Rating: 
Summary: Like Going Home
Review: I am currently in the process of reading this book. I first read "Dune" in college twenty-five years ago and still consider it one of the ten best books I've ever read. I am very happy with this pre-quel. As soon as I started reading I felt comfortable with everything about it....much as I did about "Dune". I find the story rich, complex and rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: House Atredies, The Prequel to Dune
Review: Complex, brilliant and prophetic. Frank Herbert's award-winning Dune chronicles captured the imaginations of millions of readers worldwide -- and transformed their perception of what the future could be. By his death in 1986, Frank Herbert had completed six novels in the Dune series. But much of his vision -- vast, sprawling, and multilayered -- remained unwritten. Now, working from recently discovered files left by his father, Brian Herbert and bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson collaborate on a new novel, the first volume in the prequel to Dune -- where we step onto planet Arrakis -- decades before Dune's hero, Paul Atreides, walks its sands. An aging tyrant sits on the Golden Lion Throne and rules all of the known universe, while his son grows dangerously impatient for the crown. A quasi-religious order of black-robed women move their secret breeding program one momentous step closer to creating the god-child they call the Kwisatz Haderach. And a minor family among nobility, House Atreides, chooses a course of honor that will bring it to destruction at the hands of its mortal enemy, House Harkonnen -- or take it to new heights of power. Here is the rich and complex world that Frank Herbert created in his classic series, in the time leading up to the momentous events of Dune. As Emperor Elrood's son Shaddam plots a subtle regicide, young Leto Atreides leaves his lush, water-rich planet for a year's education on the mechanized world of Ix; a planetologist named Pardot Kynes is dispatched by the Emperor to the desert planet Arrakis, or Dune, to discover the secrets of the addictive spice known as melange; and the eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by his cruel masters in a terrifying game from which he vows escape and vengeance. But none can envision the fate in store for them: one that will make them renegades -- and shapers of history. Covering the decade when Shaddam wins his throne, the teenager Leto Atreides becomes the unexpected ruler of House Atreides, and Pardot Kynes uncovers one of the planet Dune's greatest secrets, House Atreides captures the grandeur and drama of Frank Herbert's epic. And while this new novel solves some of Dune's most baffling mysteries, it presents new puzzles springing from the sands where one day Paul-Muad'dib Atreides, the hero of Dune, will walk. But now, in these years before Paul's birth, an unforgettable new epic begins.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than expected
Review: I can't deny that there things in the story that I feel are not totaly consistent with the original Dune books, but personally, I found this book more readable than the original series. Mr. Herbert and Anderson have a more user-friendly narrative style than Frank Herbert. For those of us weened on Dune, the plot discrepancies may be hard to swallow, but newcomers should find the book very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: I enjoyed reading all of the "House" trilogy. Mostly, I wanted to write this review because of all the wackos out there who have written personal attacks against Brian Herbert for "raping his father's grave," etc... Get a grip people!
These books are written by different authors and will of course, be of a different style. Keeping the obvious in mind while reading these books is a good thing to remember.
Rating: 
Summary: The Test: Human or Animal?
Review: I hold at your neck the gom jabbar. Your instincts will be to remove your hand from this book and drop it in the toilet. If you do so you will die.
I survived nine full pages before the pain became too much & would certainly have chosen death rather than to continue reading.
Shame, shame, shame on the authors.
There was a Victorian chappie, name of Bowdler, who attempted to 'improve' Shakespeare, giving rise to the term 'Bowdlerism'. Could I suggest 'Andersonism', meaning to talentlessly and shamelessly cash-in on someone else's genius?
Lovers of Dune will know what I mean. Kull Wahad!
The Bene Gesserit had a good word for it. Abomination.
Rating: 
Summary: Hungry for more?
Review: If your looking for the mysticism and philosophy that was trademark of Frank Herbert, you wont find it here. Well written, but doesnt capture the mood of the originals. Worth the read if your a fan of the Imperium though.
Rating:
Summary: Dune:House Atreides
Review: I loved it!I read the first series 25 years ago and thought it was amazing,but a little complicated and convoluted.Reading them was almost like doing homework.This prequel was much easier while still maintaining the richness and power of the original series. A must read for all true sci-fi fans!!!
Rating:
Summary: A must read for Dune fans
Review: Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, died at a relatively young age in 1986. At the time of his death, Dune and its sequels were one of the most popular science fiction series ever created.
Frank's son Brian followed in his father's footsteps and became a science fiction author. He has been approached a number of times about writing additional Dune novels. Finally in 1997, Brian was introduced to Kevin J. Anderson; an award winning science fiction novelist and they agreed to collaborate on Dune novels that would be prequels to the original book Dune.
Set decades before the action in Dune, Dune House Atreides covers action that spans the years that lead to Shaddam IV ascending to the throne of the Galactic empire. A lot of familiar characters from Dune are present in this novel, plus a plethora of new faces. The action is described in short chapters that bounce between several major plot lines and make this book ideal for reading when you only have short amounts of time to devote to it (chapters can be completed in 10 minutes or less).
