THE FIRST IN AN ALL NEW, OFFICIAL TRILOGY SET IN THE ALIEN UNIVERSE!Featuring the iconic Ellen Ripley in a terrifying new adventure that bridges the gap between Alien and Aliens. Officially sanctioned and true to the Alien cannon, Alien: Out of the Shadows expands upon the well-loved mythos and is a must for all Alien fans.
An excellent and fun read. The characters were enjoyable with a focus on an engineer named Hoop and a cast of others including a French pilot, a British communications expert, doctors and scientists, etc. etc. What I liked about the setup was how closely related this story was to the original Alien movie from 1979. In fact, that’s preciously where this one picks up. These are not space Marines, they’re just corporate employees out on a deep space mining gig. The action starts off with a dang and weaves throughout. An interesting mythos development regarding the alien species and how they copulate with various species they plant their embryos in. I found the plant side section of the book very interesting, seeing the remnants of this other unknown alien civilization. If you’re looking for an entertaining read set within Alien (first movie), then you will enjoy Out of the Shadows.
Grab the audiobook–Dirk Maggs production work slams you into Ridley Scott’s world, wedging a story in between the first and second movies. Worth repeat listens!
I listened to the Audible Original drama version, and is not a typical audiobook. There is a cast of players, each playing a single character, as opposed to a single narrator who is the voice of all characters.
The setting for this picks up 37 years after the end of the first alien movie where Ripley escapes from the Nostromo in a shuttle and puts herself into stasis. Her distress call is heard, and her shuttle is found by a ship who has also encountered the aliens. So the battle against the aliens, and the infamous android science officer, Ash, continues.
I did not care for this at all. The characters were one dimensional and insignificant. I think that’s by design because the action was likely meant to carry the story. The characters were only remarkable, and not in a good way, because of the I he’d one liners they delivered from time to time. The acting/narration wasn’t well done and the story wasn’t that engaging either.
The only positive is that the actor portraying Ripley, Laurel Lefkow, did an amazing job sounding a LOT like Sigourney Weaver. Not nearly enough, though, to redeem the story.
A Great Tale Injected Into the Middle of the Aliens Saga, or Rather the Beginning
I first read the second book in this series Alien: Sea of Sorrows and that was just an incredible tale. Sea of Sorrows was set a few centuries after Ripley and company kicked off the tale, and in short, it was just a great tale. It adds on the saga, and functions as a standalone.
Alien: Out of the Shadows starts out like this – mining colony, disaster, a cool character named Hooper.
And then Ripley comes.
Ripley? Huh?
The movies seem to give Ripley a straightforward timeline, but Lebbon finds a way to introduce another tale.
Let’s just say that Ripley was in stasis for a long time, and a lot can happen in that time.
Ripley is here, and like most good Alien tales – it delivers what is expected, and then gives a little more
There is going to be what you expect from an Alien tale here – chaos, disaster, the unforgiving realities of space, the soulless Weyland-Yutani corporation, regretful characters away from their families for years at a time, mercenary laborers who quickly find they are outmatched by the monsters below.
But there is a bit more – they encounter a new batch of non-Xenomorph aliens, Ripley explores the relationship with her own daughter.
Just a bit more – Tim Lebbon understands what he is delivering – this is an Aliens tale.
In short – the tale is just as good as any of the movies
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing quite like watching an Aliens movie, particularly the second one. The recent tales are pretty good as well.
But as far as the tale goes – this holds its own with them. If you are a fan of the Aliens saga, or even if you are not – I’d check Alien: Out of the Shadows out. It’s great!
I wasn’t sure that this book wouldn’t be just another run of the mill Alien book. It wasn’t. Love the time set between the first Alien movie and the second. Fills in a spot that wasn’t quite missing but was welcomed nonetheless. I recommend it to any Alien fan and just anyone who enjoys an exciting, fast-paced book.