Throughout 2014 and into 2015 Titan Books republished all four of Alan Dean Foster and A.C Crispin’s adaptations of the Alien films to accompany their own original Alien novel trilogy. It would appear that to accompany their new Aliens vs. Predator novel trilogy, Rage War, Titan will now be republishing some of the older Bantam novels:
These are currently the only 3 omnibus available on the Titan website and they cover 7 of the 9 Aliens novels that Bantam published, leaving Music of the Spears and the very hard to find Berserker to potentially show up in a fourth omnibus. These novels were all adaptations of Dark Horse comic series of the same name.
The first is due for release on 19 January 2016, with the second slated for release 28 June 2016 and then finally the third on 27 December 2016. There are currently no dates for the last 2 books (Alien: Invasion and AvP: Armageddon) of the Rage War series but the first, Predator: Incursion is due out shortly on the 20th of October. Thanks to Jean-Francois Boivin from Timeline of the Alien and Predator Universe for the tip.
I have copies, but if its a book I'd like to keep I'd prefer to have a nice new shiny one. The two Predator novelisations I have are seriously ratty.
They did, earlier this year. There was a bit of a gap from the first three but they did get around to it.
I've still got my first edition copies of all of the Aliens/Predator/AvP novels (and they're all in largely very good shape) sitting on my shelf, so I don't really need to re-buy any of them.
I actually have 2 copies of the ADF Alien movie novelizations, but that's because one copy is the UK omnibus collection that's super convenient, and the others are the individual books that I'm hesitant to get rid of because, well, they're first editions.
Like yeah I don't really like having duplicates on my shelf because I've got barely enough space as it is, but it doesn't feel right to get rid of either copy for some reason.
Also did Titan republish the Alien Resurrection novelization? Or just the 3 ADF ones?
I'd like to see them reissue the Predator novelisations like they did the four Alien ones. Predator 2 is a great read.
Hopefully they reprint the Predator novels for that movie's 30th in 2017.
Perhaps since F&S didn't rock the world (& in light of the approaching films) Dark Horse & Titan decided to downplay the whole reboot until they have more solid ground.
Personally I think the original EU is too quality rich to lose most of it, give or take a few things.
Heck for all we know, they still are.
Twenty years ago, they were..
Yeah, the altered characters were created for the books as they started coming out just after Alien 3, then they edited the comics and reprinted them a few years later (Earth Hive was published in 1992, the first edited version of Book One was Aliens, Vol. 1: Outbreak, published in 1996).
There's a thread that chronologically lists everything in the current EU.
The exception in my opinion is Labyrinth, I much prefer the comic over the novel.
And I'd like to see them do an edition where it's Hicks and Newt and with some minor changes to their backstory. It'd never happen but it'd be nice enough to see.
It's been ages since I read these and I actually never read the later volumes. But the volume 1 which contains the Mark Verheiden series of books actually deviates somewhat from the original comics. Hicks and Newt have been replaced with Wilks and Billie for starters. If I remember correctly, the last story in this first volume (Female War) was significantly modified in some sections of the story. It would be amazing if they restored Wilks and Billie, to Hicks and Newt but we won't know if they made that change till later. It seems very unlikely to me.
And Harvest/Genocide least. Their quality usually depended on the authors writing style, as I thought most of the storylines were at least interesting.
Wonder how Dark Horse is involved in this and if this effects future DHP / Titan co-operation.
I expect that these books will specifically be described as non-canon. Even if Hicks and Newt are re-established as alive in Blomkamp's film, you can't account for the elephant-nosed aliens in volume 1 without ignoring Prometheus.
But it is great to see that old EU is not being treated as Apocrypha and these stories still have a life. In a subtle way it hopefully implies that some of the old stories that are outside the current canon may be, dare I say, expanded upon?
I'm pretty sure the last salvo of Bantam books (Berserker, Big Game and War) were never actually published in the UK - at least, I've never seen a British copy for sale anywhere. Only American imports. So if they finish off the run of these with a Volume 4 that'll probably be the first time Berserker's ever been released in the UK.
Still, not too keen on that cover art so I'm kinda glad I have the originals. The second two look like ACM screenshots to me!