Rating: 
Summary: Good in it's own right
Review: I love Dune. When I introduce friends to science fiction, it is one of the two or three books I recommend. I didn't expect something on the order of Dune in the prequels, but I was pleasantly surprised with House Harkonnen. I thought House Atriedes was simplistic and not overly well written, but in House Harkonnen the writing and the story line took off and gave me a compelling narrative. For the purists who complain that it doesn't approach Dune--well, nothing does. Even Dune's sequels, IMHO, weren't up to the standard of the original. House Harkonnen is good, plain, entertaining science fiction. Loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice try.
Review: While the attempt at providing fans with a backstory to the incredible Dune saga can be viewed many ways (milking the Dune copyright, admirably trying to continue the work of the late Frank Herbert, whatever), the resulting trilogy has been less than satisfying. The authors' goal was apparently to create a point A and go to point B (being an arbitrary point at which to start their prequels and the beginning of the Dune series, respectively), though this is only a good way to go about things if you remain consistent with the events of the original. The style of the new novels was understandably different from Frank Herbert's, but they had very little information about the histories of the main characters in these books so they ended up inventing whatever they wanted. The idea of Leto having another son MIGHT have been plausible because of the nature of nobles having 1 or more concubines at a time, but Victor (sounds more like a Harkonnen name anyway) was never mentioned and the histories of Gurney and Duncan are iffy at best. The authors created a whole host of new characters which are never mentioned in the original series so they obviously have to do away with them before wrapping the series up, which is done often in this book (several horrible, gory deaths). The attempt comes off as flat, overusing many catch-phrases (Old Duke, Golden Lion Throne, etc.) and, in my opinion, the Tleilaxu are portrayed far worse than they were in the original series. The attentive reader will find many such inconsistencies.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, if not sparkling...
Review: I must confess that I enjoyed House Harkonnen. No, it does not possess the greatness of the original Dune; hell, it's not as good as ANY of the original trilogy! However, the book, taken for what it is, is quite enjoyable...
Finally, the writers have begun to abandon this idea of explaining every possible nuance of the Dune universe, and have focused on expanding upon the lives of the characters created in House Atriedes. I was happy to hear of the personalities of Abulurd Harkonnen, Duncan Idaho (during his non-ghola days), Rhombur and Kailea Vernius, and the like. The Ginaz storyline was interesting, and the Baron/Baby Feyd storyline provided a much needed breath of comic relief (All too often, scifi novels take themselves far too seriously, much like their readers, I am sorry to note)...
Yes, there are problems. The storyline still is not convincing to me. I mean, the universe, according to the dating, goes back over 10000 years. Why, then, must all the interesting plotlines of Dune be put in place in a mere 30 or so years? Although less visible in House Harkonnen, this continues to plague the series...
In short, if you want to read Dune, then read Dune. If you have some time to kill and want to read something entertaining, though, don't hesitate to pick these up; they're enjoyable! Hey, at least it's not Heretics of Dune!
Rating:
Summary: Between House Atreides and House Corrino
Review: Dune House Harkonnen
This is a book that is all about the World of "Dune". It is set in a place in time before the award winning Dune Series written by Frank Herbert. This book takes place between the prequels House Atreides and House Corrino.
The story starts on the Planet Arrakis (a.k.a. "Dune").
Liet Kynes is son of Pardot Kynes, a person The Fremen consider a prophet. (The "Umma"). The Fremen are a rebel like force on the planet. They use guerilla tactics, their culture includes centuries of religious mythology, and they hide from their enemies in caves in the desert. (Why does this sound familiar?)
The book is broken up into short chapters that take the reader from planet to planet. There is some connection between all of the characters, but some of the end game seems to be left out, perhaps to be played out in the next prequel.
Gurney Halleck is on Giedi Prime and looses his sister Bheth to the Harkonnen troops, only to find her and loose her again. Later he manages coincidentally to find himself on Caladan, the planet ruled now by Leto Atreides since the assignation of his father.
