Predator - Stalking Shadows by James A Moore

Started by felix, Sep 30, 2019, 03:14:27 AM

Author
Predator - Stalking Shadows by James A Moore (Read 35,171 times)

Voodoo Magic

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 08, 2020, 12:17:29 PM
It's a waste of a Predator novel.

Sadly, I must agree.

felix

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 08, 2020, 12:17:29 PM
It's meh. It's not the worse, but it's nowhere near good. It's a waste of a Predator novel.

Ouch.

Xiggz456

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a waste BUT it certainly wasn't what I expected. The book is more like a diary than a normal narrative so expect a lot of time jumps. In some ways it felt like an anthology with all these snippets of different encounters. Having read "Forever Midnight" for the first time right after reading this, I can confidently say that this is nowhere near the worst Predator novel though.

Corporal Hicks

Honestly, I think an actual anthology would be have been better.

And yeah...Forever Midnight is...not good.

HuDaFuK

Hicks is right in his assessment that this book is entirely average. It's neither bad nor good, just very by-the-numbers.

Xiggz456

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 09, 2020, 11:34:38 AM
Honestly, I think an actual anthology would be have been better.

And yeah...Forever Midnight is...not good.

Yeah I agree an anthology would've been better. I still hope the book sells well enough so that Titan gives us more Predator novels though.

Wweyland

This was mediocre. The mystery didn't work and military side was very clunky.
Hunters and Hunted was great and didn't have these problems though.

PAS Spinelli

A question, this book ignores or acknowledges the AVP movies?

SpaceKase

SpaceKase

#158
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:22:39 PM
A question, this book ignores or acknowledges the AVP movies?

Both AvP movies supposedly take place around Oct 2004, and the book kinda hops over that between chapter 6 and 7, Scotland in Sept 2004 and Mexico in Sept 2005 respectively. All of the events of Bouvetøya were really isolated but we know some of the recovered artifacts ended up with Project Stargazer. Gunnison Colorado of course was nuked by a branch of the OWLF and we know the artifacts recovered from that ended up in the private sector with Yutani Industries. The perspective of the book is entirely from one character who is an outsider to all of these organizations, so no direct references are made and the main character doesn't even have a solid foundation of awareness of extraterrestrials until later. 

It can be assumed that events surrounding the destruction of Gunnison were covered up and played off as a natural disaster, like a meteor strike or atmospheric comet explosion like the Tunguska Fireball or something. So the book doesn't go out of its way to ignore these events, the main character Devlin just doesn't have any reason to refer to them since he isn't in the know. The whole book plays much more like an X-Files type mystery stretched across the span of a number of years as Devlin lives his life and slowly gathers pieces of the much larger picture whenever he crosses paths with Dutch.

PAS Spinelli

Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 26, 2020, 05:53:49 PM
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:22:39 PM
A question, this book ignores or acknowledges the AVP movies?

Both AvP movies supposedly take place around Oct 2004, and the book kinda hops over that between chapter 6 and 7, Scotland in Sept 2004 and Mexico in Sept 2005 respectively. All of the events of Bouvetøya were really isolated but we know some of the recovered artifacts ended up with Project Stargazer. Gunnison Colorado of course was nuked by a branch of the OWLF and we know the artifacts recovered from that ended up in the private sector with Yutani Industries. The perspective of the book is entirely from one character who is an outsider to all of these organizations, so no direct references are made and the main character doesn't even have a solid foundation of awareness of extraterrestrials until later.
Yes but the book is meant to bridge all movies to the game, the fact it straight up ignores the AvP movies is a good sign honestly

SpaceKase

SpaceKase

#160
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:55:47 PM
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 26, 2020, 05:53:49 PM
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:22:39 PM
A question, this book ignores or acknowledges the AVP movies?

Both AvP movies supposedly take place around Oct 2004, and the book kinda hops over that between chapter 6 and 7, Scotland in Sept 2004 and Mexico in Sept 2005 respectively. All of the events of Bouvetøya were really isolated but we know some of the recovered artifacts ended up with Project Stargazer. Gunnison Colorado of course was nuked by a branch of the OWLF and we know the artifacts recovered from that ended up in the private sector with Yutani Industries. The perspective of the book is entirely from one character who is an outsider to all of these organizations, so no direct references are made and the main character doesn't even have a solid foundation of awareness of extraterrestrials until later.
Yes but the book is meant to bridge all movies to the game, the fact it straight up ignores the AvP movies is a good sign honestly

I guess. If one is a detractor of the AvP franchise, then yes, the ambiguity will comfort any sensitivities. Though a distinction should be made between simply not referring to events and blatantly contradicting events. This book does the former, not the latter, so all fandom teams are respected.

