DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES

Tim Curry's voice provides the spice that flavors the prequel to DUNE. This futuristic soap opera might have been tedious with a lesser performer, but it becomes a tour de force in Curry's able hands. He clearly relishes the roles of villains Crown Prince Shaddam and his conniving aide, Fenring. He injects sinister glee into their characterizations, while giving heroic characters, such as young Duke Leto Atreides, voices of heroic confidence. The abridgment of this many-threaded tale of rebellion and the search for the secrets of the desert planet Arrakis is handled well, covering a lot of ground in its nine hours. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]