" is, regretfully, one that you'll have to dumb down for.
| 
