Product Description
Performance by Tim Curry
Six Cassettes, 9 hours

Frank Herbert's award-winning Dune chronicles captured the imaginations of millions of readers worldwide.By his death in 1986, Frank Herbert had completed six novels in the Dune series.But much of his vision remained unwritten.Now, working from recently discovered files left by his father, Brian Herbert and bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson collaborate on a new novel, the prelude to Dune-where we step onto planet Arrakis...decades before Dune's hero Paul Maud'Dib Atreides, walks it's sands.

Here is the rich and complex world that Frank Herbert created in his classic series, in the time leading up to the momentous events of Dune.As Emperor Elrood's son Shaddam plots a subtle regicide, young Leto Atreides leaves his lush, water-rich planet for a year's education on the mechanized world of Ix; a planetologist named Pardot Kynes is dispatched by the Emperor to the desert planet Arrakis, or Dune, to discover the secrets of the addictive spice known as melange; and the eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by his cruel masters in a terrifying game from which he vows escape and vengeance.But none can envision the fate in store for them: one that will make them renegades-and shapers of history.Amazon.com Review
Acclaimed SF novelist Brian Herbert is the son of Duneauthor Frank Herbert. With his father, Brian wrote Man of TwoWorlds and later edited The Notebooks of Frank Herbert'sDune. Kevin J. Anderson has written many bestsellers, alternatingoriginal SF with novels set in the X-Files and Star Warsuniverses. Together they bring personal commitment and a lifelongknowledge of the Dune Chronicles to this ambitious expansion of aseries that transformed SF itself. Dune: House Atreideschronicles the early life of Leto Atreides, prince of a minor House inthe galactic Imperium. Leto comes to confront the realities of powerwhen House Vernius is betrayed in an imperial plot involving a questfor an artificial substitute to melange, a substance vital tointerstellar trade that is found only on the planet Dune. Meanwhile,House Harkonnen schemes to bring Leto into conflict with the Tleilax,and the Bene Gesserit manipulate Baron Harkonnen as part of a planstretching back 100 generations. In the Imperial palace, treason isafoot, and on Dune itself, planetologist Pardot Kynes embarks on asecret project to transform the desert world into a paradise.

Dune remainsthe bestselling SF novel ever, such that three decades later noprequel can possibly have the same impact. Yet in HouseAtreides the authors have written a compelling, labyrinthine,skillfully imagined extension of the world Frank Herbert created,which ably commands attention for almost 600 pages. It is powerful SFthat continues a great tradition, and in itself is a very considerableachievement. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Customer Reviews (424)

Outstanding space opera. First part of House Trilogy.
A few weeks ago, I resolved to read all sixteen Dune books (excluding Dune short stories and the short novel "Spice Planet," which have not been published in their own books). In chronological order (according to time in the Dune universe), here are the sixteen books:

Butlerian Jihad
The Machine Crusade
The Battle of Corrin
House Atreides
House Harkonnen
House Corrino
Dune
Paul of Dune
Dune Messiah
The Winds of Dune
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse Dune
Hunters of Dune
Sandworms of Dune

I have just completed the fourth book, "House Atreides," and I have not been dissuaded in continuing my task.

The space-opera political intrigue is so good in "House Atreides" that I have decided to give it five stars. It has the same weakness--moments of implausibility--that I noted in my reviews of the first three books, but I do not want that weakness to discourage anyone from experiencing this book's goodness. I am pleased to have vicariously shared existence with some of the characters. I cheered with them, and one time I cried with them. As for the villains, as good villains are wont to do, they just made me want to wring their necks.

In addition to the intrigue, here are other examples of the book's goodness:
- the perilous travels of the boy Duncan Idaho
- the nastiness of Hasimir Fenring, assassin-advisor for Crown Prince Shaddam
- the adventures of planetologist Pardot Kynes on the desert world Arrakis (Dune)
- the unique and spectacular style of leadership demonstrated by Duke Paulus Atreides
- the schemes and brutality of Baron Harkonnen and his thuggish nephew Rabban
- the quaint, but intense, machinations of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood
- the coming-of-age adventures of teenagers Leto Atreides and his noble friends Rhombur and sister Kailea
- the warfare, politics, and pageantry of galactic empire.

You may recognize some of the above names. This is because "House Atreides," a superb sequel, takes place just a couple of decades before Frank Herbert's hall-of-famer "Dune." The writing style is polished and easy to read. There are no detestable moments of gratuitous levity. At least in the hardcover edition you get a family tree of Emperor Elrood IX and five good maps. You also get an afterword with short accounts by Brian Herbert and Kevin K. Anderson describing how these authors became acquainted and how their collaborations for the Dune books got started.

One more thing: This book has insufficient closure. So be wary of that unless you intend to read the entire trilogy ("House Atreides," "House Harkonnen," "House Corrino").

Brian is not Frank
When I read Brian's books, I though it was a parallel Dune where characters are simple and contradicts what happen in classic Dune.

