Do I miss something really good, if I stick to the original corpus?

[Manuel]

What is the real deal with the prequels and sequels that Frank Herbert did not write himself?
With this scifi saga, I have kept to the core books.
Does it get any better, deeper, more important?

[Colin]

Obviously that is a matter of opinion, and the members of this group have some pretty strong feelings on the subject. I have taken a bit of heat on this discussion board for my heretical views.

But, since you asked - I have read most (but not all) of the B. Herbert/K. Anderson prequels and sequels. And I love them. There has not been a single one that I have not enjoyed thoroughly.

They are (in my opinion) at least as good, and in some cases better than, the original series.

[*Kashi*]

Colin: "and in some cases better than, the original series"

Blasphemy! HaHa Ha! Manuel make your own judgement. I'll be Re-Reading the Original then I'll Read the new ones. Follow your own judgement and Tastes.

my new Challenge is to Read almost everything that Frank Herbert Wrote.

Enjoy your Reading.

[Adrik]

I adore the original six novels. Tried to read the first revisits, house Atreides, harkonnen, corrino but couldn't get through them. I was tempted back much later with a promised continuation from chapterhouse dune to sandworms of dune but they are a self serving finale that serve only to line up the prequel novels with the originals in ways I find very hard to believe were part of Frank Herbert's original notes. They all strike me as cheap fan fic knock offs designed solely to make money so I would advise against reading them.

[Mark]

The original six books by Frank Herbert are not bettered by the prequels and whatnot, but if you have enjoyed Franks Duniverse they offer some nice bonus for those who want more.

Steer very clear of Hunters and Worms of Dune as they manage to foul up most of the non-Freank Herbert series.

[Colin]

I read Dune and then left the series alone for a very long time.
About twenty years later I decided to read the entire series, starting with the prequels. So I read the House series, then reread Dune then read the rest of the original series.
Of course, before I was done with the original series the Butlerian Jihad books started coming out, so I still wasn't able to read all the books "in order" like I had originally planned.
So maybe by opinion is shaped by the fact that I read some of the prequels before most of the originals. But the fact remains that, overall, I have enjoyed the "Brian" books more than I have the "Frank" books.

[Cherie]

I read all six of the originals, and frankly (no pun intended) you could probably stop after Children of Dune and be quite satisfied. That said, I've read about 8 of the "Brian" books, and while I agree with the "fan fic knockoffs" designation as Adrik called them, I still felt that they gave me background into the Dune universe that added to my own fanaticism.

[Colin]

Here's my recommendation to all Dune fans: read the first two chapters of House Atreides . If you like it, keep reading. If you don't like it, stop.
It's not for everyone - no book is. But if you let your preconceptions (or other people's opinions) prevent you from discovering a book that you would have enjoyed, then you're really only hurting yourself.

[Manuel]

Colin wrote: "Here's my recommendation to all Dune fans: read the first two chapters of House Atreides. If you like it, keep reading. ..."

That is perhaps a very good recommendation!

[Shane_finnie]

I agree with colin. I loved them

[Alexis]

Colin wrote: "Obviously that is a matter of opinion, and the members of this group have some pretty strong feelings on the subject. I have taken a bit of heat on this discussion board for my heretical views.

Bu..."

I've read all of the B. Herbert/K. J. Anderson. I think all of them are awesome, but the Hunters of Dune, and the Sandworms of Dune are, to me, not really good. I was disappointed by those 2.

[Hunchback Jack]

I read the House prequels, half of the first volume if the Jihad trilogy, and the two Dune 7 novels. I stopped after that.

They read like fan fiction. Some of it is entertaining, but none of it is very deep or complex. They add story and characters, but they don't add insight or clarity to the original six books. Where they extend or depart from the framework set up by the original six books, it doesn't ring true, and ceases feeling like the universe of Dune.

And, frankly, they are not very well written. It's all telling and no showing. Plot threads are developed and then abandoned with no resolution or impact to the central story. There is much repetition and recapping of scenes from previous chapters. The characters are stereotypes and have no complexity or nuance. They are good or evil, fat or thin, brilliant or a buffoon. And we are told that in so many words, not shown it through their actions.

As SF novels, they are average at best. Compared to the original six novels, they are entertaining enough but fall well short.

[Nadège]

Hi, newbie here! I've read the six original books several times. But I've read only The House Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino from the prequels. I agree with a lot of what have been said above.
The B. Herbert/K. Anderson's novels are not as well written as Frank Herbert's novels. However, I know that Brian Herbert used his father's archives and notes about the Dune universe, so I read them to learn more about it.
One of my goals this year is to read as many prequels and sequels as I can !
(P.S.: Please forgive me if I do syntax errors, I'm French and my english is not as fluent as I want it to be. Don't hesitate over correcting me.)