Product Description

Duke Leto Atreides is now the skilful and much-loved ruler of Caladan, served by loyal Duncan Idaho. To his court come Gurney Halleck, despised slave of the Harkonnens - and Jessica, the exquisite, perfectly trained concubine chosen by the Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit to be the mother of Leto’s daughter. Meanwhile, on Dune - planet Arrakis - House Harkonnen ruthlessly harvests the precious, mind-enhancing drug called spice. And Baron Vladimir is slowly being consumed by a loathesome disease. Rabban Harkonnen - House Atreides’ most implacable enemy - prepares to take over his uncle’s empire.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27237 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Don't even think about reading House Harkonnen without reading its predecessor Prelude to Dune: House Atreides; anyone who does so risks sinking in the sands between Frank Herbert's original Dune and this new prequel trilogy by Herbert's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The purist argument that had Herbert wanted to go backwards he would have done so is, at least in part, negated by the sheer narrative verve, and by the fact that Anderson and Brian Herbert manage to pull some genuine surprises out of this long-running space-opera. House Harkonnen is a massive book, and there are places where it becomes plot heavy, but in following the story of Duke Leto Atreides and the conflicts with House Harkonnen, the authors succeed in spinning a gripping adventure while going off in some unexpected directions. Anderson, who has written many successful Star Wars novels, has noted his particular admiration for The Empire Strikes Back, and his desire to emulate that film's dark take on the genre. In House Harkonnen the conflict encompasses the tragedy of nuclear war, is marked by grief and horror, vengeance and torment, and all while the complex intrigues continue to unfold.

Everything has its cost. We pay to create our future, we pay for the mistakes of the past. We pay for every change we make--and we pay just as dearly if we refuse to change.

Ultimately this is the theme of a compelling game of consequences, choices and responsibility, a study of Leto's growth into power and the price of politics and love. --Gary S. Dalkin

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Review
'. . . Herbert and Anderson have met the challenge admirably . . . Even readers new to the saga will be able to follow it easily as the narrative weaves among the many interconnected tales. A terrific read in its own right.' (Publishers Weekly )

'House Atreides is a terrific prequel, but it's also a first-rate adventure on its own. Frank Herbert would surely be delighted and proud of this continuation of his vision.' (Dean Koontz )

'Those who long to return to the world of desert, spice and sandworms will be amply satisfied.' (The Times )

'Those who have nurtured a desire to return to Herbert Sr's world of deserts, spice and sandworms can happily immerse themselves in a more than worthy continuation of the saga' (Publishing News )

'Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson succeed in weaving their own intricate saga. Dune: House Atreides does its predecessors justice.' (USA Today )

'Congratulations to Herbert and Anderson for transporting us back to this richly excavated world...A spicy melange treat for both new and long-time fans of the series' (Billy Dee Williams (of Star Wars, Lady Sings the B )

'In writing a prequel to what is arguably the best science fiction novel of all time, Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson set themselves a monumental task. They succeed brilliantly. This cynical old critic found himself engrossed from page one, and eagerly looks forward to the rest of the series. Buy it now!' (Dave Wolverton (NYT bestselling author) )

'IN A WORD, SATISFYING: all Dune fans will want to investigate, newcomers will be tempted, and it should promote fresh interest in the magnificent original series.' (Kirkus )

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Customer Reviews

An overlong average.
I received House Harkonnen as a Christmas present in 2002 and two years later I finally got around to reading it. It is a brick of a book, which was the main reason for taking so long to get around to it. It looked uncomfortable and unwieldy. It turned out to be far less of a pain than I'd assumed though; and I haven't been working out since I got it.

I suppose you'd like to hear about the actual content now, right? Well. In many ways Brian Herbert is rather brave to consider writing the Dune Preludes series as he was bound to come in for a fair bit of criticism. I mean let's face it, Frank Herbert was a genius and the original Dune series are probably the finest Sci-Fi novels of the 20th Century.

The problem with writing prequels to such a masterwork is that surprises are going to be fairly few. You know that Leto, the Baron, Jessica, Idaho, Gurney etc can't die, because you know what happens to them a few years down the road before you even start.

To be honest, I found House Harkonnen to be fairly mundane and pedestrian. It failed to grip me and the writing is nowhere near the level of the originals. It isn't that it's a bad book or badly written really; it's more that it isn't written to the level of detail and intrigue as the originals. I find it hard to believe that the prequels are written to notes and synopses created by Frank Herbert. If this was the case, his notes were few and lacked of detail.

There's something about reading this novel that makes you feel the writers are losing momentum and the ideas aren't there anymore.

Having said all that, I did go through it pretty quickly. The pace is fast and the chapters fairly short, inviting you to read one more before turning out the light.

In summary: A readable book with no real surprises. I would have to say average, especially if you've read the originals.

Good, but still inferior to the superb original series
Don't expect anything as good as the original Dune series books here, however, it is still a great trip back to the Dune fantasy and it's a worthy sequel to House Atreides. A must buy for any Dune fan who enjoyed House Atreides.

The best of the prequels
The partnership of Anderson and Herbert finally seems to be working. after a shaky start with 'House Atreides' the duo has finally managed some very respectable plot and character development (the Duncan Idaho character being paticularly fascinating.)

The main gripe is that the book does not have the philosophical punch of its predecessors and its scale is far less ambitious, indeed the entire style of writing is different. However once you overcome these hurdles the book is a pleasure to read and i found myself reading through the 600 pages or so in very little time.

This book has not the scale of its predecessors nor the intellectual weight, but it is a damn fine read and is a more than credible addition to the dune universe. I only hope that the hinted-at sequal to chapter house becomes a reality.