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AvP Merchandise => Alien-Predator Literature => Topic started by: Darwinsgirl on Jun 01, 2013, 03:49:43 AM

Title: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Jun 01, 2013, 03:49:43 AM

I was surfing AMAZON for ALIEN items when I came across this.


http://www.amazon.com/Alien-Out-Shadows-Novel-1/dp/1781162689/ref=sr_1_139?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370058223&sr=1-139&keywords=%22ALIEN (http://www.amazon.com/Alien-Out-Shadows-Novel-1/dp/1781162689/ref=sr_1_139?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370058223&sr=1-139&keywords=%22ALIEN)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 01, 2013, 03:53:20 AM
QuoteThe massively acclaimed Alien franchise is one of the most successful of all time, beginning with the first film in 1979. In a dramatic twist, this novel will return us to that time, to Ellen Ripley, and to never-before-revealed secrets of the Weyland-Yutani Corporations...secrets that lead into the events of the second film, Aliens...and beyond!

It ain't gonna be canon, but it might be an interesting read. Quite an early preorder -- doesn't come out til next year :S
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Jun 01, 2013, 04:23:04 AM
^^^

I noticed that too.

I'm not familier with the author but from his bio he wrote the novelization of "Thirty Days of Night" along with 30 other books.  So he's no amatuer writer.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jun 01, 2013, 05:28:37 AM
Awesome find, Darwinsgirl!!!  Send Corporal Hicks a PM (he's the guy who does Literature News) and you can get your name mentioned in the news section.

It sounds like this novel will explain why WY forgot all about the Derelict between the two films. :-\


Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 01, 2013, 03:53:20 AM
It ain't gonna be canon, but it might be an interesting read.

Don't get me started on that. >:(
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 01, 2013, 11:44:18 AM
You know who is a sucker for sometimes poorly and cheesily written professional fan fiction involving the Alien universe?  This guy.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 01, 2013, 08:16:41 PM
Whhhhaaatttt? So Titan is doing this, not Dark Horse? Interesting. I'll get it popped on the website page shortly.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Jun 01, 2013, 08:33:35 PM
This news just made my day! 

Interesting and cool that its "Alien" and not "Aliens".
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Hudson on Jun 01, 2013, 09:04:57 PM
Sounds like one of those books in the Resident Evil series that randomly take place between the game adaptations.

I thought Aliens: Original Sin blew, personally, but something trying to insert itself within the films gets my attention way better than some anonymous story like most of the other novels.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jun 01, 2013, 09:15:40 PM
Quote from: thewoozy on Jun 01, 2013, 08:33:35 PM
This news just made my day! 

Interesting and cool that its "Alien" and not "Aliens".

That's what I thought, too; everything is written under the Aliens logo these days, even Aliens vs. Predator.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Sexy Poot on Jun 01, 2013, 09:19:13 PM
Aliens Colonial Marines promo art is that u?!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Hudson on Jun 01, 2013, 09:22:32 PM
I'm pretty sure that's a different one.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Sexy Poot on Jun 01, 2013, 09:47:49 PM
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwallpapers.jurko.net%2Fwidescreen%2Fuploads%2Fwallpaper_3079.jpg&hash=663f4026f4b67eacf1f87808db08302fed809dbd)

Nope it's the same. Juts given that steel blue tint, which is weird cuz that's for ALIENS not ALIEN. I always think of ALIEN as greens and blacks. For some reason that's the colors that are given to the movie.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 01, 2013, 09:49:57 PM
The book isn't out til next year, I'm sure the cover art on Amazon is just preliminary.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Sexy Poot on Jun 01, 2013, 09:55:31 PM
It's not a mock up it's the cover guys.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 01, 2013, 09:58:26 PM
You do know Titan regularly changes and revises their cover art before release, right? They did it last year with both their ALIEN: The Illustrated Story and Colonial Marines Technical Manual reprints.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 01, 2013, 10:20:44 PM
I imagine it'll just be stand-in art. I remember Alien - Original Sin's had an old Alien picture for their artwork when it was first found.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Jun 01, 2013, 10:50:09 PM
Well I'm excited for something new. I don't tire of reading the old ones, but new is good. Even if it turns out crappy, the fact that something new is coming out, (and the franchise isn't dead after CM, even though to us it never will be) is a good sign. Needless to say, I'll pick up a copy when it releases.

I wonder how it will tie the first 2 films together. I know they have 50+ years of timeline to work in, but with Ripley out in her space freezer, and with the title being ALIEN, I can't see this as a "we're going to fiddle with the plot by waking her up mid-stasis" or a sequence of events with the colonists on LV-426 getting killed off by the Xeno that Newt's father would birth after they discover the derelict.

You know, I would actually love to see the original Big Chap somehow play a part in this story. As we know, he got blasted in to space by the Narcissus' rockets, but it wasn't confirmed if that killed him (which it probably didn't). From other EU stories, we know that Aliens can survive in the vacuum of space (including the Queen, after she gets dumped out of the Sulaco). Perhaps WY comes in contact with Chap and similar events unfold as they try to capture it and it runs free inside their ship, killing crew members off one by one.

What's your thoughts, community? 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: locusta on Jun 01, 2013, 10:54:14 PM
Original Artwork of the cover done by Dan LuVisi and to be seen here: http://danluvisiart.deviantart.com/art/ALIENS-ALIEN-WARRIOR-84756543?q=favby%3Alocusta%2F6320190&qo=106 (http://danluvisiart.deviantart.com/art/ALIENS-ALIEN-WARRIOR-84756543?q=favby%3Alocusta%2F6320190&qo=106)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: shadowedge on Jun 01, 2013, 11:01:31 PM
Oooh! Sounds awesome! Great find!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jun 01, 2013, 11:29:34 PM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Jun 01, 2013, 10:50:09 PM
Well I'm excited for something new. I don't tire of reading the old ones, but new is good. Even if it turns out crappy, the fact that something new is coming out, (and the franchise isn't dead after CM, even though to us it never will be) is a good sign. Needless to say, I'll pick up a copy when it releases.

I wonder how it will tie the first 2 films together. I know they have 50+ years of timeline to work in, but with Ripley out in her space freezer, and with the title being ALIEN, I can't see this as a "we're going to fiddle with the plot by waking her up mid-stasis" or a sequence of events with the colonists on LV-426 getting killed off by the Xeno that Newt's father would birth after they discover the derelict.

You know, I would actually love to see the original Big Chap somehow play a part in this story. As we know, he got blasted in to space by the Narcissus' rockets, but it wasn't confirmed if that killed him (which it probably didn't). From other EU stories, we know that Aliens can survive in the vacuum of space (including the Queen, after she gets dumped out of the Sulaco). Perhaps WY comes in contact with Chap and similar events unfold as they try to capture it and it runs free inside their ship, killing crew members off one by one.

What's your thoughts, community?

These are some good ideas; I wonder if we'll see more of Ripley's character, it would be nice to get to know her a bit more outside the films.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jun 01, 2013, 11:56:24 PM
Preordered. I don't even care if it sucks... I'm in the mood for something new, and that time period is ripe for the plucking. Plus, the price is right.  :P

I'd like to see them explore more of the daily life of 'regular folks' in that time period (i.e., no marines), and one or two tie-ins to Prometheus would be fun, as well (yeah, I said it!  :D).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 02, 2013, 12:07:11 AM
People should care if it sucks. Im sick to death of getting fed crap. I'm hoping for a good book. The Dark Horse ones mostly missed the mark imho.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 12:14:12 AM
I'm guessing it has more to do with WY's search for Alien life post Alien and Pre Aliens more than it has to do with Ripley.

They probably go into detail about the post alien coverup if they lost another team after Ripley's crew is killed, and they'll probably try to explain away Burke's motives as being somehow related to a bigger conspiracy to bring the Alien back into the fold.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 12:45:54 AM
Maybe it'll try and fill the gaping plot hole about Weyland-Yutani not finding the giant honking alien derelict when they terraform LV-426.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Jun 02, 2013, 12:53:56 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Jun 01, 2013, 10:50:09 PM
From other EU stories, we know that Aliens can survive in the vacuum of space (including the Queen, after she gets dumped out of the Sulaco).

Was the queen from Aliens featured in an EU Story? I can't remember. Do you remember which one?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jun 02, 2013, 12:54:54 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 02, 2013, 12:07:11 AM
People should care if it sucks.

Oh, they certainly should! But after the novels I read in the early 90s set the bar so low, I'll be happy with average.  :D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Jun 02, 2013, 01:02:37 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 12:45:54 AM
Maybe it'll try and fill the gaping plot hole about Weyland-Yutani not finding the giant honking alien derelict when they terraform LV-426.

I thought Weyland-Yutani knew about the derelict and that's why they colonized LV-426. Colonists, expendable.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 01:05:08 AM
Expendable for what? Hadley's Hope didn't seem at all set up as any kind of research facility.

"Let's put some people next to this dangerous thing!"

"Why?"

"... expendable!"
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Jun 02, 2013, 01:09:56 AM
Expendable for the purpose of breding a bunch of aliens.

I have a harder time believing WY just accidentally colonized LV -426, seeing as they sent the Nostromo there *because* of the derelict.

As for research, at the very least they had equipment for storing facehuggers.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 01:11:35 AM
Breeding them in a completely uncontrolled environment?

They had equipment which they ended up using to store huggers, but they weren't designed for them.

If they wanted to exploit the derelict, waiting 57 years and setting up a colony full of collateral damage was a really, really dumb way of going about it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Jun 02, 2013, 01:54:06 AM
Hmm good point. Gives me a lot to think about.

We know from Alien that WY knew there was life on LV-426, so waiting ~50 years and choosing to colonize is certainly a weird approach.

But i'm under the impression that WY sent Newt's dad to explore the derelict once they found Ripley, making me think they knew about the derelict and were just waiting for the right time to breed aliens. I'm trying to recall events from Newt's tale to support my ideas. I'll have to revisit that comic.

I just have a hard time believing WY forgot about the Nostromo incident and decided to colonize randomly.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:02:09 AM
The Company didn't send Newt's family, Burke did, and only after hearing Ripley's testimony.

Quote from: thewoozy on Jun 02, 2013, 01:54:06 AM
I just have a hard time believing WY forgot about the Nostromo incident and decided to colonize randomly.
It's called a plot hole.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mike’s Monsters on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Jun 02, 2013, 02:33:40 AM
Burke works for WY so yeah WY did send Newt's father but i'll drop it now because I don't appreciate your condescending tone when I'm just genuinely interested in a supposed plot hole that i've never been aware of.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:47:42 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
Is that your artwork?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 02, 2013, 02:51:28 AM
Burke was working alone in Aliens; so it's no great shakes to believe someone was doing the same when they sent the Nostromo to LV-426 57 years earlier.  So the Company didn't know; but one of their employees did.  Hole = plugged.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:59:03 AM
Doesn't plug anything. Still doesn't explain how they missed the huge obviously alien spaceship within driving distance of the colony.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Sexy Poot on Jun 02, 2013, 03:19:41 AM
I can think of a few things that could use some plugging...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jun 02, 2013, 03:37:28 AM
Quote from: thewoozy on Jun 02, 2013, 12:53:56 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Jun 01, 2013, 10:50:09 PM
From other EU stories, we know that Aliens can survive in the vacuum of space (including the Queen, after she gets dumped out of the Sulaco).

Was the queen from Aliens featured in an EU Story? I can't remember. Do you remember which one?

I don't think so; I read all the Aliens Omnibuses and novels.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jun 02, 2013, 05:00:57 AM
Interesting-ish premise, I guess.

I can't say I'll definitely be reading it, but I'm a bit curious.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 05:28:53 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:59:03 AM
Doesn't plug anything.
Plugs why they didn't go back straight away. That's something.

QuoteStill doesn't explain how they missed the huge obviously alien spaceship within driving distance of the colony.
They hadn't driven to that place yet.

Film never sets up how the planet was mapped out or how frequently colonists traveled out, or how far they went if they did. It also never establishes how long the air's been breathable and conducive to mum and pop teams driving around on their own. It's not much of a plot hole when there's nothing in the film saying "Man, this should've been really obvious!"

It's a weird, jutting shape on a planet of weird, jutting shapes. Eh.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 05:43:12 AM
So I guess the Company didn't do any geographical studies of the planet or any satellite (or Prometheus mapping balls) mapping, and just randomly picked a spot and said "we'll build here!" without even surveying the surrounding areas, either. Makes sense.

Quote from: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 05:28:53 AM
It's a weird, jutting shape on a planet of weird, jutting shapes. Eh.
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-PcBAaX7W-Ss%2FT2ZgZUtJ0mI%2FAAAAAAAABhk%2FzcAv9c_f0uI%2Fs1600%2FH.R.%2BGiger%2BDerelict%2BSpacecraft%2B2.jpg&hash=6c2304a7a5dc37569988e73bc7609dda616f4abe)
That just happens to have obviously artificial structures incongruous with the surrounding terrain that would be readily noticeable on any satellite mapping. But whatevs.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Byohzrd on Jun 02, 2013, 05:55:21 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 05:43:12 AM
So I guess the Company didn't do any geographical studies of the planet or any satellite (or Prometheus mapping balls) mapping, and just randomly picked a spot and said "we'll build here!" without even surveying the surrounding areas, either. Makes sense.

Quote from: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 05:28:53 AM
It's a weird, jutting shape on a planet of weird, jutting shapes. Eh.
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-PcBAaX7W-Ss%2FT2ZgZUtJ0mI%2FAAAAAAAABhk%2FzcAv9c_f0uI%2Fs1600%2FH.R.%2BGiger%2BDerelict%2BSpacecraft%2B2.jpg&hash=6c2304a7a5dc37569988e73bc7609dda616f4abe)
That just happens to have obviously artificial structures incongruous with the surrounding terrain that would be readily noticeable on any satellite mapping. But whatevs.

I don't really recall the derelict being on such flat terrain. ever. more like a rocky plateu-y outcroppy kind of region, which would insanely hard to find cause the whole planets terrain was organic shaped.


As for the company not knowing about the derelict, its really easy to explain, its not like the WHOLE company was hellbent on finding the xeno, the bio weapons division was. In large corporations like Wey-yu, i'm sure it would be quite easy for some higher up in one division to funnel a bit of extra funding into a secret project, then have that project never profit and easily get lost in company records.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 05:57:50 AM
Quote from: Byohzrd on Jun 02, 2013, 05:55:21 AM
I don't really recall the derelict being on such flat terrain. ever. more like a rocky plateu-y outcroppy kind of region, which would insanely hard to find cause the whole planets terrain was organic shaped.
Not for a satellite looking straight down at it from above. You wouldn't go in and survey a new planet on foot.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 02, 2013, 06:34:53 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:59:03 AM
Doesn't plug anything. Still doesn't explain how they missed the huge obviously alien spaceship within driving distance of the colony.
It's on the other side of a mountain range, it's not exactly in a convenient location. They only even thought to look where it was located because Burke gave them a call and said "go here, see what you find".

Anyway, preordered this book without hesitation. I think it's neat that it follows the 'Alien' license specifically. I'm curious if/how it'll mesh with Aliens: Apocalypse and if it'll cover some of the same ground, and if it'll include any Prometheus-related content.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Hudson on Jun 02, 2013, 06:41:53 AM
Quote from: Sexy Poot on Jun 01, 2013, 09:47:49 PM
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwallpapers.jurko.net%2Fwidescreen%2Fuploads%2Fwallpaper_3079.jpg&hash=663f4026f4b67eacf1f87808db08302fed809dbd)

Nope it's the same. Juts given that steel blue tint, which is weird cuz that's for ALIENS not ALIEN. I always think of ALIEN as greens and blacks. For some reason that's the colors that are given to the movie.

I guess I was picturing the Alien that was on the Gameinformer cover or whatever magazine.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 06:44:44 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jun 02, 2013, 06:34:53 AM
It's on the other side of a mountain range, it's not exactly in a convenient location. They only even thought to look where it was located because Burke gave them a call and said "go here, see what you find".
So how'd the original survey team miss it, then? I guess even crude early-21st century Google Maps technology gets phased out in the future, and they just randomly plonk colonies down on planet surfaces.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 06:57:04 AM
Sure, it's nice and noticeable on a flat surface like that; now add all the other jagged rock formations surrounding it and covering the rest of the planet.

Basically; Alan Dean Foster covered this shit back in '86. It's not that much of a stretch. Unless you really, really want it to be for some reason.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 07:03:35 AM
If it weren't only a couple days slow drive away from the Colony, to a plateau they already have identified and know the coordinates of (yet somehow didn't see the giant spaceship), yeah, the "nobody noticed it" excuse might fly, but when they do already know there is a plateau there, know the coordinates, and it's relatively nearby, and they didn't notice this:

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-N847SPjIiD4%2FT_BcsY39MjI%2FAAAAAAAAB3k%2Fylxos6tzb28%2Fs640%2F2224741-alien19793.jpg&hash=cab23fbcbfec7b3b96843025395744891fcb15ef)

...that's kind of ridiculous.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 07:10:19 AM
That's ridiculous? The Nostromo landed 800 meters from it and they still didn't see it. Or notice it on descent.

(Yes, I edited the post. Sorry.)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 07:11:50 AM
The Nostromo also landed there in the middle of a storm, pre-terraforming,

They also didn't map out the whole surface of the planet or specifically know there was even a plateau there, as the dialogue in Aliens specifically states the colonists did.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 07:12:40 AM
The dialogue in Aliens says no such thing -- just that the coordinates are "out past the Illian (sp) range".
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 07:13:45 AM
Quote
    LYDECKER
                    You remember you sent some
                    wildcatters out to that
                    plateau, out past the Ilium
                    range, a couple days ago?

So, uh, how then did they know about the plateau?

Edit: lulz, Cameron deleted the reference to the plateau that's in the shooting script from the on set dialogue. Probably for the very reasons brought up -- which still don't adequately address the mapping issues.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 07:20:08 AM
Yeaaaah ...

Meanwhile, if we watch the film (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iusPorC4wZE#ws), we notice that all mention of "plateau" are conspicuously absent.

EDIT:

So that's what that feels like.

/Batman.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 07:24:35 AM
Meaning Cameron deleted it because he knew the set up was seriously flimsy, and just decided to make it vaguer so that it could be handwaived.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 02, 2013, 07:25:45 AM
Right. So he removed the incriminating line and stopped it being a plot hole. Plot convenience, sure; hole, not as much.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 07:27:48 AM
Potato, po-tah-to.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 09:18:27 AM
Ah lawd, Sil is defending Aliens.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mike’s Monsters on Jun 02, 2013, 09:59:02 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:47:42 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
Is that your artwork?

No, but I'm good friends with the artist Dan LuVisi. I informed him about the cover and he had no idea. He's talking to his legal team.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jun 02, 2013, 01:50:27 PM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 09:59:02 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:47:42 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
Is that your artwork?

No, but I'm good friends with the artist Dan LuVisi. I informed him about the cover and he had no idea. He's talking to his legal team.

I'd presume that Fox owns all commercially-created, licensed Alien artwork.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 03:32:01 PM
Any "never-before-revealed secrets" died with Dan O'Bannon.
(RIP)

My itinerary is already full ignoring prometheus, colonial marines, aliens vs predator, alienS, etc, etc, et al

In fact the only expanded Alien-verse that I thought was worth a fart was the AVP 2 game from 2001.

It was more alienS based then I'd prefer (a videogame based on a videogame),
and it had predators in it,
but it was impressively more then the sum of its questionable parts IMO.


Edit: Although if they're gonna be writing about "the company", that was Hills addition so I guess he deserves (and is always happy for) a few more bucks every time they sodomize that.

I guess its just me that after 30 years of every opportunistic shlub putting increasingly gaudy lipstick on grandma's poor corpse and doing their business again,
that I just want to remember grandma the way she was.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 02, 2013, 05:04:22 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Jun 02, 2013, 01:50:27 PM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 09:59:02 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:47:42 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
Is that your artwork?

No, but I'm good friends with the artist Dan LuVisi. I informed him about the cover and he had no idea. He's talking to his legal team.

I'd presume that Fox owns all commercially-created, licensed Alien artwork.
Yeah, Fox owns the IP, I suspect they could do pretty much whatever they want with it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 06:10:42 PM
Quote from: thewoozy on Jun 02, 2013, 01:09:56 AM
Expendable for the purpose of breding a bunch of aliens.

Step 1. Build Terraforming colony with a certain monetary value stocked with hundreds of shlubs who have no extended family that might ask any questions.

Step 2. Eventually as shlubs are prone to do, they will take their helmets off, ignore all contamination protocols, abandon their posts to get laid, pet space snakes and create hundreds of murderous Aliens.

Step 3. Send in another handful of dudes.

Step 4. ?

Step 5. Profit!

Quote from: thewoozy on Jun 02, 2013, 01:09:56 AM
I have a harder time believing WY just accidentally colonized LV -426, seeing as they sent the Nostromo there *because* of the derelict.

It seems like an asinine premiss from the get go if you make the mistake of thinking about it doesn't it.

And yes that was exactly the premiss.

It took Burke sending the newt family to the derelict after Ripley told everyone at the inquiry that it was there to finally set the master plan into motion.

Its lindelfof-esque.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: bishoop on Jun 02, 2013, 08:06:50 PM
maybe this book will form what was original envisioned for the Alien prequels before Ridley changed it to the mankind origins thing?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: maledoro on Jun 02, 2013, 09:01:13 PM
So, if this is "Novel #1", what would "Novel #2" cover?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 09:32:23 PM
If they are doing outside the movie coverage one could bet that Hadley's Hope being overrun would be a thing they look forward to doing.

Undoubtedly with the whole conspiracy angle thrown in (the company knew about it all along!)

Or something Colonial Marinesish.

I'd rather they start someplace familiar, and go someplace new myself.

I got vague sense of nostalgia during the first exploration of Hadley's Hope in Colonial Marines...............then I got over it.

New places plz.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 10:51:34 PM
The biggest problem with the extended Alien verse, is that its owned by suits.

Unfortunately the guys with the most talent like O'Bannon,
never recognize their own talent.

So they're always losing ownership of their own tears.

They're not business savvy.

And the guys with the least talent,
like lindelof always think they're more talented then they are!

Because suits tell them so and enable them.

But back to the problem with Alien/suits,
Alien was never meant to be serialized.

Star wars was a space opera including a whole "universe" at war.

Star Trek was Wagon Train in space.

Both lend themselves to serialization.

Alien was a movie about intimate personal threat.

It ended open, and there was the alternate written open ending that Dan re-used in screamers.
but that was only a melancholy punchline.

Not "see you next summer".

So getting back to the problem with Alien/suits,
the suits keep insisting that:

"Ripley is the audience interest!"

"And they really like that perverted Giger stuff!"

If anybody with any artistic,
instead of purely financial sense had thought about it,
they would have taken the set design/world space that they so beautifully crafted,
and written a new movie either about the company,
about the Alien,
about the SJ,
instead of trying to reframe/remake/reimagine/prequal/sequal the same story around the 2 bullet points of Ripley and the Alien.

(Yes, that is allegedly the intention of prometheus. But they proceed to fail miserably on every level. prometheus has as much to do with big questions or not blatenly ripping off Alien/alienS as me telling you that I'm Evil Kneival.)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 10:56:13 PM
Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 10:51:34 PM
Unfortunately the guys with the most talent like O'Bannon,
never recognize their own talent.
Oh, he "recognized" it alright, despite the fact his original script for Alien was pretty terrible. Have you not seen his interviews?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 10:58:49 PM
I'll give props to O'Bannon for the lifecycle of the Alien.............but Starbeast was pretty terrible.


And he did think he was the shit.  It was pretty annoying.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:01:21 PM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 10:56:13 PM

Oh, he "recognized" it alright, ...

Well he should have.

As should you.

But what do you mean?

Him insisting that Hills script was his script?

Dan built a HotRod.

Hill but a nice interior in it.

The HotRod exists without the interior.

But not the other way around.


Quote from: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 10:58:49 PM
.......but Starbeast was pretty terrible.

I beg to differ.

I thought Hill did add the nice working class verisimilitude to it.

Hill was a good writer and director in those days.

But he only added a suit of clothes to the man.


Quote from: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 10:58:49 PM
And he did think he was the shit.  It was pretty annoying.

Dan could be notoriously mean and irritable,
(maybe the tummy problem can do that to the best of us),
but example of pretentiousness?

Lindelof level pretentiousness?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 11:08:32 PM
The dialogue in his script was terrible. Even the names were terrible. It reads exactly like a gorier version of the tacky 1950s B-movies it borrows from.

Aside from the basic story, the script that made the film was mostly Hill & Giler's work.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 11:12:21 PM
Alien isn't a one man show.  You can't discout Giger's involvement from turning what would've been a b movie horror flick with a giant tentacled space toad into something a little less mainstream, just like you can't deny Scott's direction.  Nor Hill from turning it into a schloky horror b movie into something a little more grounded in reality.

O'bannon gets credit for the chestburster scene.  The rest is straight from Voyage of the Space Beagle, It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Planet of the Vampires.

After you read/watched all these you'll be surprised at how Alien feels a little less original.  POTV and the first half of Alien follow almost identical paths.  It isn't until the horror parts start happening that they actually diverge in different directions.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 11:08:32 PM
The dialogue in his script was terrible.

I do believe that he mentioned writing the treatment/script vague on character and dialogue purposely.

So that it could be tooled after it got sold and he found out what actors he would be working with and their attributes.

Hill polished the car before Dan was ever allowed to.

Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 11:08:32 PM
Even the names were terrible.

I completely and utterly disagree withy you here.

I though Melkonis and the other names Dan made where awesome.

You could be right, a matter of opinion I suppose.

I thought Hills were just as interesting,
and now classic,
but not an IMPROVEMENT.

Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 11:08:32 PMIt reads exactly like a gorier version of the tacky 1950s B-movies it borrows from.

Thats how the final Alien script reads also.

Except for Hills corporate 70's aesthetic.

I'll have to read it again.

Did Hill add any of the scare punchlines himself?

Also have you read the Hill's "Cylinder" script?

You thought it was better?

Before Dan made a nuisance of himself and they reinserted an Alien into Alien.

Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 11:08:32 PM
Aside from the basic story, the script that made the film was mostly Hill & Giler's work.

Have Hill and Giler ever wrote another sci-fi movie?

Other then Alien 3?

(Once again swooping in at the last second.)

The reason for the only plot holes in Alien is smooshing Hill/Gilers army man script onto Dans.



Quote from: Kimarhi on Jun 02, 2013, 11:12:21 PM
Alien isn't a one man show. 


I agree.

It was a time and place.

I've heard that the British film industry that enabled Alien and Star Wars collapsed soon afterwards.

But as far as specific inputs,
its was a friggen tribe effort!

Everybody involved in that one off deserves credit for being there.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 11:55:02 PM
Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
I do believe that he mentioned writing the treatment/script vague on character and dialogue purposely.

So that it could be tooled after it got sold and he found out what actors he would be working with and their attributes.

Hill polished the car before Dan was ever allowed to.
That's a pretty convenient excuse for bad writing. Especially when O'Bannon has done nothing but brag about how amazing his original script was.

Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
I though Melkonis and the other names Dan made where awesome.
Melkonis, seriously?

Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
I thought Hills were just as interesting,
and now classic,
but not an IMPROVEMENT.
Ripley, Dallas, Lambert, Kane, Ash, Parker, Brett > Melkonis, Roby, Standard, Broussard, the other gee-willikers Scifi names O'Bannon used

Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
Thats how the final Alien script reads also.
Nope. Hill & Giler's script is smart, stylish and beautifully written with sharp dialogue. O'Bannon's is barely readable.

Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
Did Hill add any of the scare punchlines himself?
He certainly added the entire Ash subplot, which elevates the story immensely.

Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
Have Hill and Giler ever wrote another sci-fi movie?

Other then Alien 3?

(Once again swooping in at the last second.)
Does it matter? The fact that they don't write scifi and don't traffic in the usual cliches of that genre is one of the strengths they brought to their final Alien draft -- it stopped being a gee-whiz R-rated Fantastic Stories thing and became a tough, gritty thriller. Everything else O'Bannon has written in the genre has been interesting, but pretty subpar, aside from Total Recall (which was rewritten by Gary Goldman) and maybe Return of the Living Dead.

Quote from: RobThom on Jun 02, 2013, 11:20:48 PM
The reason for the only plot holes in Alien is smooshing Hill/Gilers army man script onto Dans.
Like?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jun 03, 2013, 12:02:56 AM
Quote from: maledoro on Jun 02, 2013, 09:01:13 PM
So, if this is "Novel #1", what would "Novel #2" cover?

Maybe something that runs concurrently with the films, but from a more corporate perspective? Though I guess that they'd have to shoehorn Aliens in there somehow.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 03, 2013, 12:09:46 AM
Books aren't going to interest me if there is no people getting heads crunched by Aliens in it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jun 03, 2013, 12:30:01 AM
I would honestly prefer an espionage story of sorts; perhaps something playing on Weyland-Yutani's indirect dealings with the Alien as the pursue it (and by extension, Ripley) through the galaxy. Assuming that they insist on using this time period, of course.

Could also prove to be a very interesting medium for the writers to delve more into the androids.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: maledoro on Jun 03, 2013, 02:23:22 AM
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Jun 03, 2013, 12:02:56 AM
Quote from: maledoro on Jun 02, 2013, 09:01:13 PM
So, if this is "Novel #1", what would "Novel #2" cover?
Maybe something that runs concurrently with the films, but from a more corporate perspective? Though I guess that they'd have to shoehorn Aliens in there somehow.
It doesn't help that the aliens are "away from the office".
;)

I would hate for the novels to all be the Company arriving late for the party and asking, "Gentlemen: what have we learned from this?".
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RobThom on Jun 03, 2013, 02:35:35 AM
My point being that Alien is farthest from a Ridley creation!

Dan, Hill, 1999, Christian, among a tribe of others that made it possible.

Ridley or Hill have a certain amount of ownership over that,
but not as much as they claim sometimes.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 03, 2013, 02:38:39 AM
QuoteMelkonis, seriously?


Hi, the name's Standard, Chaz Standard.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mike’s Monsters on Jun 03, 2013, 07:07:50 AM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Jun 02, 2013, 01:50:27 PM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 09:59:02 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:47:42 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
Is that your artwork?

No, but I'm good friends with the artist Dan LuVisi. I informed him about the cover and he had no idea. He's talking to his legal team.

I'd presume that Fox owns all commercially-created, licensed Alien artwork.

It never was used for commercial purposes. I've had the conversation with Dan already.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: acheronbeing on Jun 03, 2013, 07:55:29 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
How do you know such thing?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 03, 2013, 09:52:59 AM
I don't think it has to be used for commercial purposes - FOX owns the IP, so anyone who creates anything related to it is basically making fan-art, and FOX can do whatever they want with it.

See also: 'Alien Vault' including the fan-made Nostromo schematic, and the Alien Anthology blu-ray including the fan-made star-map made by our very own SM.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jun 03, 2013, 10:23:18 AM
It was already used to advertise A:CM. He didn't have an issue with it then?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: LarsVader on Jun 03, 2013, 03:45:38 PM
I am quite sure that the owner of any IP is not allowed to use fan-art commercially without the consent of the artist.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 03, 2013, 11:26:43 PM
Fox purlioned bits and pieces from my timeline website for the Blu-Rays without consent or credit.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 04, 2013, 12:59:33 AM
Quote from: LarsVader on Jun 03, 2013, 03:45:38 PM
I am quite sure that the owner of any IP is not allowed to use fan-art commercially without the consent of the artist.
The IP-owner could conceivably sue the creators of fan-art for infringing on their intellectual property.

It's their property, they're just being nice enough to let you play in their sandbox. Some license holders embrace that sort of thing (there have been Star Trek anthology books that were entirely fan-fiction stories), some that are fairly ambivalent towards it (Star Wars), and then there's FOX that runs the gamut of "using fan creations without giving credit" to "outright getting not-for-profit noncommercial fan websites shut down just cuz".

All of which is within their legal purview, mind you. Doesn't mean the fans have to like it, but that's kinda how it is.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mike’s Monsters on Jun 04, 2013, 02:08:54 AM
Quote from: SiL on Jun 03, 2013, 10:23:18 AM
It was already used to advertise A:CM. He didn't have an issue with it then?

It was meant for A:CM but for some reason it was never allowed to be used, officially. I don't know the details on that part.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomorphine on Jun 04, 2013, 12:14:11 PM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jun 02, 2013, 02:59:03 AM
Doesn't plug anything. Still doesn't explain how they missed the huge obviously alien spaceship within driving distance of the colony.

Look at the digital mapping software you see on both the Nostromo and dropship. See all those horizontal wireframe lines? That, right there, is how they were survey-mapping worlds. Imagine how the derelict would have looked on a display like that, surrounded by all those (very derelict-like, themselves) rock formations - and that's assuming the derelict's magnetic profile wouldn't have screwed around with it even further.

Automated software would have been looking for shapes recognisable as the kind of man-made structures we would build. Straight lines. Angular corners. What the colony looks like, basically. The derelict is a lot more organic, by contrast. Auto-mapping software would have likely misinterpreted it as a geological feature.

Now, if the colonists had personally ventured out that way, they might have visually seen a contrast in texture, but that's different. Also unlikely, because the Jordans are being sent out there on a survey mission and Russ calls in about wanting to know if his "claim" will be honoured. Ergo, no-one's had a reason to spend a week or so getting out to that specific location. They were more focused on trying to make their own colony a survivable investment.

Quote from: SM on Jun 03, 2013, 02:38:39 AM
Hi, the name's Standard, Chaz Standard.

"And this is my good buddy, Cleave Hunter..."

Corman gold, I tell you!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mike’s Monsters on Jun 04, 2013, 09:55:14 PM
Quote from: acheronbeing on Jun 03, 2013, 07:55:29 AM
Quote from: Mikey on Jun 02, 2013, 02:07:35 AM
They don't have permission to use that artwork, it is most likely going to change, if not, legal actions will be taken.
How do you know such thing?

He's one of my good friends.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 05, 2013, 12:06:28 AM
Quote"And this is my good buddy, Cleave Hunter..."

