Sometime in late 2014 or 2015 I read "Dune" as part of my project to read all of the Hugo award winning novels in chronological order. I had read it before, roughly 30 years earlier after an uncle gifted my the original three books in the series. I remember liking them at the time, but getting bogged down in the details the more I read, and I stopped after "God-Emperor of Dune".
Flash-forward to a year or so ago. Re-reading "Dune" opened my eyes to how rich and dense the world created by Frank Herbert actually was, that my early teen-aged mind could not digest. I knew that there was the original series written by Herbert as well as the expanded universe authored by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson based on notes and writings left by the elder Herbert. So I decided that I would read the series in story chronological order.
Since then, I've been working my way through the "Dune" prequels - I enjoyed the novels set in and around the Butlerian Jihad time frame of Herbert's universe - the sheer scope of these books made "Dune" seem small, and although there were a few questions left unanswered, there is still one more of these novels still to come - "Navigators of Dune" set to be released later in 2016, so I'll hold any complaints until after "Navigators" has been read.
That leads into the near term prequels to "Dune", the "Prelude to Dune" trilogy, of which "Dune: House Harkonnen" is the middle entry. So far, the "Prelude" novels are doing a nice job of setting the stage for "Dune" and that which follows, and I think actually breathes a little life into some of the characters that cross over from the Prelude to the original series, particularly the mother of Paul Atriedes, and her decision to bear a son instead of the daughter that the Bene Gesserit desired.
I like these books, and I'm glad that I chose to take this journey.
Rating: 8/10 - these books are very good in the context of the series, but could be confusing if you picked up one in the middle of a series.
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