Dune: House Atreides: House Trilogy, Book 1

By: Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 26 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Capturing all the complexity and grand themes of the original, this prequel to the Dune series weaves a new tapestry of betrayal, passion, and destiny into a saga that expands the tale written by Frank Herbert more than 30 years ago.

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©2001 Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

" Dune: House Atreides chronicles the early life of Leto Atreides, prince of a minor House in the galactic Imperium. Leto comes to confront the realities of power when House Vernius is betrayed in an imperial plot involving a quest for an artificial substitute to melange, a substance vital to interstellar 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 plan stretching back 100 generations. In the Imperial palace, treason is afoot, and on Dune itself, planetologist Pardot Kynes embarks on a secret project to transform the desert world into a paradise." (Amazon.com review)
"Though the plot here is intricate, even readers new to the saga will be able to follow it easily (minute repetitions of important points help immensely), as the narrative weaves among the many interconnected tales. The attendant excitement and myriad revelations not only make this novel a terrific read in its own right but will inspire readers to turn, or return, to its great predecessor." ( Publishers Weekly)

I enjoyed this more than most of the sequels in the original Dune.

It helps to see how things got to where they were by the time Paul comes around.

Amazing

science fiction perfection. captivating storyline I was on the edge of my seat the entire book

Maybe better than original Audible production.

This review is the same for all three books of the “House Trilogy.”

The author of the Dune [Chronicles] Saga, Frank Herbert, died in 1986 before completing the final installment, Dune 7. According to his son, Brian Herbert, a couple of years after the passing of his father, a safety deposit box was found with copious notes about the saga’s past and outlines for its future completion. His son collaborated with Kevin J. Anderson on the final book but also several prequels including a Prelude to Dune trilogy about the three prominently featured houses or families of the saga: Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of the original Dune years ago. And, after just finishing the entire “House” trilogy, I reread the original to more freshly compare them. I must say, I think that I enjoyed the prequels more. However, I don’t know that I would have had I not read the original first. Before going on about the “House” series, because one cannot edit a review on Audible once it’s posted, a comment here about Book 1 might be helpful. The original Dune is narrated by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance and a cast of others. At first it seemed like a good idea to have each character in the book have a unique voice. Unfortunately, from the way the book sounds, each narrator performs in a different studio setting. How do I know? Because it sounds that way. The dialogue sounds stilted, jerky and downright amateurish. Everyone of the characters in the prequels is played by Scott Brick. And they are far superior recordings. Scott Brick’s character dialogues are fluid, of the same ambience and just don’t sound dated like the original.

To continue about the prequels, they have an added depth to them. The characters are more fully fleshed out. The separate and familial relationships among all the characters are more fully explored. I realize this in not in accord with some other reviewers who sometimes seemed to find conflict with the original material. On the contrary, I found mostly only continuity that added to and enriched the original.

In the prequels we learn how Paul Atreides becomes the product of the generations of genetic “engineering” (selective breeding) of the Bene Gesserit to obtain the Kwisatz Haderach. And we learn of the backgrounds of all the other major players: Baron Harkonnen and his maniacal family, Emperor Shaddam and his, Jessica, Rev Mother Mohiam and a whole lot of background on the other Bene Gesserit “witches.” There was a mystical context in the original chronicles but these prequels greatly amplify on that.

The Guild Navigators and their relationship to the spice is mentioned only tangentially in the Original but plays a significant part in the prequels. All the female characters of Dune Prelude play a much more significant role and that too is much to the credit of these authors. It’s always nice to have that balance. We could just go on and on but why spoil it. Hopefully, I’m communicating my sense of excitement about the Prelude to Dune Trilogy. I think that each “House” installment was just excellent and the old man would have been proud of his son and his coauthor. If you’re a fan of the Dune Chronicles, you owe it to yourself to read the “House Trilogy.”

Ponies! Ice cream! Grapefruit and Triscuts! YEAH!

This book has none of those things. And, because it has none of those things, it is a good book.

A wonderful prequel

I had planned to skip the prequels and go straight to Dune. A friend recommended I at least read the "House" prequels. I'm so glad he did; this book was fantastic. I would say the politics and court intrigues make this somewhat of a sci-fi Game of Thrones. The narrator handles the different characters well. His portrayal of the Harkonnens is especially convincing. I can't wait to read the next prequel.

The Dune series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but I would tell them to read the series in sequence.

What did you like best about this story?

Hearin' what goes on in the different houses and how they relate to each other and the other houses.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I kept listenin' til the battery needed rechargin' again several times.

Any additional comments?

Find the series and start with the first, then do them all in sequence. I under stood it lots better than I did the movie.

Well worth the listen

Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert may not have the prose of Frank but they have a gasp of action and pace the originals of the saga lack

pleasantly surprised

I thought I was buying the original but was pleasantly surprised to find the prequel was amazing. now I have to wait another month for my next credit to listen to the next one.

Well worth the long listen.

I bought this book mistakingly thinking it was the one my father raved about my entire childhood and that was retold in the 2000 miniseries he owned and let me watch way before I could really appreciate it fully. It wasn't until about halfway through that I began to think I was on the wrong book....I didn't remember enough from the miniseries to be sure of it but I was starting to wonder how Leto was going to end up on Dune with the way things were going, thinking he was Paul. Once I consulted my father I realized that I had begun with the prequel instead of the original first book. But I'm glad the mistake was made. I was never once bored through the entire 26 hours of the book. And I believe that once I start the original book my pleasure in it will be enhanced by my backstory knowledge. Even though this prequel was written by Frank Herbert's son and Kevin J Anderson it was so rich in detail and well written I'm inclined to believe even though I haven't read the others that they did the original series justice. In any case I loved it and am excited to move into the next book. And I recommend it to someone who hasn't read the other books first because it won't disappoint. I can not say if fans of the original series will agree that it lives up to the original but I think you will enjoy it all the same.

Loved It

The Dune universe is amazing and so are the prequels! Yes this book is worthy of the saga!