Corman Porn star gold, I tell you!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 05, 2013, 12:26:54 AM
Quote from: SM on Jun 03, 2013, 02:38:39 AM
Hi, the name's Standard, Chaz Standard.
Excuse me waiter, but I actually ordered the Chaz Deluxe.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: maledoro on Jun 05, 2013, 01:45:36 AM
Cleave Hunter sounds like a serial killer.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 05, 2013, 01:52:05 AM
Beware..... the CLEAVE HUNTER. He stalks the night, preying on the innocent!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jarac on Jun 05, 2013, 05:32:20 AM
Yeah, I remember seeing this on Amazon a few days back. I hope it's actually good. The franchise really needs something good to happen to it for once (well, besides Aliens: Infestation).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomorphine on Jun 09, 2013, 01:58:23 AM
Temptation... To put... Cheesy character names... In fan-film... Rising...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 09, 2013, 03:47:54 AM
I've tossed the idea around for a while now. :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: EJA on Jun 20, 2013, 03:32:59 PM
I wonder if this book will bring in Prometheus, AVP, or the Aliens: Colonial Marines 2013 game?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Sexy Poot on Jun 20, 2013, 06:53:40 PM
Hopefully NONE OF THEM.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: EJA on Jun 23, 2013, 09:50:48 AM
Why wouldn't they reference Prometheus?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 23, 2013, 10:22:15 AM
Licensing.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jun 23, 2013, 07:29:35 PM
Quote from: SM on Jun 23, 2013, 10:22:15 AM
Licensing.

This is being done by Titan, who published all of the Prometheus stuff. If it were Dark Horse making this book, then there'd be a problem.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 23, 2013, 11:16:52 PM
Depends on the terms of the license I suppose.  If you write an Alien book you can't just drop Prometheus stuff in willy-nilly, without also licensing Prometheus for EU fiction (or whatever the industy term would be).  Their license may allow them to include both.  Or not.  I'm not familiar with how it all works.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 24, 2013, 02:30:52 AM
Yeah, they might have to license it separately, or it might be some kind of package deal. At the least it looks like they have the 'Alien' and 'Aliens' license, but I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to get Prometheus as well. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jun 24, 2013, 04:49:52 AM
I hope this book doesn't reference Prometheus stuff, I think it would be better if it was just pure Alien universe material (stuff only introduced in the Quadrilogy).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 24, 2013, 06:54:09 AM
I'm hoping for Prometheus references, personally. Seeing Prometheus tie into the already existing Alien backstory as a whole would be pretty cool.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 24, 2013, 06:58:44 AM
I'm with predxeno on this one.  Let the next Prometheus movies tell that shiz.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jun 24, 2013, 07:06:22 AM
Or, better yet, forget it altogether.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 24, 2013, 10:49:46 AM
We could only hope. 

But since they won't do that, I'd rather get my "answers" in the form of big budget movie than a half assed novel trying to explain the background of what exactly the black goo, its relation with the alien, jockey motivations etc.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 24, 2013, 11:43:34 PM
Which will be roundly ignored when they make a movie anyway.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jun 25, 2013, 12:16:42 AM
There wouldn't be a point in making Prometheus 2 if they don't answer some of these questions.  Unless they go the route of Lost and just cover the initial questions with more questions.  In which case I'll not watch anymore because if so what was the point of even making Prometheus?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 25, 2013, 12:34:09 AM
Yeah Prometheus 2 needs to at least answer some (if not all) Shaw's questions.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 25, 2013, 01:24:13 AM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jun 24, 2013, 10:49:46 AM
We could only hope. 

But since they won't do that, I'd rather get my "answers" in the form of big budget movie than a half assed novel trying to explain the background of what exactly the black goo, its relation with the alien, jockey motivations etc.
I don't necessarily mean "answers" in the sense of addressing some of the specifics brought up in 'Prometheus', but since it looks like Weyland Yutani itself is going to be a focal point of this new book, I wouldn't be surprised if it namedropped Peter Weyland's death (and maybe the "public" cover-up surrounding it, since I suspect "Peter Weyland went off on a mission to literally meet god, and was never heard from again" wouldn't do well for the company's stock prices) and other "history" of the company post-Prometheus and leading up to 'Alien'. That topic is largely a blank slate even in the EU, and I doubt Prometheus 2 would really contradict any company backstory stuff they chose to make up since I imagine it won't be much of a focus of Ridley Scott's sequel.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 01:05:08 PM
They should just do a Relaunch with the Alien/Predator Eu (like they did with the Star Trek books) with everything fitting together continuity-wise.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jun 26, 2013, 05:47:41 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 01:05:08 PM
They should just do a Relaunch with the Alien/Predator Eu (like they did with the Star Trek books) with everything fitting together continuity-wise.

A perfect opportunity to completely omit the Predator from everything. I like it!  :D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 26, 2013, 06:55:01 PM
A whole new continuity is something I would love. Something that is managed properly and fits within itself nicely.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 09:41:38 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Jun 26, 2013, 05:47:41 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 01:05:08 PM
They should just do a Relaunch with the Alien/Predator Eu (like they did with the Star Trek books) with everything fitting together continuity-wise.

A perfect opportunity to completely omit the Predator from everything. I like it!  :D

No, I meant something that accounts for everything, including the Predator, Aliens vs Predator stuff.

I'm one of the rare people that has actually enjoyed all the films.  To different degrees, yes, but I liked them all just the same.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jun 26, 2013, 11:17:42 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 09:41:38 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Jun 26, 2013, 05:47:41 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 01:05:08 PM
They should just do a Relaunch with the Alien/Predator Eu (like they did with the Star Trek books) with everything fitting together continuity-wise.

A perfect opportunity to completely omit the Predator from everything. I like it!  :D

No, I meant something that accounts for everything, including the Predator, Aliens vs Predator stuff.

I'm one of the rare people that has actually enjoyed all the films.  To different degrees, yes, but I liked them all just the same.

Oh yes I know, I was just pulling your chain.  ;)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 27, 2013, 12:19:28 AM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Jun 26, 2013, 01:05:08 PM
They should just do a Relaunch with the Alien/Predator Eu (like they did with the Star Trek books) with everything fitting together continuity-wise.
That's really not true with Star Trek stuff, though - anything other than Trek films and TV shows still aren't "canon", so even rebooting all the Trek books wouldn't make a difference.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Jun 27, 2013, 02:09:04 PM
I know it's not 'canon' but they are now considered the official continuation of the Trek TV shows.  They did a Star Trek Relaunch years ago.  They all take place after the TV series, and events that happen in each book impact stuff that happens in other books. Also, events that happen in a TNG novel can impact a DS9 novel, or a Voyager novel, or an Original series novel.

Yeah, the Trek EU is pretty much set up the same way as the Star Wars EU now; everything fits together.

That is what I want for Aliens and Predator.  I find EUs like this far more enjoyable.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 27, 2013, 11:20:37 PM
It can't be done with Alien without re-writing 90% of the material to varying degrees however.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Jun 28, 2013, 05:05:24 AM
That's what I mean by a "Relaunch" though.  Start over from scratch with a new EU.  You can keep some of the old stuff that can be made to fit, and basically ignore everything else.  That's what Star Trek did.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 28, 2013, 05:46:27 AM
Dunno how it'd work though.  Anything set between Prometheus and Alien runs the risk of being wiped out by future films like what happened with Alien3 and Resurrection.  And the post Resurrection time period is the least popular for fans who want pulse rifles and dropships.  For everything in between where the only contact with Aliens is shwn in the film, there's only so many stories you can tell that can viably avoid 'history'.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jun 28, 2013, 07:17:00 PM
Frankly I wouldn't be bothered if they left things the way they are and just told cool stories.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 03, 2013, 10:56:16 AM
Just pre-ordered this. It was cheap, and I'm interested. It'll be my first foray into expanded universe Alien novels (although I have read the movie novelizations) so I'm looking forward to it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: cloverfan98 on Aug 11, 2013, 04:50:55 AM
I'm really excited for this. Personally I'm hoping it delivers on what I had hopped Prometheus would but failed to do. So this will in no way be connected to the two aliens series before it?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 11, 2013, 08:17:30 AM
Which series do you mean?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 11, 2013, 10:13:08 AM
I assume he means the old comic novels and then the DH Press novels.

I'll be interviewing Tim Lebbon tonight.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 11, 2013, 11:04:07 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 11, 2013, 10:13:08 AMI'll be interviewing Tim Lebbon tonight.
Awesome, look forward to hearing about that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Aug 11, 2013, 01:51:31 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 11, 2013, 10:13:08 AM
I'll be interviewing Tim Lebbon tonight.

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-l5-l7W6C7Ac%2FTdLzpGrAD-I%2FAAAAAAAAA-s%2Fr6aLlz-_o4Q%2Fs1600%2Fburns-excellent.gif&hash=7813de90718a81d36dc5e91a36a21cc271c28417)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2013, 06:25:57 AM
I've sent the interview to get edited but a few points from the chat -

* The first in a trilogy commissioned by Fox.
* Tim is only writing this one.
* Is a "unknown history" of Ripley between Alien and Aliens. Why it isn't mentioned in the other movies is addressed.
* Also includes remnants of Ash's AI.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Aug 13, 2013, 06:37:14 AM
Hate to critique a story before it is released but damn, I hate all this lets revisit old characters and give them secret histories nonsense that seems to be prevalent in every Alien story nowadays.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 13, 2013, 06:42:18 AM
Yeah it's not exactly inspiring confidence.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: cloverfan98 on Aug 13, 2013, 07:23:08 AM
Intresting cause this sounds awesome to me. Maybe I'm crazy but I like the idea of these novels tying into the films. If they are bad then yeah ignore them and rank them up with the Aliens Earth Hive Trilogy at least in terms of not lining up with the films.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2013, 07:57:38 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2013, 06:25:57 AM* Is a "unknown history" of Ripley between Alien and Aliens.
Yeah, hugely disappointed to hear it's about Ripley. That's just lame. There seriously must have been so much else they could've written about between Alien and Aliens, without involving her. I would've been far more interested in hearing about new things than just having the same old characters shoehorned in. As if Aliens: Colonial Marines wasn't retarded enough in resurrecting Hicks.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2013, 06:25:57 AMWhy it isn't mentioned in the other movies is addressed.
Superman kissed her and erased her memory?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: DC on Aug 13, 2013, 11:04:42 AM
Yeah the only logical reason I can come up with is that she had some sort of memory-wipe/trauma. I hope it's something cooler though, something more creative than that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Aug 13, 2013, 01:31:32 PM
The alternate histories dished out by writers usually don't end very well written so I don't feel too confident about this. :(
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xeno on Aug 13, 2013, 02:00:50 PM
I've done an interview with Tim too. If you like, you can read it here: http://bit.ly/11ZYNup (http://bit.ly/11ZYNup) Enjoy it!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Aug 13, 2013, 02:06:08 PM
Thanks for the link, loved the interview.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2013, 02:12:28 PM
Yeah, thanks for the interview. I'm at least a little hopeful that the other novels may branch out a bit, based on what Tim said about writing the first and therefore getting to do a Ripley story. Could be interpreted as the others not being about Ripley.

Maybe one of the sequels will be about what happened to Morse after Alien 3...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 15, 2013, 12:13:49 AM
Cool, thanks for posting that interview! It's interesting that FOX were the ones who commissioned the series, and I also smiled when the big C word got thrown around in the interview. :P

I wish the interview had asked if there would be any Prometheus references in the series, though...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Aug 15, 2013, 01:23:40 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Aug 15, 2013, 12:13:49 AM
I wish the interview had asked if there would be any Prometheus references in the series, though...

AvP2D: Can fans expect any Prometheus references, since Ridley Scott's movie takes place in the same fictional universe as the Alien-Saga?

Tim: Eagle-eyed readers might spot one or two references, but it's not overt.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 15, 2013, 01:39:03 AM
Stay tuned for ep 13 of AvPG Podcast.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Aug 15, 2013, 04:49:32 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Aug 15, 2013, 12:13:49 AM
Cool, thanks for posting that interview! It's interesting that FOX were the ones who commissioned the series, and I also smiled when the big C word got thrown around in the interview. :P

Yeah, despite that there will still be fans saying otherwise; especially after A:CM's similar claim.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 15, 2013, 04:53:04 AM
I don't see any way that is remotely convincing that this would work.  Sounds like a recipe for continuity disaster.

I'd love to be surprised though.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2013, 05:34:39 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 13, 2013, 06:37:14 AM
Hate to critique a story before it is released but damn, I hate all this lets revisit old characters and give them secret histories nonsense that seems to be prevalent in every Alien story nowadays.

We couldn't call it prevalent, surely? - we've had A:CM and Hicks so far unless I'm missing something? That said, I was thinking that this might not go down well.

Quote from: DC on Aug 13, 2013, 11:04:42 AM
Yeah the only logical reason I can come up with is that she had some sort of memory-wipe/trauma. I hope it's something cooler though, something more creative than that.

I imagine it'll have something to do with the cryotube.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2013, 02:12:28 PM
Maybe one of the sequels will be about what happened to Morse after Alien 3...

I've wanted this for so long! I really do hope we get that.

I am defintely going to pick the novel up and I'm going to go into it open-minded. I'm interested to see what he does with Ash (I love robot stories lately) and I'd like to see how it's all handled.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: DC on Aug 15, 2013, 05:50:29 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2013, 05:34:39 PM
I imagine it'll have something to do with the cryotube.

Possibly a side effect of being in there so long? I don't see how it would make sense, considering she was in the exact same state at the beginning of Aliens and the end of Alien.
Better be a d*mn good reason why none of this is mentioned in Aliens.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Aug 15, 2013, 07:19:02 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2013, 05:34:39 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 13, 2013, 06:37:14 AM
Hate to critique a story before it is released but damn, I hate all this lets revisit old characters and give them secret histories nonsense that seems to be prevalent in every Alien story nowadays.

We couldn't call it prevalent, surely? - we've had A:CM and Hicks so far unless I'm missing something? That said, I was thinking that this might not go down well.


Alien should be omitted.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 15, 2013, 11:05:20 PM
QuoteI'm interested to see what he does with Ash (I love robot stories lately) and I'd like to see how it's all handled.

That is one thing I am interested in.  Possibly the only thing.

Ripley's Forgotten Adventures (TM) does not thrill me.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 16, 2013, 07:41:05 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2013, 05:34:39 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2013, 02:12:28 PMMaybe one of the sequels will be about what happened to Morse after Alien 3...

I've wanted this for so long! I really do hope we get that.
:) I'm not sure you could write a whole story around him, but he could definitely be a supporting character. The novelization of Resurrection tells us he writes about his experiences on Fiorina, so Weyland-Yutani clearly don't off him.

I've still got this book on pre-order, but I admit my enthusiasm for it has dropped sharply. Still, so long as it's well-written I'll probably enjoy it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: TorsoInvader on Aug 16, 2013, 03:30:17 PM
I have a feeing this is going to be a train wreck.

Quote from: SM on Aug 15, 2013, 11:05:20 PM
QuoteI'm interested to see what he does with Ash (I love robot stories lately) and I'd like to see how it's all handled.

That is one thing I am interested in.  Possibly the only thing.

Ripley's Forgotten Adventures (TM) does not thrill me.

lol don't give them ideas SM.

Why the crap are they trying to make a ripley story BETWEEN Alien and Aliens?? Don't they realize that it will end up with a hilarious retcon that makes no sence like they tried with A:cm?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Aug 16, 2013, 04:51:24 PM
Sequels that try to alter the audience's perception of the original work are mostly offensive (human Space Jockeys, anyone?). Did anybody read that Blade Runner sequel where we 'found out' that Pris was actually a human? Bad bad bad.

I'll still read it though, since it's likely to be marine-less, and that'll be refreshing.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Aug 16, 2013, 08:36:27 PM
Yeah they should totally put some soldiers in these Aliens stories!





;)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 17, 2013, 12:47:49 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 15, 2013, 07:19:02 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2013, 05:34:39 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Aug 13, 2013, 06:37:14 AM
Hate to critique a story before it is released but damn, I hate all this lets revisit old characters and give them secret histories nonsense that seems to be prevalent in every Alien story nowadays.

We couldn't call it prevalent, surely? - we've had A:CM and Hicks so far unless I'm missing something? That said, I was thinking that this might not go down well.


Alien should be omitted.

Yeah, I'll give you that one then!  :)

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 16, 2013, 07:41:05 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2013, 05:34:39 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2013, 02:12:28 PMMaybe one of the sequels will be about what happened to Morse after Alien 3...

I've wanted this for so long! I really do hope we get that.
:) I'm not sure you could write a whole story around him, but he could definitely be a supporting character. The novelization of Resurrection tells us he writes about his experiences on Fiorina, so Weyland-Yutani clearly don't off him.

I've still got this book on pre-order, but I admit my enthusiasm for it has dropped sharply. Still, so long as it's well-written I'll probably enjoy it.

He'd definitely be an attractive target for other organisations that want to know more about the Alien. I think he could be a main character in a book.

I understand a lot of the negative feelings about the hidden history angle of this book but I'm not going to write it off yet. I really want to see what is done with Ash and how Tim Lebbon handles it. He sounds like he's really into the series and it sounds like the next novels wont be Ripley focused.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 12:01:32 AM
I'm interested to see how he addresses Ripley being in the the exact same sleeping position at the end of Alien and start of Aliens.  And the gun jammed in the hatch.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 19, 2013, 01:37:26 AM
The "Ripley" thing might be a red herring entirely. Perhaps the only part she really has to do with the plot is how the salvage team comes across the Narcissus and recovers it? "Ripley's in the book" can mean a lot of things.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 01:45:33 AM
AvPG Pod epsiode 13 will...



Well, you'll have to listen and find out.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomorphine on Aug 19, 2013, 02:29:16 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 01:45:33 AM
AvPG Pod epsiode 13 will...

Well, you'll have to listen and find out.

Did the revelations meet with your expectations, SM? Or were you more ??? than ;D?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 02:42:17 AM
The former.

This could really be the greatest twist in modern literature if he manages to pull it off...









I wish could believe that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomorphine on Aug 19, 2013, 04:11:56 AM
Being filled with awe and pessimism at the same time... Were this any other fandom, that'd be a damned unusual state of mind to experience.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 05:48:25 AM
I think pessimism is pre-judging it a bit too harsly.

The potential, however, for suckage is much, MUCH higher with something that re-writes the source material.  We saw how well the fanbase responded to the shitstain that was A:CM.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 19, 2013, 07:29:49 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 05:48:25 AMThe potential, however, for suckage is much, MUCH higher with something that re-writes the source material.  We saw how well the fanbase responded to the shitstain that was A:CM.
I didn't have a problem with what ACM did in principle, it was just the way it was done. It was so nonsensical. They clearly decided what they were going to do before they'd thought of a logical way of making it happen, then they just kinda bullshitted it.

Part of the problem was the fact they chose Hicks. His character was unequivocally dead in the films. Maybe if they'd picked someone else who could conceivably have still been alive. Wierzbowski could still have been floating around in LV-426 somewhere... Might've been fun seeing him get developed into a leading character. Of course, that would've required effort, like actual character development...

Back on topic, I haven't given up on this novel, but I'm wary. Forgive me for being a bit of a newbie when it comes to things like this, but I find the way Lebbon has apparently had the story thrust upon him pretty strange. Does that often happen in the expanded universes of film series?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 19, 2013, 09:49:44 AM
In the grand scheme of things, especially in light of how it was explained in the DLC, I actually didn't have that big of a problem with retconning Hicks' death.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 19, 2013, 10:01:01 AM
If anything, the explanation in the DLC annoyed me even more. It was so ridiculous, that entire scene just had me saying, "Oh come on!"
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 11:43:09 PM
QuoteDoes that often happen in the expanded universes of film series?

I don't think so.  I think it's more the norm that the publisher has the license and they look to authors in their stable and ask them to pitch ideas.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 20, 2013, 07:36:00 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 11:43:09 PMI don't think so.  I think it's more the norm that the publisher has the license and they look to authors in their stable and ask them to pitch ideas.
OK. I did think it was strange, having someone else's plot thrust upon you and being told to write it. That's not really the basis for a cohesive novel.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 20, 2013, 11:15:25 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 20, 2013, 07:36:00 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 11:43:09 PMI don't think so.  I think it's more the norm that the publisher has the license and they look to authors in their stable and ask them to pitch ideas.
OK. I did think it was strange, having someone else's plot thrust upon you and being told to write it. That's not really the basis for a cohesive novel.
Eh... depends on how it's handled. Star Wars EU has been doing it for years.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 20, 2013, 11:26:32 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 20, 2013, 07:36:00 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 19, 2013, 11:43:09 PMI don't think so.  I think it's more the norm that the publisher has the license and they look to authors in their stable and ask them to pitch ideas.
OK. I did think it was strange, having someone else's plot thrust upon you and being told to write it. That's not really the basis for a cohesive novel.

The idea from Fox was very broad and vague, allowing the author a lot of creative leeway to play with.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: saintssinphony on Aug 23, 2013, 03:09:23 PM
I re-read many of the novels awhile back and unfortunately my hopes are not too high for this.  I wish it will be awesome, thought provoking, shivers up the spine scary at most and a good read at the very least but I sure didn't like many of the novels (not based on movies, EU stuff).

The books based on the movies were ok but I'd rather just see the film.  I usually enjoy books more than film but this was a complete opposite in regard to the alien universe. 

Also, I'm anxious to hear what you guys talked about it Podcast 13. 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 27, 2013, 08:21:00 AM
Quote from: saintssinphony on Aug 23, 2013, 03:09:23 PMThe books based on the movies were ok but I'd rather just see the film.  I usually enjoy books more than film but this was a complete opposite in regard to the alien universe.
Probably because the movies came first in this case, rather than the other way around.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: saintssinphony on Aug 27, 2013, 02:07:28 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 27, 2013, 08:21:00 AM
Quote from: saintssinphony on Aug 23, 2013, 03:09:23 PMThe books based on the movies were ok but I'd rather just see the film.  I usually enjoy books more than film but this was a complete opposite in regard to the alien universe.
Probably because the movies came first in this case, rather than the other way around.

Very true.  I usually don't like a book if it was written after a movie or if a movie is being made and an author rushes a book to get it out with the movie.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 28, 2013, 02:26:24 AM
The latter is what happens in 99% of novelisations.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2013, 07:40:22 AM
Well yes, that's kind of the definition of a novelization.

Although, in their defence, the Alan Dean Foster novelizations were at least competently written. Crispin's Alien Resurrection novelization on the other hand...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: saintssinphony on Aug 28, 2013, 01:50:58 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2013, 07:40:22 AM
Well yes, that's kind of the definition of a novelization.

Although, in their defence, the Alan Dean Foster novelizations were at least competently written. Crispin's Alien Resurrection novelization on the other hand...

I didn't think they were bad, I liked having the first 3 movie novels to read because they kept me really entertained.  I couldn't watch the movies at the time so it was the only way to get my Alien fix but that Resurrection one was hard to deal with.  I don't exactly like the movie either but my brain was berating me for taking that crap in.

I'd read the novels of the movies any day over the adventures of HIKS N NOOT.  Those comics (first two anyhow) descent art but putting into book form I didn't really enjoy.  I just hope Out of Shadows is good.  I really think the Alien franchise needs to hit a homerun or atleast a double or something  :)  I'm another bitter soul from the anticipation of A:CM that found the game to be a nice coaster for the glass table top so I so bad want this book to be cool.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2013, 01:56:02 PM
Yeah, my previous post sounded a little harsh - I actually really enjoyed the ADF novelizations. But obviously they were limited by having to follow the scripts.

As for Resurrection, ironically I thought that was the most interesting of the four in terms of giving you extra details not included in the film (and clearing up some of the plot holes in the movie), but well written it was not.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Aug 28, 2013, 05:27:39 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2013, 01:56:02 PMAs for Resurrection, ironically I thought that was the most interesting of the four in terms of giving you extra details not included in the film (and clearing up some of the plot holes in the movie), but well written it was not.

I remember when that novel hit the shelves, shortly before the movie opened, and I saw that ADF didn't write it. I'd had my doubts about the picture already, but seeing that ADF passed on writing the novel ('cause you know they offered it to him) told me all I needed to know about what I was gonna get...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2013, 06:49:06 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Aug 28, 2013, 05:27:39 PMI remember when that novel hit the shelves, shortly before the movie opened, and I saw that ADF didn't write it. I'd had my doubts about the picture already, but seeing that ADF passed on writing the novel ('cause you know they offered it to him) told me all I needed to know about what I was gonna get...
I heard he turned it down because Fox made him throw out some changes he suggested for the Alien 3 novel, like keeping Newt alive.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 28, 2013, 07:59:13 PM
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/alan-dean-foster/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/alan-dean-foster/)

From 06.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 28, 2013, 09:07:07 PM
I like movie novelizations in general, I find them to be a fascinating side part of the moviegoing experience. The novelizations are sometimes based on earlier script drafts and are often written while the movie is still in production, so they'll include parts that end up as "deleted scenes" when the movie actually comes out. I've got a ton of movie novelizations, and sometimes they're written in really interesting ways. The ADF 'Chronicles of Riddick' novelization has a whole appendix with the history of the Necromonger culture and their beliefs and whatnot, the 'Maverick' novelization is all written in first-person, the 'Fallen' novelization spoils the movie's "twist" on the first page, the 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' novelization is written like a pulp serial book (and even name-drops references to other SKY CAPTAIN serial adventures that don't exist), the ADF 'The Thing' novelization has drastically different deaths for every single character, and the 'Pacific Rim' novelization has a bunch of fake "artifacts" from within the fictional world sprinkled at the chapter breaks (stuff like tech specs on the Jaegers, fake newspaper clippings, fake character interview transcripts, all kinds of stuff).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 28, 2013, 11:35:25 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 28, 2013, 01:56:02 PM
Yeah, my previous post sounded a little harsh - I actually really enjoyed the ADF novelizations. But obviously they were limited by having to follow the scripts.

As for Resurrection, ironically I thought that was the most interesting of the four in terms of giving you extra details not included in the film (and clearing up some of the plot holes in the movie), but well written it was not.

I don't recall anything especially bad in the Resurrection novelisation.  I think I read Crispins Han Solo series of books around the same time which I remember really digging.

Cerasini's AvP novelisation though - that really stank.  Very amateurish.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 29, 2013, 01:21:27 AM
I actually liked the AvP novelization quite a bit. Not as much as the ADF ones, but more than the Resurrection one (which I didn't dislike).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Aug 29, 2013, 01:29:35 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 28, 2013, 07:59:13 PM
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/alan-dean-foster/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/alan-dean-foster/)

From 06.

Hey, thanks for that interview! I'll always treasure ADF's Alien novelization - that book (along with the Warren magazine) was Alien for me from 1979-1983, until I was finally able to see the film at a friend's place on VHS. Ah, the memories. :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 29, 2013, 07:32:33 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Aug 28, 2013, 09:07:07 PMI like movie novelizations in general, I find them to be a fascinating side part of the moviegoing experience. The novelizations are sometimes based on earlier script drafts and are often written while the movie is still in production, so they'll include parts that end up as "deleted scenes" when the movie actually comes out.
Or, as is the case in the Predator novelization, you have a completely different monster that bears almost no relation to the one ultimately featured in the film!

Quote from: SM on Aug 28, 2013, 11:35:25 PMI don't recall anything especially bad in the Resurrection novelisation.  I think I read Crispins Han Solo series of books around the same time which I remember really digging.
I just thought the writing was slightly childish, in comparison to ADF's far more mature style. Still, I shan't knock anyone for enjoying it. Like I said, I found the extra info it contained pretty interesting.

Oh, and thanks for the (inadvertent) warning about AVP, despite not liking the film I was thinking about picking that one up to see if it improved anything. I shan't bother now!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 29, 2013, 08:31:02 AM
To be fair to the 'Predator' novelization, that's an example of it being based on an earlier version of the script. The Predator in the novelization is basically what we would have gotten if they'd kept the original "insect head" design played by Jean Claude Van Damme.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 29, 2013, 08:33:04 AM
Well yes, that was my point. Interesting to see what might have been.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Aug 30, 2013, 09:30:43 PM
Quote from: predxeno on Jun 02, 2013, 03:37:28 AM
Quote from: thewoozy on Jun 02, 2013, 12:53:56 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Jun 01, 2013, 10:50:09 PM
From other EU stories, we know that Aliens can survive in the vacuum of space (including the Queen, after she gets dumped out of the Sulaco).

Was the queen from Aliens featured in an EU Story? I can't remember. Do you remember which one?

I don't think so; I read all the Aliens Omnibuses and novels.

As have I. I don't recall the Queen from Aliens being a character in any story outside the movie.

Also, it would be feasible to consider any kind of red tape or legal hoops for WY to jump through to begin colonization. They're just a company, which no doubt had to answer to the government (we assume WY is an American company, or even American-Japan/China company, Yutani being from where...?) so perhaps it took many years, so in the mean time they diverged company ships to investigate potential planets/planetoids (or even used probes like in Empire Strikes Back).

Although... if the company orders were to bring back the life form... they must have known LV-426 had a crashed ship. This leads us back to Prometheus... the Weyland Corporation...Prometheus (ship) must have sent back data to Earth. That, or Weyland Corp realized they had lost a ship and sent out other ships to scout for it/go on the same mission as Prometheus, to find extraterrestrial life forms. Either way, there's still speculation to this day until new movies come out lol
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Aug 31, 2013, 04:03:33 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Aug 30, 2013, 09:30:43 PM
Although... if the company orders were to bring back the life form... they must have known LV-426 had a crashed ship.

This may carry no weight as far as the films go, but since this is a thread about novels:

In ADF's Alien novel, Ash tells Ripley, Parker and Lambert that the company had, before putting Ash aboard the Nostromo, received and deciphered the derelict transmission, which was "frighteningly specific".
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Aug 31, 2013, 04:44:11 AM
Aliens: Original Sin said that the Space Jockeys themselves told the company about the ship's location.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 31, 2013, 10:17:10 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Aug 30, 2013, 09:30:43 PM(we assume WY is an American company, or even American-Japan/China company, Yutani being from where...?)
I thought Weyland-Yutani was supposed to be a British/Japanese conglomerate, according to Ridley Scott's notes.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Aug 31, 2013, 11:22:21 AM
Yes, but it was Ron Cobb's notes.

If Pete was a pom, problem solved. :)

Quote
Although... if the company orders were to bring back the life form... they must have known LV-426 had a crashed ship. This leads us back to Prometheus... the Weyland Corporation...Prometheus (ship) must have sent back data to Earth.

Not really.  Some Company probe or something picked up the signal and they got the next passing ship to check it out.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Sep 04, 2013, 05:32:50 AM
Quote from: predxeno on Aug 31, 2013, 04:44:11 AM
Aliens: Original Sin said that the Space Jockeys themselves told the company about the ship's location.
I need to reread that (along with all the other "newer" original stories) because I don't recall that at all. I'll believe it though.
Quote from: SM on Aug 31, 2013, 11:22:21 AM
Yes, but it was Ron Cobb's notes.

If Pete was a pom, problem solved. :)

Quote
Although... if the company orders were to bring back the life form... they must have known LV-426 had a crashed ship. This leads us back to Prometheus... the Weyland Corporation...Prometheus (ship) must have sent back data to Earth.

Not really.  Some Company probe or something picked up the signal and they got the next passing ship to check it out.
Or we can assume a new ship would be sent out to discover what happened, which could be a plot for a new film, but the only thing wrong with your comment is the timeline... how many years difference between Alien and Prometheus? I'm not sure off hand.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 31, 2013, 10:17:10 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Aug 30, 2013, 09:30:43 PM(we assume WY is an American company, or even American-Japan/China company, Yutani being from where...?)
I thought Weyland-Yutani was supposed to be a British/Japanese conglomerate, according to Ridley Scott's notes.
Considering what we've seen, yeah I would retract my comment. British film maker, British actors...  yielding a fictional part British company? I can see where you're going with this :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Sep 04, 2013, 05:41:24 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Sep 04, 2013, 05:32:50 AM
Quote from: predxeno on Aug 31, 2013, 04:44:11 AM
Aliens: Original Sin said that the Space Jockeys themselves told the company about the ship's location.
I need to reread that (along with all the other "newer" original stories) because I don't recall that at all. I'll believe it though.

It was at the end, where they explained a lot of things; it was part of a trade where the space jockeys got an entire human colony that I believe was mining some rich mineral.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 04, 2013, 06:28:56 AM
Quotehow many years difference between Alien and Prometheus? I'm not sure off hand.

30.

QuoteBritish film maker, British actors...  yielding a fictional part British company?

Named by an American.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Sep 06, 2013, 03:53:23 PM
Quote from: SM on Sep 04, 2013, 06:28:56 AM
Quotehow many years difference between Alien and Prometheus? I'm not sure off hand.

30.

QuoteBritish film maker, British actors...  yielding a fictional part British company?

Named by an American.

MFW

I'm eager to reread Original Sin now, but more so for a new novel. Of course, it's been so long, it'll seem new to me hahaha.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 07, 2013, 02:31:45 AM
I'll FINALLY have access to all my Aliens comics and novels and shit in the very near future - I'm moving into my new house tomorrow, and I took all of my stuff out of storage today.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Sep 07, 2013, 06:28:40 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 07, 2013, 02:31:45 AM
I'll FINALLY have access to all my Aliens comics and novels and shit in the very near future - I'm moving into my new house tomorrow, and I took all of my stuff out of storage today.

Sweet yo! Congrats on getting a new house btw
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 22, 2013, 11:18:31 AM
http://media.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode13.mp3 (http://media.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode13.mp3)

Interview is up. Transcript will be finished as soon as I can bring myself to listen to my voice again.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 22, 2013, 01:08:02 PM
Thanks for posting.

Still not entirely convinced by this book, but I'll definitely give it a read.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 24, 2013, 12:43:16 AM
Okay place your bets - how is Ripley going to not remember all this?

1) Men In Black-style mind wipe.
2) The dream helmet technology used to record and playback dreams/ memories in Prometheus can also be used to wipe dreams/ memories.
3) She's hugged at the start, but has the burster extracted at the end and it's hugger induced amnesia.
4) [Insert your own explanation here]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 24, 2013, 01:57:55 AM
#2 isn't a horrible idea, that's actually a really interesting (and terrifying) use of the technology.

