Rating: 
Summary: Dune: House Harkonnen is bad
Review: From the first page, where the authors suggest that the Coriolis effect intensifies the storms on Dune, the authors get it wrong. They go on to make Thufir Hawat into an even bigger bumbling fool so that one must ask the question, "How can the Atreides keep this guy in charge of security?" They have a new house senselessly attacking any one who rubs them wrong - including a neutral planet where members from several houses are killed - but no one seems to be willing to stand up against them. The emporer tries an ineffective solution and then tries no more when that doesn't work. A Bene Gesserit questions a secret conspirator but doesn't figure out after the conspirator "goes rigid" to a question or completely freaks out when the wrong people are put in danger that a serious assasination attempt is about to go down.Add to this many pages of text that don't relate to any significant plot line and a rehashing of several ceremonial rituals done in later books rather than creating new story, and you have a pretty bad book.
Rating: 
Summary: A worthy addition to the Dune Chronicles.
Review: Even though I give Dune: House Harkonnen 5 stars, I must caution readers that the book is only enjoyable and comprehensible if you've read the previous installment, Dune: House Atreides. Of course, to REALLY get the most from this book you must have read the classic original novel (and if you haven't read that masterpiece, drop everything you're doing and read it NOW).
There's foreshadowing aplenty in this middle installment of the Dune Prequel Trilogy as we see Duke Leto, now firmly settled as ruler of Caladan, wrestle with plots from within and without his House. House Harkonnen plots and schemes as always to destroy House Atreides as well as anyone else that gets in their way and we see the begginings of the transformation of Dune from harsh desert to the lush green planet it would become in later novels.
The plotting is thick as befits a Dune novel and there are many characters, but authors Herbert and Anderson juggle it all very well and it's quite a good read. Dune fans rejoice!
Rating: 
Summary: Not a patch on the original series
Review: I was a big fan of the original series. I would rate Dune as one of the best books I have ever read. This book and its predecessor "House Atreides" were a big disappointment. The characters were shallow and the attempt to ape the theological and political themes of Dune were laughable. A total waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: A lull in the series
Review: I've spoken to several people who faded out of the series with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the volume but enjoyed House Corrino quite a bit more. Thus, I would say, read this book in order to achieve the last of the series if nothing else. One thing's for sure, those Harkonnens are bad, bad people...
Rating:
Summary: Not Frank well done
Review: From the first chapter it is evident that this book was not written by Frank, but that does not stop this from being a great book. To the casual sci-fi reader the Dune series might be a little intimidating to get into, all the books and each one being rather long. And towards the end of the series it can get a little dry. But this prequel is perfect as an introduction. It has a lot more action than Frank's books. But Frank's books developed a much richer universe. Frank's work is more of a philisophical discuss on human nature and government. While Brian's work is more of a fun read. They are is different classes but that does not diminish the quality of this new series. And the new books do a pretty good job of showing how some of the old fueds and stereotypes got started, although it would be nice if they covered all of them. When I read the original series I stopped after the fourth book. But reading House Harkonnen and House Atreides got me so excited about the Dune world again I am going to read the last three books of the Dune series - right after I read House Corrino of course.
Rating:
Summary: Good for desperate Dune fans, but directionless
Review: I thought that Dune: House Atreides was a decent book. Sure, it doesn't match up to the original book, or any in the original series, but it was a mediocre look back at the characters and was mostly enjoyable. Unfortunately, 'House Harkonnen' isn't much better, and actually bogs down the series. Anderson feels he needs to explain everything, every detail that may have been brought up briefly in Frank Herberts original books. Also, his need to create relationships between every original character borders on irrititating, especially when some don't even make sense (Liet meeting Gurney so early in their lives is ridiculous, as they're meeting in the original 'Dune' was obviously the first) Also, it's terribly obvious that Anderson has absolutely no story to tell, and is happy to fill up book upon book with useless story filler that is completely unnecessary in the Dune universe. Yeah, the book is good for those who are incredibly desperate for Fremen/Spice/Atreides adventures. Otherwise, read with caution.
Rating: 
Summary: So Brian's not Frank. Read this one, too.