Good
I read up to children of dune, then decided that was a good stopping point (since the next one takes place thousands of years later) so i took a break from the original series and decided to read this one. I really enjoyed it. it was kind of nice to have a better balance of descriptions/action with dialog compared with frank herbert's originals. overall very good.

Flat
When I first read Dune by Frank Herbert, I was lying on a beach with a stack of about 8 books that I intended to read of the next few days. On the first day, I blew through 2 or 3 quite easily. On the second day, I started Dune, and by the second chapter I knew that I would be consumed by this book for probably the rest of my vacation. Mr. Herbert constructed an elaborate and engaging universe of unrivaled imagination in science fiction. The characters lept from the page including the very pivotal Leto Atreides, Duke and leader of House Atreides. After reading Dune, I sped (relatively) through the rest of the series and absolutely fell in love with the universe. I had found an equal to my already beloved Middle Earth and Star Wars universes.

So when I picked up this book, the beginning of the House Trilogy, I was more than excited. I had known that Brian had several works of his own already under his belt that had garnered some acclaim in the Science Fiction community. I had also read a few of Kevin J. Anderson's works in the Start Wars universe and enjoyed them immensely. Therefore, I flung myself into the series whole-heartedly.

I fell flat. Indeed, most of the book itself seemed only a flat copy of the marvels of the father's novels. Perhaps, as other reviewers have noted, the disappointment stemmed somewhat from knowledge of the fates of the characters, but I feel it was more than that. In Dune, we met such characters as Baron Harkonnen, Beast Raban, Reverend Mother Gaius Heather Mohiam, and of course Leto Atreides. Even in their limited roles (as compared with Paul and Lady Jessica) in the first novel, Frank was able to present enormously more life in these characters than Brian and Anderson were able to do in a full length novel. The emotions and actions of the Baron, Mohiam, Leto, and Rombur (as well as others) were so predictable and lacking in flavor that I found myself rolling my eyes at many of the events. The events of the novel such as the fall of House Vernius, the Harkonnen plot to destroy Leto, and even the death of the Old Duke Paulus all seemed like flat attempts at the imaginative flair of Frank Herbert. Some parts of the novel, namely those following the Planetologist Kynes were so out of place and annoying that I question the need of the character in the novels. I picked this book up with interest in the mystique and flavor of the Great Houses of the universe, and found myself entwined in a novel of too many "main characters," of which none were treated with enough detail and development. Indeed, halfway through the novel, I had to put it down and pick up other books because I was simply bored with the plot. I ended up finishing the novel by listening to the audiobook while driving.

Nevertheless, as a true science fiction fan, I cannot help my overwhelming desire to explore the extent of the Dune universe. As before with some of the less engaging of the Star Wars novels, I will most likely continue on with the House series and with the Bulterian Jihad novels at some point. I can only hope that the remaining of the novels improve on this sub-par effort.

F.H. it ain't...a fun read nonetheless.
yes, these two clowns should have passed F.H.'s notes on to any one of todays worthy authors. who knows what we would have ended up with? something brainier than this assuredly. alas, the son takes the low road and this is what we have. a comic book.
if you take it for what it is then you will enjoy the read, for it is fun and not nearly as heavy as the original opus. therein lies the worth of these series of novels. it has now become accessible to everyone. let's face it, most of the sheep can't handle the master's original works. dune is now a cash cow and everyone can take a ride!
that's not to say these books are terrible, B.H. & K.J.A just aren't the intellectual juggernaut that the father was. i don't think ANYONE could have filled those shoes in precisely the same manner.
house atreides WAS a fun read however, and there ARE some elements involved thatwere gleaned from F.H.'s drafts and notes that he left behind. the read is worth it for that alone if nothing else.

i'm looking forward to house harkkonen and the subsequent house corrino.

3 out of 5 stars because i didn't hate it... ... Read more

Product Description

Pretty poison is her cry
Belladonna watch you die

Dark, enticing, and as deliciously decadent as Europe's fading upper classes shortly before and after World War II, Belladonna is an intoxicating tale of betrayal and revenge...

Midwesterner Isabella Ariel Nickerson is just eighteen, visiting London with her cousin June, when she is invited to what she thinks will be the most fabulous costume party. The year is 1935, and Isabella, innocent, spirited, and trusting, is about to be taken from the world she knows and subjected to the whims of a cabal of wealthy aristocrats who answer to no laws but their own. But, looking forward to her party and utterly inexperienced in life, Isabella does not know how far men will go to satisfy desire. Or how far a woman must go to redeem her soul...

Instead of dancing at a masked ball, Isabella will become the sacrificial lamb in a ritual of domination and submission known only to the noblemen who call themselves the members of the Club. Robbed of her freedom, identity, and dignity, the girl known as Isabella slowly disappears. In her place, a new woman is born. She calls herself Belladonna, and she lives for one purpose--revenge.