Well I mean wiping *Ripley's* memories is kind of wacky depending on the execution, but the idea itself isn't a bad one. It's a logical continuation from the "invasive" theme present throughout 'Alien' and 'Prometheus'.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Sep 24, 2013, 04:37:53 PM
5) Bonked on head with coconut, 'Gilligan's Island' style.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 24, 2013, 11:11:18 PM
I think that works better than any of the ones I mentioned.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Sep 25, 2013, 04:37:50 AM
6) Cybernetic implants awaken sleeper Ripley and this explains why regular Ripley kicks so much Alien ass in the other two movies.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 25, 2013, 04:44:46 AM
The two other books in this series will be the Continuing Adventures of RoboRipley.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Sep 25, 2013, 05:42:18 AM
Ghost in the Ripley
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 25, 2013, 06:37:02 AM
Ash In The Machine.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: cloverfan98 on Dec 13, 2013, 06:28:19 AM
While the premise itself is kinda corny am I the only one looking forward to this? I've wanted the films to stop trying to redo Ripley but as far as the novels are concerned we already have so many with all new original characters that I'm excited about the opportunity to explore the film's characters from a perspective that only a book can provide. Especially Ash.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Dec 13, 2013, 06:32:58 AM
I hold the EU universe(s) in their own little canon so I give no f**ks about what they do with Ripley.  I'll read it, though I have my doubts about it being entertaining material.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Dec 13, 2013, 08:16:39 AM
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Ash is done. Just very hesitant about how they fit in the forgot history aspect of it.  :-\
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 13, 2013, 08:44:55 AM
I'm looking forward to some elements. The Ash angle could be interesting.

I just freaking hate how they have to try and shoehorn it in between the films. It's like this new Alien: Isolation game where you fight an Alien as Ripley's daughter while her mom's floating out in space. Somehow none of this is mentioned in the second film...

Is there seriously no one else who'd vastly prefer a well-written story that might reference the films, but is otherwise unconnected? It doesn't have to have Ripley or Hicks in it for me to care. In fact I'd honestly rather it didn't. Make up some decent characters of your own.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Dec 13, 2013, 02:25:59 PM
Speaking of Aliens: Isolation, I wonder if Isolation and Out of the Shadows will cross-reference each other in any way, since they both happen between the first two movies.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Dec 13, 2013, 05:18:41 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Dec 13, 2013, 02:25:59 PM
Speaking of Aliens: Isolation, I wonder if Isolation and Out of the Shadows will cross-reference each other in any way, since they both happen between the first two movies.
Wouldn't surprise me. I wouldn't mind. In the Gears of War 3 campaign, several characters make references to events that happened in between the games that the novels by Karen Traviss include in detail. Love those little nods.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Dec 13, 2013, 05:51:59 PM
I don't think so. It sounds like the trilogy are purely they're own self contained universe.

Might be getting a copy or two to give away via the website. Not 100% yet. The publishers offered me some but I haven't heard from them since.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Dec 13, 2013, 09:49:20 PM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Dec 13, 2013, 05:18:41 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Dec 13, 2013, 02:25:59 PM
Speaking of Aliens: Isolation, I wonder if Isolation and Out of the Shadows will cross-reference each other in any way, since they both happen between the first two movies.
Wouldn't surprise me. I wouldn't mind. In the Gears of War 3 campaign, several characters make references to events that happened in between the games that the novels by Karen Traviss include in detail. Love those little nods.
To be fair, Karen Traviss also wrote Gears of War 3 itself.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Dec 13, 2013, 11:54:17 PM
I know but that doesn't mean every detail she wrote made it into the final cut for the voice actors. But for those that did, I picked up on them immediately and I'm sure other fans who read the books did too.

I like it when a sequel acknowledges the existence of the story that came before it, whether it be an event, a person or a paraphrased retelling (for those that hadn't seen it).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Dec 14, 2013, 02:39:18 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Dec 13, 2013, 11:54:17 PM
I like it when a sequel acknowledges the existence of the story that came before it, whether it be an event, a person or a paraphrased retelling (for those that hadn't seen it).
Don't get me wrong, so do I. :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Dec 14, 2013, 03:06:31 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Dec 14, 2013, 02:39:18 AM
Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on Dec 13, 2013, 11:54:17 PM
I like it when a sequel acknowledges the existence of the story that came before it, whether it be an event, a person or a paraphrased retelling (for those that hadn't seen it).
Don't get me wrong, so do I. :)
That's cool. On a related note, as you'll read in the other thread, I did forget about the plot related to this novel... should have scrolled up and reread some points. I thought "oh yeah, there's a new book.... wait, what the hell is it about"
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Dec 14, 2013, 05:54:55 AM
Haha, no worries.

As with Isolation, I'm setting my expectations MEGA-low for this book, and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Jay Thomas on Dec 26, 2013, 05:04:48 PM
Out of the Shadows has been delayed from Jan 7 to Jan 28.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1781162689/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d12_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0X90PY7Z390KGQH1DRQ9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1781162689/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d12_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0X90PY7Z390KGQH1DRQ9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846)

I hope it doesn't get delayed further! I'm looking forward to this.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 15, 2014, 06:31:12 PM
I should have my review copy (and some competition copies) next week. Will also have preview to go up in a week or 2 as well.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 17, 2014, 08:06:46 AM
I've got the preview. It'll be next week.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 17, 2014, 08:38:49 AM
Looking forward to it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jan 17, 2014, 01:31:57 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 17, 2014, 08:06:46 AM
I've got the preview. It'll be next week.
I know it's only been a matter of hours since you got it, but surely you're done reading it and can tell us all about it, right? ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: TheBATMAN on Jan 17, 2014, 11:32:59 PM
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/alien-out-of-the-shadows-excerpt-tim-lebbon?utm_source=Feedburner%3A+Frontpage+Partial+RSS+Feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Torcom%2FFrontpage_Partial+(Tor.com+Frontpage+Partial+-+Blog+and+Stories) (http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/01/alien-out-of-the-shadows-excerpt-tim-lebbon?utm_source=Feedburner%3A+Frontpage+Partial+RSS+Feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Torcom%2FFrontpage_Partial+(Tor.com+Frontpage+Partial+-+Blog+and+Stories))
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 18, 2014, 07:11:23 PM
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/aliens-novels/out-of-the-shadows-preview/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/aliens-novels/out-of-the-shadows-preview/)

Here's the preview.  :)

Thats pants. It's the same as the one Tor uploaded.  :-\ Well enjoy anyway gents!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jan 18, 2014, 10:08:51 PM
Thanks, Hicks, much appreciated.  This actually reminds me of the Aliens novels by Diane Carey (Aliens: DNA War and Aliens: Cauldron), they always started with some sort of ship-almost-crashing emergency as the prologue.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jan 18, 2014, 11:37:21 PM
RobThom, you remind me of Christopher Walken.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: TheBATMAN on Jan 20, 2014, 08:54:42 PM
I have the book. Early days but interesting so far without being spectacular. Action takes place on LV-178 which has a mining operation on the surface and an orbiting ship above. Writing style nothing spectacular but characters are fine so far.

Takes place 37 years after Alien. I'll do a spoiler-tagged breakdown soon.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jan 21, 2014, 12:12:36 AM
The first POV character is named Hoop.

Hoop.

And we're off to a great start! :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jan 21, 2014, 12:23:42 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jan 21, 2014, 12:12:36 AM
The first POV character is named Hoop.

Hoop.

And we're off to a great start! :)

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.cdnds.net%2F12%2F10%2F618x410%2Fmovies_alien_saga_gallery_15.jpg&hash=d616cf2c6894ea28236e2a74361c26acee29685f)
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prometheus-movie.com%2Fmedia%2Fprometheus_still_07_david3.jpg&hash=e5f272c9e59a2397c83baf170e8162a8fab775d9)

Just following tradition ;) Maybe the next character we get will be Cornbread.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jan 21, 2014, 12:27:42 AM
 :laugh:

I used to work with someone whose surname was Hoop.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Jan 21, 2014, 12:27:54 AM
Is there an android whose name begins with E (following on from Ash, Bishop, Call, and David)? If there's a character with an E name, I'm calling that they're android, GASP, sent by the Company to get an Alien.  :laugh:
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jan 21, 2014, 12:31:22 AM
Quote from: Cvalda on Jan 21, 2014, 12:12:36 AM
The first POV character is named Hoop.

Hoop.

And we're off to a great start! :)

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi230.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee174%2Fijor808%2Fhooper.jpg&hash=8472d153ce715ceca073c6680bd0ebc04b873b20)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Cvalda on Jan 21, 2014, 12:31:47 AM
Quote from: SM on Jan 21, 2014, 12:27:42 AM
I used to work with someone whose surname was Hoop.
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi44.tinypic.com%2Ffu1g0p.jpg&hash=315cc0640000b543bec68d72e4746e81725f129f)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 22, 2014, 08:18:19 AM
I'm about 70 pages in. I'm enjoying it but it's not fantastic of yet. It's a slow burner - which I'm liking - and I'm getting to know Hoop pretty well. So far the only thing I haven't really liked was the "game over" dialogue and I'm not seeing the need for Ripley back atm.

Oh, it also looks like Titan are republishing ADFs A1-3 novelisations later this year.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 22, 2014, 12:59:16 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 22, 2014, 08:18:19 AMOh, it also looks like Titan are republishing ADFs A1-3 novelisations later this year.
I'd noticed they were being reprinted.

Slight aside, but has anyone read ADF's novelisation of The Thing? I really enjoyed his Alien books and want to give it a try, but copies seem to be pretty pricey.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jan 22, 2014, 01:29:55 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 22, 2014, 12:59:16 PMhas anyone read ADF's novelisation of The Thing? I really enjoyed his Alien books and want to give it a try, but copies seem to be pretty pricey.

It is SO good. Also, it differs from the film in some interesting ways, as regards the more action-heavy stuff. Can't recommend it highly enough. If I could bear to part with it, I'd send you mine!  8)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 22, 2014, 01:44:41 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Jan 22, 2014, 01:29:55 PMIt is SO good. Also, it differs from the film in some interesting ways, as regards the more action-heavy stuff. Can't recommend it highly enough. If I could bear to part with it, I'd send you mine!  8)
I'll have to track down a copy then!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: TheBATMAN on Jan 22, 2014, 02:52:08 PM
I concur with Mr. Clemens the novelisation of The Thing is superb. It is based on an earlier draft of the script and includes major differences, including the infamous dog sled and 'lights out' sequences. It is bloody fantastic.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Jan 22, 2014, 03:18:33 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 22, 2014, 08:18:19 AM
Oh, it also looks like Titan are republishing ADFs A1-3 novelisations later this year.

Wow :o, do you have a link?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 22, 2014, 03:25:56 PM
Quote from: predxeno on Jan 22, 2014, 03:18:33 PMWow :o, do you have a link?
They're available for pre-order on Amazon (in the UK at least).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 22, 2014, 03:30:34 PM
I saw it in the back of this novel. I'll get in touch and ask.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Jan 22, 2014, 07:37:56 PM
Very cool Hicks. Thanks as always for your inside scooping :)

Also, that's interesting news about the A1-3 remakes... I wonder if they'll be reprints or rewrites to follow the films more accurately.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Gazz on Jan 22, 2014, 07:50:38 PM
70 pages in. It starts with a bang and gave me the impression that the writer was blowing his load way too soon, though it has since then it has thankfully levelled out. It's a little too silly at times, offering comical respite or a hammy reference every so often, but the pages turn quickly and there are one or two good ideas (I like the ticking clock device). I agree with Hick's in that so far the Ripley plot is entirely unnecessarily though.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: wmmvrrvrrmm on Jan 22, 2014, 10:27:50 PM
I took a look at the book in Forbidden Planet bookshop today, I tried to look for something that seemed like interesting mythos and then soon I lost interest. Maybe I will have another glimpse in good time and find myself giving up one more time
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: TheBATMAN on Jan 22, 2014, 10:36:34 PM
Here is a brief rundown of the plot:

Spoiler
This story takes place 37 years after the events of Alien. The set-up is a ship known as the Marion; a deep-ore mining vessel operated by the Kelland Mining Company, which is an offshoot of San Rei, which is an apparent subsidiary of Weyland-Yutani. The ship has a crew roster of 50 and is in orbit over LV-178 which is your typical, sand-blasted, storm-ridden inhospitable barren rock. However, it is home to large deposits of a compound called 'Trimonite' which is apparently the strongest material known to man and worth a fortune. Thus Kelland have set up a mining complex down on the surface of the planet which runs nine levels underground. At this moment, the first 4 levels have been completely mined out and are currently excavating level 9 at the very bottom.

There are two mining crews each comprised of 20 people who take turns to have 50 consecutive days planetside working the mine. There is an additional skeleton crew to handle the day to day running of the Marion who remain onboard at all times. The story picks up during a shift change shortly after a dropship containing the mining crew has gone down to the surface to deliver the next team and relieve the others to make their way back on another dropship, but all contact has been lost with both them and the mining complex. The 10 people left on board are mildly concerned but put it down to the electrical storms enveloping the planet. These ten are also our primary characters and are a likeable bunch. There's Chris 'Hoop' Hooper, ship's engineer. Lucy Jordan, ship's captain who used to have a thing for hoop and they remain good friends. Josh Baxter, ship's comminications officer. Lachance, the main pilot and a Frenchman. Karen Sneddon, science officer. Garica and Kasyanov, both female and medical personnel. Cornell, security officer. Welford and Powell who I think were part of the engineering team.

Things begin at a fast-pace with both dropships suddenly coming back into com range. Clearly the miners have discovered a nest of Aliens in the mines and have made a bid to escape, however, several of their number have been facehugged and from CCTV cameras we can see the chestbursters being born. This soon leads to accident resulting in one of the dropships careering into the side of the Marion and exploding. Not only does the resulting damage kill Cornell and Captain Jordan, it also knocks the ship out of orbit and they begin a very, very, very, slow descent towards the planet where they will eventually burn up if they cannot conduct repairs. Meanwhile, the second dropship docks on autopilot but has 4 aliens on board. The Marion's crew seal up the dropship and lock all doors leading to the docking bay, hoping to seal them inside. They watch on camera as the aliens grow and mature before the feed is lost. Hooper sends out a distress call, mentioning the creatures.

Meanwhile, we cut to Ripley, still asleep in the Narcissus, who has been drifting now for 37 years. The Narcissus intercepts the Marion's distress beacon and docks with it. This is now 77 days after the original crash. It seems that sometime before Parker burned him alive, Ash inserted his AI into the Narcissus' computers as a contingency to carry on Special Order 937. Because Hoop's distress call mentioned the Alien, the Narcissus automatically diverted to intercept it. When it docks and Ripley is revived and questioned by the crew, Ash secretly drains the fuel cell of the Narcissus.
Ripley soon learns about the aliens trapped in the dropship in the hangar and works out extremely easily that Ash has infiltrated the computer of her ship. The crew explain that their orbit is still decaying and that they need to do something. They decide to come up with a rather desperate plan of using the Narcissus to get back to earth and take it in turns to have six months in the one sleeping pod. Problem is, they need a new fuel cell and all the spares happen to be down on the mine beneath the planet's surface. Also, the dropship they need to get to the surface currently has 4 mature aliens on board, just waiting to be set free.

Eventually they open up the dropship and the aliens quickly get loose. Welford and Powell are quickly killed but the survivors manage to kill 3 of the aliens using primitive tools such as plasma cutters and 'charge thumpers.' The final alien escapes and has the run of the ship to hide.

The remaining six head down to the surface of the planet and intend to ride the elevator down to level 4 of the mine which is where the spare fuel cells are. However, Ash (who has now infected the Marion's computers) sabotages the elevator and they end up at level 9. The elevator is now smashed beyond repair but there is an identical one at the other side of the mine that will take them back up to the surface. They just have to cross through the tunnels which they suspect the aliens have come from. Soon enough, they begin to see signs that the aliens have been here.

Eventually they find a crack in the walls and emerge into a huge chamber. Now this is where I was desperately hoping it was going to be another Engineer's weapons cache but alas no. There is a primitive looking alien ship and evidence of ancient buildings, but these are not juggernauts or space-jockeys, these are aliens with four-legs called 'dog aliens.' The aliens that have been following throughout the tunnels, slowly herd them towards the ancient ship because it is full of eggs. Hilarity ensues.

Sneddon is facehugged and they find the remains of the dead dog-alien crew as well as a stasis field containing slightly different eggs that contain queens. Ripley even kills a young queen in one of the tunnels.

Eventually, they make it out and back to level 4 where they retrieve a fuel cell. Baxter is killed by an alien before the others get back to the dropship and escape back up to the Marion. Ash, who had trapped the remaining Alien in one of the storage bays, lets it loose to kill the survivors. His goal is to get Sneddon and her embryo into the Narciussus to return to earth and so he believes the alien will leave her unharmed.

They find the last alien and Lachance is killed before Seddon blows herself and the creature up as her chestburster emerges. With the threat apparently over, we have the token Prometheus reference with the med-pod. Here Ripley (who incidentally has been having recurring nightmares of Amanda being chestbursted) decides she wants to forget and begs to have someone take the nightmares away. So as well as healing her injuries, Kasyanov programs the med-pod to selectively wipe portions of her memories in convienient but not at all unexpected plot-twist moment. In a cool sequence, Kasyanov also enters the med-pod to heal her own injuries but Ash takes over and has the machine kill her. It seems Ash wanted Ripley to live following Sneddon's demise.

Ripley, now semi-conscious, is carried by Hoop and put into stasis with Jonesy on the Narcissus. He then uses a computer virus to purge Ash from the computer and prepares to leave with her. However, in his final act before his deletion, Ash sabotages the auto release clamp controls, meaning Hoop has to leave the Narcissus and activate them on the Marion, meaning he cannot leave with Ripley. He does so and tearfully watches her leave, knowing that she won't even remember him when she wakes up.

Just before the Marion falls into the atmosphere of LV-178, Hoop escapes on the dropship. But with no stasis pod and no long-distance travel option, he appears doomed. However, his survival is likely set up for the next book, Sea of Sorrows, due out in July.

So that's it folks in a very brief nutshell. Not great but not too bad either. I would have enjoyed it much more had Ripley been omitted altogether and the miners had accidentally unearthed an Engineer base rather than yet another long-forgotten alien species. I see no reason why it has to be tied to Aliens canon although Lennon does a good job at preserving continuity but its just all so convenient and predictable that it can't really be taken seriously.

This book didn't need Ripley at all. Lebbon also portrays the alien as the usual cannon-fodder insect rather than Kane's son which was disappointing. But there is also plenty to like here.

Overall not a bad first effort to what will hopefully be an entertaining trilogy.
[close]

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: wmmvrrvrrmm on Jan 22, 2014, 11:08:34 PM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Jan 22, 2014, 10:36:34 PM
Here is a brief rundown of the plot:


I think that I can safely give up on trying to get interested, thanks
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jan 22, 2014, 11:13:32 PM
This is why we can't have nice things.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jan 23, 2014, 04:45:14 AM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Jan 22, 2014, 01:29:55 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 22, 2014, 12:59:16 PMhas anyone read ADF's novelisation of The Thing? I really enjoyed his Alien books and want to give it a try, but copies seem to be pretty pricey.

It is SO good. Also, it differs from the film in some interesting ways, as regards the more action-heavy stuff. Can't recommend it highly enough. If I could bear to part with it, I'd send you mine!  8)
Seconding this, 'The Thing' novelization is really cool. Every single character death is different than it is in the movie, though. :P

Edit-- read that plot synopsis - as retcons go it's not as bad as I was expecting, but I'd still have preferred it if they didn't bring back Ripley. Oh well.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 23, 2014, 08:27:37 AM
I'm about 90 pages in so far - damn Mrs didn't let me read much last night - and it's okay so far. It does feel a little strange though in that it felt like the start was the start...then I missed a whole chunk and I've come back in at the end of the plot. I'm sure it'll level out as I've still got another 2 thirds to go through.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: happypred on Jan 23, 2014, 08:41:51 AM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Jan 22, 2014, 10:36:34 PM
Spoiler
This story takes place 37 years after the events of Alien. The set-up is a ship known as the Marion; a deep-ore mining vessel operated by the Kelland Mining Company, which is an offshoot of San Rei, which is an apparent subsidiary of Weyland-Yutani. The ship has a crew roster of 50 and is in orbit over LV-178 which is your typical, sand-blasted, storm-ridden inhospitable barren rock. However, it is home to large deposits of a compound called 'Trimonite' which is apparently the strongest material known to man and worth a fortune. Thus Kelland have set up a mining complex down on the surface of the planet which runs nine levels underground. At this moment, the first 4 levels have been completely mined out and are currently excavating level 9 at the very bottom.

There are two mining crews each comprised of 20 people who take turns to have 50 consecutive days planetside working the mine. There is an additional skeleton crew to handle the day to day running of the Marion who remain onboard at all times. The story picks up during a shift change shortly after a dropship containing the mining crew has gone down to the surface to deliver the next team and relieve the others to make their way back on another dropship, but all contact has been lost with both them and the mining complex. The 10 people left on board are mildly concerned but put it down to the electrical storms enveloping the planet. These ten are also our primary characters and are a likeable bunch. There's Chris 'Hoop' Hooper, ship's engineer. Lucy Jordan, ship's captain who used to have a thing for hoop and they remain good friends. Josh Baxter, ship's comminications officer. Lachance, the main pilot and a Frenchman. Karen Sneddon, science officer. Garica and Kasyanov, both female and medical personnel. Cornell, security officer. Welford and Powell who I think were part of the engineering team.

Things begin at a fast-pace with both dropships suddenly coming back into com range. Clearly the miners have discovered a nest of Aliens in the mines and have made a bid to escape, however, several of their number have been facehugged and from CCTV cameras we can see the chestbursters being born. This soon leads to accident resulting in one of the dropships careering into the side of the Marion and exploding. Not only does the resulting damage kill Cornell and Captain Jordan, it also knocks the ship out of orbit and they begin a very, very, very, slow descent towards the planet where they will eventually burn up if they cannot conduct repairs. Meanwhile, the second dropship docks on autopilot but has 4 aliens on board. The Marion's crew seal up the dropship and lock all doors leading to the docking bay, hoping to seal them inside. They watch on camera as the aliens grow and mature before the feed is lost. Hooper sends out a distress call, mentioning the creatures.

Meanwhile, we cut to Ripley, still asleep in the Narcissus, who has been drifting now for 37 years. The Narcissus intercepts the Marion's distress beacon and docks with it. This is now 77 days after the original crash. It seems that sometime before Parker burned him alive, Ash inserted his AI into the Narcissus' computers as a contingency to carry on Special Order 937. Because Hoop's distress call mentioned the Alien, the Narcissus automatically diverted to intercept it. When it docks and Ripley is revived and questioned by the crew, Ash secretly drains the fuel cell of the Narcissus.
Ripley soon learns about the aliens trapped in the dropship in the hangar and works out extremely easily that Ash has infiltrated the computer of her ship. The crew explain that their orbit is still decaying and that they need to do something. They decide to come up with a rather desperate plan of using the Narcissus to get back to earth and take it in turns to have six months in the one sleeping pod. Problem is, they need a new fuel cell and all the spares happen to be down on the mine beneath the planet's surface. Also, the dropship they need to get to the surface currently has 4 mature aliens on board, just waiting to be set free.

Eventually they open up the dropship and the aliens quickly get loose. Welford and Powell are quickly killed but the survivors manage to kill 3 of the aliens using primitive tools such as plasma cutters and 'charge thumpers.' The final alien escapes and has the run of the ship to hide.

The remaining six head down to the surface of the planet and intend to ride the elevator down to level 4 of the mine which is where the spare fuel cells are. However, Ash (who has now infected the Marion's computers) sabotages the elevator and they end up at level 9. The elevator is now smashed beyond repair but there is an identical one at the other side of the mine that will take them back up to the surface. They just have to cross through the tunnels which they suspect the aliens have come from. Soon enough, they begin to see signs that the aliens have been here.

Eventually they find a crack in the walls and emerge into a huge chamber. Now this is where I was desperately hoping it was going to be another Engineer's weapons cache but alas no. There is a primitive looking alien ship and evidence of ancient buildings, but these are not juggernauts or space-jockeys, these are aliens with four-legs called 'dog aliens.' The aliens that have been following throughout the tunnels, slowly herd them towards the ancient ship because it is full of eggs. Hilarity ensues.

Sneddon is facehugged and they find the remains of the dead dog-alien crew as well as a stasis field containing slightly different eggs that contain queens. Ripley even kills a young queen in one of the tunnels.

Eventually, they make it out and back to level 4 where they retrieve a fuel cell. Baxter is killed by an alien before the others get back to the dropship and escape back up to the Marion. Ash, who had trapped the remaining Alien in one of the storage bays, lets it loose to kill the survivors. His goal is to get Sneddon and her embryo into the Narciussus to return to earth and so he believes the alien will leave her unharmed.

They find the last alien and Lachance is killed before Seddon blows herself and the creature up as her chestburster emerges. With the threat apparently over, we have the token Prometheus reference with the med-pod. Here Ripley (who incidentally has been having recurring nightmares of Amanda being chestbursted) decides she wants to forget and begs to have someone take the nightmares away. So as well as healing her injuries, Kasyanov programs the med-pod to selectively wipe portions of her memories in convienient but not at all unexpected plot-twist moment. In a cool sequence, Kasyanov also enters the med-pod to heal her own injuries but Ash takes over and has the machine kill her. It seems Ash wanted Ripley to live following Sneddon's demise.

Ripley, now semi-conscious, is carried by Hoop and put into stasis with Jonesy on the Narcissus. He then uses a computer virus to purge Ash from the computer and prepares to leave with her. However, in his final act before his deletion, Ash sabotages the auto release clamp controls, meaning Hoop has to leave the Narcissus and activate them on the Marion, meaning he cannot leave with Ripley. He does so and tearfully watches her leave, knowing that she won't even remember him when she wakes up.

Just before the Marion falls into the atmosphere of LV-178, Hoop escapes on the dropship. But with no stasis pod and no long-distance travel option, he appears doomed. However, his survival is likely set up for the next book, Sea of Sorrows, due out in July.

So that's it folks in a very brief nutshell. Not great but not too bad either. I would have enjoyed it much more had Ripley been omitted altogether and the miners had accidentally unearthed an Engineer base rather than yet another long-forgotten alien species. I see no reason why it has to be tied to Aliens canon although Lennon does a good job at preserving continuity but its just all so convenient and predictable that it can't really be taken seriously.

This book didn't need Ripley at all. Lebbon also portrays the alien as the usual cannon-fodder insect rather than Kane's son which was disappointing. But there is also plenty to like here.

Overall not a bad first effort to what will hopefully be an entertaining trilogy.
[close]

Why the f*ck does Ripley have to be involved? Are they incapable of writing a story with completely fresh characters...no more tie-ins or homages? F*ck this sh*t
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jan 25, 2014, 01:39:19 AM
Quote from: happypred on Jan 23, 2014, 08:41:51 AM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Jan 22, 2014, 10:36:34 PM
Spoiler
This story takes place 37 years after the events of Alien. The set-up is a ship known as the Marion; a deep-ore mining vessel operated by the Kelland Mining Company, which is an offshoot of San Rei, which is an apparent subsidiary of Weyland-Yutani. The ship has a crew roster of 50 and is in orbit over LV-178 which is your typical, sand-blasted, storm-ridden inhospitable barren rock. However, it is home to large deposits of a compound called 'Trimonite' which is apparently the strongest material known to man and worth a fortune. Thus Kelland have set up a mining complex down on the surface of the planet which runs nine levels underground. At this moment, the first 4 levels have been completely mined out and are currently excavating level 9 at the very bottom.

There are two mining crews each comprised of 20 people who take turns to have 50 consecutive days planetside working the mine. There is an additional skeleton crew to handle the day to day running of the Marion who remain onboard at all times. The story picks up during a shift change shortly after a dropship containing the mining crew has gone down to the surface to deliver the next team and relieve the others to make their way back on another dropship, but all contact has been lost with both them and the mining complex. The 10 people left on board are mildly concerned but put it down to the electrical storms enveloping the planet. These ten are also our primary characters and are a likeable bunch. There's Chris 'Hoop' Hooper, ship's engineer. Lucy Jordan, ship's captain who used to have a thing for hoop and they remain good friends. Josh Baxter, ship's comminications officer. Lachance, the main pilot and a Frenchman. Karen Sneddon, science officer. Garica and Kasyanov, both female and medical personnel. Cornell, security officer. Welford and Powell who I think were part of the engineering team.

Things begin at a fast-pace with both dropships suddenly coming back into com range. Clearly the miners have discovered a nest of Aliens in the mines and have made a bid to escape, however, several of their number have been facehugged and from CCTV cameras we can see the chestbursters being born. This soon leads to accident resulting in one of the dropships careering into the side of the Marion and exploding. Not only does the resulting damage kill Cornell and Captain Jordan, it also knocks the ship out of orbit and they begin a very, very, very, slow descent towards the planet where they will eventually burn up if they cannot conduct repairs. Meanwhile, the second dropship docks on autopilot but has 4 aliens on board. The Marion's crew seal up the dropship and lock all doors leading to the docking bay, hoping to seal them inside. They watch on camera as the aliens grow and mature before the feed is lost. Hooper sends out a distress call, mentioning the creatures.

Meanwhile, we cut to Ripley, still asleep in the Narcissus, who has been drifting now for 37 years. The Narcissus intercepts the Marion's distress beacon and docks with it. This is now 77 days after the original crash. It seems that sometime before Parker burned him alive, Ash inserted his AI into the Narcissus' computers as a contingency to carry on Special Order 937. Because Hoop's distress call mentioned the Alien, the Narcissus automatically diverted to intercept it. When it docks and Ripley is revived and questioned by the crew, Ash secretly drains the fuel cell of the Narcissus.
Ripley soon learns about the aliens trapped in the dropship in the hangar and works out extremely easily that Ash has infiltrated the computer of her ship. The crew explain that their orbit is still decaying and that they need to do something. They decide to come up with a rather desperate plan of using the Narcissus to get back to earth and take it in turns to have six months in the one sleeping pod. Problem is, they need a new fuel cell and all the spares happen to be down on the mine beneath the planet's surface. Also, the dropship they need to get to the surface currently has 4 mature aliens on board, just waiting to be set free.

Eventually they open up the dropship and the aliens quickly get loose. Welford and Powell are quickly killed but the survivors manage to kill 3 of the aliens using primitive tools such as plasma cutters and 'charge thumpers.' The final alien escapes and has the run of the ship to hide.

The remaining six head down to the surface of the planet and intend to ride the elevator down to level 4 of the mine which is where the spare fuel cells are. However, Ash (who has now infected the Marion's computers) sabotages the elevator and they end up at level 9. The elevator is now smashed beyond repair but there is an identical one at the other side of the mine that will take them back up to the surface. They just have to cross through the tunnels which they suspect the aliens have come from. Soon enough, they begin to see signs that the aliens have been here.

Eventually they find a crack in the walls and emerge into a huge chamber. Now this is where I was desperately hoping it was going to be another Engineer's weapons cache but alas no. There is a primitive looking alien ship and evidence of ancient buildings, but these are not juggernauts or space-jockeys, these are aliens with four-legs called 'dog aliens.' The aliens that have been following throughout the tunnels, slowly herd them towards the ancient ship because it is full of eggs. Hilarity ensues.

Sneddon is facehugged and they find the remains of the dead dog-alien crew as well as a stasis field containing slightly different eggs that contain queens. Ripley even kills a young queen in one of the tunnels.

Eventually, they make it out and back to level 4 where they retrieve a fuel cell. Baxter is killed by an alien before the others get back to the dropship and escape back up to the Marion. Ash, who had trapped the remaining Alien in one of the storage bays, lets it loose to kill the survivors. His goal is to get Sneddon and her embryo into the Narciussus to return to earth and so he believes the alien will leave her unharmed.

They find the last alien and Lachance is killed before Seddon blows herself and the creature up as her chestburster emerges. With the threat apparently over, we have the token Prometheus reference with the med-pod. Here Ripley (who incidentally has been having recurring nightmares of Amanda being chestbursted) decides she wants to forget and begs to have someone take the nightmares away. So as well as healing her injuries, Kasyanov programs the med-pod to selectively wipe portions of her memories in convienient but not at all unexpected plot-twist moment. In a cool sequence, Kasyanov also enters the med-pod to heal her own injuries but Ash takes over and has the machine kill her. It seems Ash wanted Ripley to live following Sneddon's demise.

Ripley, now semi-conscious, is carried by Hoop and put into stasis with Jonesy on the Narcissus. He then uses a computer virus to purge Ash from the computer and prepares to leave with her. However, in his final act before his deletion, Ash sabotages the auto release clamp controls, meaning Hoop has to leave the Narcissus and activate them on the Marion, meaning he cannot leave with Ripley. He does so and tearfully watches her leave, knowing that she won't even remember him when she wakes up.

Just before the Marion falls into the atmosphere of LV-178, Hoop escapes on the dropship. But with no stasis pod and no long-distance travel option, he appears doomed. However, his survival is likely set up for the next book, Sea of Sorrows, due out in July.

So that's it folks in a very brief nutshell. Not great but not too bad either. I would have enjoyed it much more had Ripley been omitted altogether and the miners had accidentally unearthed an Engineer base rather than yet another long-forgotten alien species. I see no reason why it has to be tied to Aliens canon although Lennon does a good job at preserving continuity but its just all so convenient and predictable that it can't really be taken seriously.

This book didn't need Ripley at all. Lebbon also portrays the alien as the usual cannon-fodder insect rather than Kane's son which was disappointing. But there is also plenty to like here.

Overall not a bad first effort to what will hopefully be an entertaining trilogy.
[close]

Why the f*ck does Ripley have to be involved? Are they incapable of writing a story with completely fresh characters...no more tie-ins or homages? F*ck this sh*t
Worth pointing out that this is the first story featuring Ripley in any capacity since 'Original Sin', like a decade ago.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jan 25, 2014, 02:00:59 AM
But it's coming at us in the midst of a resurrected Hicks and Ripley's daughter somehow facing Aliens, which makes the blow even worse, in my opinion.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: DemonicD13 on Jan 25, 2014, 02:30:42 AM
Oh, wow this doesn't sound to good. I may give it a try but... ugh.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Jan 25, 2014, 02:35:28 AM
The all-new cast of characters in the upcoming Dark Horse series is sounding better and better.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Jan 25, 2014, 04:44:46 AM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Jan 22, 2014, 10:36:34 PM
Here is a brief rundown of the plot:

Spoiler
This story takes place 37 years after the events of Alien. The set-up is a ship known as the Marion; a deep-ore mining vessel operated by the Kelland Mining Company, which is an offshoot of San Rei, which is an apparent subsidiary of Weyland-Yutani. The ship has a crew roster of 50 and is in orbit over LV-178 which is your typical, sand-blasted, storm-ridden inhospitable barren rock. However, it is home to large deposits of a compound called 'Trimonite' which is apparently the strongest material known to man and worth a fortune. Thus Kelland have set up a mining complex down on the surface of the planet which runs nine levels underground. At this moment, the first 4 levels have been completely mined out and are currently excavating level 9 at the very bottom.

