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Summary: The first in a trilogy that is prequel to Dune
Review: The book is called House Atreides, but it has characters other then the Atreides. The book revolves around several different characters views. Young Leto Atreides leaves Caladan to go to Ix for a year of education. Eight year old Duncan Idaho is a Harkonnen slave, used to give new trainees practice in hunting human prey. Shaddam, the Heir to the Empire, urged by his childhood friend, plots to assassinate his father and create a synthetic spice. The Bene Gesserit work to create the child who is to be the grandmother of the Kwisatz Haderach. The Planetolgist Pardot Kyens travels to Arrakis. This book has some interesting facts and is not badly written, but nowhere near as good as Frank Herbert's masterpiece 'Dune'
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Summary: A crime against his father's works...
Review: Dune: House Atreides is one of the most disappointing works I have had the misfortune to read.Within the first quarter of the book, it was obvious that the book would be inferior. By halfway, anyone could see that all the characters 'thought' alike. They were cartoonish villains or naive youths. By 3/4 done, the book had so offended me that I called the person who recommended it, and every other Dune fan I knew, and ranted about it's inadequacies. I finished this book solely so that I could write a review that expressed a fraction of my disgust. Previously-known intelligent characters blurt out their plans for no apparent reason. As many main characters from the original Dune as possibly COULD meet DO so. The Emperor is characterized as a bumbling twit, Fenring is a murderous punk, the Bene Gesserit are believers in (rather than manipulators of) religion, and that is only the tip of the pestilential iceberg that is House Atreides. The author has displayed for us that 1)He does not understand his father's works, 2) He lacks the intelligence to design believable plots, and 3) He lacks the humanity to create believable characters. I would not recommend buying this book, even were it sold for 25 cents in a used bookstore, and came with a pack of gum.
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Summary: Exciting Read
Review: Great read! Continues with the facinating Dune universe and even manages to expand upon many aspects of it. If you liked Dune for the mystery of the future culture and civilization then don't read this, it answers many questions about the different factions and houses. My only complaint is that in the authors' attempts to make the series more readily avaliable to first time readers it heavily indicates and repeats certain key plot points (ie the importance of Spice, Dune... etc) But overall a great addition to the Dune story and universe.
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Summary: The pages are surprisingly gentle and absorbent...
Review: I would rather devour a bucket full of my own excrement than attempt to read this book again.
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Summary: There's another 4-letter word for this
Review: I'm astonished that anyone who's read Herbert's masterpiece could possibly consider House Atreides anything more than one star. 5 stars?? Have these people lost their minds and have been brainwashed by the publisher into thinking that this has any merit at all so that they'll cave in and buy the rest of this garbage? And say it was good just because they want to believe it's good? Have any of them actually READ the original? Or did they just see the Lynch film and play the video game? Poor Frank Herbert -- his genius work pilloried and degraded (by his own son, no less) all for the sake of ... what? Commercial appeal? Sheer greed? Stupidity, is more like it, and I was the one who was stupid in buying this book. I'm what some would call a "Dune fan", so of course I'm going to be critical. But the only semblance to the themes, philosophy and imagination of Frank Herbert's undeniable classic is that it happens to use the same names for people and planets. The rest is like the worst sort of fan fiction found on some awful anglefire or geocities website. It gets worse. This book is nothing short of Abomination. All of the carefully constructed ideas beautifully presented in Dune, from languages to technology to politics are more than neglected. They are trampled on, abused and then told to shut up and put on a smile while they get repackaged and pimped out to the public. I admit, I fell for it too. I kept on reading page after excruciating page, hoping that well, maybe it'll get better, and sure, the plot is juvenile, but it's "Dune"! Now, I think it wasn't even supposed to be "Dune", but a marketing ploy to get us to buy into a third-rate sci-fi series. I threw away the book immediately after I was done.
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Summary: This is the greatest sci-fi book ever written
Review: (Sorry, I was temporarily possessed by publishing marketers who's pernicious and evil use of a single word can send legions of unsuspecting readers to their nearest bookstore, parting them forever from their well-earned money.) Whew, I'm better now. Ok. Back to the real review: This book (and I presume the entire series) is beyond awful. ZERO STARS.