Now, after an odyssey of escape, flight, and transformation, the bejeweled and utterly mysterious Belladonna will appear in swank 1950's Manhattan to create a spectacular nightclub. Always masked, as those who tormented her were, Belladonna will captivate both imaginations and hearts. No one outside her circle of loyal retainers guesses her true aim for becoming the toast of high society: She is waiting like a deadly spider for a member of the Club to walk into her web. And when he does, her exquisite plan for vengeance can finally begin... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Simply fascinating!!!
As a huge Tim Curry Fan, i must admit i love listening to him reading anything, even if it was the phonebook!! But this story is really something else! Wonderfully sad on one side, but then again it lusts with revenge, which makes Belladonna a powerful and fragile woman at the same time! At times, it was like i could really feel her pain and anger! Timmy, of course helped a lot! He is such a wonderful reader, with a voice that goes down like hot buttery chocolate! A must have!!!

A book that makes you wonder what you'd have done...
Picked this book up in a second hand shop for a quick read and enjoyed it.Takes the readers on a walk to the darker side of human needs and desires and brings you along on the story of an innocent woman whose freedom was taken away to become a sex slave.The experience completely transforms her and consumes her with determination for revenge, yet at the same time it makes you feel drawn to the life of the submissive.A heady mix to be sure and a solid book.

Treat for your ears!
I may not have enjoyed this book had I read it but thankfully I listened to an audiotape.Tim Curry makes this book come alive beautifully.I've listened to many audiobooks and this one really stands out if only because of the reader.His voice really makes the story and he truly is Tomasino.

A wonderful read.
I just finished reading this book this morning and I absolutely loved it. It's exciting, amusing, heartrending, and erotic. It amazes me...that I still want more. I don't know what I want...I just know that I want it. I don't want to let go of the characters yet, the locations, none of it.

I was thorougly surprised by the ending. It left me near tears and reminiscing about a past that never happened. I'm happy I read it but sad that it's over with.

Oh ho, the sweet poison!
I've read Belladonna several times.I love getting lost in the descriptive writing.Karen Moline is wonderful with adjectives... she gives you the tools to concoct some brilliant mental pictures to go along with the story.

All of the characters in Belladonna are absolutely unique and positively fascinating.The story itself keeps me reading it time and time again, but my absolute favorite parts are the ones that take place in Belladonna's club.

It is truly a good read.I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
At last, the explosive final chapter in The New York Times bestselling trilogy of prequels that ignited listener-and bookseller-passion for Frank Herbert's epic world, DUNE.

With DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson rewarded the legions of fans who thought the final tale of their beloved saga had been told, penning not just a national bestseller, but an instant classic. It was no small feat to follow that success with DUNE: HOUSE HARKONNEN, the rare sequel that was as well received as its predecessor, and was named a New York Times Notable Book.

Now, continuing to work from Frank Herbert's extensive outlines, journals, and notes from brainstorming sessions, these authors have crafted DUNE: HOUSE CORRINO, the third novel in this trilogy of prequels.

Here, fans will see how the rivalry began between Duke Leto of House Atreides and Baron Vladimir of House Harkonnen. The actions that made heros of Duncun Idaho and Gurney Halleck. The events surrounding the birth of Jessica's first child, Paul. And the desperate decision that created one of the universe's most hated tyrants: Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (131)

Excellent conclusion for an excellent trilogy. Don't miss it!
The NY Times bestseller "House Corrino" is a neat tying up of the threads left dangling by "House Atreides" and "House Harkonnen." The diverse plotlines merge smoothly into a powerful conclusion that precedes the rise of Paul Atreides (Muad'Dib) in Frank Herbert's classic "Dune." (Paul puts in only a cameo appearance, as a baby, in "House Corrino.")

Certainly you should read the two preceding volumes before reading this one. You do not, however, need to read any other Dune books, including "Dune" itself.

Including the Legends of Dune trilogy and the House Trilogy, I've read six Dune books by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.I haven't read anything else by Brian Herbert, but I have read a couple of Kevin J. Anderson's X-Files books. If you have any appreciation at all for wholesome science fiction adventure, you will do yourself a disservice by not reading these two Dune trilogies. They are epic science fiction sagas, and unlike Anderson's X-Files stories, they ARE something special.

Some "Dune" fans put Frank Herbert's classic on a top shelf, and they feel that no other book deserves its company. Therefore, as part of this ritual of fetish-worship, maybe this is why they give Brian and Kevin's books low ratings. I am now reading Frank Herbert's "Dune" for the third time (as part of my marathon reading of all 16 Dune novels in chronological order). Though "Dune" is a good solid novel and I do not begrudge its classic status, I think the six novels by Brian and Kevin are just as good. I think these learned gentlemen put their hearts into these books. They have good writing skills, they have respectable scientific knowledge, and after studying the six Dune books by Frank Herbert, they planted their superb stories into Frank Herbert's universe.

Trust me, these books are GOOD fiction.

Didn't you know my brother!
4*s because although the writing is not brilliant, and there are inconsistencies with the original, the book does hold your interest right to the end.

I am reading the prequal trilogy to discover the history behind the different houses. I do not compare this with Dune.

