Rating: 
Summary: Why a commercial trilogy ?
Review: Brian Herbert and its friends were satisfied to hastily write a small history without real interest. Where did the reflexions pass which forged the universe of Dune ? With the reading of the first and second volumes, one feels that the authors are with end of breath and that they pain to develop a well structured coherent history. Why to have introduced without talent and reason of the key elements of the work of Frank into these preliminary books ? The answer is only related to the commercial process. It's quite unhappy to destroy the intrigues of the Work of Frank. The talent of the writing is not bought; it's the result of intellectual maturity and the experiment !
Rating: 
Summary: i like finally hearing about Lady Jessica's background
Review: What's all the complaining about? That Duke Leto grew into a mean spirited but nice person? Its a complex period with nasty people in it. They're at war and people get that nasty way after seeing their loved ones die,The Duke with his father and mother,and Lady Jessica wih her parents
Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: Of course it isn't close to the brilliance of "Dune," but neither is just about any other book ever written!For a good story in the world of Dune, this can't be beat. Can't wait for Corrino. For those reviewers who complain about literary technical issues, well, I don't remember any critics praising Dune in the early days either.
Rating:
Summary: Don't expect Frank Herbert in this volume
Review: I gave this book two stars based on its own merits plus one for the attempt. In all fairness, I don’t think anyone could continue Frank Herbert’s work with his expertise, and I’m impressed that someone tried. Were I to compare this with Frank Herbert’s work it would receive half a star. This was a quick, easy read that provided entertainment for a few hours and let me again enjoy the world of Caladan, Dune and the Atreides dukedom. Unfortunately, the characters were shallow and the short chapters, which bounced from subplot to subplot (in fact, I don’t think there really was a plot, just lots of subplots), became tedious. Some themes, such as Duke Leto’s concubine’s disgruntlement with her status and plotting for marriage so she could be a duke’s wife and attend high court functions in full regal costume and ensure her son the dukedom (breath) were [not very good]. C’tair’s efforts to free the planet Ix from the Tleilaxu were irrelevant. I mean, who cares about Ix? The Harkonnens were well represented as a disgusting house of animals but lacked the scheming trickery for which the Baron is so well known. I did not find the depth, political maneuvering, and religious genius here that Frank Herbert gave us. With Herbert’s books my mind was able to see everything he wrote; but with this book it was often just words and no internal pictures. There are too many discrepancies in characters and times between this book and Frank’s books. Please, if you intend on reading Frank Herbert’s Dune series, start with Dune. Let Frank fill your mind with pictures and let him show you the harsh world of Dune and the honorable Fremen people and especially the ever-conniving Bene Gesserit. You’ll better understand the Atreides power at acquiring loyalty. Don’t go into Frank Herbert’s books with the characterizations given by this book. Come back to this later, if you like.
Rating:
Summary: Fast-Paced Adventure, but a Mere Step-Child to the Original
Review: Dune: House Harkonnen is the second installment in the much-anticipated trilogy which serves as prequel to Frank Herbert's all-time classic SF novel Dune. Written by the late Herbert's son Brian Herbert (a successful author in his own right) and Kevin J. Anderson (who has written roughly 70 books in the last ten years - half of them in media-fiction realms like Star Wars and the X-Files), the trilogy covers the decades leading up to the opening events of Dune. Having accelerated the demise of his father, Emperor Shaddam IV now sits on the throne of a vast galactic empire. A few years ago, the Tlielaxu (a mysteriously religious race who are masters of genetic engineering) subjugated the planet of the Ixians (famous for their advanced machines). The Tleilaxu, in league with the Emperor, are running a huge, secret program on Ix to create an artificial substitute for the spice melange - the most valuable substance in the universe due to its life-extending properties and ability to enhance mental capabilities. Melange can only be found on the desert planet Dune, ruled by Imperial edict by House Harkonnen. The cruel Baron Vladimir Harkonnen seeks to tighten his control over the spice, while at the same time gaining vengeance against his blood enemies House Atreides, and an all-female cult called the Bene Gesserit (who blackmailed the Baron into cooperating in their secret breeding program to create a super-being known as the Kwisatz Haderach, and later