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Summary: A Must Read for All Those Interested in Dune
Review: At first I was mystified about the intensity of some of the other reviewer's hatred for this book. Of course, I knew there would be an obsession with comparing it to the beloved Dune (which is beyond comparison) by the Dune purists/fanatics. But now, I think it has more to do with House Atreides lack of any original philosophical insights. Also, it is nowhere near as dark as Dune. Be that as it may, the plot is tight and full of exciting twists and turns. The character development was great as well. Remember, as a prequel, the goal of this (and the next two) books is to set up and flesh out (in a contextual way) what is to come in Dune. I feel this goal was met and exceeded. As a matter of fact, I was so totally engrossed in Dune: House Atreides that I would occasionally feel compelled to say "This book is GREAT" to no one or anyone within earshot. It felt so good to be back in the universe of Dune with characters I knew and had always wondered about. The informational content on liked, disliked, and unknown characters was priceless, and the plot kept me guessing (even though I first read Dune over 30 years ago and actually studied it in college in an upper level English course).
Suffice it to say that B. Herbert and K. Anderson have (to my immense appreciation), breathed new life into one of the GREATEST SF series ever written. If you have read any or all of the Dune books or ESPECIALLY if you haven't read any of them, I believe that this is the book you should start reading first.
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Summary: Dune, book 7, is actually a prequel to the 1st Dune novel.
Review: And it's a pretty good start! I would have to say the story is better written than books 4 and 6 in the Dune series, which is a major compliment considering Frank Herbert is my all time favorite author. The story line is just as good as any science fiction novel written today, but will never match the first two novels. No book can. Ever wonder how and why Duncan Idaho came to be House Attreides number one weapon and Paul's most trusted advisor? This story, which is exceptionally well written, will answer that question. I would strongly recommend this novel to those who read and enjoyed the first 6 Dune books.
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Summary: An Amazing Book
Review: It is unfair to compare this book to those penned by Frank Herbert. Is "Dune: House Artreides" as well written as the first series...absolutely not...few follow-ups are. But I think that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson do a wonderful job of creating an addition to the Dune world. They give us a wonderful glimps into the world of thr Imperium preceeding the time of Muad'Dib. They share with us, from Frank Herbert's own notes, things that Dune fans have always wondered about...the life of Old Duke Paulus and Elrood, the early years of Duke Leto, the conception of Lady Jessica, etc. I also appreciated the glimpses into the worlds of the Bene Gesserits, Bene Theilax, the early life of Swordmaster Duncan Idaho, House of Ix, and other players within the Imperium. Let us not judge this book by comparing it to the works of Frank Herbert, but let us judge it on its own merit. If you do, I feel that you will appreciate this wonderful story line and give kudos to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson for taking us there.
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Summary: Mainly for Dune fanatics
Review: Writing a prequel to one of the greatest science fiction books ever written is no easy task. Herbert and Anderson are to be commended for even trying to craft this work, based at least partially on the notes left by Brian's illustrious father. Their success, however, is partial and this book is probably only of interest to Dune fanatics. The book concerns events that happened a generation before Dune. That's about as much as I can say about the plot because its principal fault is the lack of a narrative focus. We are treated to Pardot Kynes starting his lifelong study of Dune, to Shaddam IV scheming to get control of the Empire, to a villanous plot to take over the planet of Ix and to the rise of Leto Atreides. We even get information on the conception of Lady Jessica. Any one of these stories might have worked but the attempt to put all of them together makes the book slow (at 600+ pages, it is longer than most of the Dune books). A few threads should have been dropped. Additionally, the suspense of the book is watered down when you've read Dune. You know what the outcome of Leto's trial by forfeiture will be; you know how the Baron's breeding will work out. The really interesting stuff concerns Ix and House Vernius and I could have used a lot more of that and a lot less of Lady Jessica's conception. The book's appeal is not helped by the authors' style which is slow and repitive. They will tell you about the balance of power in the Empire at least a dozen times. This can be contrasted with Herbert the Elder's style, which was crisp and quick -- so much so that you really have to pay attention to know what was going on. This book is a lot more dumbed down. Hmmm. It sounds like I'm panning the book. I'm not. It's not *bad*, it's just not *great*. It was an enjoyable read and I found the filling in of Dune's background interesting. Although I knew the eventual outcome, the last hundred pages had me reading rapidly, eager to see what happened. I was reminded of the appendices to Lord of the Rings -- which lack the narrative verve of the novel but are fascinating if you love the world Tolkien created. This is the same -- it lacks the power and lyricism of Dune but is fascinating if you're interested in the history of the Imperium. The ultimate point is that I went out and bought House Harkonnen after reading this. That should tell you how much I liked it. But then again, I loved Dune. And that's the point of my review. If you loved Dune, you'll like this book. If not, save your money.
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