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Title: House Harkonnen (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 2) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Tim Curry ISBN: 0-553-52666-9 Publisher: Random House Audio Publishing Group Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 6 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.34 (150 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: different brand of Dune
Comment: I think by reading the previous 150 reviews of the House Harkonnen that this is not a book written by Frank Herbert. We should be glad since Frank Herbert lies dead and may he rest in peace. However, it seem clear that many of the 150 or so previous reviewers were looking for Frank Herbert ghola to write more Dune clones.
I found both House Atriedes and Harkonnen books to be relatively interesting and fast paced. Its pretty obvious that they were not written by Frank Herbert so why are so many people whining about it. The new series appears to be written in totally different style. But I thought it was pretty well written. There are four different plot lines, Duke Leto's, events on Giedi Prime and House Harkonnen, events on Dune and events with the House Corrino. And of course, them little sisters of the poor. But the book was never confusing and the authors managed to intergrate all the plotlines very nicely. You have to read each book in order to get the most out of them but overall, its an entertaining reading material. Nothing serious and nothing really deep.
If someone wrote a spin off series on Middle Earth and people whine that he doesn't write like JRR Tolkien, is there any logic to that? There is only one JRR Tolkien and sadly, there is only one Frank Herbert. I think this series have to judge on its own merit and not on the merit of the original series.
Rating: 2
Summary: If only there were a Ghola Frank Herbert!
Comment: I won't say the Dune "Prequel" Trilogy is entirely without merit. Any of the three books is an entertaining read for a cross-country train trip or a trans-Atlantic flight, like a Tom Clancy novel would be. But most people who know and love the "Dune" chronicles cannot help but be disappointed, even angry, at these pale imitations of the originals. The most striking lesson to be gleaned from these new Dune books is the difference between a truly gifted writer and a hack; between a serious work of imagination and literary skill, and airport lounge pulp fiction.
I won't detail all of the failings of the narrative - the inconsistencies with the original series, the sometimes absurd plot development, the gaping holes and internal inconsistencies in the story. Other reviewers have dealt with these at some length.
My biggest beef with these three books - all of them - is how poorly written they are (especially "House Corinno"). One would have hoped that more of Frank Herbert's literary ability would have found its way into his son's genes than apparently did. (Call the Bene Gesserit, quick! We need a new breeding program here!) The dialogue is often stilted, the character development shallow, and the structure fragmented, episodic and jerky. In contrast to Frank Herbert's elegant, even serene construction, Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have unfortunately adopted the hyperactive "jump-around" style so beloved of today's writers of second-rate entertainment fiction.
Most disappointing to me was the shallowness of these new books. Frank Herbert's "Dune" books were books of IDEAS more than books about events and action. A great deal of their narrative was occupied with people's THOUGHTS, at least as much as with their actions. Brian Herbert's & Kevin Anderson's books, by contrast, are almost entirely devoid of thought, ideas or philosophy and are entirely preoccupied with who is doing what. At best, this makes their books entertaining, something with which to while away the hours. But they are simply not in the same league with the original Dune books. For the newcomer to the world of Dune, moving from "House Corinno" to "Dune" will be like moving from Harold Robbins to Steinbeck or Hemmingway.
Reading my way through these three books, I frequently found myself wishing that one of the Tleilaxu had been around when Frank Herbert died, to grow a Ghola Herbert in their axolotl tanks. These prequels might have really been something in the hands of a gifted writer.
Rating: 2
Summary: if you're going to write a prequel, keep your plot straight!
Comment: I was disappointed in all the inconsistencies between these Prequel Dune novels and the original. They're so busy building up suspense that the facts mentioned in prior novels are ignored; how Jessica was bought by the Duke's men, not placed there by the Bene Gesserit, history of the Fremen per the encyclopedia that Herbert the original put out, and many other details. They seem intent on creating a story that is growing more divorced from the original plot line the closer it comes to converging in timeline.
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Title: House Atreides (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 1) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson ISBN: 0553580272 Publisher: Spectra Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: The Butlerian Jihad (Legends of Dune, Book 1) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson ISBN: 0765340771 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson ISBN: 076530158X Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Chapterhouse Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 6) by Frank Herbert ISBN: 0441102670 Publisher: ACE Charter Pub. Date: 01 February, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Heretics of Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 5) by Frank Herbert ISBN: 0441328008 Publisher: ACE Charter Pub. Date: 01 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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