In it's own light this is possibly the best of the trilogy and the last.

What I do feel though is that Brian and Kevin do not have a grasp of the size of the empire that they trying to describe. There are relatively few main characters and all bump into each other and realise that they were old school buddies.

This is supposed to be set in an empire consisting of 'many' planets each with a 'many' millions of people.

The best example is the storming of IX, which reads like a SWAT team takinhg back an embassy held to ransom by terrorists. "What, you rode over in a vehicle that was driven by my brother .. what a coincidence?"

Similarly, the aborted raid on Caladan was a joke. We know that Rabban is stupid, but so stupid that he aborts his mission because there are 'boats' (yes water vessels) with BIG guns on them and all we have are spaceships.

Ignore what we know about the characters from Dune and it makes a decent read.

not that amazing
After I read Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune, I decided to take a break from the original series and read the prelude series. House Atreides was a good grade A novel I'd say, followed by House Harkonnen which I'd give an A-. Overall those two were great. But House Corrino kind of took a turn into the wrong direction. It got a lot less captivating than the previous 2 novels. I ended up having to force myself to finish it just so I could feel accomplished that I read all 3. Now there were a few parts that I really liked, but the lame scenes outweighed the good ones by too much. First of all, I didn't like how practically every other chapter is about Bene Gesserits. It's all bene gesserit this, bene gesserit that. I don't care! It's all about these hypocritical witches with no personalities who think they know everything. By the novel's end, I really wished they all would get killed off somehow. It was nice to see lady anirul get killed, but sadly she didn't suffer much. And then the mega b**** mohiam has to kill one of my favorite characters, Piter. That made me so angry! When I read that, I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
And then what's this about Paul being born on Kaitain? Doesn't Dune specify that he was born on Caladan? Hey wait... isn't that like one of the first lines of the original novel, Dune? "Do not be deceived by the fact that (Paul) was born on Caladan and lived his first fifteen years there." WHY DID THEY CHANGE IT???!!!!! I know, it's such a small little change, but continuity like that is just careless and I hate it.
The whole retaking of Ix was pretty cool. But, It seemed almost like just too much action was happening. Like there was a lot of unnecessary action to the extent where I would have rather preferred reading more dialog. Kind of ironic how when I read Dune, one of my only criticisms was the lack of action, and after reading House Corrino, I found there to be too much of it. And then there's the whole Ecaz and Moritani war going on. I had never heard of either of those houses and they're stuffed into the novel as if to make it more eventful or something? I also found the part where the harkonnens and the grummans try to attack caladan to be just more stuffing for the novel. More empty calories. It was like there's enough stuff going on already, yet they try to make it SUPER SUSPENSFUL with another unnecessary side plot. I found myself skimming through all these action scenes... reading them thoroughly would have been a waste of time. You don't learn anything from explosions and lasguns being fired for a whole chapter. In Herbert's originals, taking the time to read the scenes that were just dialog were interesting enough. That shows just how great a writer he was, to where he could keep you captivated with a little action and a lot of talking/descriptions. When action happened in Frank Herbert's Dune, it was short and sweet, a succulent little bit that's given to you in just the right portions as to not make you sick of it. But in House Corrino, it's like too much candy and it makes you sick. I think that's a good way of describing it...
There was a funny little scene that I really liked. At the end of the novel, Piter gets killed and his body is sent to the Baron. And there's this line that I just found so funny for some reason. As the Baron looks at the body of de Vries, he says "PITER! How could you be so clumsy, so stupid as to get yourself killed?!" and the next line is the narrator, "The corpse did not answer". Yeah, I don't know.
Just my opinion.

Dune Fan!
This book provides a good back story that fills in many of the unknows from the previous books. This sheds light on the Atreidies family as well as Harkonnen and others. Focus on Corrino.

Great Conclusion to Prelude Trilogy
I must admit, I'm a little surprised by the mediocre rating this book has on Amazon. While it's to be expected that it would not receive the same glowing reviews as Frank Herbert's original Dune novels, I found House Corrino (as well as the first two Prelude to Dune novels) to be a rock-solid 4-star outing.

It's a fair criticism to knock Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson for not matching the literary quality of Frank Herbert's Dune and its five original sequels. Dune is, after all, considered by many to be the best science-fiction novel ever written. (If you're reading this, the odds are you've read at least Dune and need no convincing of that.) While the Herbert/Anderson novels sacrifice some of the depth of the originals, though, they do make up for it in a faster pacing and remarkable plotting. Even if there are a few inconsistencies between these prequels and the originals, it's nothing compared with the problems you see in the Star Wars prequels, and those were made by the original creator - so that should give a hint as to just how much of a challenge it is to work with a fictional universe like this.

