Rating: 
Summary: A return to the Dune universe
Review: It was wonderful to return my beloved Dune universe so many years after Frank Herbert's death. Reading this book was like becoming reacquainted with long-lost friends. I always wondered why anyone would want the hideous physical transformation associated with becoming a Guild navigator until I read about Dmurr's experience. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the prequel and also hope that a new series will follow where Frank Herbert left off. Meanwhile, I'm off to read Dune for the 5th time.
Rating: 
Summary: Why So Negative?
Review: I originaly read DUNE many years ago. It is a classic. DUNE; House Atreides, is not an original; however, it is a welcome addition to the DUNE mythos. Some of the negative comments in other reviews are a bit disturbing. Some reviewers seem very angry and I don't see why. The story in DUNE needs to be finished and Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have given DUNE readers some hope that the story will finally be told.
Rating: 
Summary: The book is a reasonable continuation of the classic series
Review: The Dune series as written by Frank Herbert was marvellous in its depth of plot development and full blown characters. After his death I feared the end of this great series was over. Fortunately his son has collaborated with Kevin Anderson to continue the series. Is it as good as the original stories written by Frank Herbert? Definitely not. It is still a wonderful journey back in time to the days prior to the original Dune story. We get to visit again with our old friends who we read and lived with for years. I am happy to be able to experience a continuation of the story. The best news is that the authors suggest another novel will be forthcoming finishing off the series.
Rating:
Summary: Dune Prequel provides claification
Review: I've long been a fan of Frank Herbert's DUNE series. Since 1985, I've poured through the six book and begged, borrowed or stolen copies of the regular, wide-screen and Director's Cut of the movie. Although *extremely* well-researched, Mr. Herbert left us dangling in several spots, especially after his death. We mourned him, and kept reading his words.However... Kevin J. Anderson and and Mr. Herbert's son Brian have expanded our knowledge as keenly as a tall shot of the spice-essence. This prequel clarifies positions not discussed until much later (the body-eating disease of the Baron Harkonnen, No-Globes, the Tleiaxu takeover of IX) and introduces us to concepts and characters that Frank Herbert left behind (Paulus Atreides and young Guild Navigators). Well scripted, the book is open-ended, leaving us panting for more and includes at the end Msrs. Anderson and Herbert's intentions of two more books and a compendium/timeline to come in the future. While I do not believe that anyone can interpret Frank Herbert's universe as well as he could, Msrs. Anderson and Herbert have done an excellent job of suspending our disbelief and taking us back to the universe of Dune. "It is the year 10,191...."
Rating:
Summary: A fun read, even if it isn't the Dune of Frank Herbert
Review: As a long time Dune fan, I was thrilled at the release of Dune: House Atreides. Stepping back into the Dune universe is like being reunited with an old friend. For this reason, it was truly a fun read, and if you long for new tales of the people and places from the original series, you might enjoy it. However, if you are looking for the level of sophistication, and a stylistic vision that is absolutely true to Frank Herbert's original series, you could be disappointed. Many of the settings in House Atreides have the feel of a movie lot, great on the surface, but none of the depth that we came to love in the originals. By the same token, some of the characters seem very superficial, and come across as very shallow in their feelings and motivations, without the deep psychological features that were a hallmark of Frank Herbert's characters. That having been said, again, the book is entertaining, and since it is probably the truest sort of work we are likely to see in the Dune universe, incorporating material from Frank Herbert's notes as it does, it is at least worth reading by true Dune fans.
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Summary: Just great, Brian and Kevin J. Now do another! Quick!