infected him with a slowly debilitating illness). The Baron's rival, the young, popular Duke Leto Atreides, having befriended the exiled Prince and Princess of Ix, hopes to help them regain control of their world. Struggling with the grief of losing his father through the treachery of his mother, Leto also tries to find as much normalcy and love as is possible for a duty-bound world leader. And those are just the highlights! Anderson and Herbert have tackled an ambitious project almost akin to creating a prequel to the Old Testament - and bound to be surrounded by controversy. Frank Herbert's Dune is one of the most complex and richly imagined worlds in all of science fiction, and has been confirmed as the greatest SF novel of all time for over thirty years. It's almost inevitable than any sequel (or in this case, prequel) will fail to measure up to the expectations of some. Anderson and Herbert have done a good job creating several fast-moving tales intertwined throughout these last two novels. It's an easy read for those unfamiliar with Dune, but also interesting for long-time Dune fans who wanted to know more about this wonderful universe. Along the way, the prequel trilogy answers many questions only hinted at in the original novel. If any criticism could be made about the prequels, it's that they just don't have the Byzantine mystique of Frank Herbert's original novels. The characters within the prequels would fit well within any of the old pulp dramas - driven by vengeance, driven by justice, driven by love - you get the picture. The Harkonnens, for example, are so ridiculously evil it stretches believability that they could control a thriving empire for millennia! Frank Herbert was a master at plunging you into strange, alien worlds of the far-flung future. The prequel novels, while satisfying, will just never attain the artistry of the original. Nonetheless, as stand-alone stories House Atreides and House Harkonnen are enjoyable, page-turning adventures. House Harkonnen ends with many unanswered questions and unfinished plot threads. I for one eagerly await the completion of the trilogy in October 2001 with the publication of Dune: House Corrino.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable if you liked the series, but predictable
Review: I loved most of the Dune series and was, thus, intrigued by the prequel. However, I found both this and "House Atriedes" to be somewhat predictable and unsubtle. The characters are all purely black or white including modern political correctness. Duke Leto is near perfect, a near-democratic hereditary monarch, a strong environmentalist, good, loyal, and kind. The Harkonnen are pure brutish, torture their own people, harm the environment, delight in pervesty, and so on. It becomes fairly clear early on what's going to ultimately occur to almost all characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Continuation
Review: As I said in my review in House Atreides, I'm new to Dune, so keep that in mind. I can't compare it to the original, having never read it (though, I plan to now). As the first book set up all these events, this book continues on, covering a greater span of time. This one is definately darker in tone than Atreides, which makes sense as this book is called House Harkonnen. And boy, are those Harkonnens EVIL. If there's on thing this book pounds in your head, it's that. Many unspeakable acts are done in this story by those vile beings. This book has made me actually hate these characters. You'll just start to feel sorry for some of those that they torment time after time after time. Meanwhile, things aren't exactly running smoothly for our good pal, Duke Leto. His life isn't going great right now, and he has to work his way through that. It's not comfortable to watch a character you really like go through things that he goes through, but then again, that's life. And that's a strength of this book, I think. As all of these goes on, we're also treated to more of the Emperor, who we find his reign isn't exactly going as smoothly as he had hoped. Duncan Idaho goes through some tough training to be a Swordmaster and meets some friends and enemies there. We also get to meet a great character named Gurney Halleck, who I understand comes to play a big part in the original Dune. Let's not forget Pardot and Liet Kynes. There's some great stuff going on in the Fremen world, it's always interesting to see these desert dwellers and their ways. The differences between father and son come into play here and ultimatly lead to something big. My main complaints here is that it can get kinda depressing at times and when Duncan and Gurney make it to the services of the Duke, then they kinda don't really do much. Perhaps in House Corrino. Also, it just seems there was a TON going on here, but I think Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson pull it off quite well. A great followup to Atreides and quite fun to read. Bring on House Corrino!
