Rating: 
Summary: Surface Scratch Gives No Buzz
Review: It was at the young and impressionable age of 18 that I first encountered the genius that was Frank Herbert. And while I must admit that it was the miserable excuse of the movie version of "Dune" (why twisted, macabre and sensationalistic David Lynch was chosen for the virtually insurmountable privilege of converting this unquestionable masterpiece to visual media when the likes of Kubrick, Scott and even James Cameron could have been had remains to me one of the greatest mysteries in the history of cinema, especially given the fact that Frank Herbert himself was a consultant during filming - heart plugs! a sound gun for Pete's sake! Head-shaking, mind-boggling!) which opened my mind to the series, I can not bemoan it as the catalyst. The day after watching the film for the first time I went out and purchased what was then the entire series (Dune - God Emperor) which I proceeded to devour over the next several days and sleepless nights. It's effect was inspiring, life-changing, mind-expanding and indelible. It forever changed my view of our species, both our history and our future. I have since re-read the original four books at least four times (I've given the first one six reads, not counting the multitude of times having casually picked it up and flipped to a chapter for a quick stroll) and the entire series at least three times. Each time the effect on me is inescapable: I'm buzzed... my head spins. It defies explanation. Attempts at describing the works themselves to the unfamiliar are equally elusive, especially given, forgive the gross generalization, most people's attitude towards the genre. "But it's not really sci-fi", I would say... "it's social and politcal commentary, philosophy and "humanism", body/mind focus and control to the height of Eastern philosophy and teachings and beyond; it's millennia-long vision of the survival of our species by manipulating the masses through religion and the necessity of an all-powerful, self-sacrificing, Machiavellian visionary with the strength of character and un-wavering confidence to make the decisions that will ensure our future". Unfortunately, I found "Dune: House Atreides" to be seriously lacking in most if not all of the driving force of Frank Herbert's writing. Whereas his story telling appeared to me to be his true beliefs and personal philosophy, this prequel is simply a history lesson told as an adventure story. Apart from lack of underlying philosophical theme, the key missing element has to be the trademark Herbert intensity during inter-character encounters. He had a way of subtly conveying the gravity and seriousness of a moment in the way his characters could read even the slightest nuances of an adversary's behaviour. Several key scenes leap to mind: the Atreides formal dinner upon their arrival at Carthag (thankfully omitted from the movie); the initial meeting of the conspirators involving Scytale in Dune Messiah; any encounter with the God Emperor; the list is almost inexhaustible. With all due respect to the collaborators and their respective individual achievements, Frank Herbert was a brilliant visionary and literary master whose works and style may never be duplicated. To do so would be a massive undertaking, near impossible, accomplished only by a true adept. In he end, "DUNE: House Atreides" is a history lesson, it's Herbert's characters without the Herbert edge. As a fan of the story, I was glad for the chance to revisit old friends and learn more about the events leading to Muad'Dib, Leto II and, eventually, "Rakis" and the Honored Matres. And as such I look forward to the next two, strictly out of historical fascination. But I beseech Brian Herbert to end it there and not attempt a sequel to Chapterhouse, unless he can find a writer who embodies the essence of his father's style and vision.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok read
Review: Was it as good as the others - NO. Was it worth reading - Yes - if you get it from the library.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the origional, but still it's equal.
Review: I started reading this book expecting it not to live up to my expectations. To my surprise, it excited me in ways I haven't been since I finished reading Dune. This book is as good as Dune and Children of Dune, my two favorites. I hope Brian Herbert writes another one.
