Rating: 
Summary: The Phantom Herbert
Review: This is a good book. It is not the original by any stretch, but, I think it derserves some credit for bringing us back to the world of Dune. Overall, I see teh negative comments on this book and the negative comments on SW: The Phantom Menace to be along the same lines. Remember that both came along after years of already determined outcomes, characters, and fan attachments. Both are constitantly out of style with the past(their future) works. Take the use of modern day slang in both. The "Uh..."'s refered to in earlier comments. The Marv Albert like guy in Phantom Menace. Basically, just remember that this was intended to be the first in the long lline of saga ,and to view it in context that there are two(?) more stories to tell before we get to the original Dune.
Rating:
Summary: Dune-Lite
Review: I've been waiting for a new Dune novel for a long time. Needless to say, I was anxiously awaiting the release of Dune: House Atreides. No one should expect to find the complexities of Frank Herbert's style retained in this new book, I never did. That is not to say that my anticipation for House Atreides was ever diminished. Brian Herbert and K.J. Anderson are both fine authors, but everyone must remember that Frank Herbert was an astonishing, unique talent. That said, House Atreides is fun to read; a well structured story. A person can fly through this book in a day or two, as the authors' style doesn't really lend itself to prolonged contemplation, and that's fine. I was thrilled to learn of the background of my favorite character, Duncan Idaho, as well as a host of other familiar people in the Dune universe. Also, there are plenty of new characters to discover. While there seems to be some contradictions in character behavior, I am reserving judgment until I've read the entire prequel trilogy and look forward to the next book, House Harkonen. There may be a reason for these contradictions to exist. In any event, no Dune fan should pass on this opportunity to revisit Frank Herbert's ultimate creation.
Rating: 
Summary: So far, so good --- satisfying reading and sci-fi
Review: I've just started the book -- about 1/3 the way through. I, too, was wary about someone else picking up the trail of Dune after FH, but couldn't resist. BH is an experienced writer too so that gave me confidence in at least trying the book. I've read the series many times, as well, and find that FH & KA are trying to establish an early pattern of writing for FH's style. All that aside, the book is wonderful- FH left us all so hungry for more that it's great to get some pre-history for our beloved characters. I like the style and the content and substance thus far and eagerly await my reading time each evening so that I can once again savor new adventures of 'Dune world' --- I HOPE that they can continue the work by continuing the story where FH left off -- I'll certainly buy the next one, if that's where they go. These stories are so intricate and subtle and meaningful and somehow fun all at the same time -- I walked into the bookstore and saw it displayed -- I could hardly believe my eyes; and now after only a partial reading, I'm so excited about it, that I find myself telling anyone who will listen! That's the effect of this series -- and I'm an 'old broad' -- I've been reading these books since 1969 or so, criminey! Bottom line is that BH & KA have done a fine job and I'm so grateful to get at least one more piece of the puzzle to put together -- it ended much too abruptly and much too soon....
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating glimpse into a universe beyond imagination!
Review: There's a reason why Frank Herbert's Dune Chronicles are widely regarded as the best offerings of science fiction in the world: He created a universe almost beyond imagination and, at the same time, made it utterly believable. Tolkien did the same with his Lord Of The Rings, Heinlein did it with his Future History stories. One would of course be skeptical of someone else attempting to usurp the glory of Frank Herbert's majestic works, even if it is his son, Brian, and the talented Kevin J. Anderson. I was... until I read the book. Many of the tantalizing threads Frank Herbert left dangling are picked up here and extrapolated upon, with a most satisfying effect. Questions I had for years have been answered and further questions would seem to be promised answers in the two forthcoming books, Dune: House Harkonnen and Dune: House Corrino. Dune: House Atreides isn't just about answering questions from Dune, however. It's full of surprises and wonders of its own that certainly kept me turning pages until I came to the end. It would seem to be an almost unattainable feat to create more of Frank Herbert's Dune, but his son and Mr. Anderson have achieved it spectacularly. I can't wait until next October to see what happens next!
Rating: 
Summary: Did the authors read the original Dune books???
