Dune: House Harkonnen [Mass Market Paperback]

I disagree with the other reviewers. I thought Dune: House Harkonnen was extremely well done. Especially Tim Curry's reading. When I first started listening to Dune: House Atreides, I wasn't sure Curry was a wise choice as reader. (I kept picturing him in Rocky Horror Picture Show, or comedic movies such as Clue.) But his characterizations grew on me...so much so that I was eager to hear this latest installment in the Dune prequel trilogy.

Curry reads with gusto, obviously hitting his stride and feeling more comfortable with the characters. It was a pleasure listening to him. (I particularly enjoyed his humming and irritating portrayal of Hasimir Fenring...or the menacing growl that is Baron Harkonnen...or the belly-laugh, slap-you-on-the-back personality of the exiled ruler of IX, the elder Vernius.)

As far as the book itself goes, House Harkonnen is a dark, violent and often disturbing tale that reveals just how evil the Harkonnens are. At times, I stepped out of my car (where I do all my audio book listening as I drive) feeling depressed after a particularly sadistic scene. But I clung to every word, eagerly awaiting the next time I'd take a drive so I could discover what happens next.

True, House Harkonnen (or House Atreides, for that matter) doesn't have the depth and density of Frank Herbert's original work, but is that really so bad? Just as there's only one C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Ray Bradbury, there's only one Frank Herbert. But that doesn't mean Brian Herbert is doing his father a disservice. On the contrary, I think Frank would be proud of his son's efforts to tell a good tale and provide background that many have wondered about over the years.

House Harkonnen offers many plot twists, sub plots and interweaving plot lines that require the listener to pay attention, but the pay off is worth it. The point of view often shifts from planet to planet and from character to character, unraveling (or weaving together as the case may be) plot threads in clever ways...all masterfully leading toward the culmination of the original Dune.

One reviewer said there's nothing in Dune about Leto's son Victor. Granted, but the existence of Victor explains why Jessica felt moved by love to bear Leto a son. Nothing short of the events surrounding Victor would have made Jessica betray her Bene Gesserit mandate to bear a girl.

Another reviewer said House Harkonnen isn't "really about anything." Not true. It reveals how and why Duke Leto Atreides got to be the man he was in Dune. It reveals why Baron Harkonnen's condition worsened without a cure. It reveals how Raban got his nickname "The Beast." (Trust me; it was a much-deserved name.) It reveals where Feyd-Rautha came from. (I keep picturing Sting as Feyd in the movie version.) It reveals the intricate plots within plots of the Bene Gesserit. It reveals the many schemes afoot among the Great Houses, and why Duke Leto was so protective of his son Paul. It reveals the origin of Gurney Halleck and how he and Duncan Idaho met and why they were so loyal to House Atreides later on.

In short, House Harkonnen is "about" many things that interested me.

Frankly, I'm surprised the reviewers weren't more kind. I thought Dune: House Harkonnen was a captivating (if often sordid) tale that kept me listening right through to the end. On one hand, knowing the end result (like what happens to everyone in Frank's original Dune) took some of the surprise away from House Harkonnen. Yet, other times knowing the end result made me think, "So THAT'S how that came about."

I was impressed with the complexity and bravado of House Harkonnen, but didn't give it five stars because I thought a few of the plot lines were overly contrived...and a few of the violent scenes were gratuitous. Can the Harkonnens truly be that evil? Would Raban really kill his own...? (You'll have to read the book to find out!)

I can't wait for the third installment...and hope Tim Curry reads that one as well.

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.

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.