Step back from the criticisms of the obsessives and those who simply can't bear other authors treading on the sacred ground Frank Herbert created, and you get my perspective: A science-fiction fan, a fan of the Dune series and of well-plotted novels in general. For me, these novels triumph - big time. The curse of the prequel is that in the end you wind up right back where you started (in this case, not long before the original Dune begins). The Prelude to Dune novels manage to make it all interesting and compelling. There is plenty of room for surprises in these books, and quite a bit of suspense. One example is Paul's birth. Of course he will survive, and so will Jessica - yet the birth sequence is so tense I felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

The Herbert/Anderson novels expertly set up the plot-points like a set of dominoes, positioning the many characters just-so, piece by piece, and when the dominoes start to fall, I find it tremendously satisfying. So, no, it's not a Frank Herbert book, but it's a great conclusion to a remarkable trilogy.

I was shocked to read an on-line review of this book by someone who hadn't read the first two House books, so I'll conclude with this: If you've read the original Dune novels and enjoyed House Atreides, I think you'll enjoy following up with House Harkonnen and House Corrino. If you didn't like House Atreides, you will probably want to steer clear of the other Herbert/Anderson novels. Above all, you definitely should not read House Corrino until you've read House Atreides and House Harkonnen. ... Read more

Product Description
A Series of Unfornate Events Box Set. 9 Unabridged Cassettes. Volume 7:The Vile Village, Volume 8:The Hostile Hospital, Volume 9:The Carnivorous Carnival. Total Runtime 13 1/2 hours. ... Read more

Product Description
A Series of Unfortunate Events #7 "The Vile Village" on 3 Unabridged Audio Cassettes. Running Time 5 hours. ... Read more

Product Description
A Series of Unfortunate Events #8 "The Hostile Hospital" on 3 Unabridged Audio Cassettes. Running Time 5 hours. ... Read more

Product Description
A Series of Unfortunate Events #9 "The Carnivorous Carnival" on 3 Unabridged Audio Cassettes. Running Time 5 hours. ... Read more

Product Description
There are many pleasant things to read about in this world, but instead of any of those agreeable things, this book contains yet another account of a dastardly plot by the evil Count Olaf to get his hands on the fortune belonging to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. In their efforts to escape this particular plot, the unfortunate orphans encounter such truly frightening things as a burning building, unnecessary surgery, and heart-shaped balloons. ... Read more

Product Description
The Witching Hour Read by Lindsay Crouse
Lasher Read by Joe Morton
Taltos Read by Tim Curry
8 cassettes/ 10 hours

The Witching Hour
The first of the Mayfair Witch triology. This is the complex history of the mysterious Mayfair family through centuries of their tangled existence with a demonic spirit, a spirit that has brought them power and terrible tragedy. At the center of the novel is Rowan Mayfair, the heir to the Mayfair fortune, who must face her family's mysterious past and her own strange powers.

Lasher
The sequel to the Witching Hour. It's the story of Rowan Mayfair, the queen of the Mayfairs, who is held spellbound by the demon Lasher, the same demon who has lured the Mayfair women for centuries, and her escape from his demonic spell with their child. Through her escape and the cast of characters, demon and angel, mortal and immortal, the novel journeys across the globe and across the centuries.

Taltos
The last novel in the Mayfair Witch triology. This mesmerizing novel is a journey back through the centuries to a civilization half-human species living among humankind and whose sole survivor is seeking answers about his origin and his peoples' tangled history with the mysterious and powerful Mayfair family. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not thrilled with abridgements
This collection is advertised as unabridged, and that is just false.I haven't been too happy with the abridgements, nor with the readers, especially the reader for Lasher.I remember loving these books when reading them, but the audio version is just so-so with the abridgements.If I were you, I would buy the books if it is at all possible.

Wonderful books, but lousy version
This abridged audio version is good in some select parts, but laughable in many places.The way they've cut things is just pathetic.Read the books or find an unabridged version, please!These tapes are good if you've read the books and just want to listen to something familiar on a long drive or something, but not if you want to understand the characters.The tapes skip most of the family's history and the beautiful historic descriptions of locations, especially the house (which is SO important), and also skips most of the sex scenes (which I actually didn't mind too much, but I thought it was hysterical).Please, please, please, PLEASE find a better version than these tapes.

Easily..
Easily these books are my favorite of Anne Rice. With the exception of a few others. The way they are written takes you where they are... its takes you inside their minds and you can understand exactly what they feel. The witching hour is the best i think because its more of the the history of the witches.. the rest are more about the taltos.. but they are still excellent. I've grown to love the characters and I want to read more. lol. cant wait for more witch books. :)

Mayfair Witches
I have truely enjoyed the witch series, and do look forward to the next book to come out in this series. Both the witch series, and the vampire series are so spell binding that you feel like you are actually there, and living life or unlife with them. You are caught up in the spells, romance, and love of they're lives as they are. I want to thank Anne Rice for each of these series, they are as masterly written from the first word, as they are to the last one, and from book to book. Again I Thank you, and do look forward to the next books to come out in either of your series.Respectfully A Devoted FanMarianne Alderson ... Read more

Product Description
Six Cassettes, 9 hours
Read by Tim Curry

Dune:House Atreides, a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, began the exciting chronicle of events that took place before those of Frank Herbert's Dune, the bestselling sciece fiction novel ever. Now Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, again working from the extensive outines, jounals, and brainstorming sessions between Brian and his father, have created DUNE:HOUSE HARKONNEN, the second novel in the trilogy of prequels.