Stitch

Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:55:47 PM
Yes but the book is meant to bridge all movies to the game
According to whom? I've never heard that to be the case, and the blurb doesn't say that.
Also, I might be wrong but I don't recall Predators being mentioned (possibly because it took place on another planet). By that reasoning, it removes that movie from current canon as well.

Voodoo Magic

Quote from: Stitch on Jul 26, 2020, 08:14:34 PM
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:55:47 PM
Yes but the book is meant to bridge all movies to the game
According to whom? I've never heard that to be the case, and the blurb doesn't say that.
Also, I might be wrong but I don't recall Predators being mentioned (possibly because it took place on another planet). By that reasoning, it removes that movie from current canon as well.

Yeah the actual game itself with the OWLF Recordings and Dutch tapes actually bridges the game more thoroughly to Predator, Predator 2 and The Predator than Stalking Shadows ever does. With a few brief exceptions, this book really just supplies fans the backstory to
Spoiler
Zeus.
[close]

SpaceKase

If you're a crazy pants, like me, and you want some chronological context here's a smattering of events in chronological order with the game specific media in italics...

1987.0000      Predator
1987.0912   Dutch Recordings   Debriefing
1991.0408   Dutch Recordings   Folklore
1992.0627   Dutch Recordings   Patience
1996.0223   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   1 – Onboarding
1996.0303   Dutch Recordings   Hades
1996.1203   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   2 – Research
1997.0212   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   3 – Development
1997.0702   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   4 – Los Angeles

1997.0702      Predator 2
1997.0708   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   5 – Go Time
1997.0708   Stalking Shadows   Prologue Los Angeles
1997.0709   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 01
1997.0710   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   6 – Aftermath
1997.0710   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   7 – Meeting Dutch
1997.0711   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   8 – Benefactors
1997.0921   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   9 – Helmet and Arm
1997.1012   Dutch Recordings   Strange Bedfellows
1997.1201   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   10 – Technological Finds
1998.0312   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   11 – Dutch and Team Dispatched
1998.0409   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 02

1998.0914      Predator - Homeworld
1999.0000      AvP - e. Old Secrets
1999.0319   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   12 – Plasma Caster
2000.0101   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 03
2000.0401   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 04
2001.0404   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   13 – Close Encounter
2002.0900   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 05 - 3rd Wk of Sept

2004.0000      Alien vs Predator [Film]
2004.0900   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 06 - 1st wk of Sept      
2004.1027   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   14 – A Body

2005.0829      Predator - If It Bleeds - e. Storm Blood
2005.0900   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 07 - 1st wk of Sept
2006.0500   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 08 - 3rd wk of May

2007.0000      AvP - Sand Trap
2007.0708   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   15 – Anniversary
2007.1200   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 09 - 2nd wk of Dec
2008.0303   Dutch Recordings   Napolean
2008.0310   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   16 – Dutch's Run In
2008.1117   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   17 – Recovery
2010.0524   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   18 – Calm
2011.0700   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 10 - 2nd wk of July
2013.0700   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 11 - 1st wk of July
2013.0800   Stalking Shadows   Chapter 12 - 1st wk of Aug
2015.0303   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   19 – Funding Issues
2016.0829   OWLF Recordings - Sean Keyes   20 – Stargazer Final entry

2016.1027      Predator - Hunter and Hunted
2017.0000      Predator - If It Bleeds - c. Rematch
2017.0000      Predator - Hunters
2017.0000      Predator - Hunters II
2017.0000      Predator - Hunters III
2018.0000      The Predator
2018.0113   Dutch Recordings   Stargazer
2019.0000      Predator - If It Bleeds - Tin Warrior
2022.0000      Predator - If It Bleeds - n. Drug War
2023.0800   Stalking Shadows   Epilogue Ten Years Later
2024.0000      AvP - Eternal
2025.0400      Predator - Hunting Grounds
2025.0730   Dutch Recordings   Still Hunting

2030.0000      Predator - Concrete Jungle (Eurocom, PS2 Xbox game)
         
But keep in mind, the DLC's are still coming out, so who knows what new lore is still coming down the pipe. I personally really want to know about this Big Mama yaut that branded Dutch's face, I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of her.

PAS Spinelli

Quote from: Stitch on Jul 26, 2020, 08:14:34 PM
Quote from: PAS Spinelli on Jul 26, 2020, 05:55:47 PM
Yes but the book is meant to bridge all movies to the game
According to whom? I've never heard that to be the case, and the blurb doesn't say that.
Also, I might be wrong but I don't recall Predators being mentioned (possibly because it took place on another planet). By that reasoning, it removes that movie from current canon as well.
This official prequel novel leads into the new PlayStation®4 video game from IllFonic. PREDATOR: STALKING SHADOWS is the bridge between Predator 2 and the current day continuity.
Also they mention a huge blackout on 2010 with the Predator tech, could be referencing Predators, who knows

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