There are two mining crews each comprised of 20 people who take turns to have 50 consecutive days planetside working the mine. There is an additional skeleton crew to handle the day to day running of the Marion who remain onboard at all times. The story picks up during a shift change shortly after a dropship containing the mining crew has gone down to the surface to deliver the next team and relieve the others to make their way back on another dropship, but all contact has been lost with both them and the mining complex. The 10 people left on board are mildly concerned but put it down to the electrical storms enveloping the planet. These ten are also our primary characters and are a likeable bunch. There's Chris 'Hoop' Hooper, ship's engineer. Lucy Jordan, ship's captain who used to have a thing for hoop and they remain good friends. Josh Baxter, ship's comminications officer. Lachance, the main pilot and a Frenchman. Karen Sneddon, science officer. Garica and Kasyanov, both female and medical personnel. Cornell, security officer. Welford and Powell who I think were part of the engineering team.

Things begin at a fast-pace with both dropships suddenly coming back into com range. Clearly the miners have discovered a nest of Aliens in the mines and have made a bid to escape, however, several of their number have been facehugged and from CCTV cameras we can see the chestbursters being born. This soon leads to accident resulting in one of the dropships careering into the side of the Marion and exploding. Not only does the resulting damage kill Cornell and Captain Jordan, it also knocks the ship out of orbit and they begin a very, very, very, slow descent towards the planet where they will eventually burn up if they cannot conduct repairs. Meanwhile, the second dropship docks on autopilot but has 4 aliens on board. The Marion's crew seal up the dropship and lock all doors leading to the docking bay, hoping to seal them inside. They watch on camera as the aliens grow and mature before the feed is lost. Hooper sends out a distress call, mentioning the creatures.

Meanwhile, we cut to Ripley, still asleep in the Narcissus, who has been drifting now for 37 years. The Narcissus intercepts the Marion's distress beacon and docks with it. This is now 77 days after the original crash. It seems that sometime before Parker burned him alive, Ash inserted his AI into the Narcissus' computers as a contingency to carry on Special Order 937. Because Hoop's distress call mentioned the Alien, the Narcissus automatically diverted to intercept it. When it docks and Ripley is revived and questioned by the crew, Ash secretly drains the fuel cell of the Narcissus.
Ripley soon learns about the aliens trapped in the dropship in the hangar and works out extremely easily that Ash has infiltrated the computer of her ship. The crew explain that their orbit is still decaying and that they need to do something. They decide to come up with a rather desperate plan of using the Narcissus to get back to earth and take it in turns to have six months in the one sleeping pod. Problem is, they need a new fuel cell and all the spares happen to be down on the mine beneath the planet's surface. Also, the dropship they need to get to the surface currently has 4 mature aliens on board, just waiting to be set free.

Eventually they open up the dropship and the aliens quickly get loose. Welford and Powell are quickly killed but the survivors manage to kill 3 of the aliens using primitive tools such as plasma cutters and 'charge thumpers.' The final alien escapes and has the run of the ship to hide.

The remaining six head down to the surface of the planet and intend to ride the elevator down to level 4 of the mine which is where the spare fuel cells are. However, Ash (who has now infected the Marion's computers) sabotages the elevator and they end up at level 9. The elevator is now smashed beyond repair but there is an identical one at the other side of the mine that will take them back up to the surface. They just have to cross through the tunnels which they suspect the aliens have come from. Soon enough, they begin to see signs that the aliens have been here.

Eventually they find a crack in the walls and emerge into a huge chamber. Now this is where I was desperately hoping it was going to be another Engineer's weapons cache but alas no. There is a primitive looking alien ship and evidence of ancient buildings, but these are not juggernauts or space-jockeys, these are aliens with four-legs called 'dog aliens.' The aliens that have been following throughout the tunnels, slowly herd them towards the ancient ship because it is full of eggs. Hilarity ensues.

Sneddon is facehugged and they find the remains of the dead dog-alien crew as well as a stasis field containing slightly different eggs that contain queens. Ripley even kills a young queen in one of the tunnels.

Eventually, they make it out and back to level 4 where they retrieve a fuel cell. Baxter is killed by an alien before the others get back to the dropship and escape back up to the Marion. Ash, who had trapped the remaining Alien in one of the storage bays, lets it loose to kill the survivors. His goal is to get Sneddon and her embryo into the Narciussus to return to earth and so he believes the alien will leave her unharmed.

They find the last alien and Lachance is killed before Seddon blows herself and the creature up as her chestburster emerges. With the threat apparently over, we have the token Prometheus reference with the med-pod. Here Ripley (who incidentally has been having recurring nightmares of Amanda being chestbursted) decides she wants to forget and begs to have someone take the nightmares away. So as well as healing her injuries, Kasyanov programs the med-pod to selectively wipe portions of her memories in convienient but not at all unexpected plot-twist moment. In a cool sequence, Kasyanov also enters the med-pod to heal her own injuries but Ash takes over and has the machine kill her. It seems Ash wanted Ripley to live following Sneddon's demise.

Ripley, now semi-conscious, is carried by Hoop and put into stasis with Jonesy on the Narcissus. He then uses a computer virus to purge Ash from the computer and prepares to leave with her. However, in his final act before his deletion, Ash sabotages the auto release clamp controls, meaning Hoop has to leave the Narcissus and activate them on the Marion, meaning he cannot leave with Ripley. He does so and tearfully watches her leave, knowing that she won't even remember him when she wakes up.

Just before the Marion falls into the atmosphere of LV-178, Hoop escapes on the dropship. But with no stasis pod and no long-distance travel option, he appears doomed. However, his survival is likely set up for the next book, Sea of Sorrows, due out in July.

So that's it folks in a very brief nutshell. Not great but not too bad either. I would have enjoyed it much more had Ripley been omitted altogether and the miners had accidentally unearthed an Engineer base rather than yet another long-forgotten alien species. I see no reason why it has to be tied to Aliens canon although Lennon does a good job at preserving continuity but its just all so convenient and predictable that it can't really be taken seriously.

This book didn't need Ripley at all. Lebbon also portrays the alien as the usual cannon-fodder insect rather than Kane's son which was disappointing. But there is also plenty to like here.

Overall not a bad first effort to what will hopefully be an entertaining trilogy.
[close]

I had to re-read this run-down twice.. I am confused as f**k.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 25, 2014, 09:22:04 AM
I'm actually avoiding reading the summary of the pot, because despite my reservations I wanna go into this as blind as possible.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jan 25, 2014, 02:13:13 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 25, 2014, 09:22:04 AM
I'm actually avoiding reading the summary of the pot, because despite my reservations I wanna go into this as blind as possible.

Same here... for better, or for worse!  :D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SpreadEagleBeagle on Jan 26, 2014, 02:09:54 AM
After reading Rakai'Thwei's rundown of the plot I'm happy that I didn't read the actual novel because...

Spoiler
...the inclusion of Ripley (and Ash) seems so extremely unnecessary and contrived that it makes me sad. Just like you I don't see the point in coming up with yet another ancient alien species rather going with the Engineers / Space Jockeys. It also saddens me that the writer chose to be all lazy with the xenos, portraying them as the cannon fodder we all are bored and fed up with.

Even so, it seems like the story had some actual potential.
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jan 26, 2014, 06:25:34 AM
I didn't see them as "cannon fodder" in the plot summary that was posted, but I'll reserve judgment until I read the book for myself.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Jan 26, 2014, 07:36:46 AM
Quote from: SpreadEagleBeagle on Jan 26, 2014, 02:09:54 AM
After reading Rakai'Thwei's rundown of the plot I'm happy that I didn't read the actual novel because...

Spoiler
...the inclusion of Ripley (and Ash) seems so extremely unnecessary and contrived that it makes me sad. Just like you I don't see the point in coming up with yet another ancient alien species rather going with the Engineers / Space Jockeys. It also saddens me that the writer chose to be all lazy with the xenos, portraying them as the cannon fodder we all are bored and fed up with.

Even so, it seems like the story had some actual potential.
[close]

I didn't give the run down... Someone else did. Just... reading the run down confused the hell out of me.. I am still confused.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: TheBATMAN on Jan 26, 2014, 01:13:39 PM
What's confusing about the plot exactly? It's hardly complex.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jan 26, 2014, 08:08:04 PM
Sounds stupid.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Jan 27, 2014, 12:01:04 AM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Jan 26, 2014, 01:13:39 PM
What's confusing about the plot exactly? It's hardly complex.

ALIENS mention that Ripley was drifting in space for fifty seven years. The novel mentions it being thirty seven years because someone had found the Narcissus before the salvage team in ALIENS did. She goes back into hyper sleep and the narration suggest she wouldn't remember  a damn thing when none of the movies have suggested that hyper sleep erases memories... Thing is.. even if this was meant to fit in more with the movies, the whole thing just.. Ugh.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jan 27, 2014, 12:07:48 AM
The plot outline makes it entirely clear her memories are actively wiped by one of the characters, not hypersleep.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Jan 27, 2014, 12:24:34 AM
I should really stop speed reading.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Jan 27, 2014, 12:36:37 AM
You said you re-read it twice :-\
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Jan 27, 2014, 12:43:36 AM
Quote from: SiL on Jan 27, 2014, 12:36:37 AM
You said you re-read it twice :-\

I did but I have a habit of speed reading.

EDIT: Okay, re-reading for the third time and slowing down... Somethings were cleared up for me. Just somethings which irked me were the eggs where the Queens were apparently stored in. Unless these are Queen Facehugger eggs, though I doubt that they are, the idea of Queens being in eggs just strikes me as odd.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Glaive on Jan 30, 2014, 04:58:23 PM
WOW!!
18 pages in and not a SINGLE mention of Jones? (SiL you should be ashamed...)

No WONDER he looks so pissed-off in 'ALIENS'; (over-and-above basic feline grumpiness)/
He's probably got a better agent than Sigourney if this plot is so cack...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Jan 30, 2014, 05:08:02 PM
They do mention Jones almost as soon as they mention Ripley. 





It seems a little better than the DH Press aliens books.........but most of the Bantam Aliens books seem to be superior quality.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Jan 30, 2014, 05:10:53 PM
I'm about 175 pages in, and I can say that I don't hate it like I was expecting. There are groan-inducing cliches, but I'm enjoying it as a standard Alien experience story. I'm mildly interested to see how some of the bigger elements of the plot turn out.

I'm also sort of curious about where the second and third books will take us, though my guess is that the whole "Ripley's descendants" thing will be handwaved with "The Company lied about Amanda having no offspring to keep Ripley from just walking away." Here's hoping "River of Pain" will bring us back to LV-426!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Glaive on Jan 30, 2014, 05:26:06 PM
...wow...sounds like a must-read... ::)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jan 30, 2014, 06:59:06 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Jan 30, 2014, 05:08:02 PM
It seems a little better than the DH Press aliens books.........but most of the Bantam Aliens books seem to be superior quality.

Yeah, I'm thinking that atm. I'm at about 200 pages. The Ripley thing isn't bothering me as much as I thought it would - still don't see the need for her inclusion though. I do quite like Hoop and the new characters so far.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Jan 31, 2014, 06:28:08 AM
I got my copy in the mail yesterday, I'm hoping to give it a whirl over the weekend.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 31, 2014, 08:31:23 AM
Mine's on its way too, should arrive today so I'll have it this evening.

Thanks people for not spoiling stuff in this thread!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Jan 31, 2014, 04:12:14 PM
Just ordered this.  Hope it's good.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Feb 01, 2014, 01:04:53 AM
Anybody else noticing a lot of typography problems? Often, when a word starts with 'f' I'm noticing that there's a space inserted after the second letter of the word. "fi sh" (page 11), "fi nished" (page 15), and "fl ickered" (page 23), for instance. Not a big deal, but odd, and pretty jarring.
Title: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Feb 01, 2014, 01:25:41 AM
The existence of typos isn't particularly surprising these days, lots of books have them.  Also, I highly doubt we'll be seeing Ripley's ACTUAL descendants, more than likely it's a poor analogy for successors.  I haven't finished the book yet but it may be referring to the surviving characters of this first story... assuming there are any, besides Ripley of course.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 02, 2014, 04:02:21 AM
Finished yesterday. Spoilers ensue.

Spoiler
I actually wound up really enjoying this book. Even though I would argue that having Ripley was unnecessary, Lebbon at least wrote the character well, and I legitimately came to like Hoop and the supporting characters. I also dug the Prometheus elements, even the somewhat on-the-nose stuff like "Why would God create the aliens?" or "This was the first time man had encountered evidence of intelligent alien life (nod nod wink wink)." The entire sequence with the dog-aliens and their pyramid was the high point for me, especially since I thought the novel would dodge dealing with alien intelligences. The star maps and dog-aliens "pointing at the sky" was a nice way of tangentially tying them in to Prometheus. I personally love the idea of a number of long-extinct alien civilizations existing in this universe. Lebbon succeeded in making the dog-aliens interesting and sympathetic, particularly when we're first introduced to the family that killed themselves to avoid the aliens. The whole sequence had a great Space-Jockey-meets-Pompeii vibe.

Even the excuse they found to wipe Ripley's memory made just enough sense for me to give it a pass. My only big complaint was that Ash felt very unneeded and under-utilized. I'm looking forward to Sea of Sorrows, even if I'm still skeptical of the whole "Ripley's descendants" thing.
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Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 02, 2014, 04:47:49 AM
Chances are I likely won't read the book, so the spoilers won't bother me.

I have to ask, is it hinting that the Engineers had created the dog-type aliens or something? Because more and more, it's looking like that future Alien installments are going to be referencing Prometheus here on out.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 02, 2014, 04:55:04 AM
Quote from: RakaiThwei on Feb 02, 2014, 04:47:49 AM
Chances are I likely won't read the book, so the spoilers won't bother me.

I have to ask, is it hinting that the Engineers had created the dog-type aliens or something? Because more and more, it's looking like that future Alien installments are going to be referencing Prometheus here on out.

I would have put that in spoiler tags, but no, it doesn't imply that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 02, 2014, 05:01:40 AM
Quote from: Ultramorph on Feb 02, 2014, 04:55:04 AM
I would have put that in spoiler tags, but no, it doesn't imply that.

Thank God...

No Prometheus in-joke intended.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 02, 2014, 10:32:56 AM
My copy arrived yesterday, started reading last night. Only a couple of chapters in so far though, so it's too early to really form an opinion.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Glaive on Feb 02, 2014, 02:41:41 PM
Broke down and ordered this yesterday...May the Great Engineer have mercy on my soul...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Feb 02, 2014, 11:27:02 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 26, 2014, 06:25:34 AM
I didn't see them as "cannon fodder" in the plot summary that was posted, but I'll reserve judgment until I read the book for myself.

By and large, they're not. There's segments portraying them as very Raptor-like in their hunting. The bits where they do get killed are often in close quarters, utilizing plasma torches and etc. I finished the book earlier today. In short:

Spoiler
Better than the recent DH Press stuff. Characters are really likeable. Really liked Hoop. Felt very "Alien" in setting and exercusion - maybe a little bit too repetitive on plot devices from Alien but worked alright. Liked the new alien species - hope to actually have them fleshed out in the next book otherwise this'll just feel like a light rehash of Alien. Aliens are treated alright.

Ripley and Ash...don't see the point. The book would have been fine without them. That said, Lebbon handles Ripley pretty well. Builds up to the big red button moment in a good fashion and it makes sense within the context of the story. Ash is very underused but what I did see of him, I liked. I'd say 3.5 outta 5.
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 03, 2014, 05:21:15 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Feb 02, 2014, 11:27:02 PM
Spoiler
Liked the new alien species - hope to actually have them fleshed out in the next book otherwise this'll just feel like a light rehash of Alien.
[close]

I agree. I hope the sequels at least touch on that element. I don't expect it, but I also didn't expect something like that to be included in Out of the Shadows in the first place, so I won't count it out. A very solid start for the trilogy. I also look forward to Moore's interpretation of what the Alien universe looks like in "several hundred years."
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 05, 2014, 08:32:42 AM
I'm about halfway through. So far I think it's well written, but the plot just isn't doing it for me, and Ripley's presence is really bugging me. There's literally no reason for her to be there, other than to include her name. It doesn't help that the other characters, with the exception of Hoop, are pretty faceless.
Title: Alien out of the shadows - "SPOILERS!"
Post by: lucas.tanton on Feb 05, 2014, 03:23:01 PM
So has anyone read the new official book "out of the shadows" written by Tim Lebbon yet.  Ive almost finished it and am finding it a great read.  What do you guys all think?  Spoilers ahead.  Im enjoying the new characters and setting.  The book makes it easy to conjurer up vivid accurate images for the imagination.  So much new, never before seen stuff is in the new novel that really expands the universe far more than even Prometheus did.  My only problem with the story so far is that Ripley plays such a big role in it or even that she is in it at all considering she was meant to be floating through the cosmos when this book is set "between alien and aliens."  But what do you guys think?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 05, 2014, 05:18:11 PM
I didn't like the whole Hoop is looking for monsters thing and then ohmygod they are scary in real life!


Seemed tacky.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 01:58:16 AM
Wasn't that bad compared to some other recent stuff we got.  Wasn't really bothered by Ash so much as I was Ripley.  Ash beaming himself through the cosmos and then randomly taking over the Marion would've been better than bringing Ripley in and then having the convenient mind wipe at the end.  Still I did get a very Alien vibe through most of the story, and I did like how the crew had to put together things like Isaac in dead space to defend themselves and the crew for the most part was memorable enough I didn't have to take a bite of alphabet soup to try and remember who was who.

Personally not buying that the Aliens are weak against other forms of acid, Ripley was written okay but her inclusion is totally pointless, and the who engineered the Aliens or are they are natural debate is raised once again in this EU but probably will never be answered for fear of what Prometheus 2 is going to do.

Not bad but not great either.  Solidly entertaining.  Good enough I'll probably drop the seven bucks on the sequel.  Best Aliens related material since the More than Human comic run a couple of years ago before that series got trashed by the weak attempt at a crossover.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: aliens13 on Feb 07, 2014, 03:03:21 AM
It's worth it buy it?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Feb 07, 2014, 06:51:55 AM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 01:58:16 AM
Personally not buying that the Aliens are weak against other forms of acid.

To be fair, this weakness was also demonstrated in the AVP2 pc game where the player Alien gets hurt if it touches an industrial acid used to melt the floors to the Artificial Hive locking mechanism control panel.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 07, 2014, 07:28:12 AM
Quote from: predxeno on Feb 07, 2014, 06:51:55 AM
To be fair, this weakness was also demonstrated in the AVP2 pc game where the player Alien gets hurt if it touches an industrial acid used to melt the floors to the Artificial Hive locking mechanism control panel.

I could argue that maybe game mechanics.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Feb 07, 2014, 07:29:00 AM
I don't follow. :(
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 07, 2014, 07:38:24 AM
Quote from: predxeno on Feb 07, 2014, 07:29:00 AM
I don't follow. :(

Well we know that Xenomorphs are acid proof, or acid resistant if we take the first AvP movie into account. Their exoskeleton makes them resistant to their own corrosive acid blood which is known to burn through several floors of industrial steel and titanium. I would think that they are acid resistant or acid proof towards many types of acid.

The idea of a Xenomorph being affected by industrial acid might be a game mechanic to make the gameplay more experience. In some games we have Predators affected by electricity when Predator 2 showed us they can withstand lightning strikes which range up to a voltage of one billion volts. That would make it a gameplay mechanic. So would the idea of Aliens being affected by acidic substances in the AvP games. To make it balanced.

Not sure if I got my point across but you know what I mean.

Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 01:58:16 AM
Personally not buying that the Aliens are weak against other forms of acid, Ripley was written okay but her inclusion is totally pointless, and the who engineered the Aliens or are they are natural debate is raised once again in this EU but probably will never be answered for fear of what Prometheus 2 is going to do.

Prometheus 2 aka Paradise is supposed to be further away from Alien in terms of references and maybe plot.. At least that's what Ridley Scott and company say.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: predxeno on Feb 07, 2014, 07:40:25 AM
Oh ok, but I don't think it was designed to be a game mechanic; the aforementioned industrial acid only exists in one scene and isn't mentioned ever again in any of the campaigns or even multiplayer.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 07, 2014, 09:47:40 AM
Quote from: RakaiThwei on Feb 07, 2014, 07:38:24 AM
Quote from: predxeno on Feb 07, 2014, 07:29:00 AM
I don't follow. :(

Well we know that Xenomorphs are acid proof, or acid resistant if we take the first AvP movie into account. Their exoskeleton makes them resistant to their own corrosive acid blood which is known to burn through several floors of industrial steel and titanium. I would think that they are acid resistant or acid proof towards many types of acid.
You said it yourself - they're resistant to their own acid, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're 100% acid-proof against any and all types of acid.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 04:32:35 PM
I'm no chemist but I don't see how that works.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 07, 2014, 06:49:55 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 04:32:35 PM
I'm no chemist but I don't see how that works.

In regards to the Xenomorph being affected by acids? In what retrospect, to what I said or what with Xenomrph is countering with?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Feb 07, 2014, 07:06:07 PM
I enjoyed it. Thought it was well written. The nods to the other films stand out...which they always do to the fans.

One of the things that bothered me
Spoiler
when Baxter broke his ankle the only medical treatment was wrapping...later after Ripley was injured pain meds were dispensed...why not earlier with Baxter so he didn't slow them down as much? Lot easier to move when your not burdened with pain
[close]

Spoiler
With the memory wash having had a parent with dementia I've seen first hand how medications can help to enhance memory...its not a leap that in the future that they would be able to diminish it.
[close]

Spoiler
I like the Ash AI sub plot...yet again the red herring. Of course that would not have been there without the Ripley connection though I thought his emotional remarks a bit much. In ALIEN he said "he admired it" so there was a precedence for it. I kept waiting for one of the characters to be exposed as a robot so that made me pay close attention to each ot them. The use of mining tools as weapons all good. And I liked the acid gun for lack of better term...much more dangerous than a flame thrower to operator,bystanders & environment.spoiler
[close]

* * * * *   5 stars

I'm looking forward to the next installment! ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 07:30:53 PM
Quote from: RakaiThwei on Feb 07, 2014, 06:49:55 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 04:32:35 PM
I'm no chemist but I don't see how that works.

In regards to the Xenomorph being affected by acids? In what retrospect, to what I said or what with Xenomrph is countering with?

Mrph is saying.  I would think that whatever acid the Aliens have would be amongst the same ph scale as what the hydrofluoric acid would be and that the aliens method of containing its own blood would work similarly to stop another similar ph scale acid from eating its skin.

But like I said, I'm no chemist.

I didn't mind Ash so much.  He could've done everything he did without Ripley's involvement as simply being software attaching itself to any receiving hardware.  There he could've manipulated said crew into doing anything he needed to do to try and obtain the Alien.

Ripley's involvement however makes it TOO convenient though. 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Feb 07, 2014, 09:39:15 PM

Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 07:30:53 PM
I didn't mind Ash so much.  He could've done everything he did without Ripley's involvement as simply being software attaching itself to any receiving hardware.  There he could've manipulated said crew into doing anything he needed to do to try and obtain the Alien.

Wouldn't the only way Ash's AI or "software" get to the minor's computers from being sent from the Narcissus?  :)

If he didn't need Ripley why didn't he launch the shuttle without her sending the software to any receiving hardware or better yet launch it when the ALIEN was on board before Ripley boarded. Then he'd have his specimen.

Ripley or a pilot must have been needed. :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 09:45:56 PM
Spoiler
If Ash uploaded himself into the Narcissus he could've done the same thing aboard the Nostromo or anything else with hardware he could embed himself in. 

I'm just saying its a pretty convenient plot excuse for Ash to both need Ripley and then blame him for sabotaging the ship (instead of space being you know never ending) and it being lost for decades and then all evidence of the encounter being wiped out of said hijacking with mind wipe and him being killed by both a virus and his hardware shell blowing up in the atmosphere of 178.

The story would've worked better had he just went batshit with the special order, sent himself through space to be downloaded into another ship and then him sabotaging that crew into getting what he wanted instead of hijacking the Narcissus and Ripley.  IMO. 
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Feb 07, 2014, 10:04:51 PM

I take your point.  :)

Though I don't see it as a plot excuse. I see it as a way to tie it into the ALIEN storyline. THE first ALIEN not the Cameron Alien.

Its just my opinion...no better or worse then yours.  :)  And it fun exploring these ideas / theories! ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 10:08:27 PM
If you liked it that's cool.  It just doesn't sit well with me.

To each their own, I don't begrudge people their opinions. 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 08, 2014, 01:52:07 AM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 07:30:53 PM
Quote from: RakaiThwei on Feb 07, 2014, 06:49:55 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 07, 2014, 04:32:35 PM
I'm no chemist but I don't see how that works.

In regards to the Xenomorph being affected by acids? In what retrospect, to what I said or what with Xenomrph is countering with?

Mrph is saying.  I would think that whatever acid the Aliens have would be amongst the same ph scale as what the hydrofluoric acid would be and that the aliens method of containing its own blood would work similarly to stop another similar ph scale acid from eating its skin.
pH scale only deals with how acidic/basic an acid is - different acids can still have different chemical compositions, and something that's resistant to one type of acid might be ineffectual against another. Teflon will stop hydrofluoric acid, for instance, but won't do as much to stop other types of acid.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 08, 2014, 02:31:17 AM
I'll have to take your word for it.  Still sounds all types of shenanigans to me.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 08, 2014, 02:48:01 AM
I'll do some digging and see if I can find more (or at least, better explained) info for you. To be honest, I'm no chemist either. :P
I went poking around on Wikipedia for an explanation, and while I kinda-sorta understood what was going on, most of their "acids" articles are written under the assumption that the reader is a chemist. :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Glaive on Feb 08, 2014, 09:32:56 AM
I suppose it's much like how our stomach acids get away with 'not' dissolving our stomachs...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-our-digestive-ac/ (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-our-digestive-ac/)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kel G 426 on Feb 09, 2014, 09:52:53 PM
Was Wolf's blue liquid an acid?  Because it definitely worked on aliens.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 10, 2014, 10:43:51 AM
We don't know what it was.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 10, 2014, 10:48:24 AM
We know it was f*cking dumb.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2014, 03:58:17 PM
I just finished reading the book.  If you ignore the unlikely scenarios posed (mostly to do with Ripley's all too convenient participation in all of this) you will find that is a very fun book.  It is one of the best "original" Alien stories that hasve come out in years.  It would be great if they made this into a comic.

The glaring thing that struck me most was the following.  Does anyone recall the convo that Ash, Parker, Lambert, and Ripley had about drawing straws because the Narcissus (kind of a Titanic flaw!) only has room for three?  Well now it seems the Narcissus only has room for 1.  One has to presume that when Ash, Parker, Lambert, and Ripley were talking about escaping in the Narcissus, they were talking about hibernation capsules for 3 and not just physical space for 3.  If they were talking about physical space, it seems obvious that they could fit about 8 - 10 people in there.  So just 1 hybernation capsule can't be right.  Do I get a no-prize?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 11, 2014, 08:00:28 PM
SM WILL KNOW.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Feb 11, 2014, 08:56:45 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2014, 03:58:17 PM
I just finished reading the book.  If you ignore the unlikely scenarios posed (mostly to do with Ripley's all too convenient participation in all of this) you will find that is a very fun book.  It is one of the best "original" Alien stories that hasve come out in years.  It would be great if they made this into a comic.

The glaring thing that struck me most was the following.  Does anyone recall the convo that Ash, Parker, Lambert, and Ripley had about drawing straws because the Narcissus (kind of a Titanic flaw!) only has room for three?  Well now it seems the Narcissus only has room for 1.  One has to presume that when Ash, Parker, Lambert, and Ripley were talking about escaping in the Narcissus, they were talking about hibernation capsules for 3 and not just physical space for 3.  If they were talking about physical space, it seems obvious that they could fit about 8 - 10 people in there.  So just 1 hybernation capsule can't be right.  Do I get a no-prize?

I wondered about that too when I first read it and then forgot it... ::) are there any pics of the other capsules...anyone?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 11, 2014, 09:38:44 PM
I always thought they were all just going to pile in to the one tube since it already showed it could support more than one life sign.  (Jonesy!)


But I'm sure SM will know if anybody cares enough to ask him. 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 11, 2014, 10:35:37 PM
If I remember right, the Narcissus had 2 tubes, and the idea was that two people would hibernate (thus not drawing on any life support) while the unlucky third person rides along fully awake. I'd have to check the USCM Tech Manual, it gives specs on the Narcissus.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2014, 11:41:30 PM
Hmmm, I just reviewed the section in the Alien movie and Ripley just says, "the shuttle won't take 4".  My bad.  But since they don't make any fuss about it whatsoever once Ash is "eliminated", one has to assume that there was space for 3.  Nitpicking?  Flaws aside, it was a very fun read.  Tim Lebbon's style captured the essence of both first films.  A page turner..

I think the "Dog Aliens" may have been alluded to in the Prometheus film.  If you notice on the murals inside the ampule room (where the big noggin is), there is a painting of an engineer and a dog alien of sorts.  Wonder if they're the same.

(http://C:%5CArek_temp_02%5CALIENS%5Cuntitled.jpg)

(http://C:%5CArek_temp_02%5CALIENS%5CPrometheus1.jpg)

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 12, 2014, 01:21:22 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 11, 2014, 11:41:30 PM
I think the "Dog Aliens" may have been alluded to in the Prometheus film.  If you notice on the murals inside the ampule room (where the big noggin is), there is a painting of an engineer and a dog alien of sorts.  Wonder if they're the same.

http://C:\Arek_temp_02\ALIENS\untitled.jpg

http://C:\Arek_temp_02\ALIENS\Prometheus1.jpg

Interesting catch. I wonder if that's what Lebbon meant when he said "eagle-eyed" readers would find Prometheus references, especially since the Prometheus elements we got in the final version were very obvious.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 12, 2014, 04:17:44 AM
Oddly similar pose of the Titan Prometheus to the one in the mural from the movie.  I wonder if it suggests conflict between the engineers and the dog aliens.  Perhaps they are not the engineers' best friend..

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 12, 2014, 05:09:51 AM
That's an interesting thought, too; though I always saw the mural more as a reference to the God and Adam from the Sistine Chapel, implying that the creature (dog-alien or not) was either a creation of the Engineers or some kind of subservient species. Though it is entirely possible that the Engineer is trying to restrain the creature.

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Fnews%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F11%2Fsistine-chapel-creation-of-adam.jpg&hash=becd7d89924c2f44c809adfc7a554367e8930c56)

But looking at the "Art of Prometheus" book, the Engineer does have a wavy line that could easily be a scar or wound on his abdomen, where the liver would be. A mystery wrapped in an enigma.

It is interesting to speculate as to whether the Engineers got the xenos from the dog-aliens, or vice versa!  ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: lucas.tanton on Feb 13, 2014, 07:03:20 PM
Also on the "dog alien" topic " "prometheus stole fire from the gods" Maybe the "dog aliens" stole fire from their gods (xeno eggs).  Its great to have the alien universe expanded like this and its nice that we as viewers and readers get to put the puzzle together.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 13, 2014, 07:06:14 PM
You could argue that since their technology also seems to be organic.  Its mentioned that their ship was grown not metallic like ours would be.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 13, 2014, 08:00:29 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 13, 2014, 07:06:14 PM
You could argue that since their technology also seems to be organic.  Its mentioned that their ship was grown not metallic like ours would be.

Well of course that stands to reason.  Perhaps the "Trimonite" material which they were mining is what the Alien Juggernaut ships are made of.  Was it not written that the material is 15 times harder than diamond and extremely rare?  It would explain why the Juggernaut did not break upon impact when it crash landed in Prometheus.  Furthermore, it wold explain why the Alien ship in the Tim Lebbon's book was so far underground.  It was being grown from Trimonite.  Otherwise, why even mention a fantasy material at all?  It would be bad sci-fi to invent some sort of "unobtainium" and then not have it relate to the story.

Perhaps the ships underground in Prometheus were being grown as well?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 13, 2014, 08:10:28 PM
Could be.  I didn't think of the connection of the trimonite and the ships.  Could be possible.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 14, 2014, 03:02:55 AM
Woah Woah grown ships what's this?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 03:24:02 AM
The dog ship was like the jockey ship, it was grown.


The description in the book though makes me think that at one time though the dog aliens didn't have growth technology because they are described as having metallic suits and gold rings.

So if the dog aliens met the Engineers it could be seen as the Engineers "uplifting" them like species do to one another in Mass Effect.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 14, 2014, 03:27:50 AM
This book sounds incredibly cheesy for a series that's meant to be hardcore reality.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 04:13:29 AM
Meh, Alien isn't hard sci fi.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 14, 2014, 04:31:34 AM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 04:13:29 AM
Meh, Alien isn't hard sci fi.

Are you nuts? It's the closest we'll ever get to space being a realistic place.

Alien Ressurrection is the only one in the series that isn't "hard sci-fi'
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 04:39:14 AM
No.  None of them are hard sci fi.  The people portray are realistic people, but they aren't in a hard science fiction world.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Feb 14, 2014, 05:14:09 AM
Quote from: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 14, 2014, 04:31:34 AM
Are you nuts? It's the closest we'll ever get to space being a realistic place.
With artificial gravity, faster than light travel, and alien organisms that fly in the face of physics, biology, etc. ... ?

Not really.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 05:16:27 AM
I know what he's saying.  Alien is portrayed in a way that unless your looking for those mistakes because your majored in astrophysics or some shit you don't have to suspend disbelief.

But it isn't hard scifi.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Feb 14, 2014, 05:18:23 AM
Alien feels real, because they knew it had to for people to buy the fantastical elements. But it never tries to be real.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 05:20:36 AM
Indeed. 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 14, 2014, 08:36:11 AM
Finished the book last night.

I thought it was written well enough, but the story didn't do much for me at all, and I just couldn't get over the stupid inclusion of Ripley for no reason whatsoever. She added nothing to the story, whilst taking a lot away. Ruined the book for me. It got particularly stupid towards the end, with her begging to have her mind wiped.

All that effort to fit the novel between the first two films, and they didn't even explain who wedged the harpoon gun back under the Narcissus door, because it's there at the start of Aliens :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Feb 14, 2014, 03:42:35 PM
I've finished writing my review. Just doing some polishing then I'll publish.