Here fans of the Dune series can again follow Leo Atreides, Duke Leto, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Jessica, Gurney Halleck, and Duncan Idaho on the inexorable and fascinating journey that will lead to Dune, the novwl that hasheld more than 10 million readers captive for more than thirty years.Amazon.com Review
Don't even think about reading House Harkonnen without reading its predecessor Dune: House Atreides; anyone who does so risks sinking in the sands between Frank Herbert's original Dune and this prequel trilogy by Herbert's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. The purist argument that had Frank 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, marked by grief and horror, vengeance and torment, and all while the complex intrigues continue to unfold. As one character puts it:

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, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Customer Reviews (171)

Get deeper into an interesting universe.
In a review of a nonfiction book, a commenter praised the book and disparaged fiction as a whole, saying something like this: "To hell with fiction! With books like this, who needs it?"

I read nonfiction as well as fiction because I understand nonfiction has something to offer. What human author can compete with the logic of God? But if you stubbornly deny yourself the goodness of good fiction, you are masochistically ignorant. Fiction opens up portals to spectacular alternate realities that remain forever hidden without fiction.

I have read five Dune novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and so far they have done a good job of opening up one of those portals.

"House Harkonnen" is the second of the House Trilogy by Herbert and Anderson. The books describe events in the generation before the events of Frank Herbert's "Dune," and we get the origins of prominent characters from that Hugo Award winning classic. "House Harkonnen's" plotlines involve you with intrigues of noble houses in a galactic empire and with adventures of colorful characters like Duncan Idaho and Gurley Halleck. The authors hit you with violence and touch you with pathos. You ride giant sandworms across the desert of Dune, and you discover treasure in the ice floes of arctic Lankiveil.

The characters of the House books are not exotic like some characters in the chronologically preceding Legends of Dune trilogy. But the House Trilogy characters stand out and are quite likeable. It's easy to identify with the good guys and to hate the bad guys. Take Baron Harkonnen and his nephew Rabban. They are so doggone bad they are laughable. But they are serious characters--not comical--and they are convincing.

Be sure to read "House Atreides" before reading "House Harkonnen." Regarding the relationship between Baron Harkonnen and the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, one scene in "House Harkonnen" would not be nearly as pleasing as it was without my having read "House Atreides." Also, "House Harkonnen" has many strings left dangling. For closure you'll need to read "House Corrino."

The prose is contemporary and easy to read, nothing like Thomas Hardy. (Do we still have high school English teachers sadistically assigning "Return of the Native"?) It seemed to me that the House Trilogy has more paragraphs of descriptive detail than I found in Legends of Dune. The detail is not excessive, however, and I welcomed it.

If you can, read the hardback editions of these books. The maps are hard to read in the paperbacks.

Disappointing
I expected this book to tell the history of House Harkonnen; instead I got a collection of rather uninspired, boring short stories about the backgrounds of the key members of the Atreides household (and learned how "Beast" Rabban came by his nickname).

House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen is one of the best books in the series.It ranks up there with Dune Messiah and the Butlerian Jihad in it's page turner ability.Well worth whatever you may pay for it.An A-number-one in my book.

Great Tale Well Told, Epic Scale, Historically Full
To all who find fault with this book - bah, humbug!

I found the storylines engrossing, well-written, well paced, and fascinating. I am going to start on "House Corrino" after I write this quick review, mostly becaue of the excellent beginning in "House Atreides," and the superior follow-up in "House Harkonnen." The well thought out progress of converging characters and their plotlines, and the exciting climax of each thread added up to an inspired finish, and felt just right, leaving me eager to see how the next book would set up the original story in "Dune."

For all fans who are not critics, you will love this book. For all critics who may or may not be fans, well, when have you ever truly enjoyed anything?

Set aside your judgement and get this book - used ones are available on Amazon for $.01 cent! There is no better investment in our current economy.

Another Great Piece of the Puzzle
Don't let the title fool you: The driving force of this novel is not House Harkonnen but Duke Leto, House Atreides, and those loyal (and disloyal) to them. If you've gotten to this point, you've presumably read the six original Dune novels by Frank Herbert as well as the first House book. I have found a pattern from the third Dune novel through this one, where the books begin and end extremely strongly but have a tendency to drag a bit in the middle. They are all rather long novels (this one's 733 pages), and are very, very detailed, which is part of the appeal but can also slow the pace at times. It's worth the effort, though. I have been extremely satisfied with these prequel novels. The universe of Dune has been kept alive in brilliant fashion. If you liked Dune: House Atreides, I'm sure you'll like House Harkonen just as much. ... Read more

Product Description
The author of The Name of the Rose presents a panoramic historical novel, set in the seventeenth century, about a young aristocrat who goes to sea to find love and an old Jesuit with a boundless scientific knowledge. Simultaneous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (97)

I would stay away from this book.It is as boring as it is confusing.
Roberto de la Griva is an Italian nobleman from the 17th century.After a leisure living experience in Paris, he is accused of treason by Cardinal Richelieu's advisors and sent on to travel the Amaryllis to the South Pacific to discover the means by which navigators can understand the mystery of the "longitude."He is supposed to spy on the Dutchmen and report back to Richelieu.