Rating:
Summary: More of the back stories on "Dune"'s secondary characters
Review: Not only is it true that if you have not read "Dune: House Atreides" you cannot possibly hope to fathom "Dune: House Harkonen," but if you have not read "Dune" you will be totally unable to enjoy anything in this book as well. Both books by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson suffer from the same set of problems. First, they are prequels, which means we know the fate awaiting most of these characters in Frank Hebert's epic "Dune." Consequently, there is no suspense to the question of whether Gurney Halleck will survive the Harkonen prison camps, whether Duncan Idaho will become a Swordsman, or whether the Lady Jessica will be accepted as the concubine of Duke Leto. What suspense there is involves characters never mentioned in "Dune," such as the members of the renegade House of Vernius. Second, we are dealing with the secondary characters from "Dune," all of whom pale in comparison to Paul. Besides, in fleshing out the back stories of these characters there are so many plotlines going on that things get a bit jumbled (I am fairly certain the chronology involved does not hold up to scrutiny). At the end, the various threads certainly do not come together to form a coherent tapestry. These stories are interesting, but ultimately not important to either understanding or appreciating the "Dune" series. Having gone through both books the one thing that stands out is the identity of the Lady Jessica's mother. Everything else is diverting, but not especially memorable. The style is not a bad imitation of the elder Herbert's writing, but it is the content, the way it all fits together in an epic story that is missing. However, these prequels are the best we have for filling up the void left by Frank Herbert's death. Those who love "Dune" will not make this book any more or any less than that.
Rating:
Summary: If this book had come before . . .
Review: If "Dune: House Atreides" and "Dune: House Harkonnen" had been written by Frank Herbert and predated his Dune books, we would look at these two books as good starting points that grew into a wonderful series. If the Dune series had never been written, I think the two prequels would have been better received. If, if if. However, to stand in the shadow of one of the greatest science fiction series ever written is indeed a daunting task. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson might not be quite matching the philosophical depth of the original Dune books (especially the first three or four), but they are doing a good job. This is enjoyable reading with well-developed characters and some depth to the plot. They are also not just backtracking in entirely predictable ways, as they do pull out a surprise or two along the way. They are laying a very credible groundwork to the Dune series (in fictional future history terms). If you read the prefaces, you will know what they are also doing. The original Dune series was not finished. While some felt (with some validity) that the last two Frank Herbert Dune books fell a little short of the standards set by the earlier ones, "Chapterhouse: Dune" does not end cleanly. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are immersing themselves in the Dune zeitgeist in preparation for the truly daunting task of finishing Brian's father's work, and writing Dune 7. I look forward to that book in a way I haven't looked forward to a book in a while. We have at least one more prequel to go, though ("Dune: House Corrino" is my guess).
Rating:
Summary: Another peek into history
Review: Ok, I'm going to start by saying, once again, that this is *not* a Dune novel in the common sense. It may be a bit trite, it may be a bit cliche, but in the end, the book serves a purpose. The novel was written as a history lesson, a look into the time before Muad'Dib walked the sands. This novel, along with House Atreides, is a history lesson, like that worn AP US History book you toted around with you in high school. This novel continues the storylines begun in House Atreides, and we watch the inner workings of the Imperium before the reign of Muad'Dib. Stories include that of Gurney Halleck reaching Caladan, Duncan Idaho journeying to Ginaz to become a swordmaster, and the plight of Earl Dominic Vernius. These are all put together well, and we are finally beginning to see how these story lines will culminate to the situation we have in Dune. I regret that many of the reviews are attempting to look at this book incorrectly. This book is not here to be an extension of the Dune universe, or even an addition. This book is a history lesson for those who wanted to go beyond the walls of Dune. While they may not be comparable to Herbert's original masterpiece, this is by no means a flop. This novel contains some very interesting back history for the world of the Imperium, and the history of all our main players. Try to think of this as a grand "Before they were stars..." sort of situation. If you attempt to take this book out of this context, you will be sadly disappointed. I agree with most readers that this is not the ideal book, but it is not the flop that many describe it as. If you are a Dune fan, you will want to have this book, along with the others written by Anderson and Herbert, Jr. If you are just entering the Dune-iverse, go grab the original and the 5 following books...then start at the beginning. It's like Star Wars, except without those little furry things.
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