I'm also going to be doing a follow-up Q&A with Tim so if anyone has any specific questions, get them in.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 14, 2014, 04:06:36 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Feb 14, 2014, 03:42:35 PM
I've finished writing my review. Just doing some polishing then I'll publish.

I'm also going to be doing a follow-up Q&A with Tim so if anyone has any specific questions, get them in.

Hi Corporal Hicks,

Here are my questions:
1.  Are the dog-aliens in the book the same as the dog-alien which appears in the mural with the engineer in prometheus (the image is on page 22 of this topic)

2.  Is there a connection between Trimonite and the Alien ship that was discovered at the mining site?  Was the Alien ship being "grown" out of the Trimonite?

Thanks!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 06:29:00 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Feb 14, 2014, 08:36:11 AM
Finished the book last night.

I thought it was written well enough, but the story didn't do much for me at all, and I just couldn't get over the stupid inclusion of Ripley for no reason whatsoever. She added nothing to the story, whilst taking a lot away. Ruined the book for me. It got particularly stupid towards the end, with her begging to have her mind wiped.

All that effort to fit the novel between the first two films, and they didn't even explain who wedged the harpoon gun back under the Narcissus door, because it's there at the start of Aliens :P

Nice memory.  I had forgotten.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 14, 2014, 06:46:23 PM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 06:29:00 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Feb 14, 2014, 08:36:11 AM
Finished the book last night.

I thought it was written well enough, but the story didn't do much for me at all, and I just couldn't get over the stupid inclusion of Ripley for no reason whatsoever. She added nothing to the story, whilst taking a lot away. Ruined the book for me. It got particularly stupid towards the end, with her begging to have her mind wiped.

All that effort to fit the novel between the first two films, and they didn't even explain who wedged the harpoon gun back under the Narcissus door, because it's there at the start of Aliens :P



Nice memory.  I had forgotten.

Kimarhi: You didn't forget.  The med-pod wiped it out for you.   ;)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 14, 2014, 06:51:19 PM
hoho

:)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 15, 2014, 01:43:10 AM
That's what I mean, even if it isn't hard sci-fi it needs to feel real. Anything that doesn't is trash as far as I'm concerned.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 16, 2014, 01:57:13 AM
Edited for Disregarded Inquiery.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 16, 2014, 02:00:06 AM
Which book is featuring Hicks?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: RakaiThwei on Feb 16, 2014, 02:26:06 AM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 16, 2014, 02:00:06 AM
Which book is featuring Hicks?

Someone mentioned a book which was going to be featuring Hicks. I think it's Sea of Sorrows.. I think.

Aaaaaand it turns out that Tim Lebbon might not be writing that, so disregard that question.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 16, 2014, 02:36:19 AM
Quote from: RakaiThwei on Feb 16, 2014, 02:26:06 AM
Quote from: Kimarhi on Feb 16, 2014, 02:00:06 AM
Which book is featuring Hicks?

Someone mentioned a book which was going to be featuring Hicks. I think it's Sea of Sorrows.. I think.

Aaaaaand it turns out that Tim Lebbon might not be writing that, so disregard that question.

The one that might feature Hicks is the third novel, River of Pain by Christopher Golden.

My questions for Tim Lebbon are:

1. Are Out of the Shadows and the next two novels going to tie in with Alien: Isolation?
2. Other than the theme of "Ripley's family" can you comment on any other elements from Out of the Shadows that will be picked up on in the subsequent books, IE the dog-aliens, etc.?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 16, 2014, 04:05:11 AM
My question for Tim Lebbon:

Who's idea was the inclusion of Ripley? Was it a FOX mandate? If not, how did they feel about the idea?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 16, 2014, 07:51:08 PM
Why the dog aliens specifically?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 18, 2014, 05:47:02 PM
Quote from: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 16, 2014, 07:51:08 PM
Why the dog aliens specifically?

This is probably how it went down:

20th Century Fox said, "People are coming around to digging Prometheus!  We need some more God aliens!"

The memo that was sent to Tim Lebbon said "20th Century Fox is asking for dog aliens.  Apparently they're hot now."

Moral: Spell-check won't always save you.

;-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Feb 18, 2014, 06:42:15 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 18, 2014, 05:47:02 PM
Quote from: The1PerfectOrganism on Feb 16, 2014, 07:51:08 PM
Why the dog aliens specifically?

This is probably how it went down:

20th Century Fox said, "People are coming around to digging Prometheus!  We need some more God aliens!"

The memo that was sent to Tim Lebbon said "20th Century Fox is asking for dog aliens.  Apparently they're hot now."

Moral: Spell-check won't always save you.

;-)

The greatest auto-correct blunder of our time.  :laugh:

I'm interested to see what he has to say, especially if he can give us any info on the next two books.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Feb 19, 2014, 11:11:43 AM
He wont reveal anything on the next 2.

Ripley and Ash and time-setting was mandated by Fox. Asked that question before I went on to write more questions that all came back to that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 19, 2014, 11:16:29 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Feb 19, 2014, 11:11:43 AMRipley and Ash and time-setting was mandated by Fox. Asked that question before I went on to write more questions that all came back to that.
I thought that might be the case. A shame, because I liked how the book was written, I just hated those aspects of the plot.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Feb 19, 2014, 03:39:18 PM
All Ripley nonsense aside, it was fun to go on another adventure with Ripley.  If Tim Lebbon had the stipulation to use Ripey, he did a great job.  More over, we got to enjoy Ash again.  That was his first reappearance in 35 years.  It was plain old fun!  As for canon?  gee, I don't know.

I've always held the contention that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection should be de-canonized by Fox and they should allow Cameron to pick up the story with Hicks, Newt, and Ripley.  This wouldn't be the first time a film continuity has been reset.  They did it in the Halloween films (I mean even before Rob Zombie did it), where they literally took one of the old films and ignored it in order to have continuity with one of the older films.  It worked great.  I am not disparaging Alien 3 or AR.  They are great stand-alone films to be enjoyed on their own merits.  Nobody will come and take away your copies of the films.  But the core of the series that keeps bringing fans back in droves is Aliens.  Its James Cameron.  This way Ridley Scott can pursue his Prometheus tangent, and James Cameron can pursue the Aliens tangent.  Who knows, maybe the stories could at some point re-converge?  To me, this would be the only best way to bring back Ripley.  I think I may actually start a Facebook petition for Fox to consider this.  My three cents...

I know its a bit OT, but to add to my previous post, the plot of an Aliens sequel could be loosely inspired by Verheiden's 1988 graphic novels.  Obviously the homeworld / Space Jockey motifs would need to revamped, but that story was otherwise the best of all the graphic novels published...  From what I gather, it was Sigourney Weaver who really wanted the story to go along the lines of Alien 3 and to make her the focus of the series.  That's why Hicks and and Newt got killed.  It was Michael Biehn's openly stated greatest disappointment.  I think Sigourney has a different tune these days.  Is there anyone who thinks she wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be in a Cameron helmed Aliens sequel?  I think this is the only way the fans will handle the return of Ripley without ridiculing the effort...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Feb 19, 2014, 06:22:36 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 19, 2014, 03:39:18 PM
I think Sigourney has a different tune these days.  Is there anyone who thinks she wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be in a Cameron helmed Aliens sequel?  I think this is the only way the fans will handle the return of Ripley without ridiculing the effort...

imho I think it would be plot 1st & then director. I thought Tim Lebbon did a great job writing the story with the plot & limits Fox set. I just hope the next 2 will be as well written. 8)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Kimarhi on Feb 19, 2014, 06:25:10 PM
If he was forced to do it then I think he did a pretty good job. 
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Feb 19, 2014, 06:34:03 PM

Now that the book is out maybe he will be able to shed more light on the process in Corp Hick's next interview.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Feb 20, 2014, 01:16:25 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Feb 19, 2014, 11:11:43 AM
Ripley and Ash and time-setting was mandated by Fox. Asked that question before I went on to write more questions that all came back to that.
Interesting, thanks for the info. :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Feb 20, 2014, 12:12:23 PM
I finished my review. I've sent the questions off to Tim. I'll pop them both online together.  :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Feb 28, 2014, 12:26:10 PM
Got the interview back. It'll be up either tonight or tomorrow.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: chromhart on Mar 03, 2014, 07:57:00 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 19, 2014, 03:39:18 PM
All Ripley nonsense aside, it was fun to go on another adventure with Ripley.  If Tim Lebbon had the stipulation to use Ripey, he did a great job.  More over, we got to enjoy Ash again.  That was his first reappearance in 35 years.  It was plain old fun!  As for canon?  gee, I don't know.

I've always held the contention that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection should be de-canonized by Fox and they should allow Cameron to pick up the story with Hicks, Newt, and Ripley.  This wouldn't be the first time a film continuity has been reset.  They did it in the Halloween films (I mean even before Rob Zombie did it), where they literally took one of the old films and ignored it in order to have continuity with one of the older films.  It worked great.  I am not disparaging Alien 3 or AR.  They are great stand-alone films to be enjoyed on their own merits.  Nobody will come and take away your copies of the films.  But the core of the series that keeps bringing fans back in droves is Aliens.  Its James Cameron.  This way Ridley Scott can pursue his Prometheus tangent, and James Cameron can pursue the Aliens tangent.  Who knows, maybe the stories could at some point re-converge?  To me, this would be the only best way to bring back Ripley.  I think I may actually start a Facebook petition for Fox to consider this.  My three cents...

I know its a bit OT, but to add to my previous post, the plot of an Aliens sequel could be loosely inspired by Verheiden's 1988 graphic novels.  Obviously the homeworld / Space Jockey motifs would need to revamped, but that story was otherwise the best of all the graphic novels published...  From what I gather, it was Sigourney Weaver who really wanted the story to go along the lines of Alien 3 and to make her the focus of the series.  That's why Hicks and and Newt got killed.  It was Michael Biehn's openly stated greatest disappointment.  I think Sigourney has a different tune these days.  Is there anyone who thinks she wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be in a Cameron helmed Aliens sequel?  I think this is the only way the fans will handle the return of Ripley without ridiculing the effort...

Actually I feel the opposite. I loved Alien 3, didn't care too much for Alien Resurrection. Aliens was a good movie, but I would have loved it to be more like alien, horror, suspense... The mystery....
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 05, 2014, 04:53:13 AM
I respect your position on the matter, and it is not far off from mine in some ways.  I actually love Alien 3 too.  If you were to ignore Alien and Aliens, and just jump into the series at Alien 3, anyone would think it is a solid film on its own merits.  However I think people are to this day invested in the characters of Hicks, Ripley, and Newt.  If one were to want to include them in any further Aliens tales, I think the best way would be to decanonize Alien 3 and go off on a different tangent.  Otherwise, you end up with inserting improbable stories in between the movies.  I really enjoyed Alien out of the Shadows,but 20th Century Fox's idea to include Ripley was really out of left field IMO and totally driven by marketing.  The best way to do it is to just say that Alien 3 is an excellent non-canonical alternate reality film or a sort of "what if?" story.  IMO this does not invalidate Alien 3.  It's still a great film, but a sort of fantasy within a fantasy....



Quote from: chromhart on Mar 03, 2014, 07:57:00 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 19, 2014, 03:39:18 PM
All Ripley nonsense aside, it was fun to go on another adventure with Ripley.  If Tim Lebbon had the stipulation to use Ripey, he did a great job.  More over, we got to enjoy Ash again.  That was his first reappearance in 35 years.  It was plain old fun!  As for canon?  gee, I don't know.

I've always held the contention that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection should be de-canonized by Fox and they should allow Cameron to pick up the story with Hicks, Newt, and Ripley.  This wouldn't be the first time a film continuity has been reset.  They did it in the Halloween films (I mean even before Rob Zombie did it), where they literally took one of the old films and ignored it in order to have continuity with one of the older films.  It worked great.  I am not disparaging Alien 3 or AR.  They are great stand-alone films to be enjoyed on their own merits.  Nobody will come and take away your copies of the films.  But the core of the series that keeps bringing fans back in droves is Aliens.  Its James Cameron.  This way Ridley Scott can pursue his Prometheus tangent, and James Cameron can pursue the Aliens tangent.  Who knows, maybe the stories could at some point re-converge?  To me, this would be the only best way to bring back Ripley.  I think I may actually start a Facebook petition for Fox to consider this.  My three cents...

I know its a bit OT, but to add to my previous post, the plot of an Aliens sequel could be loosely inspired by Verheiden's 1988 graphic novels.  Obviously the homeworld / Space Jockey motifs would need to revamped, but that story was otherwise the best of all the graphic novels published...  From what I gather, it was Sigourney Weaver who really wanted the story to go along the lines of Alien 3 and to make her the focus of the series.  That's why Hicks and and Newt got killed.  It was Michael Biehn's openly stated greatest disappointment.  I think Sigourney has a different tune these days.  Is there anyone who thinks she wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be in a Cameron helmed Aliens sequel?  I think this is the only way the fans will handle the return of Ripley without ridiculing the effort...

Actually I feel the opposite. I loved Alien 3, didn't care too much for Alien Resurrection. Aliens was a good movie, but I would have loved it to be more like alien, horror, suspense... The mystery....
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 05, 2014, 08:49:13 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 05, 2014, 04:53:13 AMIf one were to want to include them in any further Aliens tales, I think the best way would be to decanonize Alien 3 and go off on a different tangent.  Otherwise, you end up with inserting improbable stories in between the movies.  I really enjoyed Alien out of the Shadows,but 20th Century Fox's idea to include Ripley was really out of left field IMO and totally driven by marketing.  The best way to do it is to just say that Alien 3 is an excellent non-canonical alternate reality film or a sort of "what if?" story.  IMO this does not invalidate Alien 3.  It's still a great film, but a sort of fantasy within a fantasy....
Or you could, you know, come up with new characters that don't interfere with the films and make us want to invest in them... Except that's so much harder than sticking "Ripley" on the back of the book.

I'd take Alien 3 over Out of the Shadows any day. At least Alien 3 had a message and went somewhere. People may not like the bleakness of that message, but Out of the Shadows had no substance at all, it was just a pointless story that went nowhere and resolved nothing. Granted there are sequel books planned, but I shouldn't need them for the first novel to feel complete. I can't stand it when they do that. Alien doesn't need Aliens to be awesome.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 05, 2014, 12:41:21 PM
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/alien-out-of-the-shadows/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/alien-out-of-the-shadows/)
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/tim-lebbon/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/tim-lebbon/)

My review and interview. Spoilers are in the interview, minor spoilers in the review.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 05, 2014, 12:54:50 PM
Interesting reads, thanks. You clearly enjoyed the book a lot more than me, but I did think it was well-written. It was the Fox-imposed crap that spoiled it for me. A shame, because Lebbon comes across as a nice guy.

Also, completely missed that W-Y reference in The Grey!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Mar 06, 2014, 01:16:09 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 05, 2014, 12:41:21 PM
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/alien-out-of-the-shadows/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/alien-out-of-the-shadows/)
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/tim-lebbon/ (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/tim-lebbon/)

My review and interview. Spoilers are in the interview, minor spoilers in the review.
I love how he drops the big "canon" word completely unprompted and unprovoked in his very first answer. :D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Mar 06, 2014, 02:20:11 AM
Nice review and interview, Hicks! Looking forward to the next two books.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darwinsgirl on Mar 07, 2014, 09:09:33 PM
Great interview! I hope he can write further ALIEN novels.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 25, 2014, 01:32:23 PM
Finally read this.

I was very sceptical of bringing Ripley back.

Spoiler

Overall, I think it works really well as a survival story.  We're thrown right into things early with no pissfarting around, and the characters get everything they need to know about the Aliens (mostly) from the returning miners so we don't have to spend a bunch of time waiting for the characters to catch up with us, the reader.

It also dispenses with a bunch of characters early leaving us with a core group who are easier to develop.  Unfortunately none of them really do.  They do have individual personalities, but nothing much more than that.  Hoop was a bit of a cliche, but decent enough.

As for Ripley - Lebbon did enough with Ash's subterfuge for Ripley's presence to actually make some modicum of sense.  But I don't think he really captured Ripley's character.  She talked to herself too much for starters. The focus on Amanda was understandable but overdone.  Up to the point where she begs to have her memories erased, which I didn't buy at all.  I don't think that's something Ripey would ever do.  I think Lebbon sold the process okay, but not Ripley's act of actually doing it.

If it was that simple why didn't she do it to get rid of her nightmares in Aliens?  And on the subject of continuity issues - she had scars left by the patching up that she never questions in Aliens?  Hoop didn't dress Ripley in the robe she was wearing at the end of Alien and start of Aliens.  And Lebbon missing the gun stuck in the hatch and constant references to a single hypersleep pod in the shuttle was mildly annoying.

And speaking of annoying - an acid gun that could hurt an Alien?  Really shoddy idea.  And why didn't they get Sneddon to the medpod as soon as they redocked with the Marion??  Lots of attention lavished on Ripley, but Sneddon seem to get shafted.

But, as I said, overall a good survival story, that was probably elevated by having Ripley and Ash in it, but also let down by having Ripley and Ash in it.  If that makes sense.

[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on May 25, 2014, 02:58:18 PM
Quote from: SM on May 25, 2014, 01:32:23 PM
Finally read this.

I was very sceptical of bringing Ripley back.

Spoiler

Overall, I think it works really well as a survival story.  We're thrown right into things early with no pissfarting around, and the characters get everything they need to know about the Aliens (mostly) from the returning miners so we don't have to spend a bunch of time waiting for the characters to catch up with us, the reader.

It also dispenses with a bunch of characters early leaving us with a core group who are easier to develop.  Unfortunately none of them really do.  They do have individual personalities, but nothing much more than that.  Hoop was a bit of a cliche, but decent enough.

As for Ripley - Lebbon did enough with Ash's subterfuge for Ripley's presence to actually make some modicum of sense.  But I don't think he really captured Ripley's character.  She talked to herself too much for starters. The focus on Amanda was understandable but overdone.  Up to the point where she begs to have her memories erased, which I didn't buy at all.  I don't think that's something Ripey would ever do.  I think Lebbon sold the process okay, but not Ripley's act of actually doing it.

If it was that simple why didn't she do it to get rid of her nightmares in Aliens?  And on the subject of continuity issues - she had scars left by the patching up that she never questions in Aliens?  Hoop didn't dress Ripley in the robe she was wearing at the end of Alien and start of Aliens.  And Lebbon missing the gun stuck in the hatch and constant references to a single hypersleep pod in the shuttle was mildly annoying.

And speaking of annoying - an acid gun that could hurt an Alien?  Really shoddy idea.  And why didn't they get Sneddon to the medpod as soon as they redocked with the Marion??  Lots of attention lavished on Ripley, but Sneddon seem to get shafted.

But, as I said, overall a good survival story, that was probably elevated by having Ripley and Ash in it, but also let down by having Ripley and Ash in it.  If that makes sense.

[close]

Agreed on all points. I'd also say it wasn't good enough to read  again, but good enough that I'll read the next one.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 25, 2014, 06:15:15 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on May 25, 2014, 02:58:18 PMAgreed on all points. I'd also say it wasn't good enough to read  again, but good enough that I'll read the next one.
Likewise.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 04, 2014, 07:22:44 AM
The 2nd tube is never seen (or mentioned) in the actual film though is it?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jun 04, 2014, 07:48:32 AM
It's never discussed, all they say is the shuttle can't take four, but I'm fairly sure you can see it in the background of some shots.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 04, 2014, 08:18:34 AM
Both tubes are front and centre just as Mother says "You now have one minute to abandon ship".  Then you can see them again at the start of Ripley doing her sign off.

There's no angle in Aliens where you can see the second one.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 04, 2014, 09:45:28 AM
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=34&pid=18176#top_display_media (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=34&pid=18176#top_display_media)

Never noticed that. Wow. Guess the single tube in Aliens was just more ingrained in my memory.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Jun 04, 2014, 04:43:54 PM
Quote from: SM on Jun 04, 2014, 08:18:34 AM
Both tubes are front and centre just as Mother says "You now have one minute to abandon ship".  Then you can see them again at the start of Ripley doing her sign off.

I wish Lebbon had looked closer. That tiny detail kinda pulls the plug on his whole book, in my opinion.

If these authors are unclear on something, they should ask around here!  :D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Jun 04, 2014, 09:51:11 PM
Just don't ask Hicks...  ;D

It doesn't wreck the whole book.  But it was a very sloppy and easily avoided mistake.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Mar 19, 2016, 03:07:26 AM
I have finally sat down and started reading this.  I am really enjoying it so far, except for one thing.

Fi nding
Fl ower
Fl esh

All through the book.  It's kinda driving my OCD into overdrive.  Do later printings fix this?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 19, 2016, 02:44:24 PM
Not sure, but Finding Flower Flesh Could be an ok name for a rock band...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Mar 19, 2016, 05:43:49 PM
 ;D  hahahaha

I hope they've fixed it in a newer printing.  It is really annoying the heck out of me.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Mar 19, 2016, 08:20:21 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Mar 19, 2016, 03:07:26 AM
I have finally sat down and started reading this.  I am really enjoying it so far, except for one thing.

Fi nding
Fl ower
Fl esh

All through the book.  It's kinda driving my OCD into overdrive.  Do later printings fix this?

That's curious, do you know which pages those happen in? I don't remember seeing them in my book. It's been quite a long time too since I read them.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Mar 19, 2016, 09:08:31 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Mar 19, 2016, 03:07:26 AM
I have finally sat down and started reading this.  I am really enjoying it so far, except for one thing.

Fi nding
Fl ower
Fl esh

All through the book.  It's kinda driving my OCD into overdrive.  Do later printings fix this?

Mine, too. Drove me absolutely bonkers. What would even cause that... some sort of find/replace SNAFU? The mind boggles...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Mar 19, 2016, 10:50:13 PM
And only with words starting with an F.  Didn't make any sense to me. Lol
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 21, 2016, 08:42:29 AM
Yeah, that really confused me. Never seen anything like it before.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Mar 21, 2016, 11:01:01 PM
I think I remember seeing those now.  :laugh: How'd they make the mistake though? Must've been some glitch during the printing or something. Because if someone proof read that, it's a very noticeable mistake.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 21, 2016, 11:43:12 PM
WHAT DO YOU MEAN GLITCH?!?!?!?

;)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Mar 22, 2016, 12:55:28 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 21, 2016, 11:43:12 PM
WHAT DO YOU MEAN GLITCH?!?!?!?

;)

It's just a g litch man, a g litch.  :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 22, 2016, 01:07:14 AM
Quote from: The Alien Predator on Mar 22, 2016, 12:55:28 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 21, 2016, 11:43:12 PM
WHAT DO YOU MEAN GLITCH?!?!?!?

;)

It's just a g litch man, a g litch.  :P

Glitch man!  Pings, glitch, lifeform, what the f#%k!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 29, 2016, 06:15:38 PM
Cool news!

Quote·         Available on Audible; a brand new audio drama, Alien: Out of the Shadows - starring Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner and Batman Begins) in his first audio role, Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter film series) and Corey Johnson (The Bourne Ultimatum) is a terrifying fight for survival and an intense struggle between human and artificial intelligence.

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=54188.0
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Mar 29, 2016, 06:33:16 PM
Looks like I'll be re-activating my Audible account next month!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 29, 2016, 07:47:57 PM
Cool!
Title: Alien - Out of the Shadows Audiobook Announced!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 06:42:25 PM

The Alien – Out of the Shadows audiobook will be coming out Alien Day. Yesterday Fox announced all sorts of new goodies in their Alien Day press release including an audiobook of Titan’s Alien – Out of the Shadows. The original novel by Tim Lebbon was released in 2014 (you can read our review of it here) and the new audiobook version of Alien – Out of the Shadows is due for release on April 26th.

Thanks to the good people over at Movie Buzzers we have our first sneak peek (sneek listen?) at what’s in store for us!

“Alien: Out of the Shadows is set in the 57 years between the original classic sci-fi films, 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens and features the vocal talent of Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner and Batman Begins), Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter film series), Corey Johnson (The Bourne Ultimatum, Kingsman),Kathryn Drysdale, Laurel Lefkow, and Andrea Deck. It is directed by Dirk Maggs (radio series of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy) and based on the original novel by award-winning author Tim Lebbon.”

Alien - Out of the Shadows audiobook cover art. Alien - Out of the Shadows Audiobook Announced!

Alien – Out of the Shadows audiobook cover art.

You should recognize the name Andrea Deck as the voice of Amanda Ripley from Alien: Isolation. She will be providing the voice of her character’s mother for the Alien – Out of the Shadows audiobook. Science-fiction fans will also recognize the name Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty from Sir Ridley Scott’s other well-known sci-fi classic, Blade Runner.

Rather than a traditional audiobook like the recently released Alien film novelizations, the Maggs’ directed Out of the Shadows is taking a multi-cast approach, giving it an almost audio-play quality to it.

The Alien – Out of the Shadows audiobook is available to pre-order over at Amazon now.

Link To Post

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 06:50:07 PM
I'm not going to lie - after that preview I've pretty damn excited! I've already pre-ordered it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: swarm87 on Mar 30, 2016, 06:51:42 PM
thats an audio drama not an audio book; will definitely buy. would have preferred to get it on disc; i remember buying the starwars audio dramas and they included some pretty cool BTS booklets

but the end of that sample though  :laugh:
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 06:56:47 PM
Quote from: swarm87 on Mar 30, 2016, 06:51:42 PM
thats an audio drama not an audio book; will definitely buy. would have preferred to get it on disc; i remember buying the starwars audio dramas and they included some pretty cool BTS booklets

Yeah, that description didn't sound correct to me either but that's what everything is calling it.  :-\
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darkness on Mar 30, 2016, 06:57:06 PM
Damn, that's actually pretty impressive when you compare it to the novelization audiobooks. With sound effects and everything. I wish they'd do that with all the novels. I used to listen to 'We're Alive' - the zombie podcast series and that was dramatised like this as well.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 06:59:09 PM
I believe they're using the Isolation sound effects. I'm loving it. I listen to various audio dramas myself (the Big Finish Stargate ones and a Star Trek fan production called Star Trek Excelsior) and I've been thinking it'd be nice to have one for Aliens for sometime.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Mar 30, 2016, 07:01:41 PM
I love the sound effects in the background. Usually I can't stand audiobooks as I prefer to read the book myself. But this is an exception, I like that it has different voice actors and sounds. I never listened to an audio drama before, only to some audiobooks on youtube, so this was a good taste of it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 07:09:46 PM
Audio books I struggle with. Audio plays and dramatisations I love.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Richman678 on Mar 30, 2016, 07:16:04 PM
This sounds more like listening to an audio recording you find in a video game or something. I will be purchasing now for sure!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BeowolfSchaefer on Mar 30, 2016, 07:17:24 PM
This is great. I hope it sells well enough to continue making them because I love audiobooks.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 30, 2016, 07:20:22 PM
Check out the new logo.  It looks somewhat like the PROMETHEUS logo.  I would expect that this logo will be the new look of ALIEN.  So probably many things to come out for 4-26 may have this logo.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Al on Mar 30, 2016, 07:32:39 PM
The familiar sounds are always the best.

It is Very loudly, but  still I would to listen it all.

Thanks for the sneak... listen.  ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 07:36:58 PM
Quote from: Al on Mar 30, 2016, 07:32:39 PM
Thanks for the sneak... listen.  ;D

You enjoyed that did you?  :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on Mar 30, 2016, 07:38:15 PM
Sounds awesome! I can't believe they have Rutger Hauer, thats great. Will be the first time i've listened to anything like this, I'm liking the new logo and art too.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 30, 2016, 08:05:10 PM
Wait, Andrea Deck?

She was Amanda Ripley in Alien: Isolation!

EDIT: Not reading the full post retard alert :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: windebieste on Mar 30, 2016, 08:31:28 PM
Andrea Deck is on board with this?  Oh, fantastic! 

I guess this means she's comfortable working within this licence.  I hope she continues to do so.  Would it be too much of a stretch to want her to appear in a future 'ALIEN' movie as Amanda Ripley? 

I'd be all for that. 

-Windebieste.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 09:41:57 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Mar 30, 2016, 08:05:10 PM
Wait, Andrea Deck?

She was Amanda Ripley in Alien: Isolation!

EDIT: Not reading the full post retard alert :P

:P Ba-doy.

Bigger image of the cover:

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/300316_01a-e1459373964984.jpg)

And some of the cast of the drama, including Andrea Deck.

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/t31.0-8/12891030_1150226588345145_2419980788997116205_o.jpg)

Correction: Andrea isn't playing Ripley, she's playing Kasyanov. Laurel Lefkow is playing Ripley.

The lovable Hoop will be played by Corey Johnson - in the cap in the cast picture above.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Mar 30, 2016, 10:19:08 PM
Quote from: windebieste on Mar 30, 2016, 08:31:28 PM
Andrea Deck is on board with this?  Oh, fantastic! 

I guess this means she's comfortable working within this licence.  I hope she continues to do so.  Would it be too much of a stretch to want her to appear in a future 'ALIEN' movie as Amanda Ripley? 

I'd be all for that. 

Feeling the need to ditto you here, in case Fox is watching.  8)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 31, 2016, 12:36:28 AM
Wow, I just gave that a listen.  I can't say I remember ever hearing something like this.  It's really well done.  The sounds are quite richly layered and authentic.  It's definitely not somebody's read-through of the novel.  This is very cool..
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: PRJ_since1990 on Mar 31, 2016, 01:03:25 AM
That sample was INCREDIBLE! I actually want to own this when it releases!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 31, 2016, 07:13:13 AM
The preview actually had me download Audible and pre-order the whole thing. I'm actually really excited to listen to this! We should hopefully be having a chat with Dirk Maggs, the director, at some point next month too.  :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Elvis is Everywhere on Mar 31, 2016, 07:22:06 AM
Dirk Maggs produced, adapted, and directed The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the Dirk Gently books, Neverwhere, Good Omens, Superman, and An American Werewolf in London for BBC Radio 4. This is a drop in the hat for the man!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 31, 2016, 07:42:45 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 09:41:57 PMAnd some of the cast of the drama, including Andrea Deck.

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/t31.0-8/12891030_1150226588345145_2419980788997116205_o.jpg)

Man do I have a thing for Andrea Deck :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on Mar 31, 2016, 01:53:35 PM
I find her very pretty in a plain jane ripley sort of way  :)

*looks over shoulder for wife* all clear 8)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 31, 2016, 02:00:13 PM
:)

I see what you mean, but there's something about her. I thought it when I first found out who she was off the back of Isolation, and she looks great in that photo too.

She was supposedly in Ridley's The Counsellor. Anyone ever see that?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 31, 2016, 02:23:14 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Mar 31, 2016, 02:00:13 PM
:)

I see what you mean, but there's something about her. I thought it when I first found out who she was off the back of Isolation, and she looks great in that photo too.

She was supposedly in Ridley's The Counsellor. Anyone ever see that?

Oh my!  Huda's in love.   ;)

Saw the Councillor.  I didn't  think it was such a bad film.  Cameron Diaz is viciously amazing, and Michael Fassbender is always good.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 01, 2016, 10:21:55 PM
Can you fault him?  :laugh:
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 02, 2016, 02:19:27 PM
I'm changing my surname to McClaren and sending her creepy fan mail :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on Apr 02, 2016, 04:07:59 PM
You have to act like she's really Amanda Ripley too. :laugh:
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Apr 02, 2016, 04:31:55 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Apr 02, 2016, 02:19:27 PM
I'm changing my surname to McClaren and sending her creepy fan mail :P

Omg!  ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 02, 2016, 08:27:00 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Apr 02, 2016, 02:19:27 PM
I'm changing my surname to McClaren and sending her creepy fan mail :P

I fear authorities in the future will condemn us for not doing something about HuDa at this point.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Robot Sentry on Apr 03, 2016, 05:08:30 AM
This is pretty cool. I'm not a big audiobook fan, but when it has nice audio production value/sound effec and a full cast, it feels much more like the audio track from a film. This is something I'd love to see them do with more books instead of the regular old -- have one guy read the book-- kinda thing they do. Hopefully it will be a success and they'll do this same sort of treatment for some of the other Alien(s) novels.

This did get me to check out some stuff on Audible, since I do already own a Kindle...

FYI: the ALIENS ebook is on sale now for only 99 cents on Amazon.

I snagged it and added the audiobook narration for another $2.99. So together I got the Kindle ebook and the audiobook read by William Hope for only 4 bucks total. Not bad at all, especially considering that Mr. Hope's voice seems to be a great fit for the material, based on my few minutes of sampling the audiobook reading.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 03, 2016, 01:19:38 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 02, 2016, 08:27:00 PMI fear authorities in the future will condemn us for not doing something about HuDa at this point.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 03, 2016, 02:35:13 PM
Quote from: Robot Sentry on Apr 03, 2016, 05:08:30 AM
I'm not a big audiobook fan, but when it has nice audio production value/sound effec and a full cast, it feels much more like the audio track from a film.

I find I sometimes lose interest when listening to straight up audiobooks but audio dramas/plays, what have you are much more interesting. I really hope this does well and encourages them to do more. Maybe even some original ones not based on the existing books.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Apr 03, 2016, 01:19:38 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 02, 2016, 08:27:00 PMI fear authorities in the future will condemn us for not doing something about HuDa at this point.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

:P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 03, 2016, 07:30:23 PM
So Rutger will be playing Ash. There's a short preview with him.

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/alien-prometheus/news/a788660/rutger-hauer-aliens-ash-is-creepy-as-hell-as/
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 07, 2016, 12:52:04 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 31, 2016, 07:13:13 AMWe should hopefully be having a chat with Dirk Maggs, the director, at some point next month too.  :)

I've literally only just seen this bit, that's excellent news.

According to Audible, Mac McDonald (Simpson from the Aliens Special Edition) is also involved in this!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 08, 2016, 07:25:27 AM
Nice! He's getting around. Wasn't he also in Isolation?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 08, 2016, 08:00:52 AM
Yeah, although I've no idea where. He was way down in the "additional voices" bit of the credits, so it might just've been generic background characters rather than anyone specific.

Looking back at the cast photo, it's fairly obvious he's the guy in the pink t-shirt. Didn't recognise him at first with a moustache!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Dean Learner on Apr 11, 2016, 09:58:36 AM
Can't wait for this. David Magg's adaption of Neverwhere was terrific and he can really direct actors and knows how to use audio to tell a story. It's great that he's playing in the Aliens universe.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 18, 2016, 11:13:06 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 30, 2016, 09:41:57 PM
And some of the cast of the drama, including Andrea Deck.

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/12974448_1162606823773788_7542042435086490645_n.jpg?oh=94f6ed6226fb377ed86f58e68860dc63&oe=57BB7C6C)

Is it me or does the lass at the front look like the annoying squeeky girl from 2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps?