Duncan Idaho, who also has found his way to Caladan, then goes to Swordmaster School on the planet Ginaz. For all the drawn-out build up about the discipline and skill of the Swordmasters, I was happy to see that the Swordmasters, no matter how brave or resolute with a sword, are easily taken out with more modern weapons.
The cause of Baron Harkonnen's poor health is revealed and the highly trained Bene Gesserit sisters ("only total perfection is enough") have something to do with it.
Too frequently we find ourselves in a soap opera back on Caladan where Duke Leto lives in a castle, is married to Kailena, sleeps with Jessica, and does pretty much what he pleases on an idealistic planet. Kailena and Prince Rhombur (exiled from planet Ix) mostly stew about their problems. I was glad to see in the end that Kailena did something, even if it was stupid and evil.
The invaders of Ix (Taleilaxu) have been contracted by the evil empire to develop an artificial "spice" that could upset the order of the universe, if they can only produce it. C'tair, a member of the underground resistance on Ix, communicates somehow (mechanically aided mental telepathy?) with his brother D'murr who is a guild navigator. C'tair has some narrow escapes and in the end plants a bomb that does some real damage to the research aimed at synthesizing the artificial "spice".
Liet and his friend Warrick find a smugglers cave on Arrakis and there is the exiled Dominic Vernius, previous ruler of Ix. Faroula, the object of both Liet and Warrick's affection must be won by a ritual that in the end puts Liet and Warrick in a "which one of us will die" dilemma.
Rabban is Abulurd Harkonnen's ignoble son and just when good seems to triumph over evil (Abulurd plays Robin Hood and with Rabban's spice cache) Rabban returns and takes the ultimate revenge.
In the end Leto's son and Prince Rhombur are caught in a disaster on Caladan and Leto hires a Suk doctor to put Rhombur back together again.
The theme (at least one of them) seems to be that the evil empire, like the Roman Empire, will fall and good will win out over evil. However, that will take some time.Creating a vision of the universe prior to the famous "Dune" series is a formidable challenge and Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have done an elegant job of keeping the tapestry together. A "must read" for all Dune fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Oedipal Complex?
Review: It's hard to describe how nauseating these novels are. They are a poor parody of Frank Herbert's masterpiece Dune series. I can only conclude that Brian Herbert is motivated by some deep-seated desire to destroy his father's legacy. The only other possibilities are greed and/or stupidity. I can only hope that future generations do not view these novels to be entry-points into the Dune universe. They must be forgotten.
Rating: 
Summary: The Dune saga continues, a treat for sci-fi fans
Review: While Brian Herbert's style is different than his father, the late Frank Herbert, he can craft a good, action-packed sci-fi novel based on the characters of Dune. In Dune: House Harkonnen, Herbert elaborates on the intricate plots that bring Harkonnen against the Atreides, the plans of the Bene Gesserit to breed a human with special abilities to see the future and how Duke Leto Atreides, the tragic figure of the Dune novel gets together with the rebellious Bene Gesserit Jessica, his loyal concubine, mother of Paul. If you are a Dune fan, the background on the birth of Jessica and how she got together with Duke Leto is an interesting expansion of the story. The other sub-plots are equally intriguing. The characters are true to the original, although much less deeply developed or complicated. This is one of the style differences between Herbert father and son. Brian Herbert's style is episodic, meaning that, while the sub-plots are connected in some way, they are somewhat disconnected and don't flow together with the masterful sweep that made Frank Herbert one of the top sci-fi writers of all time. So the novel does not carry you along with the same force of the original series. Nevertheless, these "prequels" are worthy reading for any Dune fan.
