Just some quick thoughts on a few novels I've (re-)read recently.
Predator: Incursion
I was way behind on getting the Rage War trilogy. Happy to say this didn't disappoint. Refreshingly different, well-written by Lebbon, loved the star-trotting style and large cast of characters. I guess there isn't much of a plot as such, but it moved along at a nice pace and I was constantly engaged. A really good start to the trilogy.
Alien: Sea of Sorrows
Second time through this, mostly to refresh my memory ahead of getting the audio drama. I think this might be my favourite of the 2014 novels, not necessarily because I think it's the best, but because it had the least issues that really annoyed me (Out of the shadows had Ripley in a palce she couldn't have been, leading to the ridiculous deus ex machina mind-wipe scenario, while River of Pain contained too much that contradicted the film and generally felt like a huge missed opportunity). Too many faceless characters, but some nice world-building at the start and it did recall some of the old Bantam novels in its style.
Alien: Invasion
Didn't like this quite as much as the first - it suffered a little from "middle entry syndrome", lacking either a strong beginning or end, and felt like it didn't progress all that much. Also the war kinda disappeared for much of the novel; would've been nice to get a little more info on how it was progressing throughout the book. Still, this was nevertheless another very good read. Can't believe it took me until this second novel to notice the incredibly obvious Mass Effect parallels, I wonder if that was coincidence or if Lebbon is a fan?
Also re-read Alien: The Cold Forge, but I've already gone on enough about how much I love that novel.