Emperor Elrood's son Shaddam tires of waiting for his father to die and takes steps to hasten the emperor's demise. Young Leto Atreides, future Duke and father of Paul Atreides, leaves his home planet of Caladan to spend a year on the mechanized and secretive world of Ix. Pardot Kynes, a renowned planetologist is dispatched by the Emperor to the desert planet of Arrakis (Dune) to discover the secrets of it's ecology and the addictive, life-prolonging spice known as melange. Meanwhile, eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by the cruel Harkonnen family in a deadly game from which he vows to escape and seek his revenge.
While not equal to the original book Dune, the book is still inventive and enjoyable. Frank's books often left the reader guessing about certain pieces of history (such as the source of the feud between the Harkonnen and Atreides families). This book (and the two other House Trilogy books) shed light and flesh out events that lead to the momentous events in Dune. This book is much easier to read than Dune but it stays true to the spirit of Frank's novels. The characters behave here in the same general way in which they behaved in Dune (i.e. - Baron Harkonnen is still evil and depraved), but the authors have included a few interesting differences in some of the characters. I think everyone who enjoyed Dune would find something enjoyable in this novel.
Rating:
Summary: What happened to my other one?
Review: I wrote a review a few years back. I will admit it was a bit scathing but nothing asbestos gloves couldn't have handled. For some reason it was lifted. Oh well, I doubt if I can redo my deathless prose of that day but suffice to say this book does a great injustice to the works of the great Frank Herbert. I will not even go into how it makes a mockery of all that is Dune, that is readily apparant and besides that is usually answered by the reply that, well it's not Frank writing it. What's even worse is that, whereas Dune was written for the thinking person, someone who loves a challenge, this book, and those that have followed, are written for today's generation of those needing to be spoon fed instant gratification and that have the attention span rivaling the life of a mayfly after it reproduces. The Harry Potter novels present more of a reading challenge than these books and they were originally meant for a juvenile audience. After reading this book I don't know if, as presented, that Herbert the Younger actually had outlines of what his father was doing and where he was going but if he did it seems he sold him out, going for mass appeal to a generation of quasi-literates rather than a reasonable additon to a great series. If he ever decides to write sequels, rather than prequels, to the story his father left unfinished I do hope he made enough money on these books so that he can find someone who can do justice to them. Writers on the order of Frank Herbert do not come along all that often and I don't expect anyone who takes up the mantle to be as great as he was, tho it would be a nice surprise. However, I do expect respect to be shown and a great tradition to be continued rather than, as these books have done, trivialized. As far as I am concerned comparing the House books to the Dune series is like comparing a child's fingerpaintings to Picasso or Gauguin. It's a shame this system requires you to issue a star at all.
Rating:
Summary: Not so good; Not so bad
Review: I've been thinking for a couple of days of putting my thoughts up here, except I'm not sure what I actually think of it. Of course, it's no Dune (which was very much a book of ideas). It couldn't be. Heck, the five Dune sequels written by Frank Herbert were no Dune. I wasn't expecting it to be. Based on those lower expectations, the book had some merit. Specifically,
Pros:
* The basic stories are interesting. Herbert & Anderson have done a good job of developing the original idea (presumably this is due to the fact that they are working from Herbert Senior's notes)
* The authors have done a good job of fleshing out the basic ideas into a fairly fast-paced and well-motivated plot. I was definitely interested enough to keep reading (despite the bad writing) to find out what happened next. I will be reading House Harkonnen, the next book in this series, as well.
* It's an easy read.
Cons:
* They spell everything out. The original Dune was well-known for its nuances and subtle writing. This book spells everything out for you; the political machinations in particular are beat to the death as the writers provide us with every single detail of who every single character arrives at a conclusion as to who's doing what and why.
* The writing level is just not on a par with the original series. Herbert Junior is clearly not as smart as his father (who is?) and because of this writes as if the reader is also dumb. I may not be as smart as Frank Herbert, but I'm definitely smarter than the authors. This sometimes makes the reading monotonous when they review something for the reader for the third or fourth time. Some things (including most of what they spell out) are better left for the reader to work out on his own.
* The character development is often not interesting or deep; some of the characters (e.g., Duke Leto's mother) are downright one-dimensional. It's often a mystery why they do what they do (can't elaborate without a plot spoiler, but trust me some plot twists are downright unbelievable).
* They use the same short chapter technique as the original, but each section is just too short. As a result, the action often feels jerky, rather than the smooth transitions the original managed to achieve.
* There are several disagreements with the original Dune series. So many in fact that they had to put out a spin sheet on their website to explain away these discrepancies and errors.
* It's an easy read.
So, where does that leave us? Still not sure, maybe 3 stars out of 5? The only thing I can say with certainty is that it's neither as good as nor as bad as some of the other reviews here would lead you to believe.
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