Yeah, it is. Kathryn Drysdale.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 18, 2016, 04:57:04 PM
I'm getting our interview questions ready for Dirk Maggs, the producer on the audio drama. If anyone has any specific questions they would like asking please let me know. I'd like to get the questions sent off within the next day or so.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 18, 2016, 06:14:38 PM
I'd be interested to know how Rutger Hauer in particular came to be involved with the project.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 18, 2016, 06:26:07 PM
I'd be curious to find out about the following:

-Did they used any actual sounds from the movies and does that mean all Alien films were referenced?

-Are there plans for future Alien productions along these lines?

-Are there any plans for original Alien works (i.e. not based on any books)?

-How long did production take?

-Was the book abridged for the purposes of the recording, or was it changed at all?

-Is Dirk Maggs a big fan of Aliens?

-Any cool stories on how the sound effects were generated?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 18, 2016, 06:46:31 PM
Got most of those. Will add your one about original Alien works onto an existing though!  :) Anything else?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Apr 18, 2016, 09:57:10 PM
Will there be a slight pause after the first two letters of every word that starts with the letter 'f'?  :D I keed, I keed.

Was there any part of the dialogue or recording that Fox ordered changed?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Apr 19, 2016, 01:03:00 AM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Apr 18, 2016, 09:57:10 PM
Will there be a slight pause after the first two letters of every word that starts with the letter 'f'?  :D I keed, I keed.

Was there any part of the dialogue or recording that Fox ordered changed?

I see what you did there. Now that'd be f unny as hell if there was a pause. XD

I am curious if they will do an audio drama on more of Tim's works such as the Rage War trilogy.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 19, 2016, 01:09:56 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 18, 2016, 06:46:31 PM
Got most of those. Will add your one about original Alien works onto an existing though!  :) Anything else?

I figured you would.  You tend to ask the right questions.

Perhaps you could ask about how one goes about preparing to play well established characters like Ripley and Ash.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 25, 2016, 01:02:06 PM
I'll be uploading the Q&A shortly. It'll be available for our subscribers to get an early look at whilst I beautify it before releasing it on the website.

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/dirk-maggs/

Interview is now live!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 25, 2016, 02:22:28 PM
Nice! Loved the "old Seegson model" bit ;D Interesting to hear the script won't necessarily be a direct facsimile of the book.

Really looking forward to giving this drama a go, luckily I'm on holiday next week so that should be the perfect chance to give it a listen!

If you do any follow-up questions, I'd very much like to know more about that Resurrection drama he mentioned - if there's anything more he can tell us.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 25, 2016, 02:24:16 PM
I have asked but he can't remember at the minute. He'll get back to me about that one. Glad you enjoyed it!  :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 25, 2016, 02:32:51 PM
I might've guessed you'd asked already :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 25, 2016, 02:34:27 PM
Actually really looking forward to this audio-book.  I commute a lot and rather than "time wasted" it will now be "time well wasted".  No seriously, I can't wait to give this a spin.  I really enjoyed that book.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomorphine on Apr 25, 2016, 02:40:14 PM
I still have 'Independence Day UK'! The ending's a bit superficial, but the set-up's great! I still enjoy listening to it, every now and then. :)

For those curious, it starts out in the style of a live radio broadcast during the events of the film, with various celebrities playing themselves. Everything gets destroyed in a fairly haunting fashion, 'War Of The Worlds'-style. Then switches to a drama.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 25, 2016, 02:45:18 PM
I listened to it a few years ago when I heard about it. I think ADC was the one to point me towards it. I thought it was pretty cool - very nice throwback to Orsen Welles! It's available on YouTube for anyone interested.

I've just listened to the first half-hour. Off to a great start!

Check this out!



By this gent - https://twitter.com/hpositivefilm

I'm about halfway or so through the drama and loving it.

An interview with Rutger Hauer: http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/alien/40184/rutger-hauer-interview-alien-out-of-the-shadows

Plus some snaps that Dirk shared on Facebook.

(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlf1/v/t1.0-9/13103284_10154134144299467_8894938389597630222_n.jpg?oh=3fedd8f8d2870578456a3145da5e3d60&oe=57BD2AA8)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13103381_10154134144544467_3820761010911184068_n.jpg?oh=275312f2b998d2552f983d6ea17056e9&oe=579D35B3)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 26, 2016, 09:49:27 AM
I've got it downloaded to my phone now but I doubt I'll start it before I go away. Looking forward to it though!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2016, 10:25:07 AM
And another 2 shorts -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUj03dOtqWU

A review from ScifiBulletin: https://scifibulletin.com/books/audiobooks/alien-review-out-of-the-shadows-audio/
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 27, 2016, 10:43:23 AM
It's been bugging me for ages and the penny's finally dropped - I knew I recognised the name of Laurel Lefkow, the actress who voices Ripley. She was Katya in AVP2010.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 27, 2016, 10:47:02 AM
Ha. Nice catch! She does an incredible Sigourney.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 06:49:16 PM
Did anyone get a copy of this audio drama yet? I'm really interested to hear it. Been on the search for a download as I'm broke to pick up a copy at the moment.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 27, 2016, 06:50:55 PM
I've got it, but I haven't listened yet. Saving it for my holiday :) Hicks has given it a spin.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:52:21 PM
Ok, let me get this straight here.  What does one need to do to get this audiobook?  Do I need to download some sort of Audible app first?  Then do I buy the file?,  Or is it more like a streaming service?  Do I get to keep the file so I can listen to it again if I want to (let's face it, I will want to).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 06:57:59 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:52:21 PM
Ok, let me get this straight here.  What does one need to do to get this audiobook?  Do I need to download some sort of Audible app first?  Then do I buy the file?,  Or is it more like a streaming service?  Do I get to keep the file so I can listen to it again if I want to (let's face it, I will want to).

Yea I'm curious how that Audible place works as well I've been hearing a lot about it lately. I just don't know how into the idea I am for paying monthly for the site & paying for individual audio books as well. I'd rather just buy a physical copy audio book & screw the monthly payments to get downloads/stream.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:59:41 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 06:57:59 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:52:21 PM
Ok, let me get this straight here.  What does one need to do to get this audiobook?  Do I need to download some sort of Audible app first?  Then do I buy the file?,  Or is it more like a streaming service?  Do I get to keep the file so I can listen to it again if I want to (let's face it, I will want to).

Yea I'm curious how that Audible place works as well I've been hearing a lot about it lately. I just don't know how into the idea I am for paying monthly for the site & paying for individual audio books as well. I'd rather just buy a physical copy audio book & screw the monthly payments to get downloads/stream.

Monthly payments?  Whaaaaat?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:03:12 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:59:41 PM
Monthly payments?  Whaaaaat?

Yep, I finally went to Audible.com through my laptop & while yea it says 30 day free trial, after that it's 14 something a month. I think I'll be passing on that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 07:08:45 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:03:12 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:59:41 PM
Monthly payments?  Whaaaaat?

Yep, I finally went to Audible.com through my laptop & while yea it says 30 day free trial, after that it's 14 something a month. I think I'll be passing on that.

I think I'll be getting the free trial, listening to the book and closing up shop afterwards.  That's more than Netflix!  The quality is good, but come on!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:12:07 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 07:08:45 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:03:12 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:59:41 PM
Monthly payments?  Whaaaaat?

Yep, I finally went to Audible.com through my laptop & while yea it says 30 day free trial, after that it's 14 something a month. I think I'll be passing on that.

I think I'll be getting the free trial, listening to the book and closing up shop afterwards.  That's more than Netflix!  The quality is good, but come on!

I was thinking of doing that as well & just grabbing a few books before the 30 days is up & close up but I'm still a little weary about giving my credit card info out. I don't do much online buying. Let me know if it works out for you to get it & I'll go do the same haha Hopefully it allows you to download & keep the file rather than stream. I agree, while it would be nice to have so many audio books at the ready to listen to, about $15 a little much to me.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 07:22:17 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:12:07 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 07:08:45 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:03:12 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 06:59:41 PM
Monthly payments?  Whaaaaat?

Yep, I finally went to Audible.com through my laptop & while yea it says 30 day free trial, after that it's 14 something a month. I think I'll be passing on that.

I think I'll be getting the free trial, listening to the book and closing up shop afterwards.  That's more than Netflix!  The quality is good, but come on!

I was thinking of doing that as well & just grabbing a few books before the 30 days is up & close up but I'm still a little weary about giving my credit card info out. I don't do much online buying. Let me know if it works out for you to get it & I'll go do the same haha Hopefully it allows you to download & keep the file rather than stream. I agree, while it would be nice to have so many audio books at the ready to listen to, about $15 a little much to me.

I really need to find out how this actually works.  If I have to stream it each time I listen to it, then that means using 3G as I commute, which is when I imagine many people would listen to it too.  That will not work at all.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 27, 2016, 07:23:51 PM
I'm pretty sure you can either stream or download in advance, it's your choice.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 27, 2016, 07:26:45 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 27, 2016, 07:22:17 PM
I really need to find out how this actually works.  If I have to stream it each time I listen to it, then that means using 3G as I commute, which is when I imagine many people would listen to it too.  That will not work at all.

Yea streaming wouldn't work all that well for me either. I don't even have a phone that goes on the internet so I could only use my laptop. That's why I'm hoping it at least allows you to download then I could at least stick the mp3 file on my psp & listen to it on the go for travel. Though sadly, I don't know anyone that actually uses the site & has an account that can tell me much about it. I've only been hearing about it recently their ads on other podcasts I listen to & thought I'd look into it as I did see Out of the Shadows & other Alien audio books on the site when I checked it out.

Yea Audible.com is shit. It doesn't allow you to download the file unless you also have the downloader App, plus Itunes, plus you need the Audible App in order to stream it, such bullshit wasn't worth my time & now I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to cancel my card so it doesn't start charging me at the end of the month. Only the 1st book was free then you pay for others. So it's $15 a month, plus the price of whatever book you're wanting to buy. I'll find Out of the Shadows another way.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 28, 2016, 05:24:07 AM
The Audible app is free. No need to panic. You can get it on your market place. You can either get a monthly subscription with so many stuff "free" or just buy a book/drama as you want them.

I'm about halfway through and loving it. Will do a review when I've finished but it's likely to say "go buy this!"
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 28, 2016, 05:52:22 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 28, 2016, 05:24:07 AM
The Audible app is free. No need to panic. You can get it on your market place. You can either get a monthly subscription with so many stuff "free" or just buy a book/drama as you want them.

I'm about halfway through and loving it. Will do a review when I've finished but it's likely to say "go buy this!"

Yea I'm just not updated in tech to be able to use any Apps so they're all useless to me. I don't use any sort of Iphone type device. My phone can text & do phone calls, no internet in the slightest on it, not even touch screen. As for my computer, I'm not updated to Win10 yet either so the desktop App does me no good at the moment either. I'm just not a huge tech person so I never got into any of that stuff & still don't have much an interest in it. If I can find a physical copy of Out of the Shadows, I'll just do it that way. Luckily I did find a torrent today of the novelizations of the movies read between Peter Guinness & William Hope (the Lance version of Alien 3 was also included in the torrent) so I'm super enjoying those at the moment. Only on chapter 6 for Alien so far but it's a great listen.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Apr 28, 2016, 07:15:32 AM
So wait.  I can't buy a CD of this?  Lame.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 28, 2016, 07:33:43 AM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Apr 28, 2016, 07:15:32 AM
So wait.  I can't buy a CD of this?  Lame.

I don't think so but I could be wrong. There's no listing on the Canadian Amazon for a physical CD of Out of the Shadows but maybe eventually one will be released. I don't care much for most things being digital downloads now, I dunno about the other collectors around here but I don't count digital stuff as being "real" in a sense because all that needs to be done to make it disappear is delete. I have to have physical copies but that's me. I still download things if it's the only way I get to listen to/read it but I rarely ever consider it part of my actual collection.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 28, 2016, 07:36:12 AM
I wish there was a CD but the way of the world is a turn to the digital download. I'm not a massive fan of the concept, I like to have something tangible to put on my shelf too.

That said, I really am loving this. I've nearly finished it but I am just enjoying it so much.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 28, 2016, 07:54:12 AM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Apr 28, 2016, 07:15:32 AMSo wait.  I can't buy a CD of this?  Lame.

It's pretty long, you'd probably need three or four discs to fit it all on.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: hawkangel on Apr 28, 2016, 12:02:16 PM
Really loving this audio adaptation. I'm stunned by how much Ripley's voice sounds like Sigourney Weaver even though its not her.

I'm toying with the idea of photo shopping the cover into a custom made blu-ray slick cover with mp3 burned Cd so that it can slot right between my Alien and Aliens blu-rays on my shelf. :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on Apr 28, 2016, 02:25:37 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Apr 28, 2016, 07:54:12 AM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Apr 28, 2016, 07:15:32 AMSo wait.  I can't buy a CD of this?  Lame.

It's pretty long, you'd probably need three or four discs to fit it all on.

I have no problem whatsoever with this. I buy audio dramas all the time, some with that many discs or more.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 28, 2016, 02:28:18 PM
Quote from: BountyHunter on Apr 28, 2016, 02:25:37 PMI have no problem whatsoever with this. I buy audio dramas all the time, some with that many discs or more.

I was more getting at the expense for Audible. Pressing that many CDs would be expensive, potentially making the whole thing unprofitable. Rutger Hauer can't be cheap, I imagine they invested a fair bit in this. Much more likely to turn a profit if you're just releasing it digitally because there's no physical product to make.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Apr 28, 2016, 08:49:03 PM
Yea I understand why a lot of things are digital now, I'm just not a fan of it personally myself. I would be totally fine with a 3 or 4 disc audio story. Depends how long it is I guess. I have some that if I recall are in the 3 hour type range & it was all able to fit on 1 disc. If I can find a torrent of Out of the Shadows in the future I'll just grab that unless a physical copy shows up someday. Like I've mentioned above, I'm not a huge tech person so I'll be staying away from Audible & having to download Apps upon Apps in order to get something off it. There is a method of downloading the mp3 but they wanted you to download their special Audible Downloader, then load up ITunes (which I also have never played with) & extract it from there somehow. Just seems like a major hassle to one that never plays with any of that stuff. My internetting is all done on a laptop, I've never used an IPhone in my life yet.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2016, 07:27:12 AM
Finished this on the way to work this morning. Will try and get a review finished by this weekend but in short, I loved it. Go buy it. It's got the same pitfalls the book does but the over all experience is just wonderful. Dirk makes some changes to make Ash more prominent and make it easier in an audio format. He ties in Alien Isolation more which I think rocked. But he also made Ripley's lead-up to the red button worse than in the book imho. The sound design is just fabulous and the cast is just great.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: hawkangel on Apr 29, 2016, 07:33:55 AM
Just under the halfway mark. Been listening to it in the car.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2016, 07:34:27 AM
Quote from: hawkangel on Apr 29, 2016, 07:33:55 AM
Just under the halfway mark. Been listening to it in the car.

Same. I'm terrible with listening to anything at home. I fall asleep no matter what I'm listening to as I get too comfortable and drop off.  :laugh:
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 29, 2016, 07:54:22 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2016, 07:27:12 AMHe ties in Alien Isolation more which I think rocked.

Care to elaborate a little more? Beyond the Seegson model audio unit thing?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2016, 07:56:40 AM
I can't recall if its exactly the same as the recording we hear in Isolation (I was going to relisten to them both later) but the drama opens with Ripley recording a message for Amanda. Ash searches out information about Amanda that references Isolation slightly, Working Joes are talked about, Seegson in general is name-dropped a bit.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 29, 2016, 07:58:36 AM
Nice! As I said, I hope to get started on this on my holiday next week :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: hawkangel on Apr 29, 2016, 09:17:55 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks
Same. I'm terrible with listening to anything at home. I fall asleep no matter what I'm listening to as I get too comfortable and drop off.  :laugh:

Haha. I'm also impressed with the production quality of this audio drama as well. I usually listen to 'Big Finish' audio and this is my first Audible audio. Not saying that I was expecting a bad job, just used to good quality audios. Alien : Out of the shadows is certain one of them.

*Fixed the quote tag.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2016, 09:27:14 AM
Quote from: hawkangel on Apr 29, 2016, 09:17:55 AM
Haha. I'm also impressed with the production quality of this audio drama as well. I usually listen to 'Big Finish' audio and this is my first Audible audio. Not saying that I was expecting a bad job, just used to good quality audios. Alien : Out of the shadows is certain one of them.

Same! My experience with audio dramas has been Big Finish's Dr Who and Stargate and through various fan-made Star Treks. Out of the Shadows was a fantastic piece of audio engineering.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2016, 07:56:40 AM
I can't recall if its exactly the same as the recording we hear in Isolation (I was going to relisten to them both later) but the drama opens with Ripley recording a message for Amanda.

No, not the same.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 02, 2016, 01:02:45 PM
My review is up. http://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/alien-out-of-the-shadows-audio-drama/
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Praetorian Peak on May 02, 2016, 03:17:50 PM
Thanks Hicks
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 03, 2016, 11:44:40 AM
A review from Backwards Compatible. http://www.backwardscompatible.co.uk/review-alien-out-of-the-shadows-an-audible-original-drama.html
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: hawkangel on May 03, 2016, 12:19:25 PM
Great Review Hicks. Summed it up nicely. I too hope they do more of these. The fellas in my podcast group are Aliens fans but they don't seem interested in this because of Ripley's inclusion (I.e. A bit unbelievable that something happened to her between the two movies for them.)  ::)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 03, 2016, 12:42:25 PM
Thanks. :) Admittedly it's a stretch and a distraction but I think it should be given a go regardless.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 03, 2016, 02:25:30 PM
As a sci-fi story it works terrifically.  As an Aliens story it works terrifically.  You simply have to ignore Ripley's inclusion in between Alien and Aliens and enjoy the ride.  Of course it is absurd that this would happen to her.  But its written so well, you will want to forgive the premise imposed upon the writer.  Both the book, and the audio drama, are stellar.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 02:13:39 AM
Alright, Perfect-Organism, I have a story for you!

I decided I couldn't wait for my next pay day to get this audiobook. I took your recommendation, and signed up for a free 30 day trial on audible, and to claim my first audiobook for free which was, of course, alien out of the shadows! Only, it turns out my membership didn't process correctly for some reason, and I was locked out. I called customer service, and they helped fix my account. So I got my free 30 day trial, and free alien audiobook. Here's the kicker: for my hastle, they gave me a second free credit!! So now, I get to pick another audiobook to get for free! So many choices:

Alien by Alan dean foster
Aliens by Alan dean foster
Alien 3 by Alan dean foster
Alien: resurrection
Alien: sea of sorrows
Alien: river of pain
Alien: invasion
Predator: incursion

Got any other recommendations? Lol :-)

PS. Thanks for the review. Hicks and Perfect-Organism. I'd have skipped over this if it hadn't been for the glowing recommendations. I thought it was just a simple reading of the book that I already own! Once I realized it was more than that, I got interested!

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 04, 2016, 03:47:38 AM
Hi Engineer,

That is a good story.  It's good to see customer service like that.  Say what you will about he premise of the story, but for what the author had to work with, he really did run a very fun ride.  That's the way to treat this story.  Even before it was turned into this epic audio drama, it was a real page turner.  Now that they created this drama, it just takes things to a whole new level.  You really feel like you are there, which is a very chilling experience.  You will love this rendition of the book.

With regards to the books you mentioned, it's a tough call.  I haven't heard these audio books yet, but I presume they  don't have the same treatment as Out of the Shadows.  Assuming they are just a reading of the original books, the only one from the list that I haven't read yet is Alien : Invasion.  So I won't be commenting on that one.  I must admit that I am a bit surprised, and disappointed that they didn't do the drama treatment for Sea of Sorrows and River of Pain.  Sea of Sorrows is basically a loose continuation of Out of the Shadows.  But I find that it was also one of the weakest books in the list.  It is very difficult to connect with the characters as they are repetitive and with little depth.  However, perhaps the audio drama treatment could have fixed some of that.  You have some similar "fight in a hive" moments in SOS and OOTS.  But with OOTS you feel like you are there whereas with, SOS, you feel lost.

So I would ask myself this, which books have I read already?  The Alan Dean Foster adaptations are really good, but although they feature some different aspects to the stories, you already basically know what the story is going to be.  Same goes for Resurrection.  If you want to repeat one of those experiences, then you can go for one of those books.  If you want an all-new experience, then go for one of the remaining 4.  I personally really liked River of Pain.  Some parts were hokey but overall, the book captured the desperation of the fall of Hadley's hope.  It's a sort of Titanic story.  You know it will not end well, but the drama that unfolds prior to the ultimate end, is quite compelling.  I found Predator Incursion to be very dull.  Perhaps it may be more compelling as an audio book.  There are many important characters sprinkled throughout this book, and since they are not that thoroughly developed, it's easy to get them mixed up.  But it is a key book for the new Rage War trilogy as it does a lot of terrific world building.

Bottom line is, I'd get River of Pain, but I really hope these get a proper drama treatment some day soon.  That OOTS audio drama really came out of left field as an item, and it was mind-blowingly good.  Now it will be hard to accept a lower standard..
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 04:07:17 AM
Yea I was more than satisfied with the customer service there! I wasn't even upset or anything, so when they offered I was like "oh! Sure! I'll take it!" :-)

I slightly misspoke before. Sea of sorrows and river of pain are NOT on audible. The rest are on audible though!

I own all of these books in hard copy, except for the two rage wars books; I haven't nabbed those yet. But I have not read any of these books as of yet either. I've only had the chance to read all of the older dark horse books. The Titan trilogy is high on my list though, and I'm very excited by this audiobook! And river of pain is the book in this trilogy I'm most looking forward to. First I've gotta finish my current book, "ringworld" by Larry Niven.

Perhaps, I'll use my extra free credit to pick up predator: incursion, since that's the first rage wars book, and I don't own it in hard copy yet. I wouldn't want to grab the second book without having picked up the first one either.

And yes, out of the shadows is the only one that is a dramatization. The others are just readings, although I'm not sure if there's a soundtrack for the mood or anything aside from just the narrator.

But anyway, I am almost POSITIVE we will see dramatizations of sea of sorrows and river of pain, at least! Especially since this one seems to be getting such good reviews, and since this is part 1 of the trilogy (even if all 3 are sort of standalones).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 04, 2016, 07:26:53 AM
They may continue doing audio dramatizations. We need to show them we're interested by buying and commenting on Out of the Shadows.

As for what to spend that last credit on...If you liked the old EU novels, Sea of Sorrows is the most like the old EU IMHO. River of Pain has the same forced inclusion that Out of the Shadows did but with Colonial Marines on Hadley's Hope during the infestation which I struggled to look past.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomorphine on May 04, 2016, 12:55:19 PM
That poor Alien looks like it's all gums and no teeth. :'(
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on May 04, 2016, 01:38:58 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 04:07:17 AMThe others are just readings, although I'm not sure if there's a soundtrack for the mood or anything aside from just the narrator.

I had Alien3 on cassette back in the day, and it's just Lance Henriksen reading the book - no music or anything.

It'll cure your insomnia right quick.  ;)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 01:56:59 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on May 04, 2016, 01:38:58 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 04:07:17 AMThe others are just readings, although I'm not sure if there's a soundtrack for the mood or anything aside from just the narrator.

I had Alien3 on cassette back in the day, and it's just Lance Henriksen reading the book - no music or anything.

It'll cure your insomnia right quick.  ;)

Lol

I wonder if this is the same audiobook. That's actually kinda cool that lance Henriksen is the narrator!

Nope. Different narrator.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on May 04, 2016, 05:01:23 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 01:56:59 PM

I wonder if this is the same audiobook. That's actually kinda cool that lance Henriksen is the narrator!

Nope. Different narrator.

Oh, interesting! Maybe the rights to the LH recording were held by some now-defunct audiobook company.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 07:38:10 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on May 04, 2016, 05:01:23 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 01:56:59 PM

I wonder if this is the same audiobook. That's actually kinda cool that lance Henriksen is the narrator!

Nope. Different narrator.

Oh, interesting! Maybe the rights to the LH recording were held by some now-defunct audiobook company.

Yea, the narrator for alien 3 is Peter Guinness. I noticed audible has sever different versions of some books, like H.G. Wells' Time Machine, all have different narrators. So probably different companies or something. But to be honest, I think I'd prefer lance Henriksen; it has that little extra aliens-nostalgia going for it... But perhaps Peter Guinness is more animated and more interesting to listen to. Either way, I think you might want to hang on to yours! It might be worth something someday (if it isn't already). :-)

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on May 04, 2016, 07:26:53 AM
They may continue doing audio dramatizations. We need to show them we're interested by buying and commenting on Out of the Shadows.

As for what to spend that last credit on...If you liked the old EU novels, Sea of Sorrows is the most like the old EU IMHO. River of Pain has the same forced inclusion that Out of the Shadows did but with Colonial Marines on Hadley's Hope during the infestation which I struggled to look past.
Btw, my favorite book so far was rogue. My least favorites were the newer titles by dark horse like original sin, DNA war and cauldron.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 04, 2016, 07:48:51 PM
I'm actually listening to the Peter Guiness version of Alien 3 right now. I quite like it, he has a good voice for audio books. He also did Alien. Next up after that I'll be listening to Resurrection read by William Hope. I do also have the Lance version of Alien 3 but I'll be saving that for last to listen to. Still haven't heard Out of the Shadows yet, probably won't get to unfortunately.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 11:33:36 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 04, 2016, 07:48:51 PM
I'm actually listening to the Peter Guiness version of Alien 3 right now. I quite like it, he has a good voice for audio books. He also did Alien. Next up after that I'll be listening to Resurrection read by William Hope. I do also have the Lance version of Alien 3 but I'll be saving that for last to listen to. Still haven't heard Out of the Shadows yet, probably won't get to unfortunately.

Hey! William hope?! That's even cooler! Out of curiosity I went back and checked, and it turns out William hope narrated for aliens too! I may have to pick that one now!! I'd love to hear aliens narrated by Waits... I mean Groves... I mean Gorman... I mean William hope! :-)

I knew William hope was involved in a lot of different alien/predator releases (obviously Gorman was his biggest role), but until now I had no idea he narrated for 2 of the audiobooks too! That's freakin cool!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The First Child on May 05, 2016, 12:08:20 AM
I enjoyed Out of the Shadows. Personally I believe they should have made it an entirely new alien story separate from Ripley's path.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 03:50:07 AM
Quote from: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 11:33:36 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 04, 2016, 07:48:51 PM
I'm actually listening to the Peter Guiness version of Alien 3 right now. I quite like it, he has a good voice for audio books. He also did Alien. Next up after that I'll be listening to Resurrection read by William Hope. I do also have the Lance version of Alien 3 but I'll be saving that for last to listen to. Still haven't heard Out of the Shadows yet, probably won't get to unfortunately.

Hey! William hope?! That's even cooler! Out of curiosity I went back and checked, and it turns out William hope narrated for aliens too! I may have to pick that one now!! I'd love to hear aliens narrated by Waits... I mean Groves... I mean Gorman... I mean William hope! :-)

I knew William hope was involved in a lot of different alien/predator releases (obviously Gorman was his biggest role), but until now I had no idea he narrated for 2 of the audiobooks too! That's freakin cool!

Yep I listened to Hope doing Aliens yesterday, it was pretty decent!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 06:03:44 AM
I'm half way through the audiobook now...

Wow! Just.... Wow! I am impressed! Loving this so far!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:05:28 PM
Damn I really wish I could hear it! Apps don't work for me so Audible is useless & I refuse to be strapped to my computer to have to listen to it. My laptop speakers are blown which means headphones would have to come out & I dunno about you guys but I can't sit at my laptop & be stuck there for the duration of something like that not being able to move far lest the headphones pop out. I need to find an alternate method to hear this.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:14:00 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:05:28 PM
Damn I really wish I could hear it! Apps don't work for me so Audible is useless & I refuse to be strapped to my computer to have to listen to it. My laptop speakers are blown which means headphones would have to come out & I dunno about you guys but I can't sit at my laptop & be stuck there for the duration of something like that not being able to move far lest the headphones pop out. I need to find an alternate method to hear this.
Why won't apps work for you? Do you have an iPhone, android or windows phone? Or any sort of tablet?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:24:21 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:14:00 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:05:28 PM
Damn I really wish I could hear it! Apps don't work for me so Audible is useless & I refuse to be strapped to my computer to have to listen to it. My laptop speakers are blown which means headphones would have to come out & I dunno about you guys but I can't sit at my laptop & be stuck there for the duration of something like that not being able to move far lest the headphones pop out. I need to find an alternate method to hear this.
Why won't apps work for you? Do you have an iPhone, android or windows phone? Or any sort of tablet?

Negative sir. I'm not terribly technological friendly so I've no updated device that can even use them. I've never even used an Iphone haha Just never had an interest to follow the rest of the planet for that stuff. Still have no interest to buy these devices which is part of why I'm hating that everything is turning into an app these days. It only works if you're up to date in tech which I will never be. I'm still running Win7 lol
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:29:07 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:24:21 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:14:00 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:05:28 PM
Damn I really wish I could hear it! Apps don't work for me so Audible is useless & I refuse to be strapped to my computer to have to listen to it. My laptop speakers are blown which means headphones would have to come out & I dunno about you guys but I can't sit at my laptop & be stuck there for the duration of something like that not being able to move far lest the headphones pop out. I need to find an alternate method to hear this.
Why won't apps work for you? Do you have an iPhone, android or windows phone? Or any sort of tablet?

Negative sir. I'm not terribly technological friendly so I've no updated device that can even use them.

What about a console? Xbox or ps? Maybe... And that's a big maybe... There's an audible app for consoles...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:31:11 PM
I have a PS3 but there's no Audible app tat I'm aware of on it. I have Plex, that's about it for that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:37:26 PM
Geez man! I'm out of ideas! Lol

All I can say is, if you deal with the discomfort of listening to it on your computer through the web browser, you won't regret it!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 02:42:33 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:37:26 PM
Geez man! I'm out of ideas! Lol

All I can say is, if you deal with the discomfort of listening to it on your computer through the web browser, you won't regret it!

I appreciate the effort though!  :) It's my own fault for not staying up to date in tech to be able to use these sites properly. I'll most likely one day just endure listening through my web browser using headphones. At least with a laptop, I can carry it around if I need to move somewhere else haha
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:59:25 PM
Oh! I got it!!

Through the web browser on your PS3! At least that way, you can lounge in your favorite chair and listen through your TV!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 03:04:37 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:59:25 PM
Oh! I got it!!

Through the web browser on your PS3! At least that way, you can lounge in your favorite chair and listen through your TV!

Unfortunately I have a bigger problem than that now. I just tried to go back on Audible & was going to listen through my web browser but because I tried to cancel the account because I didn't want to start getting charged for it, they took Out of the Shadows out of my library & I no longer have that free credit they give you at the start of signing up to be able to get it back in my library so now I'm hooped for listening to it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 05, 2016, 03:17:12 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 03:04:37 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 02:59:25 PM
Oh! I got it!!

Through the web browser on your PS3! At least that way, you can lounge in your favorite chair and listen through your TV!

Unfortunately I have a bigger problem than that now. I just tried to go back on Audible & was going to listen through my web browser but because I tried to cancel the account because I didn't want to start getting charged for it, they took Out of the Shadows out of my library & I no longer have that free credit they give you at the start of signing up to be able to get it back in my library so now I'm hooped for listening to it.

Based on the very positive customer support we've seen discussed here, perhaps give them a shout and explain your dilemma.  Maybe they will be understanding that you weren't "device compatible" just yet when you signed up for it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 03:26:19 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 05, 2016, 03:17:12 PM
Based on the very positive customer support we've seen discussed here, perhaps give them a shout and explain your dilemma.  Maybe they will be understanding that you weren't "device compatible" just yet when you signed up for it.

Yea I may have to do that. I thought it would be just a simple sign up & download it as an mp3 but even for that you needed to have iTunes which I do not plus their special downloader to download it through iTunes, it was just too much of a hassle for someone that doesn't use that stuff. I just really want to listen to the audio is all. I'm a really big fan of audio books/dramas/podcasts so I eat that stuff up like no tomorrow especially if it's Alien related haha
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 03:51:46 PM
Woah woah woah! That's not right! They advertise that you can cancel at anytime and still keep your books! Call customer service! It was a pretty painless effort for me, and you may luck out and get a second book for free too! :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 04:55:03 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 03:51:46 PM
Woah woah woah! That's not right! They advertise that you can cancel at anytime and still keep your books! Call customer service! It was a pretty painless effort for me, and you may luck out and get a second book for free too! :-)

Yea the site is set up kind of weird. I honestly couldn't even find a proper place to cancel the subscription, it was more or less just taking off my credit card number from the billing address so ensure I wasn't going to be charged at the end of the month but I couldn't find where you actually cancel the subscription. Out of the Shadows WAS in my library as I did use my 1 credit to get it but yea, now that I took my credit card # off, they say there's a problem with my billing & Out of the Shadows is no longer in my library. Bit of a pain in the ass honestly playing with all of this. Like I said though, no ones fault but my own for not staying in touch with tech. I just don't have much of an interest in any of the tech stuff people use today so I never bothered going the route of iPhone or Pad & still don't really have an interest to do so. I'll eventually find some other way to be able to listen to it I suppose.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darkness on May 05, 2016, 05:56:19 PM
Okay, I listened to the drama today. Yes, it's everything I expected it to be but we'd still be saying it was great even if the novel was absolutely abysmal. That's the beauty of the audio drama format. Laurel Lefkow is absolutely spot on as Ripley. Forget about getting Sigourney to do voicework. Get this woman to do it at a fraction of the cost. I see what you mean about "Nostroma" - weird one... I'd have expected the producer to have pointed out such an obvious mistake. Some questions. What's the deal with the "dog-people" they met? Where did the Eggs come from originally on the mine? They killed a young Queen and they said there were lots of Queen Alien Eggs which would create more Queens? Why would there be multiple Queens in one place? When I first started listening to this.. I thought okay, it's obviously an alternative timeline to when Ripley goes into hypersleep. But I thought it was pretty good how they had her memory wiped and put back in the Narc as if nothing happened.. even though a memory wipe is pretty much impossible in this series? And contrary to your review Hicks, I was pretty sick of her banging on about Amanda. We had one scene in Aliens about it and that was enough for me. I was also pretty disappointed there was no guns. I was hoping we were going to get some pulse rifle sounds or something to add to the action. Oh, and do the subsequent novels follow on from this story?