After a violent storm, Roberto finds himself shipwrecked.Swept from the Amaryllis, he manages to pull himself aboard the Daphne--anchored in the bay of a beautiful island.

The Daphne is fully provisioned but the crew is missing.As he resolves to write a diary we learned from his youth: Ferrante, his imaginary evil brother; the siege of Casale which cost him his father's death, and the lessons given him on fencing, blasphemy, and the writing of love letters.

Soon he discovers that he is not alone on the Daphne--Father Caspar Casale, a Jesuit and scientist, is also obsessed with the problem of longitudes.Roberto and Caspar perform certain experiments--to no avail.

The book is 503 pages and it basically deals with the mysteries of life and death: "I am not urging you to prepare for the next life, but to use well this, the only life that is given you, in order to face, when it does come, the only death you will ever experience.It is necessary to mediate early, and often, on the art of dying, to succeed later in doing it properly just once." (p. 132).

Unfortunately the book is narrated by an unknown person, the point of view being universal and confusing.To quote the narrator: "We will remember, I hope--for Roberto has borrowed from the novelists of his century the habit of narrating so many stories at once that at a certain point it becomes difficult to pick up the thread." (p.423)

And that is why I would stay away from this book.It is as boring as it is confusing.

If you're studying vocabulary for the GRE read this book!
Seriously.I was studying a box of 500 vocabulary flashcards in preparation for the GRE, and I swear Eco used that same box as he was writing this book.It really was good practice to go along with the studying, because I could actually see the words in context.Unfortunately that was one of the few redeeming qualities for this book in my opinion.This is only the second book I've read by Eco (the first being The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana), but I'm pretty sure it will be my last by him.There are too many good books out there to waste my time buying his books and feeding his ego.

brain-breaking amazing stuff
just another masterpiece from Eco. It's a match to Foucault pendulum by its depth and complexity (compare to enjoyable light Name of the Rose and Baudolino.) I don't understand one's point that it's not the best Eco's novel - so what? It still IS orders better than millions of other books.

Pointless read with a handful of interesting tangents
island of the day before is a waste of time.I am a fan of umberto eco, first having read his fantasy novel baudolino and then getting to the name of the rose.

i was hoping for at least a somewhat straightforward narrative, but this was like switching off between an adventure story without a climax every other chapter, alternated between chapters out of a philosophy textbook.

I am ok with tangents and rhetorical flights of fancy, but not within the context of a boring and meaningless story.

skip this and read name of the rose.

Josh Brown

http://thereformedbroker.com

The worst novel of one of my favorite authors
I have simply loved every other novel by Umberto Eco I've read. I started with Foucault's Pendulum which I read in college and is still one of my all-time favorite books. Of course, I then went on to read The Name of the Rose which was also great.

More recently I've read Baudolino which I thoroughly enjoyed as well - and which is a much easier read than most of Eco's stuff.

I own The Island of the Day Before in a hard-copy that I bought at Half Price Books, and I'm sorry to say I still haven't finished it.

I've forced myself to finish even some really horrendous novels, but for some reason I can't get through this. I'm such a big fan it bothers me and I can't help but wonder if it's Eco's fault or his English translator.

My advice is to read anything else by Umberto Eco, but not this one. ... Read more

Product Description
A riveting sequel to J.M. Barrie's classic PETER PAN, reaturing Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Wendy, and the Lost Boys, and introducing a major new character, a new fairy, and a new villian.McCaughrean has said of the new audiobook: "This story involves the themes of exploring and dressing up, as in the fact that when children dress up, they turn into someone else."Amazon.com Review
Book Description:
In August 2004 the Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, who hold the copyright in Peter Pan, launched a worldwide search for a writer to create a sequel to J.M. Barrie's timeless masterpiece. Renowned and multi award-winning English author Geraldine McCaughrean won the honor to write this official sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet. Illustrated by Scott M. Fischer and set in the 1930s, Peter Pan in Scarlet takes readers flying back to Neverland in an adventure filled with tension, danger, and swashbuckling derring-do!

Product Description

Like a car alarm, bagpipe music, or a doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, hearing this all-new audio edition of The Bad Beginning will only upset you. This unique multi-voice recording brings the first book in Lemony Snicket's alarming A Series of Unfortunate Events to such terrible life that no one should really have to experience it. Unless you have an ear for such ghastly details as a tragic fire, a nefarious villain, itchy clothing, and cold porridge for breakfast, all narrated in chilly detail by the distinguished, and disturbed, Tim Curry with a team of talented readers, you would be better off listening to something else.

