Book Review: Alien: Out of the Shadows / Alien: Sea of Sorrows / Alien: River of Pain (October Horror Fest 31/31)
Three in one to finish this season's halloween . Bear in mind that the first one I've read in September but the later two were read in October
Book: Alien: Out of the Shadows
Year: 2014
Pages: 352
Part of Series: Canonical Alien Trilogy #1
Reading Time: 1 day (22 September)
Rating: 7 stars
This was a good fast read / hear to be honest. I've heard it via audiobook. I believe this was done as to be audiodrama instead of full length audiobook unless there is no narrator. With 5h length I think it was very well performed. With a vast cast of 5 or 6 voices it really help getting into the story.
This story is set in-between the first and second movie at 37 years after the first movie. If you remember the second alien movie was set 70 years or so after the first.
In this novel we get some more information about xenomorphs and how they move Frome one place to another. We get some more info on the travellers that we will meet in Prometheus movie. There are some references also to predators haunting aliens.
We get a new tale of Ripley and to me it's always a nice input.
This novel feels like the first and the second with a lot of fighting in the ship, where it's passengers are being hunted ( horror like in the first movie) and some fighting in the planet like the second movie. Both more survival horror compared with the third - more action or fourth ( more sci-fi and crap).
The author made a good story and it made my day go faster. I now want to hear the 2 and 3 novels.
PS: just don't expect anything besides alien porn filler novels to enhance your knowledge
Book: Alien: Sea of Sorrows
Year: 2014
Pages: 352
Part of Series: Canonical Alien Trilogy #2
Reading Time: 5 days (9 October to 13 October)
Rating: 6 Rating
I've been reading this trilogy in audiobooks. As you know I am totally against ebooks but audiobooks it's another thing. I mean, everything to read more, right? And e-books save no time after all if I can grab a phone to read it I can grab a book. The same does not apply with audio. So, while jogging, working I've been hearing some audiobooks. This was my second novel (the first one I publish a review a couple of weeks ago).
This was is not a audiobook transcription of the novel but audiodrama with full cast - which I really enjoy - the previous forays were Doctor Who & Black Library. The voice acting are very good and it really immerse one with the story. Pure audiodrama unless by a very good voice actor it's boring and make wanna sleep.
So, this second tale reminds me of Aliens (the second movie) when Ripley is in the mines and Xenos everywhere. Here we are in the future and you've got a descendent of Ripley (which seems has some capabilities of knowing what people are feeling - kind of empath) as he is task to find and capture a xenomorph. We've got some info dump on the aliens (think Prometheus) and you've got some good horrific depictions of the aliens and really trying to make a bit of claustrophobia.
Overall very good but there are some complains - first of all it's the full length characters that exist to die and unfortunately you know it's going to happen. Then the xenomorphs point of view makes us wonder their intelligence and even asks more questions about their hatred against Ripley and Ripley descendants. Question - is there only one colony of Xenos? I don't know... I always thought Xenos were more like Tyranids without the hive mind behind telling what to do. So she destroy a couple of queens (I believe 2 - aliens and the fourth alien movie but I may be mistaken) and now everyone hates her? Then it's the timeline - so we are in the future (several hundreds years after Ripley) but everything else stayed the same? Weapons, technology, the xenomorphs didn't appear that much - are they still virtual unknown?
Btw, I have to give a star just due to special effects and acting of characters - Pretty good to be quite honest - at times I thought I was watching a movie with such vivid sensorial experience.
Book: Alien: River of Pain
Year: 2014
Pages: 352
Part of Series: Canonical Alien Trilogy #3
Reading Time: 3 days (13 October to 15 October)
Rating: 8 Rating
Well it was a very interesting reading experience. I've been reading this when I Go to work since they are not overly complex.
This was a very good read I must say.
What you have here is a story set between the first and second movie.
The first movie was very horror claustrophobic experience. The second novel was more action, less horror yet it was one of my favourite to be honest. But I always thought that the situation they find themselves in should be more explain. How come one entire colony was destroyed (more than 100 people). We've got some glimpses I believe in the aliens extended version but it's never really that much developed. Therefore this novel was a must.
This is a audiodrama so you've got dozens of people making all voices and special effects. Very cool to see some characters that are mentioned in the movie (not counting the survivor NEWT). So as you hearing/reading you know that Newt will be the only survivor BUT now you really know how all t happened.
A must read for people who love horror mix with sci-fi mix with action. Also advisable to Alien lover who want to read more about them
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