Rating: 
Summary: The Sleeper Will Awaken
Review: Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson resolve some of the Dune Saga questions left by the passing of Frank Herbert and create quite a few new ones. While the language was not up to the level of Frank Herbert's work, the authors have done an admirable job of weaving together a worthy addition to the Dune canon. Working within the constraints of a very popular universe (still considered the best SF storyline) and a detailed backstory (culled from copious notes), the authors do not fail to deliver a good story and more importantly a good precursor to two more prequels and a concluding sequel to the Dune series. The work is not a derivative of the opus, it is a respectful and caring work that rewards the long-time Dune reader as well as anyone just coming to the story. Unlike Christopher Tolkien, Brian Herbert converts his fathers papers and notes into a novel to read (although it would also be facinating to see the evolution of the Dune storyline, a la The History of Middle-Earth).
Rating: 
Summary: Well Positioned in the Series
Review: Look, you can read about the details in the reviews below. I've been a huge Dune fan since the first book hit the shelves at my local bookstore and I have read the entire series many times. It's true what they say, that the quality drops off as the series continues.House Atriedes, as a prequel, is right about where it belongs quality wise. The writing is crisp and clear and compelling, in some ways more so than the great one, Frank Herbert, himself. Many holes are filled in, such as the process of becoming a guild steersman. This is the best book I've read in years, and everyone I have loaned this book to agrees with my assessment. This is an absolute MUST read.
Rating:
Summary: It's Good But Not Quite Like The Original
Review: I've had Dune: House Atreides, the first prequel Dune novel, sitting on my night stand for a couple of weeks. Its not that I dislike the Dune books, but Dune is not a novel. It's more like a research project. Frank Herbert's Dune series is arguably the most detailed, complex, and multilayered science fiction opus of all time. Never have I read such enormous books and finished with the feeling that the author needed to explain more. Very few books have forced me to pause, close the book and think carefully about the plot just to keep up. And there on my night stand sat Dune: House Atreides, with a menacing challenge gleaming from the cover. En garde! I suppose I should start with what House Atreides is not. It's not written by the legendary Frank Herbert, who is deceased. The novel is a joint effort from Herbert's son Brian Herbert, and popular science fiction author Kevin Anderson (Jedi Academy Trilogy). Additionally, it does not continue the Dune books, but rather is a prequel and starts a generation before the initial Dune novel. It only takes a page to tell the old master is gone. It's not that the new writers are bad, but Frank Herbert's prose is unmistakable, and I doubt there are many writers who could even approach the detailed and complex style that Herbert seemed to spin with such ease. Brian Herbert and Anderson make a strong effort, but it's a pale shadow to one of the most acclaimed science fiction writers ever. Yet House Atreides is a good book in its own right. While the novel is not as heavy, either in girth or prose, as previous Dune books, it is an entertaining look at young Leto Atreides as he learns the hard lessons of leading a major house in the galactic empire against the intrigues of the evil Harkonnens and even the Padasha Emperor himself. We get to meet familiar characters and learn how they developed in their good or evil ways, and we learn more about the competing schemes of the galaxy's great ruling houses. The new authors are painstaking in the effort to remain consistent with the other Dune books, and this attention to detail is remarkable considering the sheer number of detail in the original novels. Dune: House Atreides is a relatively easy read and paced quick enough to keep the reader's attention. If I didn't keep comparing the book to the previous novels, I likely would have been impressed. But if you are going to write a Dune Book, then you must be prepared for the inevitable comparisons. House Atreides is good, but few can compare to Frank Herbert.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Series Continues
Review: I found myself staying up late to read more! The characters were very well developed -- including the planet Dune, which is a character itself. The plot was intricate, weaving one storyline with another, but without being difficult to follow. As in the other Dune novels, there is plenty of medieval-style intrigue, between the different Houses of the Empire as well as with the Bene Gesserit and the techno-heretical Tleilax. It was nice to get to know Leto Atriedes and Pardot Kynes in their younger years. Reading this book took me back to my high school years when I first read Dune. It felt good to have a novel sweep me away to another world again.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good i was hoping
Review: Dispite enjoying a couple of Kevin J. Andersons other novels I was disappointed with the characters in this book. I thought that they needed more devlopment and lacked the depth that made the original 'Dune' so engrossing. On the other hand the descriptive writing and scean setting was good. All in all I enjoded this book dispite it's flaws.
Rating:
Summary: A good Beginning
Review: I rediscovered that odd rapaciousness that overcame me when reading each of the original Dune books. The desire to forego food and sleep in order to devour page after page of this fabulous tale was akin to the state I found myself with each of its predecessors. House Atreides is a wonderful discovery that every Dune admirer should make.
Rating:
Summary: The best since Messiah.
Review: A brilliant addition to the Dune series. A worthy successor to Dune and Dune Messiah which knocks spots off Chapter House and Heretics. Reads like Frank Herbert before he got caught by his own verbosity. A big well done to Kevin and Brian and thank you from the bottom of my heart for not writing the sequel(s) to Chapter/Hertics. Let the story hang poised for ever on the verge of another monumental trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Dune prequel : The Beginning of Plans withing Plans
Review: As an avid reader and fan of the origional Dune series by Frank Herbert, I was overjoyed to learn of a Prequel to the Dune series. Dune: House Atredies starts putting the plans withing plans into motion. It is not one story but an elaborate dance of many plot elements with the centerpoint as always the spice melange. We are shown insights on the Atredies-Harkonnen feud, the Emperor's plans for Ix, young Duncan Idaho, Baron Harkonnen contracting his disease and more! Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson cleverly write each chapter to leave the reader hanging to see what the antagonist will do next and if the protagonist will get out of a harsh situation, which kept me turning and turning the pages. Keeping with the flavour of the six Dune Chronicles Books, each chapter opens with a quotable quote from meta journals kept by the characters or faction in the story, setting the mood for each chapter. A drawback I can forsee with this novel would be directed towards the new reader. To really catch the flavour of each character, race and faction, I would suggest reading all of or at least the first two books of the six Dune Chronicles novels. I will be eagerly awaiting the next books in this Prequel Series!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, no Dune
Review: Entertaining sci-fi novel for readers who enjoy the genre, very disappointing for someone hoping to relive the "Dune experience". House Atreides completely lacks the depth, complexity and intensity which made Frank Herbert's books thought-provoking as well as enjoyable. While I appreciate the authors' effort, I don't plan to read the other planned Dune prequels.
Rating:
Summary: The Thrill of Intrigue
Review: House Atreides is a thoroughly enjoyable read. The intrigue within the Houses of the Known Universe and the background of the Bene Gesserit's birthing program were fascinating. I thought the characters were well developed and reflected what they would become in Dune, if they survived that long. I learned more about what will happen in Dune by reading this book. I have already recommended this book to several people.
| 
