Alien - Inferno's Fall

[Wompdonkey]

Im just over halfway through the book. I really wanted to like this book, but so far it is a whole lot of nothing. I don't care about the main characters in The Knot, like at all. The main character of this book is a grandma, which doesn't interest me in the slightest. At the risk of sounding like an asshole/idiot, the Author put too much of herself into this book and all the characters in the Knot. Corporal Hicks gave Colony War the lowest score possible because of that. It isn't as distracting in this book as it was Colony War, but I actually liked the characters in that book more than this.

 I like Zula but she hasn't done anything worthwhile in the book at all. She isn't even a POV character. Instead we have

Spoiler

Mae, the "daughter" of Zula and Davis

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. Who also hasn't done enough to warrant the few POV chapters she's gotten.

Like I said, Im only halfway through so maybe the last half actually gives me something to enjoy. But so far, Im just bored.

[Corporal Hicks]

Corporal Hicks gave Colony War the lowest score possible because of that.

I disliked Colony War because it was a parody, filled with caricatures. Putting his own views into the book wasn't a problem I had, it was how he handled it. Authors drawing from their own lives, interests and experiences into books isn't new - "write what you know". Personally, I actually loved the characters in this. I found this unique family dynamic really interesting.

[Wompdonkey]

Corporal Hicks gave Colony War the lowest score possible because of that.

I disliked Colony War because it was a parody, filled with caricatures. Putting his own views into the book wasn't a problem I had, it was how he handled it. Authors drawing from their own lives, interests and experiences into books isn't new - "write what you know". Personally, I actually loved the characters in this. I found this unique family dynamic really interesting.

So after getting damn near close to the end, my biggest problem with this book is nothing happens "on screen" if that makes sense. The action is always heard, seen from a distance, or only mentioned after the fact. Im going to finish it later today, but that is my biggest gripe. It doesn't help that I'm not nearly as invested in the characters.

We can't compare everything to what Alex White did, but this book doesn't have the tension or horror of a good Alien book. The detail given for the action doesn't tell me enough to feel any tension because what little action has happened so far is over right as it gets good because the character dies.

[Wompdonkey]

I just finished the book. Below are my final thoughts and some things I haven't touched on.

Spoiler

The entire book is about a character who will not be relevant going forward. Even the characters around Her (Carter, Lena, and Bai Yun) ultimately don't matter, as they just leave the story and the book ends from Mae's perspective.

The entire point of this book is all explained to the reader through exposition in the LAST chapter. None of it happens through the story, which means the entire story doesn't have a point.

Also, it is strongly implied that David is the one who is bombing the colonies. The engineer ship is destroyed in this book, so I'm very puzzled as to when this takes place.

The movies dictate the canon, so the presence of David in an Engineer ship throws a wrench into the timeline for me.

The spark notes are all that are needed for this book. I sound like an asshole so I have to say I really like Clara's other work in the universe. Her maps for the RPG are amazing. But this book missed the mark for me by a mile and I really don't see the point of reading it save for the last chapter, which again is the only chapter with any bearing on the EU as a whole.

I may be salty because I was told I'd be getting another Zula Hendrick's story when all we got was a mining family who won't affect the greater canon. Titan's books so far have done a good job of building the greater universe through individual stories. This just told a story of people trapped underground. Zula isn't even a POV character. I do like Mae, and Im excited to see where the Jackals go from here.

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 I'd love for Clara to get another crack at an Aliens book because the love for the franchise is evident. As a story though, this didn't do it for me.

Curious to hear everyone else's thoughts.

[Nelostic]

Please Answer!

Spoiler

Neomorph is Mutant of Human?

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[SiL]

Weren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?

[Corporal Hicks]

Please Answer!

Spoiler

Neomorph is Mutant of Human?

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Yes. In both book and Covenant.

The entire book is about a character who will not be relevant going forward.

I struggle to see why this is an issue, and it's not something that I've ever really seen anyone complain about. Not everyone has to be an on-going character. I f**king love Hoop from Out of the Shadows and he's a one-and-done. While the bulk of the characters might not be seen again, I personally loved the Knot. They were a really interesting character group that really stood out and I was fascinated by.

In terms of characters that are going to stick around I thought it was pretty clear that

Spoiler

Mae is the new on-going character, setup to take the place of an aging Zula Hendricks.

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[Wompdonkey]

The book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue. Instead its about 80% Toru and her family stuck underground not doing anything, 5% characters who die, and 15% Mae. Zula is a side character who's name was used as bait.

[Corporal Hicks]

The book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue.

I see where you're coming from now.

[Wompdonkey]

The book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue.

I see where you're coming from now.

I do like some of the stuff in this book. I think it starts of really strong, but I kept waiting for the focus to shift to the Jackals. When it does, we're there for one chapter and then its back to being stuck underground. I like Mae and was really stoked to learn more about her. I didn't get that much compared to Toru and the Knot.

Spoiler

The Engineer ruins were really cool as well.

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[Xiggz456]

Finally finished! Overall I found the story enjoyable and found the new characters to be well fleshed out.

Spoiler

I do wish there was more Zula and Olivia action but with both being in leadership roles it makes sense for them to be more on the sidelines. Also quite liked Mae's arc on being a "free" synthetic and what comes with that. Some fun creature action but I think some of the descriptions could've been a bit clearer. Everyone might want to catch up on the RPG as there is some spoilery hints regarding the Border Bombers

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Overall solid story that uses a lot of elements from the RPG and FTE. 7.5/10

[Still Collating...]

The book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue. Instead its about 80% Toru and her family stuck underground not doing anything, 5% characters who die, and 15% Mae. Zula is a side character who's name was used as bait.

Lol, that might be a plus for me since I never really liked Zula. Found her annoying and grumpy in Defiance and kinda meh in the later instalments, best version was in Prototype, but that whole novel was not really alien like with the whole stupid virus and the giant robo animal mechs.

[Wompdonkey]

I like Zula and don't think she's been written too well in the past. I liked Defiance more than most people on this site it seems, but I agree that she was best in Prototype. I didn't think Prototype was great either, but Zula is one of like 3 characters the EU has focused on recently so I was geared up for a Zula story writtten by a woman and we did not get that. Idgaf about the Knot

Finally finished! Overall I found the story enjoyable and found the new characters to be well fleshed out.

Spoiler

I do wish there was more Zula and Olivia action but with both being in leadership roles it makes sense for them to be more on the sidelines. Also quite liked Mae's arc on being a "free" synthetic and what comes with that. Some fun creature action but I think some of the descriptions could've been a bit clearer. Everyone might want to catch up on the RPG as there is some spoilery hints regarding the pathogen bombers!

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I totally agree that a lot of the descriptions of the action and creatures could have been better. There were some cool moments in the book, but it wasn't written clearly enough. I had to imagine things instead of picturing what the book was saying.

Overall solid story that uses a lot of elements from the RPG and FTE. 7.5/10

[BlueMarsalis79]

I liked about half of Defiance.

[Engineer]

I liked about half of Defiance.

Same...
Pretty much the half illustrated by Tristan Jones. He really elevated that series with his artwork.