Paul A. (Paul-NYC) reviewed on 11/15/2007 + 12 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

More than a decade after Frank Herbert's death and the sudden end of his Dune series (with at least another book yet to be written), his son Brian and co-author Kevin Anderson chose to plumb the depths of the Duneiverse and produced this book and its two sequels. Previously, the vast history of Frank Herbert's series was only hinted at in snatches of dialogue, purported encyclopedia entries and in the cult favorite (although disputed as non-canon), Dune Encyclopedia, edited by Dr. Willis E. McNelly. With House: Atreides, Herbert and Anderson attempt to fill in details about the lives of the major players of Dune, namely the families Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino (the subjects of the trilogy).

Although perhaps not as weighty and significant as the Frank Herbert written works, the book does attempt to fill in the holes of and create a rich backstory for characters only previously seen in Dune. The storytelling is gripping, with enough adventure and intrigue to keep the reader engaged until the end. The fleshing out of minor characters from the original book into major characters in this one and its sequels is an interesting conceit that works well.

An interesting and pleasant enough read that convinced me to move on to the next book and the next. Fans of the original series willing to suspend a bit of criticism and who hoped for more books set in the same universe will not be disappointed by this one.

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