Review: I did not hope the new book would be equal to the original, but please keep the details straight and logical. I like the character of Duncan Idaho very much, so I paid attention to his background in the original books. He had a sister who died in the Harkonnen slave pit. He was saved by Duke Leto or Duke Leto's father from the Harkonnen slave pit. In this book, he has "NO" sister. Instead, his parents were killed by the Harkonnen. The slave pit was not a slave pit; it was more like a prison where people were waiting around to be executed (or freed). And Duncan was not rescued. He escaped there himeself. The woman who helped him to escape had the most ridiculous reason to help him and send him to the House Atreides. I did not check for other conflicting details. Since Duncan Idaho was one of the main characters for 4 of the 6 books of Dune, getting his background wrong was really ridiculous.
Rating:
Summary: Rediscovered the Dune Saga
Review: Just finished the first of the Dune Prequels. I cannot wait for the next House Harkonnen book. Its been 18 years since i read the first Dune cycle. Reading this book has led me back to the originals and a greater appreciation of Frank Herberts vision
Rating:
Summary: Exceeded my Expectations by far!
Review: I will freely admitt that I was a bit hesitant when I first read this book. I mean no disrespect for BH and KA, but it would be damn near impossible to write like FH did in the dune series. While the writing style was different, it was never the less a good read and worthy of the Dune series. This book/series fills in some details on how the characters became who/why they are. I would recommend it, just to have another story of Dune.
Rating:
Summary: It's a prequel, whadya expect?
Review: The problem with this prequel, or almost ANY prequel for that matter, is that, while working to fill in backstory for the fans, the fans already have an idea of how things will turn out in order to lead up to the original series, thereby giving no real payoff within the prequel itself - the story, therefore, is very paint-by-numbers. In order to attact the attention of new readers, however, another disservice is done: "House Attreides" is written in a simplistic fashion to provide new readers with essential info, and this insults the intelligence of those who have followed the original series. After reading this story, I shudder to think that someone may mistakenly begin reading the Dune series with "House Attreides" instead of "Dune". I would never recommend this book to a newcomer OR a long-time Frank Herbert fan. It is too simplistically written, and I agree with a prior reviewer who stated that it was written on the same level as Kevin Anderson's "Young Jedi" series. This book is not mature nor challenging; it doesn't have near the heart or ambition of the original series. The most irritating point of the book for me is how it is peppered with the characters wondering about the secret of the spice. Well, any fan of "Dune" knows the answer, and while this is designed to give a sense of plot development to new readers, this technique is pretty cheesy and falls flat on its face for fans. On one hand, I can't believe that the story of Dune would be polluted with this mess. On the other hand, I *can* understand it ($$$). Don't bother with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Four stars, just for having "DUNE" in the title
Review: I was very pleased with Herbert's (the Younger) and Anderson's version of the history of DUNE universe. A youthful Duke Leto, Duncan Idaho and the Harkonnens, Shaddam ascending to the throne, the pre-Kynes Fremen . . . these topics were enough to keep this avid DUNE fan reading for hours on end. However, having read the DUNE Chronicles about nine times, I found the writing style of Herbert and Anderson all too different from Frank. It was obvious to me on page one. The style seemed forced, stilted - it didn't have the flow like the originals. The authors also laid too much out there in plain view for all to see. One of the reasons I read the originals so much is that F. Herbert could be very cryptic at times. He made you sift through his words to find the meaning. B. Herbert and Anderson lay it all out there as if speaking to a dumb child. I miss Frank Herbert's style. Nonetheless, the story was good and it takes place in the DUNE universe. I can't wait for the next two.
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but it's not Frank Herbert...
Review: As a work of science-fiction, this book is good solid material...but it is not Frank Herbert's words or thoughts. The book reads very much like a Kevin J. Anderson novel. I like Kevin's work and this book is a page turner, but I couldn't find Frank at all. When reading the original books, one could feel the quiet, fierce intelligence of Frank under every word. In this book, the characters were, in some ways, better realized than any in the original books, with distinctive opinions and goals. The plot was simple but very effective. I think Frank would have been proud of this novel, but you can't substitute the real thing. This book in no way approaches the deep subtle complexity of Frank Herbert's vision. However, it was fun to revisit the Dune universe with a couple of excellent sci-fi writers. I will read the next book.
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