Alien/Predator Novel Reviews

Started by Hudson, Aug 19, 2014, 04:55:43 PM

Author
Alien/Predator Novel Reviews (Read 70,507 times)

SM

SM

#465
It's a premise that should not have worked at all - but kinda did.

Gentleman Death

Finished Criminal Enterprise....Drugs, sex and violence, oh yea!

Thank god I finally read a good book from this run of the series. The last three made me seriously contemplate taking a break for awhile but I found myself getting into CE almost right away.

The fact that it takes a different approach to what I've read in the previous books, definitely helped. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the whole drug dealers plot but there were two other stories going on within that, which helped. SD Perry seems to be consistent with her writing and I'm happy with this one as well.

The characters are what drew me into this even more, their all assholes ha. But with a little background of each, without devoting an entire history behind them, was nice. I'm fine with reading about characters you don't particularly like.

I also liked how the aliens were written. This was one of the first books where the author didn't get into an extreme detail of them and what they do to the humans, but when their taking away and carried off to the hive, it felt dark. They knew what would happen, us as the reader knows, and that's it. Although out of pure curiosity, I wouldn't have minded a chapter devoted to one of the humans waking up and describing being attached to a wall with the others that they had known.

The ending trailed off a little but other than that, I really liked it. There were even moments of reading it that I could see on film or tv.

No Exit is next...

SM

SM

#467
No Exit was patchy, but not too bad.

Tichinde

Tichinde

#468
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Aug 28, 2020, 11:25:55 AM
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Aug 27, 2020, 10:08:40 PM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Aug 24, 2020, 11:43:16 AM
Larry  :laugh:

I completely get this now

LOL

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2020, 09:28:43 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 27, 2020, 10:03:52 PM
Criminal Enterprise was probably the best of the DHP run.

The Aliens side of it, absolutely.

A couple of the Predator books have it beat for me.

Agreed that Criminal Enterprise was indeed the best of the Aliens DHP run but the latter two DHP Predator novels were far superior to any of the Aliens ones. Really not sure why Titan hasn't rereleased them in omnibus form.

hehehe, yeah... me too... I am also unsure why they haven't rereleased them. Would. love. to. read. them. some. time.


FatStu

FatStu

#469
I don't really want to read any that are adaptations of the graphic novels. I always try to work out what is and isn't.

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: Tichinde on Sep 06, 2020, 03:06:38 PM
QuoteAgreed that Criminal Enterprise was indeed the best of the Aliens DHP run but the latter two DHP Predator novels were far superior to any of the Aliens ones. Really not sure why Titan hasn't rereleased them in omnibus form.

hehehe, yeah... me too... I am also unsure why they haven't rereleased them. Would. love. to. read. them. some. time.

https://www.spring.org.uk/images/no_sleep.jpg

Considering how easy it was for them to do Aliens, and how much they know Predator is wanted, I assume there's some legal hiccups that prevents them from doing it.

HuDaFuK

HuDaFuK

#471
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Sep 06, 2020, 02:13:05 AMNo Exit is next...

About 75-80% of No Exit is really good and a refreshingly different take on the idea of Alien infestations. Then the final few chapters just get totally daft.

It's shame because if it had kept up the quality throughout it would've been the best of that run. I've heard before that the author basically ran out of time and had to rush the ending, and that he freely admits to the drop-off at the end.

Quote from: FatStu on Sep 06, 2020, 05:24:43 PMI don't really want to read any that are adaptations of the graphic novels. I always try to work out what is and isn't.

Everything published by Bantam Books is a comic adaptation, with the exception of AVP: Hunter's Planet, which is an original story apart from a single chapter that adapts a comic book short.

Everything published since by DH Press and Titan Books is original stuff.

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 08, 2020, 08:06:47 AM
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Sep 06, 2020, 02:13:05 AMNo Exit is next...

About 75-80% of No Exit is really good and a refreshingly different take on the idea of Alien infestations. Then the final few chapters just get totally daft.

It's shame because if it had kept up the quality throughout it would've been the best of that run. I've heard before that the author basically ran out of time and had to rush the ending, and that he freely admits to the drop-off at the end.

We spoke to him 10 years back. I asked him about the end.