Reading both your reviews, you seem to have a downer on the original novel so if you had the choice between a long novel and a condensed audio drama, would you always opt for the audio?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 06:07:26 PM
I have limited tech. No computer. Just my iPhone and an Xbox (primarily for Alien: isolation and Halo).

I setup the audible stuff through my phone. I intend to cancel shortly after I listen to my full audiobook(s). And I'm impressed enough with what I've heard so far that I intend to purchase the audiobook through iOS's bookstore too (I want it permenantly without monthly subscriptions, and I want them to make enough money to continue with these audio dramas!)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on May 05, 2016, 06:40:27 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 05, 2016, 06:07:26 PM
I have limited tech. No computer. Just my iPhone and an Xbox (primarily for Alien: isolation and Halo).

I setup the audible stuff through my phone. I intend to cancel shortly after I listen to my full audiobook(s). And I'm impressed enough with what I've heard so far that I intend to purchase the audiobook through iOS's bookstore too (I want it permenantly without monthly subscriptions, and I want them to make enough money to continue with these audio dramas!)

Fair enough there, whatever works for someone. I just have a laptop for all my internetting/computing needs. The only thing my phone can do is text & make phone calls, there's not even an option for internet that's how old it is haha I have a PS3 but I very rarely ever do any online gaming, most of the games I play are 1 player games anyway & I'm not interested in doing death match type stuff with others, I get bored of it really fast. That being said, I do lose out on cool stuff like this for not having any recent tech. I feel like I'm being punished for not wanting to conform with everyone else :P I'd have no problem if I could just buy it digitally & have the mp3 be ready for immediate download after purchase like when you buy something from Bandcamp but no, they want you do use the Apps n such. Like I said, I'll eventually find an alternate way to hear this. I'm not playing with the Audible stuff anymore, that left a stale taste in my mouth.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 06, 2016, 12:13:32 AM
I wish you good luck xenozipper!

But on another note, I'm 7 chapters down 3 to go! Still loving this. I swear, sometimes I forget that's NOT sigorney! Aliens sound horrifying! So far, I mostly like the story. One of my favorites in the EU, and I'm not too turned off by ripley's inclusion yet (we'll see if I feel the same when it ends and the inevitable happens to re-set the stage for aliens to take place). I also love the references to alien isolation (which are new, right? Not originally in the written book?).

But so far, I'm in agreement with a lot of the reviews I've seen! Masterfully done with a couple minor issues/annoyances (like "nostroma").
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 06, 2016, 10:06:55 AM
Quote from: Darkness on May 05, 2016, 05:56:19 PM
Yes, it's everything I expected it to be but we'd still be saying it was great even if the novel was absolutely abysmal. That's the beauty of the audio drama format.

I disagree with you there. I think the excitement of the first drama and the fact that it sounds so perfect probably does elevate our opinions of it but if it was a wank story, we'd be complaining. The original novel was a solid foundation for this.

QuoteLaurel Lefkow is absolutely spot on as Ripley. Forget about getting Sigourney to do voicework. Get this woman to do it at a fraction of the cost. I see what you mean about "Nostroma" - weird one... I'd have expected the producer to have pointed out such an obvious mistake.

It was a weird one. She eventually starts saying it Nostromo though.

QuoteSome questions. What's the deal with the "dog-people" they met? Where did the Eggs come from originally on the mine? They killed a young Queen and they said there were lots of Queen Alien Eggs which would create more Queens? Why would there be multiple Queens in one place?

The dog-aliens are a new species introduced in Out of the Shadows. They come up again in The Rage Wars. The miners find the eggs in the ship first. They'd have more Queens to establish more hives further away.

Spoiler
QuoteBut I thought it was pretty good how they had her memory wiped and put back in the Narc as if nothing happened.. even though a memory wipe is pretty much impossible in this series?

It's used in the very first Aliens story. Newt/Billie's memories of Hadley's Hope/Rim are suppressed. I think it's pretty well explained and put across in this vote.

QuoteAnd contrary to your review Hicks, I was pretty sick of her banging on about Amanda. We had one scene in Aliens about it and that was enough for me.

She's barely mentioned in the drama. The novelization uses Amanda to better build into Ripley's desire to have her memory wiped. I think that was really important to getting the torment to that bad that Ripley would want that.
[close]

QuoteI was also pretty disappointed there was no guns. I was hoping we were going to get some pulse rifle sounds or something to add to the action. Oh, and do the subsequent novels follow on from this story?

The second book loosely follows on from this one. It's set on the same planet but post-Resurrection and features a relation of Ripley. That was more combat based and I felt very much like the older EU novels.

QuoteReading both your reviews, you seem to have a downer on the original novel so if you had the choice between a long novel and a condensed audio drama, would you always opt for the audio?

I wouldn't say I had a downer on the novel. I enjoyed the novel. I think the novelty of this is playing on us quite a lot at the minute so I wouldn't really want to say yet.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 06, 2016, 07:04:17 PM
Ok so I just finished this audiobook!

Wow! I'm in agreement with Perfect-Organism. This has been one of my top favorite alien experiences, along with alien isolation and the movies themselves!

Now I have to ask. I own the book, but haven't read it yet. How much different is the book compared to this audio drama? More detailed, less detailed? Did they make any huge storyline changes for better or worse? Or maybe storyline additions? Any thoughts of interest comparing this audio drama to the book?

I'm more highly motivated to read the book now. I loved the story. I even enjoyed how they wrapped it all up. This may even replace "Aliens: Rogue" as my favorite book in the EU. I feel like if they had strayed away from Ripley, it would have been a great story too, but I honestly didn't mind so much that ripley was in this story (didn't make it better or worse to me). But again, I still have to finish reading my current book, "ringworld" (which is also really good, for you sci fi junkies out there; if you like halo, "ringworld" was one of the inpirations for that series).

PS. For my second free audiobook, I did end up choosing "predator: incursion."
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 06, 2016, 07:45:27 PM
I think you'll really enjoy the book Out of the Shadows.  It nails the vibe of Alien and Aliens on the head.  Yes, the premise is forced, but it just works well as a sci-fi novel.  It is a page turner.  It is well written.

I found that there were a lot of flashbacks that Ripley was having about Amanda that did not get included the same way they were in the book, but in the audio-drama, it was done even better.  It was due to the different medium that's all.  The book is an excellent Alien story that I am sure you will enjoy.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Forest on May 06, 2016, 09:29:34 PM
I finished listening to the audio drama yesterday.  I thought it was terrific.  I've listened to just over half a dozen audio book these last three weeks and I got to say Out of Shadows was the best experience out of all them.  When I bought it I didn't even realize what I was getting into, but when I soon realized this was more than the usual audio reading I knew I was into something special.

This is the first Alien book I've ever "read", and now I really want more.  Anyone have any suggestions?

EDIT:  Yesterday I decided to boot up Isolation just to look around in the shuttle from Last Survivor.  Out of the Shadows makes a big deal about there only being one cryo pod in the shuttle.  However, there are two!  I just remember standing there in the game, looking back and forth, and just laughing at the realization.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 07, 2016, 03:09:42 AM
Quote from: Mr. Forest on May 06, 2016, 09:29:34 PM
I finished listening to the audio drama yesterday.  I thought it was terrific.  I've listened to just over half a dozen audio book these last three weeks and I got to say Out of Shadows was the best experience out of all them.  When I bought it I didn't even realize what I was getting into, but when I soon realized this was more than the usual audio reading I knew I was into something special.

This is the first Alien book I've ever "read", and now I really want more.  Anyone have any suggestions?

EDIT:  Yesterday I decided to boot up Isolation just to look around in the shuttle from Last Survivor.  Out of the Shadows makes a big deal about there only being one cryo pod in the shuttle.  However, there are two!  I just remember standing there in the game, looking back and forth, and just laughing at the realization.
I'd be inclined to say read "sea of sorrows" or "river of pain" next. They're part of the same trilogy.

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 06, 2016, 07:45:27 PM
I think you'll really enjoy the book Out of the Shadows.  It nails the vibe of Alien and Aliens on the head.  Yes, the premise is forced, but it just works well as a sci-fi novel.  It is a page turner.  It is well written.

I found that there were a lot of flashbacks that Ripley was having about Amanda that did not get included the same way they were in the book, but in the audio-drama, it was done even better.  It was due to the different medium that's all.  The book is an excellent Alien story that I am sure you will enjoy.
Thanks for the input, here! :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 07, 2016, 05:51:42 AM
Quote from: Engineer on May 07, 2016, 03:09:42 AM
Quote from: Mr. Forest on May 06, 2016, 09:29:34 PM
I finished listening to the audio drama yesterday.  I thought it was terrific.  I've listened to just over half a dozen audio book these last three weeks and I got to say Out of Shadows was the best experience out of all them.  When I bought it I didn't even realize what I was getting into, but when I soon realized this was more than the usual audio reading I knew I was into something special.

This is the first Alien book I've ever "read", and now I really want more.  Anyone have any suggestions?

EDIT:  Yesterday I decided to boot up Isolation just to look around in the shuttle from Last Survivor.  Out of the Shadows makes a big deal about there only being one cryo pod in the shuttle.  However, there are two!  I just remember standing there in the game, looking back and forth, and just laughing at the realization.
I'd be inclined to say read "sea of sorrows" or "river of pain" next. They're part of the same trilogy.

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 06, 2016, 07:45:27 PM
I think you'll really enjoy the book Out of the Shadows.  It nails the vibe of Alien and Aliens on the head.  Yes, the premise is forced, but it just works well as a sci-fi novel.  It is a page turner.  It is well written.

I found that there were a lot of flashbacks that Ripley was having about Amanda that did not get included the same way they were in the book, but in the audio-drama, it was done even better.  It was due to the different medium that's all.  The book is an excellent Alien story that I am sure you will enjoy.
Thanks for the input, here! :-)

I would say River of Pain was not really part of the trilogy.  It's a prequel to Aliens.  I think all 3 books were trying to set up loose threads that a subsequent author could spin into a yarn from.  River of Pain actually bugged me a bit ultimately.  The loose thread is that a little girl and a colonial marine escaped from Hadley's Hope.  To me that is too patronizing.  It was done in a pre-Blomkamp reality I think.  It basically suggested that, since the majority of the public wanted hicks and newt to survive (but they didn't), then let's give the readers the opportunity to have the next best thing.  Awful.  Just give hicks and newt a chance or let them be dead.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 07, 2016, 06:29:39 AM
Quote from: Mr. Forest on May 06, 2016, 09:29:34 PM
This is the first Alien book I've ever "read", and now I really want more.  Anyone have any suggestions?

I would suggest trying the rest of the series out (Sea of Sorrows, River of Pain and then onto The Rage Wars). Perhaps pick up the original Out of the Shadows and go from there!

QuoteEDIT:  Yesterday I decided to boot up Isolation just to look around in the shuttle from Last Survivor.  Out of the Shadows makes a big deal about there only being one cryo pod in the shuttle.  However, there are two!  I just remember standing there in the game, looking back and forth, and just laughing at the realization.

Yeah, that was one of the complaints when the original came out. I'd never noticed until it was pointed out.  :-[
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 08, 2016, 09:15:39 AM
Ended up not getting a chance to listen to any of this on holiday... Hoping to get started on it this week!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: LordCassusSnow on May 08, 2016, 06:36:24 PM
Fox will shoe horn the Ripley name into anything at this point, even if it derails canon, just so they can sell more copies of stories that can obviously stand alone and still be great. That being said, anyone else read Aliens Defiance yet? Just wanted to know how many other eyes, aside from my own, rolled at the seemingly forced inclusion of a cameo from Amanda Ripley that had no significance to the story. A cameo of an old David 8 droid would have at least put a smile on my face.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 08, 2016, 10:07:54 PM
I think it's best to read the story in its entirety before assuming it's a 'forced inclusion'.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 08, 2016, 11:13:37 PM
Yea, it didn't feel THAT forced to me... More like cleverly implemented. :-)

PS. On the subject of "forced inclusion" I only really felt that about Hicks in A:CM. I was skeptical about A:I and Amanda Ripley at first, but that turned out very natural and pleasant. I was a little skeptical about out of the shadows too, and as it turns out I actually liked how they went about that too. I'm currently skeptical over river of pain, but I'll keep an open mind until I get around to reading it!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: BountyHunter on May 09, 2016, 01:13:15 AM
I'm loving River of Pain, but I feel the Ripley scenes, which are basically just scenes lifted out of ALIENS, are not necessary.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 09, 2016, 02:17:37 AM
Quote from: Engineer on May 08, 2016, 11:13:37 PM
Yea, it didn't feel THAT forced to me... More like cleverly implemented. :-)

PS. On the subject of "forced inclusion" I only really felt that about Hicks in A:CM. I was skeptical about A:I and Amanda Ripley at first, but that turned out very natural and pleasant. I was a little skeptical about out of the shadows too, and as it turns out I actually liked how they went about that too. I'm currently skeptical over river of pain, but I'll keep an open mind until I get around to reading it!

I was very sceptical about A:I, but overall they made it work really well.

Out of the Shadows was way better than it had a right to be considering the premise.  River of Pain, despite some continuity glitches, was my favourite of the initial three novels.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 09, 2016, 02:18:39 AM
Quote from: BountyHunter on May 09, 2016, 01:13:15 AM
I'm loving River of Pain, but I feel the Ripley scenes, which are basically just scenes lifted out of ALIENS, are not necessary.
Wait... WHAT?!? Ripley is in River of Pain too?!? How's that work?!

Quote from: SM on May 09, 2016, 02:17:37 AM
Quote from: Engineer on May 08, 2016, 11:13:37 PM
Yea, it didn't feel THAT forced to me... More like cleverly implemented. :-)

PS. On the subject of "forced inclusion" I only really felt that about Hicks in A:CM. I was skeptical about A:I and Amanda Ripley at first, but that turned out very natural and pleasant. I was a little skeptical about out of the shadows too, and as it turns out I actually liked how they went about that too. I'm currently skeptical over river of pain, but I'll keep an open mind until I get around to reading it!

I was very sceptical about A:I, but overall they made it work really well.

Out of the Shadows was way better than it had a right to be considering the premise.  River of Pain, despite some continuity glitches, was my favourite of the initial three novels.
Hmm... Sounds like we agree on A:I and out of the shadows. That's good to hear about River of pain; I'm looking forward to that one. :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 09, 2016, 02:31:43 AM
Ripley is in RoP via 'cutaways' which are scenes from Aliens.  She's not part of the colony story.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on May 09, 2016, 02:34:43 AM
Quote from: Engineer on May 09, 2016, 02:18:39 AM
Quote from: BountyHunter on May 09, 2016, 01:13:15 AM
I'm loving River of Pain, but I feel the Ripley scenes, which are basically just scenes lifted out of ALIENS, are not necessary.
Wait... WHAT?!? Ripley is in River of Pain too?!? How's that work?!

Quote from: SM on May 09, 2016, 02:17:37 AM
Quote from: Engineer on May 08, 2016, 11:13:37 PM
Yea, it didn't feel THAT forced to me... More like cleverly implemented. :-)

PS. On the subject of "forced inclusion" I only really felt that about Hicks in A:CM. I was skeptical about A:I and Amanda Ripley at first, but that turned out very natural and pleasant. I was a little skeptical about out of the shadows too, and as it turns out I actually liked how they went about that too. I'm currently skeptical over river of pain, but I'll keep an open mind until I get around to reading it!

I was very sceptical about A:I, but overall they made it work really well.

Out of the Shadows was way better than it had a right to be considering the premise.  River of Pain, despite some continuity glitches, was my favourite of the initial three novels.
Hmm... Sounds like we agree on A:I and out of the shadows. That's good to hear about River of pain; I'm looking forward to that one. :-)

There's just a couple of Ripley scenes taken from the movie and added in the novel like the briefing from Aliens where she explains why she blew up the Nostromo to the Company and then some bits where Burke and Gorman arrive to her apartment I think. But Ripley herself plays no part in the actual events of the novel.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 09, 2016, 02:55:56 AM
Oh gotcha! That makes sense. Gives you a sense of time with respect to the movie...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 09, 2016, 07:38:02 AM
Quote from: SM on May 09, 2016, 02:17:37 AM
Out of the Shadows was way better than it had a right to be considering the premise.  River of Pain, despite some continuity glitches, was my favourite of the initial three novels.

Really? Mine would probably be Sea of Sorrows but I think because it evoked such a strong feeling of the old EU in me. Why River of Pain? Don't get me wrong, I liked them all (solid 7s for me) but I just couldn't get over the Colonial Marines.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 09, 2016, 08:26:46 AM
I would've preferred Colonial Marshalls, but I liked the dynamic of putting Brackett in there, him having a history with Anne Jorden, then having his actions directly lead to the crisis.  Then they're practically wiped out in around 3 days.

Sea of Sorrows had too many characters - so many that even James Moore lost track of them.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 09, 2016, 08:49:46 AM
Quote from: SM on May 09, 2016, 08:26:46 AM
I would've preferred Colonial Marshalls, but I liked the dynamic of putting Brackett in there, him having a history with Anne Jorden, then having his actions directly lead to the crisis.  Then they're practically wiped out in around 3 days.

I really wish it had been the Marshalls too. That would have worked perfectly. I was very fond of the whole frontiersman aspect of the novel. I thought they was really well portrayed.

Quote from: SM on May 09, 2016, 08:26:46 AM
Sea of Sorrows had too many characters - so many that even James Moore lost track of them.

True enough. I liked all the primary and secondary characters though. I think my fondness for it came primarily from how much I thought it felt like the older novels.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on May 09, 2016, 02:37:01 PM
I also liked Sea of Sorrows because of its far future setting.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 09, 2016, 03:14:29 PM
There was some neat world-building at the start. It did get terribly red-shirty later on though.

I honestly struggle to pick a favourite from the trilogy. They all had stuff I really liked, and all had glaring faults.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: LordCassusSnow on May 09, 2016, 09:20:47 PM
I doubt Amanda Ripley will have any significance in Defiance. I didn't finish Isolation yet so i have no idea if Defiance could take place after the events of A.I.. If Fox is planning a sequel to Isolation in the future, however, then A. Ripley might be a character no one can touch right now but only to reference and shoe horn for more cash. As it stands, if Defiance takes place before Isolation, Amanda will still have no significance as she hasn't even encountered any xeno's yet. Speaking of Isolation, anyone ever read Alien the illustrated story? I'm guessing the folks who created Isolation didn't as the warning signal was switched off by Dallas in that interpretation. Or maybe they purposely ignored it?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 09, 2016, 09:49:43 PM
If I'm not mistaken, the signal was switched off also in Alan Dean Foster's novelization by Dallas.  I would have preferred to leave things that way ideally.  But it's no biggie.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 09, 2016, 10:15:11 PM
Creative Assembly weren't beholden to story points that didn't make it to the screen.

QuoteAs it stands, if Defiance takes place before Isolation, Amanda will still have no significance as she hasn't even encountered any xeno's yet.

Defiance takes place just after Isolation, but the Amanda flashback is before Isolation.  And that seems to be a bit of a narrow definition of 'significance'.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 09, 2016, 10:26:39 PM
We will only be able to judge significance once the other issues come out.  If Mandy's character reappears and her inclusion is a logical intrinsic part of the story then it will be ok.  Otherwise if Ripley was just a passerby then it would have indeed been silly.  We'll only be able to judge in hindsight at some point in the future.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on May 09, 2016, 10:34:05 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 09, 2016, 10:26:39 PM
We will only be able to judge significance once the other issues come out.  If Mandy's character reappears and her inclusion is a logical intrinsic part of the story then it will be ok.

I predict that she'll come, and she'll give, without takin'.

I'll show myself out...  ;D
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 10, 2016, 09:53:32 AM
Quote from: LordCassusSnow on May 09, 2016, 09:20:47 PMSpeaking of Isolation, anyone ever read Alien the illustrated story? I'm guessing the folks who created Isolation didn't as the warning signal was switched off by Dallas in that interpretation. Or maybe they purposely ignored it?
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 09, 2016, 09:49:43 PMIf I'm not mistaken, the signal was switched off also in Alan Dean Foster's novelization by Dallas.  I would have preferred to leave things that way ideally.  But it's no biggie.

As SM says, the beacon's fate was never addressed in the films (beyond the fact it obviously got switched off at some point, because no one's hearing it in Aliens), so the game had free reign to decide how exactly that happened.

It doesn't matter if it happened in a comic, because in the film Dallas obviously never goes near it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 10, 2016, 09:52:52 PM
If you look at Terry Rawlings script, there are slates to cover the sequence where Dallas turns it off.  But until Isolation, it was assumed the volcanic damage to the Derelict has turned it off.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 10, 2016, 10:02:57 PM
Quote from: SM on May 10, 2016, 09:52:52 PM
If you look at Terry Rawlings script, there are slates to cover the sequence where Dallas turns it off.  But until Isolation, it was assumed the volcanic damage to the Derelict has turned it off.
Which was James Cameron's explanation which also never made it to film, right? :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 10, 2016, 10:16:38 PM
Hence the reason CA could do what they wanted.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 10, 2016, 11:13:19 PM
So which scenario holds more weight as being 'canon'? :-O

PS. No matter what, Cameron's volcanism still holds true... It's just a question of which cause is responsible for shutting down the beacon...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 11, 2016, 12:02:37 AM
Marlow turned it off.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 11, 2016, 12:13:04 AM
Quote from: SM on May 11, 2016, 12:02:37 AM
Marlow turned it off.
That's my preferred 'canon' at this point :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 11, 2016, 07:38:05 AM
That's actual canon at this point too.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on May 11, 2016, 03:45:36 PM
So is "Out of the Shadows" considered canon at this point as well?

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the audio drama and I'm just not feeling the love. I think the drama is very well done but i'm not really caring for the story much at all.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on May 11, 2016, 10:06:28 PM
Yes.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:25:21 PM
Too bad I guess.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 11, 2016, 11:34:04 PM
Quote from: 420Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:25:21 PM
Too bad I guess.
Well, that depends on your perspective. I for one, enjoyed the story a lot, and don't mind it being held as canon.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:44:55 PM
Well yeah its just my opinion. I just think the way they included Ripley and Ash is so forced and feels absurd and lame.

Other than that the story has been okay, the description of humanoid aliens with dog heads feels pretty goofy too.

But hey to each their own, I'll try and wait until I've finished it to pass final judgement.

Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on May 12, 2016, 12:14:10 AM
Quote from: 420Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:44:55 PM
Well yeah its just my opinion. I just think the way they included Ripley and Ash is so forced and feels absurd and lame.

Other than that the story has been okay, the description of humanoid aliens with dog heads feels pretty goofy too.

But hey to each their own, I'll try and wait until I've finished it to pass final judgement.

I wouldn't really say humanoid, they got four legs and two arms and are really super tall.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on May 12, 2016, 12:17:31 AM
Quote from: The Alien Predator on May 12, 2016, 12:14:10 AM
Quote from: 420Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:44:55 PM
Well yeah its just my opinion. I just think the way they included Ripley and Ash is so forced and feels absurd and lame.

Other than that the story has been okay, the description of humanoid aliens with dog heads feels pretty goofy too.

But hey to each their own, I'll try and wait until I've finished it to pass final judgement.

I wouldn't really say humanoid, they got four legs and two arms and are really super tall.

Ah I was misremembering, yeah that's not so bad.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 12, 2016, 09:39:06 AM
Quote from: 420Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:44:55 PMI just think the way they included Ripley and Ash is so forced and feels absurd and lame.

This was my big issue with it. I quite liked the original stuff, but awkwardly working Ripley into it almost killed it for me. I could see the mind-wipe finale coming a mile off and was groaning pretty hard. It's a shame because if Fox hadn't have insisted on that - maybe just include Ash in some antagonistic way without Ripley - it could've been a lot better. The whole novel trilogy was like that - great ideas often spoiled by dumb ones.

Quote from: 420Buddy on May 11, 2016, 11:44:55 PMOther than that the story has been okay, the description of humanoid aliens with dog heads feels pretty goofy too.

Ah yes, the poochoids. I completely forgot about them!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 16, 2016, 06:33:19 PM
http://audiobookreviewer.com/reviews/alien-shadows-audible-original-drama-tim-lebbon-dirk-maggs/

Another review of the audio dramatization.  :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 04, 2016, 06:48:00 PM
Seems someone on youtube has uploaded the radio drama in 2 parts (wasn't me). Not sure how long it will last before being removed but I'm happy to finally get to hear it at least
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keqTXsRsuJM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keqTXsRsuJM)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 04, 2016, 07:16:50 PM
Wow! I just headed over to YouTube and yep! This whole audiobook has been uploaded! I bet it'll be taken down pretty quick too, but what I'm surprised about is it looks like it's been up for 2 weeks already! Based on when some of the comments were posted. I'm surprised it's still up!

I hope it gets taken down soon. If this impacts the sales, it'll be less likely that more audio dramas will follow! :-(
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 04, 2016, 07:24:39 PM
Quote from: Engineer on Jun 04, 2016, 07:16:50 PM
Wow! I just headed over to YouTube and yep! This whole audiobook has been uploaded! I bet it'll be taken down pretty quick too, but what I'm surprised about is it looks like it's been up for 2 weeks already! Based on when some of the comments were posted. I'm surprised it's still up!

I hope it gets taken down soon. If this impacts the sales, it'll be less likely that more audio dramas will follow! :-(

That's what I'm thinking too. There was a lot more hate towards the uploader on part 2 comments & even the uploader himself thinking of removing it. I'm surprised its up too. I mean I'm happy to finally get to hear it but not at the expense of future ones not being made. Good ol' internet, the best love/hate story :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 04, 2016, 07:32:06 PM
I understand the feeling.

But I think you'll like this enough to justify buying it so you'll have it forever! Eventually...
:-)
It's the more casual listeners I'm more worried about.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 04, 2016, 07:36:17 PM
Oh yea that's the plan for sure. Just from the 10 minutes of it I've listened to I already dig it enough to buy a copy when I have some extra cash. I agree though, the casual listeners can certainly kill it for the rest of us.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 04, 2016, 07:45:48 PM
That actress really does sound indistinguishable from sigorney at times, right? That and the sound effects from alien isolation where probably the two things I appreciated most about the drama (aside from the story itself, that is). :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 04, 2016, 07:58:51 PM
100% agree! The opening monologue going right into the end recording was just gold to my ears. I've yet to hear her show back up in the story. I'm just listening to little bits at a time when I go outside for a smoke.

It's certainly pretty interesting! I've never read the novel so this is all new to me. So far I'm 40mins in. It's a little different than other radio dramas I've listened to but still pretty damn cool. Who does Rutger Hauer play? I'm just not picking up on his voice.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 05, 2016, 08:49:59 AM
He's Ash.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 05, 2016, 03:46:32 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 05, 2016, 08:49:59 AM
He's Ash.

Really? I thought he was playing someone else. Doesn't sound like Rutger to me at all as Ash. I'm liking it so far though, I'm a little over 2 hours in. One gripe I have & its super minor but I found Ripley to be swearing too often if that makes sense? Just seemed a lot of F bombs were tossed in just for the sake of having it there but at times didn't really fit With the dialogue. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for swearing, just seemed out of place at times to me. The girl playing Ripley is starting to sound less & less like her to me as I listen but I still think she was bang on in the beginning. Look forward to how the rest of the story plays out.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 05, 2016, 07:44:06 PM
Quote from: XenoZipper on Jun 05, 2016, 03:46:32 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 05, 2016, 08:49:59 AM
He's Ash.

Really? I thought he was playing someone else. Doesn't sound like Rutger to me at all as Ash.

He wasn't trying to imitate Holm in this.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 05, 2016, 07:56:18 PM
Yea I know. It's explained pretty easily why he doesn't have the original Ash voice. I wasn't listening for an Ian Holm impression, was listening for Rutger's voice which is not that recognizable. I'm a fan of his movies so was looking forward to hearing his voice. I'm just about done listening It's ok but kind of frenetic at days trying to figure out what's going on. I can't help but feel I'm missing details with it being a radio drama but its still good despite the odd cardboard sounding pieces of dialogue. Happy I finally got to hear it. The woman playing Ripley I found kinda started sounding like Ripley & Amanda at times. Certain words definitely sound like Ripley but then other sentences don't at all & sounds more Amanda. Still pretty awesome though.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 05, 2016, 08:04:19 PM
I think it's easier to keep up with it if you listen To bigger chunks at a time. I listened to the whole thing in 3 sessions. My first session was about the first half of the audio drama.

My biggest gripe is the repetitiveness of Ash's updates. But that actually might be a good thing if you listen to the audio drama with more, shorter sessions.

The actress for Ripley was awesome! Those times where she sounds spot on really helps to put you in the scene more. But she's not perfect all the time. Those moments where she sounds less like sigorney remind you that it's not her, but I didn't find it too distracting.

And I loved Ash's portrayal throughout too! He turned out to be a great antagonist for this story!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 05, 2016, 08:15:04 PM
Oh yea she still kept me in the story for sure she was pretty awesome. I listened to the 2nd half in 1 sitting. I liked the progress reports but I agree it got a little excessive near the end but yea he was a great villian for it! Overall, it was a great radio drama & I hope more are planned. If anything, it makes me want to find the novels & read those to get more details. The only Alien novels I have is the novelization for Alien, Alien Harvest & No Exit.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 05, 2016, 09:07:55 PM
I have all the novels except the rage wars trilogy. But I haven't read them all yet. The books during the original dark horse run were all pretty good (although some seemed a little repetitive in there plot elements). My favorites were rogue, and music of the spears. The second dark horse run I was very let down by. I read original sin, DNA war, and cauldron and felt they were b-monster stories. Big let down! I was discouraged from reading the rest. I still plan to read them all but I haven't been in a rush.

When Titan started releasing stories, I got those first 3, but I was still hesitant to dive right in. Especially since I knew out of the shadows includes ripley; that made me wary. But this audio drama got me excited about the books again! I just finished reading the book I started a few weeks ago (ring world by Larry Niven), and I just started reading out of the shadows. I'm only 1 chapter in, but so far I'm enjoying it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 06, 2016, 04:47:40 AM
Yea most of the Dark Horse comic run is what I know the most. Never read any novelizations to any of them though. Slightly unrelated but still related to Out of Shadows, because I just listened to this audio story recently & I'm in the process of playing through Lego Jurassic Park, I noticed the pig squeals they use in the game is the same sound they use for the Alien when it gives a death screech in the audio drama haha Just something I noticed a few mins ago while playing the game & went "wait, that sounds oddly familiar".
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jun 06, 2016, 04:52:38 AM
If I'm not mistaken, that's an elephant squeel with pitch adjustment...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 06, 2016, 04:57:40 AM
Maybe for the movies but I don't think they used the same sound in the radio drama. All I'm saying is the sound effect used for the pig in Lego Jurassic Park is the exact same sound the use for alien sreeching in the radio drama. What the soundbyte comes from I couldn't tell ya. I thought the movies were a mix of pitch shifted elephant & peacock.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jun 06, 2016, 05:12:16 AM
My favorite squeel was when the head of the Alien got crushed by the APC.

I never thought I'd have a favorite squeel...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 06, 2016, 05:16:11 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jun 06, 2016, 05:12:16 AM
My favorite squeel was when the head of the Alien got crushed by the APC.

I never thought I'd have a favorite squeel...

Yep that's my favorite one too. Same one used during the hive attack I believe when you see Hicks using the shotgun on the video feed. It's an iconic screech I think, it's a sound I associate with them like the Predator's roar.

Question though, is there any other audiobooks out there other than Out of the Shadows, the 4 movie novelizations & Lance's old Alien 3? I love to read novels but don't always have much time to put towards it as I do for stickng in a pair of headphones & listen while I do other things.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 07, 2016, 08:34:03 AM
There's audio book versions of the Rage War, I believe. But only as audio books, not dramas/plays like this.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jun 07, 2016, 09:48:06 AM
Are they even out yet? i thought they were due in the future.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 07, 2016, 09:52:48 AM
Pretty sure 1 and 2 are out. I think Darkness was listening to them.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 01:32:07 PM
Yep 1 and 2 are out. I got book 1, but haven't started listening to it yet.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 03:00:25 PM
That's cool! I'll have to take a search for those later. I'm ok with it just being a normal audio reading. The longer it lasts, the better :P
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 07, 2016, 03:00:51 PM
I find I don't pay attention when it's just an audio book.  :-\
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 03:03:52 PM
Same here. I prefer the hard copy, otherwise I can't stay as focused. But I have been thinking about doing both at the same time!! Listen to the audiobook while I read along with a physical copy... :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 03:06:04 PM
That's fair. I can see how just normal audio reads can be pretty boring to some or hard to pay attention to without sound effects/music and all that. It's definitely an acquired taste and not for everyone. If I had more time to put towards just sitting there reading a physical copy I would but I don't. I spent a good portion of the last 10 years doing graveyard shift so podcasts & audiobooks became my best friend during those long boring nights. I recently got the audio book for Bruce Campbell's book If Chins Could Kill. 10 hours of Bruce Campbell goodness haha
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 03:22:05 PM
My little sister listens to audiobooks pretty frequently while she commutes to work everyday. My commute is less than 5 minutes, otherwise I'd do the same. I usually find time to read during my lunch breaks.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 03:30:28 PM
That's what I used to do as well. I used to have 45 minute commutes to work so I'd just listen away while sitting on the bus or walking. I always seem to have time to read comics though haha but that's a much faster read as well & takes me no time to burn through. I will admit some audiobooks are pretty damn boring depending on who's reading. I like it when the person puts a little more into it, slightly change their voice when saying dialogue for characters n such. It's pretty boring when they just sound unanimated.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 03:40:34 PM
Have you listened to any other alien(s) audiobooks? If so, any good? I'm really curious about the Allan dean foster novels narrated by William hope...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 03:47:19 PM
Yep, so far I've listened to all 4 novelizations (the 2 William Hope & 2 Guiness ones) & Out of the Shadows. I really enjoyed them personally. William Hope is actually one of those I mention that actually puts a little effort into changing his voice depending on which character is talking in dialogue. He's got his normal tone reading voice & his dialogue voice. Though out of the 2, I actually found Guiness' voice to be more.. soothing to listen to if that makes sense? Hope is good don't get me wrong, but Guiness has an awesome reading voice. All 4 novelizations are up on youtube as well.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 04:38:46 PM
Yea, I saw those were up on YouTube too. I didn't want to advertise it. Lol.

