Rating: 
Summary: Fan Fiction?
Review: Maybe its the fact that I hold Dune to be the best novel I've ever read, maybe its Brian Herbert's different writing style. I don't know, but what I do know is that this book stunk. I forced myself to finish it. My first thought was that this book read like a star trek/star wars novel. And what do you know? It was co-authored by a novelist who has in the past written those kinds of books! It held none of the magic that the original Dune series. None. Not a drop. I'd only recommend this book to those of you who actually read the ENTIRE Dune series, but please..buy the paperback..it's not worth 25 dead presidents. Word to the wise, continuations of a series after the original author has died are bad ideas. (just look at the continuing 'Foundation' books by the 'estate' of Isaac Asimov) Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go hurl this book into the open desert and collect my water-debt from Brian Herbert's hide.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait and See
Review: I have read a number of the comments that people have written on this page and realized that, unlike the original Dune series written by Frank Herbert, these new prequel books may not "stand alone" as some people would like them too. I suggest that everyone wait and read ALL of the books in the prequel before they opine about anything. I'm sure that when DUNE itself first came out people didn't see how it would fit in the Sci Fi universe but after 5 more books and a somewhat random movie, they finally understood what Frank Herbert was trying to say. So just wait and see...
Rating: 
Summary: Not much happens here
Review: I am disappointed. There is not much action. A lot of stuff gets repeated, over and over. It has given me an appetite to read again (fourth time?) Dune, but this one can be skipped
Rating:
Summary: What a GREAT Story!
Review: I wasn't expecting this to be much of a prequel... mainly because Frank Herbert didn't write it. But I was pleasantly surprised! Things that I wondered about from the original Dune were explained, the story was interesting, the characters were interesting... I really liked reading something new in the 'Dune Universe'. I can't wait till the next prequel!
Rating:
Summary: Prelude to Dune stands on its own merits
Review: Dune: House Atreides, the first of three books leading up to the events of the original Dune series, successfully (re)introduces the characters and themes of the Frank Herbert books, although it is burdened by the legacy the classic Dune books have left behind.Brian Herbert, a most gentle and honorable soul I have had the pleasure of meeting on a couple of occasions at book signings, and Kevin J. Anderson, have undertaken an almost impossible task in trying to fill out the missing story lines of the original books. To those who quip that they are just out to make an easy buck, know that this undertaking was not done in haste, and no decision was taken lightly. Brian and Kevin have done their homework and their goal is to finish the story. But to do so requires telling us what lead up to the events in Dune. Creating the 1000 page Dune Concordance used as their Dune encyclopedia, and writing 1800 pages plus to get to the point of being able to finish the Dune story line, not to mention a probably detour to the Butlerian Jihad events 10000 years earlier, is no way to go about making an easy buck! Both authors are accomplished writers who did not need to take on such a tremendous challenge. Yet they have, and although I think the story gets off to a slow start, the last 300 pages made it hard to put the book down. Although one who has read the original books will be familiar with the characters, the story in House Atreides is well enough written to keep the reader's interest, and keep one wondering how things will play out. The authors follow a number of plot threads that generally coalesce into one thread that is followed at the end. My one complaint would be that early on the story line tends to jump around just a little too much. I would have liked to see a little longer spells following one plot or another. Perhaps this clearer focus later on made the book a more gripping read for me as I turned the pages. Having not read the original Dune since the mid 1980's, and only having been able to "catch" up with Frank Herbert's later Dune books because he sadly passed away - he seemed to write them far faster than I could read them - I cannot easily compare this new book with the original. However, I do not feel compelled to do so either. House Atreides stands on its own merits. It is a book that new fans can enjoy, and old fans should be able to as well. It cannot be as original as the original - that's just the nature of things - but that does not lessen the quality of the book. As the authors become more comfortable with the Dune world they are writing about/in, and their storyline becomes more developed I suspect the future offerings, House Harkonnen, and then House Corrino, will be even more compelling reads. I recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read that pales in comparison to the original
Review: After reading House Atreides, I reread Frank Herbert's original novel for about the fifth time. While I enjoyed the new book and anxiously await the next installment in Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson prequel trilogy, I found it lacking when compared to the original masterpiece. House Atreides lacks the subtleties that made Dune the finest SF novel ever written. In the authors' notes at the end, Herbert and Anderson hint that they will one day write a sequel to Chapterhouse Dune, Frank Herbert's final installment in the series. I'm glad the new Dune authors have decided to try a few practice novels before attempting to extend the stories Frank Herbert wrote so well.
Rating: 
Summary: This book satisfied my need for more Dune material
Review: What else do I need to say? I am a Dune series junky having read all of the books several times and this prequel satisfied my need for more Dune material. I look for more from this pair of authors!
Rating:
Summary: Hypnotic! Disregard jealous reviewers.
Review: Disregard the sourpuss reviews; they think they could have done better. But they haven't. House Atreides is almost as good as Dune. Heresy or not, I believe it is better than some of the Dune sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Down Hill For Dune
Review: This was a terrible, poorly plotted book with thin characters. As a huge fan of the original series, I was disappointed with Frank Herbert's son's attempt to recreate the magic of his father's books. Dune: House Atreides is sums up all that bad about poorly written science fiction. I wondered if the new authors had even read the original multilayered, highly intelligent, complex, multifacited novels that I enjoy reading over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Dune revisited (or previsited)
Review: Look, I know there will be a bunch of people out there complaining about how much this book lacks everything the origional had. I know I'll probably be discredited as a raving lunatic. But, through all that, I LIKED this book. I read it, and, even though it's not Dune, it's an excellent history lesson into the past of Dune. I'm also one of those people that liked EVERY Dune book, from Messiah to Heretics. They were all masterpieces, and this one can hold a candle to its predicessors (or postdicessors). If you want something just like Dune, don't read this book. But, if you are willing to open your mind to a different style and a different spin on your old favorite, buy a copy! Then, go read the other 6 in order, from beginning to end...You'll thank me later.
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