Review: I came into this series with a lot of preconceptions that these would not be worthy successors to the originals. And they aren't. But after a second reading, I realized they're not supposed to. "House Harkonnen" is a prequel, not a sequel. It's supposed to "fill in the blanks" of what happened before the greatest book in science fiction history. NO book can ever hope to live up to that kind of hype. But I believe Brian and Kevin do a masterful job of setting up things that we =know= are going to happen in later books without killing the suspense. Now they've started to explore the new storylines they created, and they do a good job. I, for one, can't wait to see "House Corrino". So Brian's not Frank. But he's working from Frank's notes, with the aid of an author who is used to working in other people's universes. If you like "Dune" give this series a chance. I believe if you come into it with an open mind, you'll find it almost as entertaining as the original.
Rating:
Summary: Times are changing, and Brian isn't Frank
Review: Let's face it, Frank Herbert had a privledge that few commerical writers can ever achieve, he like, Tom Clancy, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Stephen King, could take years upon years to put out a book. But in the modern world of fast profits and demanding editors, a writer, who is relatively unknown (despite his father being a grandmaster of Sci-Fi) and with few credits below his belt, cannot take the time that Frank would take to put out a book. And true it shows, but this I will say, while the book does interperate some of the aspects of the universe a bit liberally, ie No-Ships 10,000 years before the were suppose to be invented, Brian was in a good position to write something in the spirit of his father. Brian delayed doing this project for so long for the vary reason people are complaing -- he is not his father. Now that it has been done, we should be grateful that it was handled as well as it was, and not like the atrocity that the "New Foundation Series" was. So in all fairness the book was good, it was enjoyable and it allowed us to relive the wonder of Frank Herbert's universe. It is not a classic or a great book, but it is a good book in an age where most Sci-Fi writers are adding to the ever growing collection of cheap Star Trek and Star Wars themed novels.
Rating:
Summary: Weak but a valiant effort
Review: As many other of the reviewers aver, I agree that the original Dune was such a masterpiece that it is no surprise that Kevin Anderson failed to live up to the spirit of the original series. I found the beginning of the book to be superior to its predecessor, House Atreides, but it fizzled within the first 200 pages into the same cliche two-dimensional drivel characteristic of Atreides. The young Gurney Halleck, a brilliant tactician in Frank Herbert's series comes across as a buffoon. He manages to get his whole family killed and himself injured within inches of death before he decides to escape the planet. Duncan Idahoe's swordmaster training which should train him to be the equivalent of a Dune field commander ends up being an eight year boot camp/ martial arts camp, and the school still gets ambushed by its enemies (an act which any house should be terrified of for fear of bringing terrible retribution upon the house). Duke Leto's encounter with the elecran on the boat served absolutely no literary purpose. The author's intent was probably to add some action to the story, but the truth is that a truly gripping story would not require an "extra" action scene the way a movie would. I was pretty disappointed overall.
Rating:
Summary: Back To Good Form
Review: I have read all of the original Dune series. This is the first Dune book in a long time to hark back to the quality of the first book. What made Dune remarkable was its retelling of the classic hero story, not unlike Star Wars or any number of classics. The characters were engaging, and the writing was quite good. After the first Dune book, both the quality of writing and of the storyline declined dramatically. The hero element was quickly lost to the bizarre. Who could care about rulers mutating into large worms? The Atreides became as venal and corrupt as the rulers they replaced. Hence the demise of the heroic element of the epic.
However, Dune House Harkonnen brings back the heroic elements. On a simplistic level, its easier to tell the good guys from the bad. More importantly, however, the quality of the writing has improved from prior works, and Herbert's son treats the storyline carefully. If there are excesses in the descriptive passages, they can be forgiven in light of the lushness of the storyline.
One major complaint. I detested the movie, Dune, not only because it was utterly incomprehensible, but also because it depicted Baron Harkonnen as a disgusting physical specimen. The novel Dune depicts him as devious with a twisted, maniacal personality. The movie merely made him physically repulsive as a means of quickly establishing that he is repulsive. Well, Dune Harkonnen describes the baron's physical degeneration. It helps put the movie in context, but its at odds with the other novels. Small complaint in all.
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