Thanks though! I'll have to check those out pretty soon here too! :-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 04:49:01 PM
haha fair enough there. I didn't listen to them through youtube but noticed them being there. I have each chapter individually as mp3's for all 4 which makes for a better & easier listening experience instead of just the straight 9 hour vid that's on the tube. I wouldn't want to lose my spot on that haha I still gotta get around to looking for the ones you guys mentioned. Kind of a laze day in my parts so moving about as fast as a slug.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 07:12:55 PM
Yea, the rage war book1 audiobook was one I got for free from audible (as a courtesy from customer service, :-)). I canceled my membership before the free trial ran out, but I still have access to it, and out of the shadows' audio drama, through the app on my phone. Xenozipper, it was you I was talking with before about not having convienient access to audible, right? Anyway, I kinda forgot I even had that in audiobook form, but I'll probably wait till I get my hands on a physical copy anyway... And I do remember book 2 was available in audiobook form as well.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darkness on Jun 07, 2016, 07:31:36 PM
Huh, I wouldn't recommend them to be honest. I wasted 24 hours listening to those books and I still have no clue what they were about other than some war between marines, aliens, predators and some group called the Rage. It was easy with the novelizations because I knew the story but I have no clue what these books were about beforehand so passively listening to them, just isn't enough. Also the narrator pronouncing Yautja as "Yah-oot-ya" all the way through has made me detest the entire word forever. What was wrong with calling them Predators?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 07:37:18 PM
Haha yea that's me that's technologically challenged :P I just never really followed the tech everyone else is so interested in. I have a phone but there's no internet access for it (its that old) & I just use my computer for all my internet needs. Never got into using apps. Maybe one day I'll get with the times but I'll always be behind a few years.

Yikes on that pronouncing Yautja that way!! The way certain words are said can kill things for me too. Going back to the novelizations, I hate the way they say Acheron. It was not the way I've been saying it all these years & I couldn't accept the way audiobook said it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Darkness on Jun 07, 2016, 07:39:29 PM
Oh, yeah, I pronounce Acheron as "Ack-eron". Do they say "Ash-eron" in the books?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: XenoZipper on Jun 07, 2016, 07:52:31 PM
Quote from: Darkness on Jun 07, 2016, 07:39:29 PM
Oh, yeah, I pronounce Acheron as "Ack-eron". Do they say "Ash-eron" in the books?

Yep I'm the same & say it as "Ack-eron". Yea the audio books say it as Ash which just bothers me. Even the AVP (2010) game says it as Ack. As for Yautja, I say it as "Yut (like hut) -Juh (like saying duh, just juh)"
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 10:17:09 PM
Ah christ! That's going to drive me nuts too!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jun 07, 2016, 10:24:07 PM
I think Ash-eron is the proper way to say it isn't it?  It's a mythological river and that is how it should be pronounced.  Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.  I thought it was pronounced ache-ron (as in my achy-breaky heart) for years.

Yautja was apparently originally supposed to be pronounced ee-what-ya.  I remember reading that somewhere.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 07, 2016, 10:28:19 PM
Acheron = river of pain

That's all I really know of it. Lol
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jun 08, 2016, 10:32:28 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jun 07, 2016, 10:24:07 PMI think Ash-eron is the proper way to say it isn't it?

Yes. It should be a soft 'ash' sound, not a hard 'ack' as most people pronounce it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Jun 24, 2016, 12:20:02 AM
Just spent the last few days listening to Alien OOTS audiobook.

Impressive production wise - story wise I really enjoyed it until ....



(SPOILER ALERT)


... the group get down to the mine and then it becomes a bit too much.

The retcon of Ripley's own story in between Alien & Aliens was handled well if you ask me - though one does feel the story could've been just as good without her inclusion.

Ash's inclusion was actually one of the best bits of the story but I felt it could've been more too.

My biggest gripe is that a bunch of miners with mining gear for weapons survive an Alien infestation in incredibly hostile and alien conditions whereas battle hardened marines got wiped out far quicker (in Aliens).

That said - enjoyable. Going to read the book now.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Nostromo on Jun 24, 2016, 12:33:06 AM
Read the book and heard the audiobook too. Liked the Ash parts also. The audiobook impressed me. Makes for a good listen before sleeping. Do all the novels come in audiobooks?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 24, 2016, 02:10:37 AM
Quote from: Prez72 on Jun 24, 2016, 12:20:02 AM
Just spent the last few days listening to Alien OOTS audiobook.

Impressive production wise - story wise I really enjoyed it until ....



(SPOILER ALERT)


... the group get down to the mine and then it becomes a bit too much.

The retcon of Ripley's own story in between Alien & Aliens was handled well if you ask me - though one does feel the story could've been just as good without her inclusion.

Ash's inclusion was actually one of the best bits of the story but I felt it could've been more too.

My biggest gripe is that a bunch of miners with mining gear for weapons survive an Alien infestation in incredibly hostile and alien conditions whereas battle hardened marines got wiped out far quicker (in Aliens).

That said - enjoyable. Going to read the book now.

MORE SPOILERS:

I prefer to think of it this way:

With the miners, the aliens were hunting, herding them where they wanted them.

In aliens, the battle hardened marines killed one of their offspring, so the hive went into a more aggressive defensive behavior, more focused on eliminating the threat.

Quote from: Nostromo on Jun 24, 2016, 12:33:06 AM
Read the book and heard the audiobook too. Liked the Ash parts also. The audiobook impressed me. Makes for a good listen before sleeping. Do all the novels come in audiobooks?

Yes. A couple. But none of the others are dramas like this one.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Jun 24, 2016, 10:52:15 AM
Quote from: Engineer on Jun 24, 2016, 02:10:37 AM

MORE SPOILERS:

I prefer to think of it this way:

With the miners, the aliens were hunting, herding them where they wanted them.

In aliens, the battle hardened marines killed one of their offspring, so the hive went into a more aggressive defensive behavior, more focused on eliminating the threat.


Fair points.

Curious on any differences between the Audiobook and novel.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 25, 2016, 03:52:54 AM
I haven't finished reading the book yet (I actually just started it), but from what I've heard there are differences. Mostly due to the differences in mediums. For example, the audio drama adds a tid bit about why Ash's voice is different (real reason, they didn't have Ian holm or a good sound-alike), which wasn't originally addressed or even mentioned in the book.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 25, 2016, 10:12:51 AM
I don't believe he even spoke in the book. I think it was all through text.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Jun 25, 2016, 01:58:43 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 25, 2016, 10:12:51 AM
I don't believe he even spoke in the book. I think it was all through text.

OH! Interesting!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on Aug 28, 2016, 03:21:17 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on May 04, 2016, 05:01:23 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 04, 2016, 01:56:59 PM

I wonder if this is the same audiobook. That's actually kinda cool that lance Henriksen is the narrator!

Nope. Different narrator.

Oh, interesting! Maybe the rights to the LH recording were held by some now-defunct audiobook company.

So I was just browsing around on my phone. The iBooks app for Apple now has both versions of alien 3's audiobook: the one narrated by Peter Guinness and the one narrated by lance Henriksen. Thought I'd share. :-)

PS. The lance Henriksen version is less than half as long and less than half the price.

Audiobook comparison for alien 3 by alan dean foster

Narrator: lance Henriksen
Duration: 3 hrs
iBooks store price: $5.95 (USD)

Narrator: Peter Guinness
Duration: 7 hrs 31 min
iBooks store price: $14.95 (USD)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Sep 14, 2016, 12:17:47 PM
Finally reading the book ... really dug the part earlier on when Ripley is contemplating why the original alien on the Narcissus was so slow to react - lazy, tired, over fed or something else. Remember reading many moons ago on theories about this that the alien was going into some sort of hibernation (hence all the drool when it's showcasing it's impressive tongue).

Thoughts?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 14, 2016, 10:23:18 PM
The original concept was that it had a very short lifespan - around 24 hours - and was dying.  It had fulfilled it's purpose to procreate by turning Dallas and Brett into eggs and that was pretty much that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: g2vd on Sep 15, 2016, 12:21:28 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 14, 2016, 10:23:18 PM
The original concept was that it had a very short lifespan - around 24 hours - and was dying.  It had fulfilled it's purpose to procreate by turning Dallas and Brett into eggs and that was pretty much that.
Really? I had no idea where was this stated?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 15, 2016, 12:37:18 AM
I think Riddles talks about on one of the commentary tracks.  Might've even popped up in original promo material (Warren magazine or Book of Alien).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on Sep 15, 2016, 01:31:08 AM
I believe Ridley did talk on a couple occasions about the short life span idea.

However the aliens behavior wasn't that far removed when it attacked Brett and Lambert, taking its time with both (though not as long as it took to finally attack Ripley). Plus maybe it could tell Ripley was trapped. I never really cared much for the short life span idea myself. I'm glad the idea was never picked up for the sequels.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 15, 2016, 01:49:40 AM
Considering Ridley's ideas that didn't make the final cut, I wonder how early Ridley had the ideas that were presented i Prometheus...  Aliens as weapons, space jockeys are engineers etc...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 15, 2016, 01:55:16 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 15, 2016, 12:37:18 AM
I think Riddles talks about on one of the commentary tracks.  Might've even popped up in original promo material (Warren magazine or Book of Alien).
On top of this, the Alien was supposed to be translucent, and became more opaque over the course of the movie. Naturally, they couldn't get it to work particularly well with a person in a suit or a puppet.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 15, 2016, 02:14:35 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 15, 2016, 01:49:40 AM
Considering Ridley's ideas that didn't make the final cut, I wonder how early Ridley had the ideas that were presented i Prometheus...  Aliens as weapons, space jockeys are engineers etc...

He described the Derelict as a bomber (and therefore Aliens as weapons) for decades.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 15, 2016, 08:08:30 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 15, 2016, 12:37:18 AMMight've even popped up in original promo material (Warren magazine or Book of Alien).

Pretty sure The Book of Alien mentions it somewhere.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Sep 15, 2016, 01:47:49 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 15, 2016, 08:08:30 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 15, 2016, 12:37:18 AMMight've even popped up in original promo material (Warren magazine or Book of Alien).

Pretty sure The Book of Alien mentions it somewhere.

Interesting. That book was in my introduction to Alien way back in 1979/1980 as my elder brother had seen the movie and bought it. I was too young of course to see the film but I devoured that book. Ron Cobb & Giger's artwork would help fashion my own design/art career.

Enough history though as I am curious to re-read it to see about that mention about the lifecycle.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Sep 15, 2016, 03:44:45 PM
Veronica Cartwright also mentioned that the alien had a short life span, and that's why it got darker throughout the film... because it was "bruising".

Also, it's been postulated that the alien was itself in the process of turning into an egg at the end of the film; I think that's in either Book of Alien or Giger's Alien. I rather like that idea, that the facehugger is in fact the last stage of the alien's life...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Sep 17, 2016, 01:46:47 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Sep 15, 2016, 03:44:45 PM
Veronica Cartwright also mentioned that the alien had a short life span, and that's why it got darker throughout the film... because it was "bruising".

Also, it's been postulated that the alien was itself in the process of turning into an egg at the end of the film; I think that's in either Book of Alien or Giger's Alien. I rather like that idea, that the facehugger is in fact the last stage of the alien's life...

Very cool. Something I hope Ridley might delve into a little more in Covenant - that is explore the more mysterious aspects of the Xeno that Cameron non intentionally dumbed down a bit. It's something that I love about Alien the most - the sheer mystery and unknown of the creature.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Sep 27, 2016, 04:59:07 AM
Hi !

Can someone tell me more about the "Dog Alien" ? Who are they ? If I understand, they carried eggs of Xenomorph like the Derelict ? And this Derelict is like the Derelict on LV-426 or it's another one ? Someone know what is the traces of civilisation (sculpture) next to this derelict ?

Thank's :)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2016, 05:21:41 AM
They're an ancient civilisation that's millions of years old and possibly extinct.  They're not related to the Xenomorph and the derelict on LV-178 is nothing to do with the Engineers.  They're an intelligent space faring race who have appearance akin to dogs.  Who got pwned by Aliens.  From memory.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Sep 27, 2016, 05:37:34 AM
Yeah, the Dog-Aliens are a race that had six limbs (two arms, four legs). They stood upright, walking on those four legs. They were incredibly tall, the steps on their stairs went to our waist, forcing humans to climb them with more effort rather than simply walking up them.

Also, Dog-Alien artwork on the floor couldn't be enjoyed by humans as it was designed for a much taller being. Their technology was primarily biological, their buildings and space ships are grown and have actual DNA that Weyland-Yutani collected samples of.

The moon or planetoid alien habitat that the Founders found also belonged to the Dog-Aliens. They used biological slug like creatures to grow technology, the Founders/Rage calls these things Fazes. When they dated the planetoid, it was five million years old.

Their teeth are rather blunt and don't look carnivorous. They seem to have hair on top of their heads but their faces are hairless. They have a dog-like snout hence the name.

Like SM pointed out, they seem to have had bad luck with the Xenomorphs. Both, on LV-178 and on "Midsummer", the five million year old artificial moon that was still growing when the Founders discovered it because the Faze creatures continued working and building. Two Fazes were brought aboard the ships of the Founders and proceeded to modify them into much better and faster ships with staggering advancements.

The ships upgraded became much more biological, also becoming reddish or pinkish in colour in contrast to the black biomechanical look of the Space Jockey and Engineer vessels and architecture.

I also remember an artwork found in one of their buildings depicting them having a public bath among themselves, some even encountering other creatures which were shown in the artworks seen by the humans. I think one of them displayed some kind of farming, I can't remember if that's correct.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Sep 27, 2016, 06:53:05 AM
Thank's for answers  :) but how the Aliens came here ? And how you know all that ? ^^'
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2016, 07:14:17 AM
Quote from: The Alien Predator on Sep 27, 2016, 05:37:34 AM
The moon or planetoid alien habitat that the Founders found also belonged to the Dog-Aliens. They used biological slug like creatures to grow technology, the Founders/Rage calls these things Fazes. When they dated the planetoid, it was five million years old.

That's still up for debate. Otherwise good recounting! I'm curious to see if Lebbon gives that any closure in Armageddon.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Sep 27, 2016, 11:17:18 AM
There are more answers in Sea of Sorrow ?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2016, 11:36:56 AM
They're featured but nothing new about them comes from Sea of Sorrows.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Sep 27, 2016, 03:22:22 PM
And how Xenomorph came here ?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Sep 27, 2016, 04:11:15 PM
Quote from: Predator@Alien on Sep 27, 2016, 11:17:18 AM
There are more answers in Sea of Sorrow ?

The only answer in Sea of Sorrows is that their buildings have DNA samples of which W-Y collected.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2016, 07:14:17 AM
Quote from: The Alien Predator on Sep 27, 2016, 05:37:34 AM
The moon or planetoid alien habitat that the Founders found also belonged to the Dog-Aliens. They used biological slug like creatures to grow technology, the Founders/Rage calls these things Fazes. When they dated the planetoid, it was five million years old.

That's still up for debate. Otherwise good recounting! I'm curious to see if Lebbon gives that any closure in Armageddon.

What are your thoughts on it? I also hope to see some closure to them in Armageddon, but I won't hold my breath as they do have the Arcturian Syndrome of just being shared in scraps... (although we've seen more of then than the Arcturians. XD)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Local Trouble on Oct 14, 2016, 07:09:54 PM
I'm a few chapters in, but I already have two things to bitch about: this novel explicitly states that the Narcissus only has one cryotube and the crew of the Marion somehow were able to board it without disturbing the harpoon gun that got stuck in the airlock door at the end of the original film.

I want answers!  I want the truth!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Oct 15, 2016, 12:34:52 AM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 14, 2016, 07:09:54 PM
I'm a few chapters in, but I already have two things to bitch about: this novel explicitly states that the Narcissus only has one cryotube and the crew of the Marion somehow were able to board it without disturbing the harpoon gun that got stuck in the airlock door at the end of the original film.

I want answers!  I want the truth!

Yes. That harpoon gun issue has stuck with me too.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 15, 2016, 11:23:40 AM
River of Pain later relocated the gun to a desk inside the shuttle when the guys find it in Aliens to try and justify the first book lol.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Local Trouble on Oct 15, 2016, 05:38:41 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 15, 2016, 11:23:40 AM
River of Pain later relocated the gun to a desk inside the shuttle when the guys find it in Aliens to try and justify the first book lol.

WaDuFuK?  Who's fact-checking these novels??
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Oct 15, 2016, 11:43:53 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 15, 2016, 11:23:40 AM
River of Pain later relocated the gun to a desk inside the shuttle when the guys find it in Aliens to try and justify the first book lol.

Only started reading that this week and yep, first thing I noticed ;-)
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 16, 2016, 04:13:24 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 15, 2016, 05:38:41 PMWaDuFuK?  Who's fact-checking these novels??

Very much doubt it was a fact-checking issue. More likely a deliberate alteration to facilitate the story. It's not like the gun is ever seen especially clearly in the film, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it thing.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Local Trouble on Oct 16, 2016, 06:43:47 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 16, 2016, 04:13:24 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 15, 2016, 05:38:41 PMWaDuFuK?  Who's fact-checking these novels??

Very much doubt it was a fact-checking issue. More likely a deliberate alteration to facilitate the story. It's not like the gun is ever seen especially clearly in the film, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it thing.

That's even worse, IMO.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 16, 2016, 11:37:28 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 16, 2016, 06:43:47 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 16, 2016, 04:13:24 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 15, 2016, 05:38:41 PMWaDuFuK?  Who's fact-checking these novels??

Very much doubt it was a fact-checking issue. More likely a deliberate alteration to facilitate the story. It's not like the gun is ever seen especially clearly in the film, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it thing.

That's even worse, IMO.
Why?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Oct 17, 2016, 12:14:05 AM
It's a silly continuity mistake that doesn't actually have any real effect on the overall story.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Oct 17, 2016, 12:54:54 AM
Exactly.

The Derelict pilot room is also very different in River of Pain compared to how we saw it in Alien. And that had no effect on the overall story for me.

Spoiler
The eggs are in the same room with the Jockey, surrounding the chair I think. Rather than being underneath it through that hole Kane went.
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Oct 17, 2016, 01:36:43 AM
That mistake is harder to forgive than a piece of minutiae like the harpoon gun - but again, yeah, doesn't have an effect on the story overall.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Alien Predator on Oct 17, 2016, 01:44:32 AM
Yeah, I just pretended they
Spoiler
went down the hole Kane style and found the eggs down below. XD
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Mr. Clemens on Oct 17, 2016, 04:37:24 PM
The missing second hypersleep pod on the Narcissus, on the other hand, bungles things up a fair bit.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Local Trouble on Oct 17, 2016, 06:32:24 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 16, 2016, 11:37:28 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 16, 2016, 06:43:47 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 16, 2016, 04:13:24 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 15, 2016, 05:38:41 PMWaDuFuK?  Who's fact-checking these novels??

Very much doubt it was a fact-checking issue. More likely a deliberate alteration to facilitate the story. It's not like the gun is ever seen especially clearly in the film, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it thing.

That's even worse, IMO.

Why?

Because it's deliberate.  Like Fincher choosing to change the cryotubes in Alien 3.

I place a high value on visual continuity.  Whether it has an effect on the overall story isn't the only yardstick by which I measure its importance.

Quote from: The Alien Predator on Oct 17, 2016, 12:54:54 AM
Exactly.

The Derelict pilot room is also very different in River of Pain compared to how we saw it in Alien. And that had no effect on the overall story for me.

Spoiler
The eggs are in the same room with the Jockey, surrounding the chair I think. Rather than being underneath it through that hole Kane went.
[close]

Jesus Horatio Christ...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Oct 17, 2016, 09:16:52 PM
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Oct 17, 2016, 04:37:24 PM
The missing second hypersleep pod on the Narcissus, on the other hand, bungles things up a fair bit.

Not really in the washup.  There was still way too many people for the shuttle initially.
Spoiler
And in the end Hoop had to manually launch the shuttle anyway.  It wasn't like one more person could've been saved if they'd included the extra hypersleep pod.
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Local Trouble on Oct 17, 2016, 09:36:07 PM
I don't recall the book explicitly telling us that the crew of the Marion entered the Narcissus via the main airlock door.  Perhaps there's a hatch on the top or bottom of the shuttle through which they gained entry instead.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 17, 2016, 09:52:58 PM
The shuttle's design doesn't really allow for any other hatches. Plus we see virtually all of the interior in the first two films and there's no other hatches visible.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Local Trouble on Oct 22, 2016, 06:21:08 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 17, 2016, 09:52:58 PM
The shuttle's design doesn't really allow for any other hatches. Plus we see virtually all of the interior in the first two films and there's no other hatches visible.

There could be a service hatch on the outer hull that may not be easily visible throughout the interior.  Unless there's a canon set of schematics that I don't know about, I see how anyone can rule it out.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 22, 2016, 06:54:24 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Oct 22, 2016, 06:21:08 PMThere could be a service hatch on the outer hull that may not be easily visible throughout the interior.

Except, given what the story states, it would need to be a hatch big enough to walk through, which would be very apparent.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Ultramorph on Oct 22, 2016, 09:26:03 PM
My copy of OotS is in storage, so I was wondering if anyone could quote the bits describing the dog-aliens and the xenos that hatched out of them. I think I might try my hand at some fan art!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Oct 29, 2016, 05:15:19 PM
How the Xenomorph came to LV-178 ? The Dog Aliens carrying them ?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 31, 2016, 09:15:05 AM
Yes. They brought them on their ship.

It's implied they were transporting them and they got loose, either before or after the ship crashed there.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 01, 2016, 10:42:59 PM
Ah thank you  ;) but why is it not simply a Juggernaut of the Engineers...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 01, 2016, 11:04:28 PM
Because they're making more Prometheus movies and you can open a can of worms by writing about them, only to have a film contradict it.

Which has been the story of the franchise for nearly 30 years.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: windebieste on Nov 01, 2016, 11:33:35 PM
Earlier. It's certainly nothing new.  Such conflicts started when the script for 'ALIEN' that Foster was working from was revised and the novel failed to include such updates. So, before the first movie was even released, say 1978.

-Windebieste.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 01, 2016, 11:54:39 PM
Publishing timeframes meant stuff like that constantly occurs (still).  I was more referring to stuff that went beyond the films (Aliens Book 1) being produced while the franchise owner was writing a film that would negate it.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SiL on Nov 02, 2016, 12:03:27 AM
Besides which the problems for Foster weren't script updates, it was the designs used and how the film was edited that deviated.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: windebieste on Nov 02, 2016, 12:06:38 AM
They still manifested as conflicts in the end.

It's not like there's just one Author, either, that has the privilege of sticking to a unique and unified vision.  Does anyone have a roadmap of what constitutes content and what doesn't for this series?  Canon has become so flexible here, I don't think it matters that minor conflicts occur any more.

-Windebieste.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 02, 2016, 12:14:15 AM
Quote from: SiL on Nov 02, 2016, 12:03:27 AM
Besides which the problems for Foster weren't script updates, it was the designs used and how the film was edited that deviated.

Yeah.  You can recut or even reshoot parts of a film very close to the release date (reshooting the end of Alien3 was done a couple of weeks before release from memory), but you can't send a book back for edits that's likely already gone to press or being shipped.

Even with Fox trying to avoid conflicts with their current extra-film media, I'm sure the toes they were trying to avoid stepping on for Prometheus 2 back in 2014 have moved.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: windebieste on Nov 02, 2016, 12:46:58 AM
It does appear that Fox have become more concerned with the meta universe being more cohesive and consistent.  Hopefully, there'll be less conflicts from now on. 

-Windebieste.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 03, 2016, 07:27:26 PM
There are all the same inconsistencies... The E.T. are very uncommon in the universe. In this saga, we know just two other species : Xenomorphs and Engineers. And in this book, there is another species : The Dog-Alien. Okay why not. But coincidentally, they also know the Xenomorphs ! It's strange no ? That's why I don't like this story... Just put Engineer with a Juggernaut like in Alien is not complicated and not incoherent !

Another inconsistency, between Alien River of Pain and Aliens Fire and Stone. Both are canon but they tell a different story...

That's why I repeats, for me Fire and Stone are'nt canon, moreover there are Predators, it's not logic... If they are here, we can now say that every AVP is canon... It's stupid I think.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 03, 2016, 08:46:38 PM
Again, they Lebbon might not have been able to use the Engineers even if they wanted to.
That doesn't make the existing story complicated or incoherent.

While there are some inconsistencies between Fire & Stone and River of Pain, they're telling different stories with the same starting point.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Nov 04, 2016, 08:37:11 AM
And to be fair, River of Pain did clear up some of the murkiness that Fire and Stone brought up.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Nov 04, 2016, 09:19:18 AM
Having read all 3 of this trilogy now (and listening to the first one in audiobook) I have to say I enjoyed them all immensely.

Yes some elements were a bit `well hang on that goes against what happened in the films' but I think they were still enjoyable.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 04, 2016, 03:15:35 PM
So one of them is not canon it's logic. If they tell different story one can't be canon. And of course it's incoherent, read what I said, many things are impossible...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 04, 2016, 08:32:26 PM
Could you give some examples?

Both River of Pain and Fire & Stone are considered canon.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 04, 2016, 10:38:46 PM
Like I told you before : "The E.T. are very uncommon in the universe. In this saga, we know just two other species : Xenomorphs and Engineers. And in this book, there is another species : The Dog-Alien. Okay why not. But coincidentally, they also know the Xenomorphs"

Can you explain that to be logic in the story ?

I didn't hear anything about Fire and Stone which is canon. Moreover, Fire and Stone and River of Pain tell two different story but both are canon... How is it possible ? And even if it's written in the W-Y Report, the Fox didn't say anything about it, there aren't Predator in the Alien franchise ! If there are Predators, we can say that the tree films are canon, every comics, AVP films and everything, it's not logical...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 04, 2016, 10:52:18 PM
QuoteLike I told you before : "The E.T. are very uncommon in the universe. In this saga, we know just two other species : Xenomorphs and Engineers. And in this book, there is another species : The Dog-Alien. Okay why not. But coincidentally, they also know the Xenomorphs"

Can you explain that to be logic in the story ?

I'm not sure how introducing a new species makes it illogical? 

QuoteMoreover, Fire and Stone and River of Pain tell two different story but both are canon... How is it possible ?

The Aliens portion of Fire & Stone starts around the time of the end of River of Pain.  How is it not possible?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Nov 05, 2016, 04:47:41 AM
Quote from: Predator@Alien on Nov 04, 2016, 10:38:46 PM
Like I told you before : "The E.T. are very uncommon in the universe. In this saga, we know just two other species : Xenomorphs and Engineers. And in this book, there is another species : The Dog-Alien. Okay why not. But coincidentally, they also know the Xenomorphs"

Aliens the film introduced (briefly in conversation from the Marines during their meal on the Sulaco) The Acturians. That's another ET species in canon.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 05, 2016, 11:03:21 AM
Because not many species are known by humans but by chance they know them... It's a big coincidence ...

So in River of Pain we can see the Onager ? The same people ?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 06, 2016, 10:04:23 PM
Quote

Because not many species are known by humans but by chance they know them... It's a big coincidence ...

Why?  We're introduced to not one, but two new species in the very first film.  I don't understand where you're coming from.

QuoteSo in River of Pain we can see the Onager ? The same people ?

Yes.  Anne Jorden at one point considers the Onager as a possible means of escape and notices the three protagonists of Fire & Stone, Dione, Cale and Russell, conspiring in a corner.  She late notices that they've disappeared.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 07, 2016, 05:45:30 AM
Ah ! So okay for Fire and Stone.

But yes, like I said, there are not many species in space, which are discovered by the humans. They discovered two new species in the first film, it's a coincidence but one more again ! Moreover, this new species is link to the Aliens. So every species who will be discovered by humans will be link to the Aliens ? Is it automatic or an obligation ? In case this is really a big coincidence...
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 07, 2016, 09:12:53 PM
Sorry, I still don't understand the problem.

If you look at the wider lore, there have been archeological digs on other planets, meaning there were other civilizations in the cosmos.  This one got wiped out by the Aliens on LV-178 sometime eons in the past.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Predator@Alien on Nov 08, 2016, 07:34:48 PM
Yes... why not !
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: SM on Nov 09, 2016, 12:26:38 PM
Quite.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 17, 2017, 01:47:47 PM
https://perfectorganism.podbean.com/e/episode-50-perfect-organism-interviews-ripley-actress-laurel-lefkow/

Nice interview with Ripley's voice actress.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 17, 2017, 04:02:44 PM
I couldn't get over how much she sounded like Sigourney.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 17, 2017, 05:02:17 PM
Same here... I was blown away by that.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: EJA on May 17, 2017, 08:00:30 PM
Quote from: Engineer on May 17, 2017, 05:02:17 PM
Same here... I was blown away by that.

Shame the story's been spoiled now by

Spoiler
The Aliens coming into existence less than twenty years before Alien, so their can't be ones on LV-178, and certainly not millions of years old. :(
[close]
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on May 17, 2017, 08:14:17 PM
Is it your mission to mention that in every thread on here? :laugh:

And anyway, it won't stop me enjoying the audio drama. It's not like there aren't a ton of other things in the EU that contradict the films.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: EJA on May 17, 2017, 08:18:20 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on May 17, 2017, 08:14:17 PM
Is it your mission to mention that in every thread on here? :laugh:

And anyway, it won't stop me enjoying the audio drama. It's not like there aren't a ton of other things in the EU that contradict the films.

The EU has always changed to fit the canon. And what's being introduced in the prequels is pretty unavoidable.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: 426Buddy on May 17, 2017, 08:26:21 PM
Quote from: EJA on May 17, 2017, 08:18:20 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on May 17, 2017, 08:14:17 PM
Is it your mission to mention that in every thread on here? :laugh:

And anyway, it won't stop me enjoying the audio drama. It's not like there aren't a ton of other things in the EU that contradict the films.

The EU has always changed to fit the canon. And what's being introduced in the prequels is pretty unavoidable.

Right, I think he's just saying  that his enjoyment of the EU isn't based solely on whether the story is canon or not.

I agree.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Engineer on May 17, 2017, 09:35:21 PM
I'm in agreement that the prequels destroy a major component of the mystery of the original film and subsequent sequels. However, my own personal preference is to ignore the prequels... the canon I follow is:

Alien (1979)
Alien: isolation
Alien: out of the shadows
Aliens (1986) & still considering River of Pain which I read recently
Alien 3 (sorry blompkamp; I'd never accept a retcon)

I could live with or without resurrection and sea of sorrows. And I haven't read any of the newer comics considered canon yet. But since I currently choose to ignore Prometheus, I'd imagine I'd be ignoring fire&stone too, but I'll reserve my judgement until I've actually read it. The stories from bug hunt, meh, some work for me but most not so much at all. And as far as the weyland yutani report goes, I know it's "canon" too, and I accept it as my own except for the parts which reference Prometheus, haha

With this in mind, I still find a great deal of enjoyment in the book and audio drama. And I'm hoping alien: covenant will allow for Prometheus to fit in in some way that doesn't suggest the alien was created by David just a few years before the nostromo found it, but I guess I won't find that out until this Friday!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Hudson on May 17, 2017, 11:20:36 PM
Quote from: EJA on May 17, 2017, 08:18:20 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on May 17, 2017, 08:14:17 PM
Is it your mission to mention that in every thread on here? :laugh:

And anyway, it won't stop me enjoying the audio drama. It's not like there aren't a ton of other things in the EU that contradict the films.

The EU has always changed to fit the canon. And what's being introduced in the prequels is pretty unavoidable.

I never thought I would feel disappointed to see Ridley Scott helm two Alien films in a row, but we've reached that point.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 20, 2017, 07:30:28 AM
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155582969289467&set=a.451549719466.238593.502864466&type=3&theater&notif_t=photo_reply&notif_id=1497940650641011

Dirk Maggs recently shared this to Facebook.

QuoteVisited Audible today to cuddle up with our ALIEN OUT OF THE SHADOWS Audie Award. Nice to escape the computer. Daylight was painful, hence shades. I must get out more.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Jun 21, 2017, 01:14:07 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 20, 2017, 07:30:28 AM
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155582969289467&set=a.451549719466.238593.502864466&type=3&theater&notif_t=photo_reply&notif_id=1497940650641011

Dirk Maggs recently shared this to Facebook.

QuoteVisited Audible today to cuddle up with our ALIEN OUT OF THE SHADOWS Audie Award. Nice to escape the computer. Daylight was painful, hence shades. I must get out more.

Should win an award for pulling off that hairdo ;-)
Seriously though - well deserved - I enjoyed the novels but found the audio dramatisations even better (hopefully we get a Sea of Sorrows adaptation to finish off the trilogy).
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jun 21, 2017, 02:08:10 PM
I'd really like some original ones from Maggs.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Prez on Jun 22, 2017, 10:32:47 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 21, 2017, 02:08:10 PM
I'd really like some original ones from Maggs.

Agreed.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jun 22, 2017, 10:46:11 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 21, 2017, 02:08:10 PMI'd really like some original ones from Maggs.

That's actually a really good idea... Do you think there's any chance of that?
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Dec 10, 2019, 12:44:10 PM
Only just released that Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter was in this.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Still Collating... on Dec 10, 2019, 03:02:43 PM
Wow, never realized that!
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 10, 2019, 03:18:27 PM
Lachance, meanwhile, was played by Captain Hollister from Red Dwarf aka Simpson in Aliens/Chief Porter in Alien: Isolation.

And Sneddon was voiced by Kathryn Drysdale of Two Pints of Lager... fame.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Stitch on Dec 10, 2019, 11:22:40 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Dec 10, 2019, 03:18:27 PM
And Sneddon was voiced by Kathryn Drysdale of Two Pints of Lager... fame.

Yeah, that was very obvious to me. Made for some very interesting mental images while listening.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Dec 11, 2019, 12:13:56 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Dec 10, 2019, 03:18:27 PM
Lachance, meanwhile, was played by Captain Hollister from Red Dwarf aka Simpson in Aliens/Chief Porter in Alien: Isolation.

And Sneddon was voiced by Kathryn Drysdale of Two Pints of Lager... fame.

Those I did know! I used to love Two Pints. Never saw the end of it, though.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 11, 2019, 12:40:31 PM
It got a bit naff after they killed Jonny off. Love the first however many series he was in though.
Title: Re: ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)
Post by: The Cruentus on Dec 29, 2019, 11:51:43 AM
Now there is a series I haven't seen in awhile, I used to enjoy it too.

I think both the novel and audible are great but I think it could have done without Ripley or Ash. Even if Ripley was done well, it still feels unnecessary.
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