Rating:
Summary: Dumbed down
Review: This book lacks the intellectual and emotional complexity of the original Dune books. Instead we are served up the lightest of pulp fictions, seemingly written for a ten-year-old audience. The characters are cardboard cut-outs - the good guys (Leto, Duncan, Gurney, Rhombur, Abulurd) are plucky and loyal but naive, the bad guys (the Baron, Rabban, the Tleilaxu) sadistic and scheming. We even get the staple of juvenile fiction, the arrogant, aristocratic school bully and his henchman (which seems to draw more on Harry Potter than Dune). The subtleties of character, the internal conflicts and uncertainties in the original books are absent. In addition, the characters are almost without exception irredeemably stupid in the way they conduct their affairs. Characters react to events and act on impulse based on loyalty/frustration/personal malice rather than carefully thinking out the consequences or thinking strategically. The Baron of the original book would have eaten Leto alive by now. Further, because all the dull thoughts and clumsy actions of the major players are described in prosaic detail there is little in the way of dramatic tension or the sense which the original books had of subtle strategies being played out behind the scenes. Even if the book is read purely as backfill for the original series, the entire Victor, Fenring, Abulurd, Ix/Tleilaxu, Ginaz and Moritani/Ecaz subplots add nothing substantive other than a growing sense of incredulity. The histories of Duncan and Gurney are so thin and unlikely that I would have preferred to remain in ignorance.
Rating:
Summary: more sorrow
Review: Why do these guys keep torturing me? I am deeply saddened by the young Herbert's abuse of his father's copyrights. I'm just sick.
Rating:
Summary: Just awful...
Review: This book is awful! Bear in mind that I'm a Dune fan and as such I was disgusted. The way in which the authors destroy the characters is unsettling. In a vain effort to present every character that plays a role in Dune, they only succeed in showing one-dimensional bad copies of the originals.
The Baron is a joke, compared to Frank Herbert's foe. How could they change the essence of characters. Shadam, Gurney, Duncan they are all poorly characterized.
It's as if the authors set themselves a task: write a very uninteresting trilogy to fill their pockets. This book was a string of uneventful episodes. One insignificant incident after the other one.
The worse, of course, is the way the authors have molded and modified the original Dune to fit their own mediocre creation!
Mohiam being Jessica's mother is laughable! Please! How could that be so? The interactions between Mohiam, the baron and even Jessica and Paul would have been very different if so!
The origin of the Baron's grotesque physique is inconsistent! In Dune, we are told explicitly that his fatness is due to overindulgence! Even Margot comments That Feyd won't let himself grow fat like the Baron (and she was Bene G, so would have known otherwise), and when Alia is possessed she starts gaining weight!
The episode when Liet meets Gurney in Salussa! What the Hell was that??? Wouldn't Gurney have recognized him when Leto arrives in Arrakis???
Even the way in which Jessica comes to Caladan collides with what Frank wrote.
The fact that Pardot starts the change in Dune is wrong! It was Liet's vision, not his father's!!
And Ramallo being really a Bene G? Excuse me?? It was clear she was a wild reverend mother, not a true one!
And what's striking is that every one knows about the Bene G's secret breeding programs when it was a carefully guarded secret in Dune! And people know about Fremen practices??? That they drown a worm to get the Water of Life??? How would anyone know it?? It's sad...very sad what they've done here. Hopefully these books will fade away and only the original saga will remain.
It's as if they hadn't even read Dune!! They took the essence of the Dune universe to construct an awful Space Opera. The result is a disaster. The only similarity is the sadness. The whole Dune saga was based on intelligence and thought. I'd rename this trilogy as 'Dune for dummies'. I really don't understand why the authors felt inclined to destroy Frank Herbert's legacy. It would have been much better to write a single interesting book, instead of three boring ones. They could have avoided much nonsense and stayed true to the story!
I'm still waiting for an Atreides victory, for in Dune we are told that the Atreides had the winning score. But who's the poorest sod? I am! Because I continue buying these awful books, hoping for better. At least I know that Dune 7 won't be a total failure since they'll be following Franks guidelines.
Rating:
Summary: in the words of Charlie Brown -- Bleccchhhh!
Review: This book was written by the prosaic spawn of a very intelligent man. Though his father might be one of the most imaginative writers of the century (right behind Tolkien), it clearly skips a generation. As much as I would like to know more about the backstory of Dune as developed from Frank Herbert's actual notes...I cannot stomach such banal dung. It is a grand disservice. I'll just reread the Dune encyclopedia, thank you.
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