Review: Congratulations, Messers Herbert and Anderson! What a ballsy thing to do -- to take on one of the most beloved sci-fi properties in history --and attempt to bring new, fresh persepective to it. The easy way out would have been to simply plunder Frank Herbert's notes, "clone" (ghola?) his style and count on a hungry and sentimental audience to lap it up with an unsterilized plastic picnic spoon. But you didn't do that. You tell the story with a brisk voice and an energetic clip that suits the younger ages of the main characters (Vladimir Harkonnen has yet to become the "floating fat man" of his later years) and ties up all sorts of "loose beginnings." I've recommended that a number of "non-Dunies" first read "Dune," then this new prequel, then the remainder of the Dune series (which, let's all admit, grew a tad thin toward the last couple of books). A lot of self-appointed "Dune Purists" are rail against the effrontery of adding to the Holy Canon. But I say get your head out of the sand and lighten up. This is great fun. Give us more, gentlemen. Please, give us more!
Rating:
Summary: Nice trip down memory lane
Review: I enjoyed this return to the Dune universe. I greatly appreciated the younger characterizations of Dune heavies. It was a pleasure seeing the grotesque Baron Harkonnen as a young and desirable man. And I must further confess to visualizing Miguel Ferrer playing the role of Shaddam IV as his father Jose Ferrer played the elder Shaddam in David Lynch's Dune. However, the ending was a let-down, feeling more like the stepping stone for another couple of prequel episodes. Does that sound familiar? Plus, I found the repeating inner voices a bit insulting, as if the authors felt I would forget the characters' motivations from chapter to chapter. At the end of the day, though, I did enjoy returning to the Dune environment, and I would still recommend it to anyone who can place the term "Kwisatz Haderach."
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful! True to the original. I loved it!
Review: I am a fanatic Dune fan, and I was a little skeptical when I saw Brian Herbert's new book on the shelf. I thought, "Oh no, what a futile attempt this probably was to bring back to life all the old characters and memories of Dune." I purchased it anyway because I was extremely curious to see what Brian Herbert had to write about regarding the events 40 years prior to Dune (since his new book is a prequel to Frank Herbert's masterpiece) and I figured it would at least be interesting if nothing else. This book is amazing! It is true to the origial series by Frank Herbert, and explains so much that went on in Dune and the other Dune books, I was just blown away by it. Brian lived up to the mystique that is the legacy of Dune, and he did it grand fashion. I want a sequel to the prequel now! Please, Brian Herbert, write more!
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't live up to the originals
Review: I was beyond excited to hear of a new addition to Herbert's Dune universe. I bought the book before it came out and I read it with an intense hope of reconnecting to the world that stunned me years ago. I was unfortunately disappointed. The book was generally simplistic. It did not have the same complexities, intrigue, or language as the orginal. It was nice to revisit the characters and the plots, but it did not "say" anything, unlike the original Dune series. It was pulp through and through. In addition, the shameless drive throughout the book to leave enough loose ends so young Herbert could write a second book and recieve more lucrative book deals was upsetting. It seemed that some parts were written so a next book could be written, not to enhance House Atreides itself. Read it if you are a fan, but do not expect the original.
Rating:
Summary: I Grant It Two Stars Only Because "Dune" Is In The Title
Review: What is this obsession with writing spin off books of popular sci fi series? Look at how pitiful and useless the Doctor Who "Missing Adventures" are (read my review on Interference by Lawrence Miles). There is something to be said about appreciating something upon its own merits and not attempting to recapture it out of greed for more money from the fans. Show some integrity. The "original" Herbert wrote with a style that didn't trivialize. He gave the readers the facts as they needed to know. This work knows nothing of minimalism as every specific action is drolled out. How over descriptive do you need to get before you realize Dune fans are NOT second graders? With this pop-Star Trek fiction approach the Dune characters are degenerated into sub-average 90s charicatures. And having Baron Harkonnen show up himself is as dumb as Jabba The Hutt crawling into a gratuitous scene where his bounty hunters should have sufficed. This is as lame as that Young Indiana Jones crud (see my review on Trenches of Hell). Show some class. Leave us the classic Dune and stick to junk trendy neophyte pulp like Star Wars year ten with Han Solo kids. These greed mongers better stay away from the Hobbit! Don't buy this. Junk.
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