QuoteAvPGalaxy – The main criticism regarding No Exit was the abrupt way you changed from psycho-thriller to an action piece. The best description I saw was that "you really get the feeling that it wasn't the last half the author wanted to write, that there was some kind of mandate passed down". Was that the way you always planned it or was it something DH asked you to include?

Brian Evenson – Well... I guess there are several things I could say about that. There's definitely a transition there that may be partly due to me and partly due to the desire for a certain amount of action on the part of the powers that be. I can't speak for the powers that be and what they were thinking. I think on my side of the equation there were two things that had an impact. First, at a certain point I was thinking a lot about the way in which "Alien" and "Aliens" are radically different (in the same way that the two parts of my Aliens novel are) but yet somehow still kind of work together.

Second, the action component of it was originally meant to be shorter and to be followed by a more claustrophobic thing going on on the moon base that would return us to the kind of psycho-thriller thing we'd begun with. But once I was writing, I realized that the section taking place on the planet needed to be developed a lot more and that if I wanted to do what I did with the end that I'd need another 100 or 150 pages, which wasn't possible in the confines of the series. At the same time I tried to write the two halves in such a way that they'd balance against themselves, like what happens when you do a back-to-back reading of "Alien" and "Aliens". Despite that abrupt shift, I've heard from a lot of people that it's their favourite Alien novel (but of course those that don't like it probably aren't writing to me...).

https://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/brian-evenson/

HuDaFuK

HuDaFuK

#473
I thought it might've been from your interview but I wasn't sure enough to say!

FatStu

FatStu

#474
Just finished the Alien Isolation novel. Started it immediately after playing the game. Quite enjoyed it for what it was.

Gentleman Death

Finished No Exit and I'd say your guys' thoughts on this novel were pretty accurate.

The start of the book is probably one of the best that I've read in the Alien series, I mean, it had me immediately! It was so different and unique and I really enjoyed how the author set the mood, for the first half of the book anyway.

If the book would've focused on Kramm as a "Alien Detective" solely, I probably would've been far more interested in the book but once he gets to the planet to investigate, he meets a character named Frances and it kind of dipped from there. Her character seemed at times to know a lot more of what was going on and then wouldn't understand anything so I found her character hard to like, hard to even understand.

It seemed that once they escaped the planet, the book looses steam and at times, couldn't quite figure out which direction to go. It would pick up in some spots and die in others.

I did like the planet idea, where the characters get diverted to, as a test subject hive location. A mouse maze so to speak where they're being monitored by scientists on a nearby moon.

When the action picked up in the third half it felt kind of clunky and although I like the character of Bjorn, it's never quite explained how this guy could have almost super human strength.

Kramm and Braley were great characters who should've had some more interaction time together. Hell, there should have been more of Braley but as Hicks pointed out in his review of this book, he just drops out about half way through and is never mentioned again, which is a shame.

I read the interview Hicks did with the author which really helped me in terms of where the author was wanting to go with the book as it ends abruptly. It's a shame because I would actually like to see what happens next with the remaining characters on the moon base.

The author did a great job of explaining Kramms fear of the dark and being in such closed spaces as vents and tunnels.

I still think this was one of the better stories from DH runs but still felt short of being really, really great! I wonder what the book would've been if the author had stayed with the Alien Detective part and still had Braley be apart of the story. Get rid of Frances and stick with Bjorn.

After reading back to back Aliens novels and fear of possibly getting burnt out, or not liking a future novel because I've read the same scenario just recently, I'm taking an Alien book break. Once I've finished My current book I'll be back at it with Out of Shadows.

Samhain13

Samhain13

#476
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Sep 13, 2020, 05:05:59 PM
The start of the book is probably one of the best that I've read in the Alien series, I mean, it had me immediately! It was so different and unique and I really enjoyed how the author set the mood, for the first half of the book anyway.

I feel the same. Last time I reread it I was like... this really could have been the best one if it was like the start through it all.

FatStu

FatStu

#477
Just finished Sea Of Sorrows. Quite liked it!

FatStu

FatStu

#478
River Of Pain is a harrowing read.

HuDaFuK

HuDaFuK

#479
Is it?

I found that book, much like Newt's Tale, was a colossal missed opportunity. Nothing like as horrifying as it should've been.

AvPGalaxy: About | Contact | Cookie Policy | Manage Cookie Settings | Privacy Policy | Legal Info
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Patreon RSS Feed
Contact: General Queries | Submit News