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Dune: House Corrino  By  cover art

Dune: House Corrino

By: Brian Herbert,Kevin J. Anderson
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

Continuing the events leading up to Frank Herbert's immortal Dune saga, the exciting conclusion to this trilogy finds the cruel Tleilaxu overlords on Ix manufacturing a synthetic form of amal to supplant the spice from Dune. If amal is accepted, Emperor Shaddam IV will gain absolute power. But if the plot of the Imperial House Corrino succeeds, the result may be the end of civilization itself.

Listen to more of our titles in the Dune series.
©2002 Brian Herbert (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] fully satisfying conclusion (after Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen) to the authors' "House" trilogy....The inevitable derivative features aside, this is a good, steady, enjoyable tale, and readers who haven't read the first two books can easily follow the plot." ( Publishers Weekly)
"[T]his complex and compelling tale of dynastic intrigue and high drama adds a significant chapter to the classic Dune saga. Highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

Featured Article: The Definitive Dune Explainer


The new Dune movie is based on the classic sci fi novel, the first book in an extensive series launched by author Frank Herbert and kept going by writers who took up the helm after his death. The trailer for the upcoming film was released last fall, and since then, speculation and excitement have been swirling around the movie. At three minutes long, the trailer itself is a beautiful masterpiece, and it teases many of the important characters and aspects from the story. This post will give you a basic understanding of the book, its history, and everything you need to know about Dune to get you ready for the movie!

What listeners say about Dune: House Corrino

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At least as good as the original Audible prodn.

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.”

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

One of the more illuminating later Dune books

Young Herbert and Anderson did a nice job tying up alot of information absent from the original Dune works. The additional background knowledge makes me want to listen to the original trilogy again. This was the culminating book of the Houses trilogy and did wrap up quite nicely. IMHO along with the Machine War trilogy, this trilogy could stand on its own even without father Herbert's series of novels.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Ultimate Prequel

This is the ultimate prequel to the Dune series of books. Kudos to Anderson and Brian Herbert. This ties all the storylines together to make the series one fantastic story. As for Pat, who commented that Scott Brick was getting tired of the series, I did not detect this at all. Scott is one of the best narrators in the business and is always at the top of his game. Kudos to him as well. This is an essential listen for any fan of the Dune series. Thanks to Tantor for undertaking this project.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good conclusion to the series

What made the experience of listening to Dune: House Corrino the most enjoyable?

As with the others in this series, the main draw is getting the orgins of your favorite characters from the original series.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dune: House Corrino?

I just like seeing more of the baron. He is the best character in the entire series.

Which scene was your favorite?

No one scene comes toi mind. It is just a good overall experience.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

This is a fun book and is great for fans of the original series. If you haven't read the original series. Stop what you are doing, buy them and call in sick for work until you have read them all. This series and book stand well on their own and would be a good read for those new to the Dune universe.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enriches the Whole Dune Saga

If you could sum up Dune: House Corrino in three words, what would they be?

Culmination, Beginning, Unfinished

What did you like best about this story?

It provides clarifying detail for the original Dune books, while also wrapping up it's own internal trilogy well.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick is the best multi-character narrator I have ever heard. He is like a full cast recording in one man.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

1,000 years of wealth and peace...that inward break

Any additional comments?

Kevin J. Anderson's writing style and the Herbert family's imagination are a magic combination.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but unnecessarily violent

I enjoyed how the author filled in the spaces before Dune (one of my very favorites) however I would have preferred less brutality. In Dune you got the sense of how evil and dark the world was but it wasn't "in your face" as in this. The characters aren't as subtle, their actions are more capricious. It felt sort of like a poor, thin remake of a great story. Still I finished it but wouldn't recommend for anyone other than an avid Dune fan

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Getting tired

While the additional information of this space is greatly appreciated, Scott Brick is becoming tired with the series. His voice is wearing out, and he appears to have lost interest.

Perhaps it is time for a new reader for the Dune series?

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

This trilogy, House Attredies, House Harkonnen and House Corrino ranks with The Lord of The Rings trilogy as far as I am concerned.
A MUST for any DUNE fan.

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  • Overall
    out of 5 stars

Excellent

Very worth-while series

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I finally know the full story!

What did you love best about Dune: House Corrino?

House Corrino finally tells the complete story that leads up to the events in Dune.
It was interesting to find out just how much of a buffoon Shaddam really was. No wonder he lost his throne to Paul Atreides.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the way Fenring spoke. All of the HMMM's after every other sentence made for some pretty good chuckles from me.

Which scene was your favorite?

Thufir Hawats quick thinking that saved Caladan from invasion; disguising fishing vessels as battleships to frighten off the invaders was brilliant, and spoke to just how useful a mentat could really be.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

There was no way I could listen to this book in one sitting. I was afraid I'd miss something if I tried. It's so much more enjoyable to listen to several chapters then ruminate on what happened.

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