Okay, so I actually liked this book a little bit more than [b:House Atreides|761575|House Atreides (Prelude to Dune #1)|Brian Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403181106l/761575._SY75_.jpg|711892]. Now that you understand all the different plotlines that are happening, it's a lot easier to pick up on things in this book. This book went by a lot faster for me and I did enjoy all the adventure, character-building, plotting and scheming.

Just like in [b:House Atreides|761575|House Atreides (Prelude to Dune #1)|Brian Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403181106l/761575._SY75_.jpg|711892], I did not care much for the Ixian twin storyline. But it does feel as if it's building up to something for book #3, [b:House Corrino|20252|House Corrino (Prelude to Dune #3)|Brian Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1298689043l/20252._SY75_.jpg|705991]. Lady Jessica is introduced in this book, and I think her love for Leto is more clear in this book compared to [b:Dune|44767458|Dune|Frank Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555447414l/44767458._SY75_.jpg|3634639]. I do feel as the relationship between Leto and Jessica fits in to the larger Dune-iverse.

I also really enjoyed reading more about the backstory of House Harkonnen. We learn more about the Baron's brother, Abulurd and his wife, the parents of both Raban and Feyd-Ratha, and how the Baron ends up raising both of his nephews. Additionally, Liet Kynes is much older in this book, and he begins to take over as the planetologist of Arrakis.

Did not care for Kailea's character development. It didn't seem realistic to me, that this woman would only care about status, her vanity, especially having endured the takeover of their planet by the Tleilaxu. It did not fit into how she was introduced in the first book. In general, I do have issues with several of the female characters only existing in relation to the males around them, but I can usually look past it and try to focus on other qualities of the narrative. I understand that Kalilea needed to become a villain for the plotline to move along and fit into the original Dune books, but I think more thought could have been put into it.

Excited to finish up this trilogy with House Corrino next!

When I started my Dune adventure I decided to read the books in chronological order starting with a short story called 'Hunting Harkonnens' the very beginning indroduced me to Piers Harkonnen stranded on Caladan hunted by Cymeks. Piers came over in a few short pages as a peacful, thoughtful, kind human being.
In the next book 'The Butlerian Jihad' you meet Piers brother Xavier who went on to become one of 3 heros of the Jihad giving his life like a martyr to stop the traitor Iblis Ginjo, Xavier Harkonnen was a brave, honourable man but history is written by the survivors, his name was tainted and he was wrongfully named the traitor.

From that point on the name Harkonnen was no longer associated with honour or honesty and the family was shunned. Xaviers grandson Abulurd was befriended by Vorian Atredies and together they planned to clear the Harkonnen name and uncover the truth of what happened. But in the final battle against the Cymeks Abulud lost his nerve and disobeyed Vorian's orders almost causing disaster. Abulurd was stripped of everything and exiled to live out his life in shame.

In later years Abulurd's grand-daughter Valya saught revenge against Vorian, still alive over 100 years later due to life extending treatment he had received. Vorian tried in vain to help the Harokennens but Valya's determination and hatred of the name Atredies started a blood feud that continues over a thousand years later in the Prelude to Dune trilogy.

This book 'House Harkonnen' gives no indication that the name was ever anything other than a name to be feared, the Harkonnens now a cruel, viscious family who think nothing of hunting children and torturing slaves for fun or even killing their own family members when they don't agree.

The first half of the book spends a lot of time giving short introductions to the characters for those who have not read the previous stories and while the history is needed for that purpose wanted the book to just move on and get to the story. When the story does kick in the action moves fast and you don't want to stop reading.

Covering other families and not just the Harkonnens the flow of the book shows how the Harkonnen's cruelty is earning them many enemies and those who survive are slowly finding each other. I look forward to the final book and hope for some revenge however over the course of the Dune books I have come to hope for the best but expect the worst as things never do seem to work out how you want them to.

I have got used to the writing style of these 2 authors who I have to admit I struggled with initially and now I find I enjoy the books more knowing the history behind them and have no regrets about starting from the beginning.

A solid 4 star book

4*/5*:
This book continues the stories from the first one, the only difference is that this story spans over 8 years (while taking place 12 years after the ending of House Atreides).
The style of writing is the same, we get fewer "origins" stories (Gurney Halleck) and a lot of characters from the first book find their end (it felt like a book from A Song of Fire and Ice).
Entertaining read.
adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The only good thing about this book is that it is well written and paced, it is easy to follow the story.
And that is all the first thing that struct me was that several characters were dumbed down which made me well confused and quite frustrated. Other characters seemed to me out of character.
Ironically enough the book is about House Harkonnen and it felt there were less events captured for House Harkonnen than anyone else.
This book is extremely dull, there is a huge event that happens with Leto and I could fell that the authors put a lot of effort into it, but if I am not mistaken this event is never mentioned again in the Dune by Frank Herbert, as well as many other events are never mentioned. This is not the authors fault, but these prelude books can contain anything and it will not matter, because they do not exist in  Frank's Dune. That is why I view the prelude books as useless. 
adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
slow-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Having now read two novels in the prelude to Dune series and the two novels that finished Frank Herbert’s original Dune Chronicles I have come to the conclusion that anything not written by Frank is garbage. House Harkonnen does little to progress the overall plot of these prequel novels. Instead what we have is a bloated novel with characters who hardly have any bearing on the main plot. To further the problem these side characters, after hundreds of pages, are unceremoniously killed off. Their deaths only serve the purpose of getting rid of characters who do not factor into Frank’s Dune Chronicles.

In short this novel is boring, overly long, bloated, meandering, and unnecessary.