Customer Reviews (8)

Not bad, fun if you like dark fiction
I personally have a hard time with this series, but am determined to get through it - mostly by repeating to myself "well, how do the orphans get out of it this time?"

This is the first book, in which the Baudelaire children are orphaned (a word which here means "left on their own because their parents died in a horrible nasty house fire") and sent to live with the first closest (geographically, at least) relative in a string of them: Count Olaf.

"Scream and Run Away."
This is a review mainly of the unabridged recording of "The Bad Beginning" read by Tim Curry, with an interview of Lemony Snicket by Leonard C. Marcus.And the song "Scream and Run Away preformed by the Gothic Archies.This is also a review of the book.

Initial listening of this book brought horror and disgust (which in this case means repugnance.)Determined to finish the story despite the author's constant warnings, I must say that I became enamored of his style.

There are several pluses to listening to the recording.The pace of the recording helps keep you going when you would have set the book aside.The absence of the book's illustrations by Bret Helquist allowed you to imagine a more sinister Count Olaf and a cuter, yet with a tad of tomboy, Violet.Now the significant plus is the unmistakable voice of Tim Curry of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Oscar" (1991 as Dr. Poole) fame.His interpretation of the voices gave just as much panache to the characters as Lemony's writing.

Not in the book, but as additions to the recording are two significant items that help with the understanding of the story, where it came from, and where it is going.First is an interview with the author.It covers many of the standard questions asked in an interview; the answers and the communication style is somewhat unique and a little over the top.Also there is a recording of a song that Mr. Snicket says is played by the Baudelaire memorial orchestra; I have since found that it was really preformed by the Gothic Archies, written by Gay and Loud.

I do not want to give away the plot however I can tell you that at one point they are forced to eat "boiled chicken, boiled, potatoes and 'blanched'- here means 'boiled'- string beans"

New Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEA!
AMAZING EDITION! NEW PICTURES INSIDE THE BOOK! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IN THE END OF THE BOOK, A LITTLE CARTOON STORY BY (I DON'T KNOW)...

Lemony Snicket Triumphs!
My brother got this last Christmas and he loves it!However, I prefer the hardcover edition and that's the one I have.

Warning: This book does not have a happy ending, only humorous moments.

Welcome to gothic literature, kids
I've been reading gothic lit since I was 14; had this book existed when I was 9 years old, my love of the genre would have started even younger.A Series of Unfortunate Events introduces a slightly younger crowd to the sinister indulgences of goth with a humorous angle.There are no happy endings, but there are funny parts.As I read it, trying to call up my pre-teen mental space, what I could relate to most is the complete lack of respect the Baudelaire orphans get from the inept and cruel adults around them: they are clearly smarter, yet are constantly deflated and rendered helpless by the ineptitude of grown-ups.
Lemony Snicket has a very distinct and writing style. From faux-pedanticism to clever turns of phrases to embedded history of gothic authors and patterns, his writing is solid and engaging.To an adult, I admit it gets a bit repetitive, but this series isn't for adults - my son has not tired of it.And he hasn't tired of the darkness, or the sadness, either.Instead he's learning about compassion for other people's suffering without being overwhelmed by unforgiving real-life tragedies.Hmm... maybe that's what drew me to gothic lit when I was a kid, and why I felt compelled to introduce my son to it at a fairly young age.Why wait for real-life to give you punch in the stomach to start exploring the darker side of humanity? ... Read more

Product Description
In 1866, tragedy strikes at theexclusive Windfield School. A young student drownsin a mysterious accident involving a small circleof boys. The drowning and its aftermath initiates aspiraling circle of treachery that will span threedecades and entwine many loves. . . From theexclusive men's club and brothels that cater to everydark desire of London's upper classes to thedazzling ballrooms and mahogany-paneled suites of themanipulators of the world's wealth, Ken Follettconjures up a stunning array of contrasts. Thisbreathtaking novel portrays a family splintered by lust,bound by a shared legacy. . . men and women swepttoward a perilous climax where greed, fed by theshocking truth of a boy's death, must be stopped,or not just one man's dreams, but those of anation, will die. . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (105)

A Tiresome Fortune
Follett uses his familiar formula for this 19th Century financial saga. Weakened by predictable characters and excessive, unnecessary and tiresome sex scenes. I gave up at the half-way point. Too many good books out there to put up with this mediocre tale.

A Dangerous Fortune
Great read, could not put it down, started a little slow but really picked up.

Solid
The plot isn't as good as it could be, but the character development is outstanding! I feel like I know Hugh and Augusta better than I know some friends!

Great reading...
I just want to say that I enjoyed this book a lot.It's my first Follet novel, and I'm amazed how well written the story is.I recommend this book to anybody who wants to spend some hours reading about scandals, financial crisis and complicated love stories.

Another great book from K. Follet
I really enjoyed this book as I do most written by Ken Follet. He is one of my all time favorite authors and did not disappoint with this book. ... Read more