Product Description

The triumphant conclusion to the blockbuster trilogy that made science fiction history!

In Dune: House Corrino Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring us the magnificent final chapter in the unforgettable saga begun in Dune: House Atreides and continued in Dune: House Harkonnen.

Here nobles and commoners, soldiers and slaves, wives and courtesans shape the amazing destiny of a tumultuous universe. An epic saga of love and war, crime and politics, religion and revolution, this magnificent novel is a fitting conclusion to a great science fiction trilogy ... and an invaluable addition to the thrilling world of Frank Herbert’s immortal Dune.

Dune: House Corrino

Fearful of losing his precarious hold on the Golden Lion Throne, Shaddam IV, Emperor of a Million Worlds, has devised a radical scheme to develop an alternative to melange, the addictive spice that binds the Imperium together and that can be found only on the desert world of Dune.

In subterranean labs on the machine planet Ix, cruel Tleilaxu overlords use slaves and prisoners as part of a horrific plan to manufacture a synthetic form of melange known as amal. If amal can supplant the spice from Dune, it will give Shaddam what he seeks: absolute power.

But Duke Leto Atreides, grief-stricken yet unbowed by the tragic death of his son Victor, determined to restore the honor and prestige of his House, has his own plans for Ix.

He will free the Ixians from their oppressive conquerors and restore his friend Prince Rhombur, injured scion of the disgraced House Vernius, to his rightful place as Ixian ruler. It is a bold and risky venture, for House Atreides has limited military resources and many ruthless enemies, including the sadistic Baron Harkonnen, despotic master of Dune.

Meanwhile, Duke Leto’s consort, the beautiful Lady Jessica, obeying the orders of her superiors in the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, has conceived a child that the Sisterhood intends to be the penultimate step in the creation of an all-powerful being. Yet what the Sisterhood doesn’t know is that the child Jessica is carrying is not the girl they are expecting, but a boy.

Jessica’s act of disobedience is an act of love — her attempt to provide her Duke with a male heir to House Atreides — but an act that, when discovered, could kill both mother and baby.

Like the Bene Gesserit, Shaddam Corrino is also concerned with making a plan for the future — securing his legacy. Blinded by his need for power, the Emperor will launch a plot against Dune, the only natural source of true spice. If he succeeds, his madness will result in a cataclysmic tragedy not even he foresees: the end of space travel, the Imperium, and civilization itself.

With Duke Leto and other renegades and revolutionaries fighting to stem the tide of darkness that threatens to engulf their universe, the stage is set for a showdown unlike any seen before.


From the Paperback edition.

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Great Conclusion to Prelude Trilogy        Rating:

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 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.

A political story        Rating:

House Corrino is a book which is extremely politically oriented. If you cannot stand to read about intrigue and politics, then this book is probably not for you.

If you can enjoy such things, however, you will find the book quite satisfactory. The dialogue and exposition is well written, and while the pacing sometimes lags a bit, the book provides a pleasant reading experience.

Dune        Rating:

I own all 3 books of the Dune prequel and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all. I have always loved the original and couldn't wait to dive back into the immense Dune universe! Both Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are accomplished writers I really could not think of anyone who could do a better job continuing Frank Herbert's masterpiece.

Grand finale        Rating:

This really wraps up the amazing and ambitious trilogy of prequels. Some genuine surprises -- I did not see the Piter de Vries twist coming! The authors have done a good job polishing the continuity, fixing some of the glitches that inevitably crept into Frank Herbert's originals, and telling a very enjoyable epic story that brings to mind the first (and best) of the Frank Herbert chronicles.

Part 3 of an oustanding SF trilogy        Rating:

There`s little I can say about House Corrino that hasn`t already been said by all the people who gave this book 4 or 5 star reviews, but my deep enjoyment of the entire `House` trilogy compels me to add my own voice to the collective, particularly given the inexplicably mean reviews posted by some.

I`m a dedicated fan of the original Dune books, and, when I first heard about the new works to be written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, I honestly cringed. I did not have high hopes.

How wrong I was! The characters herein are handled superbly, ultimately making me love those that also appear in Frank Herbert`s books even more than I did before. The standard of writing is very high, too. Once you`ve started reading, it just becomes complusive. They have that "Just one more chapter before I go to sleep!" quality. Before you know it, it`s 3am and you just know you`re going to be tired as hell when you get to work.

There`s so much packed into these three books, including some moments that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

I can`t recommend them highly enough. The original Dune still stands head and shoulders above anything else except Lord of the Rings (as noted by Arthur C. Clarke), but the `House` trilogy deserves the attention of every Dune fan. Give it a shot.

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