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Title: House Corrino (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 3) by Kevin Anderson, Brian Herbert ISBN: 0-553-58033-7 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 27 August, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.12 (110 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: * Nearly Finishes the Prequel Storyline *
Comment: Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson come close to wrapping up the Dune prequel series with a climactic edition in "Dune: House Corrino". This story takes place in less than a year's time, beginning after the conception of Paul Atreides, and finishing just after his birth. The book starts off a little slow; it takes the authors a while to build up the suspense, but the last 150 pages of this work are well worth the wait. The details regarding the Corrino famliy are also enjoyable.
The authors set the stage in the two previous prequel stories ("House Atreides" and "House Harkonnen") and really didn't need to build up interest over such a long novel. FYI, both previous works are musts for devoted Dune fans. However, this is the best book out of the three editions. New readers will find the style smoother and more modern than the original Frank Herbert series, but not quite as creative. These stories fill in the many gaps in Frank Herbert's background, almost as if reading historical fiction.
The final third of the book is excellent, even difficult to put down as the action reaches a crescendo. Though every fan knows what is going to happen, we have been shielded from the truth all this time. You almost feel as if the story were new. However, there is one last story to tell here. Prepare to see "Dune: Bene Gesserit" bridging the birth of Paul Atreides to the relocation of his family to Planet Arrakis.
I have read every book in both Dune series and rate this book 3.80 out of 5.00 stars, rounded up to 4.00 stars, with points for writing style and for nicely wrapping up a lot of pre-history. Still want to read about more workings behind the scenes of the Sisterhood though.
Rating: 2
Summary: too much, too simple, too short
Comment: The latest installment from Herbert Jr. and Anderson leaves a lot to be desired. House Atreides and House Harkonnen attempted to open the Dune universe to a larger audience with a more light-hearted style and an easier to follow plot. The entire trilogy makes an effort to fill some of the holes left in the original Dune novels, but the new books are not on the level Dune readers have come to expect.
House Corrino was not the way I expected the trilogy to conclude. The movements of the characters seem childish and less "thought-out." There is more action, yes, but it doesn't flow as well as the previous two novels, considering that this book is supposed to bridge the gap between the trilogy and the first Dune novel. Fans of the Dune universe will no doubt read this book with much anticipation, but I think the outcome they encounter will not mesh well with their expectations.
This book containted far too many irrelevant subplots, the style left much to be desired, and it didn't conclude in a fashion consistent with its place in the series.
Rating: 2
Summary: If only we had 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.
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Title: House Harkonnen (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 2) by Kevin Anderson, Brian Herbert ISBN: 0553580302 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 28 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: House Atreides (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 1) by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson ISBN: 0553580272 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: The Butlerian Jihad (Dune Series) by Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert ISBN: 0765340771 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Machine Crusade (Dune Series) 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 Books Pub. Date: February, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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