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House Harkonnen (Prelude to Dune) (Hardcover)

by Brian Herbert (Author), Kevin J. Anderson (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 632 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (7 Sep 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340751770
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340751770
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 649,238 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #41 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > H > Herbert, Brian

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Product Description

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


.

' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews

30 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars An overlong average., 5 May 2004
By Mr. A. Privett "I only drink until the scream... (Pub) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Prelude to Dune: House Harkonnen (Paperback)
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.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but still inferior to the superb original series, 8 Dec 2001
This review is from: Dune: House Harkonnen (Prelude to Dune) (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The best of the prequels, 27 Jul 2001
By richhandford@aol.com (Birmingham, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Prelude to Dune: House Harkonnen (Paperback)
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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Only serves one purpose
This book and all of the other Herbert & Anderson penned prequels serve only one purpose. They demonstrate amply that talent is no requirement in getting published. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Steve Homer

1.0 out of 5 stars Frank must be turning in his grave
As many people have said, these prequels, sequels and other attempts by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson to make a cheap living off Frank Herbert's work are incredibly poor. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Theodore Stauffer

5.0 out of 5 stars Brillaint
Far be it for me, a young Dune reader, to object to the cries of dismay from diehard frank herbert fans, but I think the whole prelude series by his son Brian and Kevin J Anderson... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2005 by Mr. J. M. Golding

4.0 out of 5 stars More of the back stories on "Dune"'s secondary characters
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... Read more
Published on 21 Jul 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Let's Not Wonder Too Far From The known Duniverse
House Harkonnen makes compelling reading as a novel in its own right and as part of the wider marvel of the Dune universe. Read more
Published on 19 May 2002 by adamuk@ntlworld.com

2.0 out of 5 stars sorry, this is rubbish
As a great fan of the original Dune series I have to say these are rubbish. If you want to compare them to the dragonlance, starwars write by numbers style of novel that is... Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars Great but not as good as the others
Having been waiting for ages for House Corrino to come out I hope the end of the book is not as hurried as House Harkonen. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2001 by brian.crean@gmit.ie

5.0 out of 5 stars A master piece and a great add- on to the series
When I read House Atreides I was happy to see that the Dune series didn't end with the Frank Herbert's tragic death . Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2001 by theodor@canad.ro

5.0 out of 5 stars A master piece and a great add- on to the series
When I read House Atreides I was happy to see that the Dune series didn't end with the Frank Herbert's tragic death . Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2001 by theodor@canad.ro

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy prequel to the best series of all time - Dune
House Harkonnen follows on, surprisingly enough from House Atredies. Both books carry on almost continuously so this review can just as easily be given to the first by Frank... Read more
Published on 16 May 2001

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