Rating:
Summary: It's not Dune, but that doesn't mean it isn't good
Review: Having read most of the previous reviews, it seems everyone either loves or hates this book. I loved it. But it's not Frank Herbert, which seems to be the most common criticsm, that it doesn't read like the original, how can it! It's a different guy that's writing it. Anyway, the plot isn't as complex as Dune, so you shouldn't expect it to have the same depth, but that doesn't make it a bad read. The plot is well-paced, descriptive and although the narrator can be too literal at times, I never got bored reading it. I think that what makes the book a good read is that it delves into the background of the characters in more detail than was possible in Dune, as it was dealing more with the preceding generation, and more especially with Paul, and some of the best characters in Dune were killed off, or appeared far too infrequently, so it was nice to have a chance to read more about them, whether it's in the style of Frank Herbert or not.
Rating: 
Summary: OF COURSE IT'S NOT THE ORIGINAL...BUT IT'S STILL A GOOD READ
Review: So, after reading down through some of the customer reviews (Stilgar...chill out !How 'bout if *I* decide what to read? ) I must agree that you'll either love the book or hate the book. Personally, I loved it, enjoying it more that any of the sequels to DUNE, as I originally fell in love with the *characters* in DUNE as much as the storyline. It was nice to revisit the originals, even though there were omissions that I wish had been covered. Realizing that room has been left for additional prequel material, I can only hope for more background on Gurney Halleck, Wellington Yueh, the Lady Jessica, and the grown-up Duncan Idaho (someone please help me here... isn't Mt. Idaho named after the aforementioned Duncan Idaho? If so, then why is there a Mt. Idaho on the map in House Atreides? ) The truly disappointing part for me is the rather obvious attempt to provide literary background descriptions for the characters as depicted in that GODAWFUL move of the same name; i.e. the descriptions of the Guild Navigators, the pre-description of Baron Harkonnen, Rabban, Thufir Hawat, etc. Well, maybe if they make another movie, they'll do it right this time. In short, it's a lovely read, unless you go into it expecting the original.
Rating: 
Summary: DUNE ... NOT!
Review: I agree with all of the negative comments below. When I heard that there would be a new Dune novel, I went back and re-read all 6 of the originals, just to refresh my memory of Dune. After the first chapter of "House Atreides" I realized that this book was NOTHING close to the original. The narrative style is repetitive, and written for early teen readers. The errors made, with regards to the Dune universe, are so frequent and so glaring as to totally detract from the reading experience. The only reason I finished the book was so that I could warn other people about it. DO NOT buy this book if you enjoyed any of the originals. If you have not read any of the originals then start with Dune and NEVER read this book. I have never thrown a book away, this will be the first, and I will NOT buy any of the sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, but not great
Review: I found that as a suppliment to the dune series, it fell far short. However, I feel this is because it was not written by Frank Herbert himself. I aggree that the "no-ship" technology came out of no where. I also felt that to much emphasis was placed on description and not enough on long reaching plot and character development. Otherwise it was an entertaining read
Rating:
Summary: Phantom Menace without the special effects
Review: I had to re-read Dune after I finished HA to cleanse my spirit of a novel that, despite its intentions, cheapened Herbert's brilliant universe. For example, nowhere will you find Frank Herbert writing: "The worm approached like a locomotive." But this is the sort of uninspired writing you get for 600 full pages. The character subtleties, what there are of them, are explained away by an annoying narrator as though the novel were meant for children. Don't read unless you enjoyed a similarly bad prequel: Phantom Menace.
Rating:
Summary: Just bad writing
Review: While it was great to have a chance to visit the Dune universe again, this was just a poor piece of writing. The only person I could reccomend this book to is someone who has read the series and is interested in learning more of the background to the story. One gets the impression that Dune was written as literature and that House Atreides was written to be a best seller appealing to the lowest common denominator. Unfortunate.
Rating:
Summary: Cleaning a Classic
Review: I haven't read the original Dune series since Junior High, but I've long remembered the impact it had on me. It was the first, true science fiction epic I ever read. Upon hearing about a new Dune novel, I was intrigued. I read the book and was not disappointed. It was a very good read. Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert took an old tapestry down off the wall and shook the dust off of it. They didn't change or damage anything, they just made it easier to see and displayed it in a new light. I thank them for it.
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