House Harkonnen: House Trilogy, Book 2

By: Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 26 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Returning to the vivid universe of Frank Herbert's Dune, this title continues the saga begun in Dune: House Atreides.

As Shaddam sits at last on the Golden Lion Throne, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen plots against the new Emperor and House Atreides - and against the mysterious Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. For Leto Atreides, grown complacent and comfortable as ruler of his House, it is a time of momentous choice: between friendship and duty, safety and destiny. But for the survival of House Atreides, there is just one choice: strive for greatness or be crushed.

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©2001 Brian Herbert (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[T]he 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." (Amazon.com review)

Great story, Great narrator

Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson have added a lot of great stories to Dune's universe and Scott Brick has the best voice to tell them!

Out of the Entire Series

No matter if you started from the begging or end, House of Harkonnen fills in so many questions and brings so many things to light that were just thoughts. You could start here first, and so many things would make clear sense of things you have not yet been exposed to in the Dunes series' past and future reads. For that, I find this book the most important of them all. Just amazing writing filled with insight.

Narrator is stunning

Love storyline and vivid description that paint incredible pictures, deep characters wish I had read a long time ago.

Love it!

I love that the Reverend Mother Mohaim gave Baron Harkonen the disease which slowly makes him weak and obese! I always chuckled when he became fatter and weaker and couldn’t do anything about it. The House Harkonen is evil, corrupt, and always up to “no good.” What a fantastic bad guy family analysis! The writers made me continue to dislike the idiot nephew, “Riband,” their loyal servants, and how the Harkonen’s constantly try to create chaos. The writers describe each character more interesting within the backstories about them.
These characters and their stories are very addictive!

Go Atreides!

I absolutely LOVE ALL of the DUNE books, my favorites being The Legend of Dune series. But, it's so interesting to go back and read this trilogy because it reveals so much detail in how the plots and intrigue of the future books were set up, including the mysterious "no-ship" that is a major part of Chapterhouse Dune. This is another series that I can't get enough of, and apparently, Herbert (Frank and Brian) couldn't get enough of writing it either! There are so many branches that take off from the "main" books. I'm actually reading the whole series over again, in order, as much as I can figure out, starting with this Trilogy. I know someday I will go back and read Legends of Dune -- wonderful!

great reader, great read

This prequel series has a wonderful narrator who allows you to focus on his words versus getting distracted by voice changes. The series itself is amazing, yet detailed. be prepared to pay attention. this is not a throwaway read.

Loved it!

Herbert/Anderson make a great team. The Dune universe continues to be my favorite of the great science fiction works. These prequel books are very well written and enjoyable.

Good book

Too many periods of dead space when being read aloud due to manufacture. The reader did great but the implementation was not

Excellent.

Fantastic cadence and story. I love it this series and can’t wait for the third book in the trilogy and then onto Dune itself!

good but not great

seemed to be killing time for the most part. some good stuff in this one, but it often felt like I was pushing through it.