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 Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18587 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-27
• Released on: 2002-08-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 688 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this fully satisfying conclusion (after Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen) to the authors' "House" trilogy, Emperor Shaddam Corrino tries to grasp greater power than any emperor before him and to rule the Million Worlds solely according to his whims. On the captured planet Ix, the research Shaddam directs into the creation of a synthetic spice, amal, that will make him all-powerful spirals out of control, putting the entire civilization at risk. Meanwhile, the enslavers of Ix must contend with threats from exiled Prince Rhombur Vernius, who wishes to rule the planet instead. Tumultuous times are also in store for the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, whose breeding plan has been thrown off course one generation shy of its end. Tension between the houses Atreides and Harkonnen builds to a dramatic showdown. While the intricacy of the first prequel is absent here, so is the filler of the second. Because Herbert and Anderson are extrapolating from someone else's ideas and characters, they tend to overuse catch phrases (like "the Golden Lion throne") from Dune and its sequels with a resulting flatness of language. 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. A bold, red-and-gold dust jacket, with illustration by Stephen Youll, is a real eye-catcher. Fans who will be sorry to see the end of this series will be heartened by the hint that the Dune saga is far from over.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
As Emperor Shaddam IV seeks to consolidate his power as Emperor of a Million Worlds through the monopoly of the spice trade, other forces array themselves in opposition to his increasingly tyrannical rule. Herbert and Anderson conclude their trilogy (Dune: House Atreides; Dune: House Harkonnen) chronicling the years leading up to the events portrayed in the late Frank Herbert's Dune with a war for the liberation of the conquered planet Ix and the birth of a son to Duke Leto Atreides and his Bene Gesserit wife, Jessica. Though dependent on the previous books, this complex and compelling tale of dynastic intrigue and high drama adds a significant chapter to the classic Dune saga. Highly recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
This complicated but triumphant conclusion to the prequel trilogy of Frank Herbert's epic DUNE is clearly and deftly read. Tim Curry is an outstanding English character actor, and his versatile voice distinguishes the many characters, giving each one a distinct personality. Background music and sound effects add drama and interest to this production. Emperor Shaddam Corrino has directed research on the captured planet, Ix, resulting in the discovery of a synthetic version of a highly addictive spice. This spice can give Shaddam absolute power. This epic saga of love and war, crime and politics, and religion and revolution will fascinate sci-fi enthusiasts and easily be enjoyed by those who have never read about Dune before. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

The Atreides Leave Their Mark!
Brian Herbert is the son of Frank Herbert creator of Dune Saga and a sci-fi writer himself. Kevin Anderson is also a successful sci-fi writer and Dune's Saga fan.
Brian and Kevin start with this trilogy a difficult mission: revisit Dune's universe describing the events immediately preceding Dune, the first & unforgettable volume of the famous saga.

Did they succeed? Well, yes and... no. Yes because they deliver an interesting first step with all the elements of this fascinating universe; and no because the stories are not as gripping as the original Dune.
Nevertheless Dune's fans (as me) should not be too disappointed because even Frank Herbert wasn't at the same height when writing Dune Messiah, Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune and he will recover allure only with the two last books of the series.
So let us hope the same will happen with Brian & Kevin efforts in next trilogies!

The variety of themes touched by the original series is still present in this trilogy: ecology, political-religious interaction, genetic manipulation, longevity drugs and secret sisterhoods and brotherhoods.

The story is as follows.
The Scenery.
There is a Galactic Empire ruled by the Emperor. There are powerful Noble Houses that rule different planetary systems and confront each other in endless struggle, yet subject to strict rules. There is a Guild of interstellar Pilots. There is the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood following their eugenic plans and playing in backstage as advisors to all powers. Computers & AI are forbidden and replaced by human-computers called Mentat. Arrakis is Desert Planet producer of a unique substance: the Spice and it is inhabited by mysterious desert dwellers: the Fremen.

The Argument.
Consist of several threads that are mingled and interact thru the whole triad.
A Duke Leto Atreides is decided to establish his House in a dominant position at the same time Lady Jessica his concubine is pregnant.
The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood following their eugenic plans is anxiously waiting for Jessica's child certain that will be the expected girl.
Baron Vladimir head of Noble House Harkonnen, Atreides' ancestral enemy, continue staging plot after plot against the Atreides.
The Emperor Shaddam is certain that his secret plan to obtain synthetic Spice is nearing success and start launching imprudent political and military blows without the counsel of his intimate supporter Count Fenring.
The Bene Tleilax main investigator is planning to profit from "his" Spice and let down Emperor's hopes.

This book is the best of the trilogy and all threads are neatly tied at its conclusion.
I recommend this book to sci-fi lovers and general public too.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

A grand conclusion
This section of the the pre-dune set really ties things together well and keeps you involved in everything leading up to Frank's original book. I couldn't put it down.

Well done.
House of Corrino was a well done book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the 1st 2 book of the trilogy, but what I like about it was that it tied everything in. Made everything fall into place. I'm currently on the 2nd Dune book by Frank Herbert and I think that his son Brian certainly is following in his dad's footsteps!