Fan Favourite Alex White Returns With New Novel, Alien: Into Charybdis!

Started by Corporal Hicks, Feb 03, 2020, 03:53:38 PM

Author
Fan Favourite Alex White Returns With New Novel, Alien: Into Charybdis! (Read 96,675 times)

Voodoo Magic

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 24, 2021, 06:33:27 AM
Pushed back again until April! I've given up and ordered another autographed copy.

Another delay? Sheesh.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Mar 24, 2021, 09:27:44 AM
:laugh:

BuT yOu'Ll DoG-eAr It!!1!

:P

And he'll have that prestine copy in reserve in case he does!

BlueMarsalis79

BlueMarsalis79

#391
Gosh I don't know where to start honestly, especially because I'm half awake having stayed up all night finishing it, I nearly loved it, not to the degree of Alien The Cold Forge anyway but close, as such this will not be as formal a review as my praise for the prior.

Spoiler

The facility itself's spectacular, nothing much more to say in this regard, but it will stay lodged in my memories.

I really liked Shy and perhaps hoped naively that we might get a genuine human and android relationship, that hope got erased, and I felt genuine sorrow at the way their story ultimately ended. 

But that relentlessly cruelty makes the story unpredictable in the best ways, but it comes across as genuine, as real, much like a car crash being totally apathetic, and it's fitting our first casualties of the book amounts to that in essence.

In that regard with Kamran and Reza's last interactions with each other, I have no doubt that I rushed through it in places and missed layers, like if you read back the event that lead to Reza's death in light of the email you wonder if he ignored Kamran or not because he did not respect him enough in a life or death situation or simply did not hear him.

I think Nightmare Asylum's already summarized my thoughts in a number of places and, I'd just be repeating much of what he's said in regards to this examination of the way the military industrial complex inherently causes harm as an expansionist force, and ultimately as we see in the epilogue forces friend against friend, never mind people like Duncan who actively exploit the power they hold over others, or the idealists manipulated into dying for others.

Blue Marsalis:
Such a perfect turning of our expectations on our heads, it is set up so classically, an Alien in a vent in an abandoned lab again? But with each descriptor we grow to understand that not only did it not always do what the Alien does, it saved this man, although with brutal efficiency.

But not only does it recall to me the visage of H.R Giger's abandoned concept in it's entirety with, the lips, rippling ridges, barbed tongue, and enormous bladed tail. But also with the robotic voice reminded me of the scrapped concept for the end of the original 1979 film. But perhaps that's just a coincidence.

As might surprise you I actually am fine with this being what it is, as the product of years research, and the specific circumstances of Blue's existence never to be replicated again.

It also works superbly on a number of thematic and narrative levels, Blue already existed in a form of biomechanical existence before their transformation, already living inside a body Alien to them.

The first doctor to acquire the Plagiarus Preapotens, who arguably knows it better than anyone else can ever hope to outside of a certain artificial intelligence, and even then after more funding than allotted. Blue can only barely manipulate it, with it inexorably reverting to it's default composition, apart from this once. So if this comes up again, I'm calling it nonsense, if it's not this set of specific circumstances.

I also basically did this reading of the brief but impactful return of my beloved Pathogen and Neomorph:


And this when Blue and Marcus touched through the glass:

[close]

But yeah, I truly believe everyone's as grey as Alex White depicts deep down, in their own Charybdis:
#Bluedideverythingright

HuDaFuK

Quote from: Trash Queen on Mar 24, 2021, 03:07:00 PM
Spoiler
It also works superbly on a number of thematic and narrative levels, Blue already existed in a form of biomechanical existence before their transformation, already living inside a body Alien to them.
[close]
Spoiler
Honestly, the bit where White describes her as no more than a head attached to a bunch of machines spread around the room was the most harrowing bit of the book for me.
[close]

Corporal Hicks


HuDaFuK

Less Corporal Hicks, more General Spears.

426Buddy

426Buddy

#395
Quote from: Trash Queen on Mar 24, 2021, 03:07:00 PM
Gosh I don't know where to start honestly, especially because I'm half awake having stayed up all night finishing it, I nearly loved it, not to the degree of Alien The Cold Forge anyway but close, as such this will not be as formal a review as my praise for the prior.

Spoiler

The facility itself's spectacular, nothing much more to say in this regard, but it will stay lodged in my memories.

I really liked Shy and perhaps hoped naively that we might get a genuine human and android relationship, that hope got erased, and I felt genuine sorrow at the way their story ultimately ended. 

But that relentlessly cruelty makes the story unpredictable in the best ways, but it comes across as genuine, as real, much like a car crash being totally apathetic, and it's fitting our first casualties of the book amounts to that in essence.

In that regard with Kamran and Reza's last interactions with each other, I have no doubt that I rushed through it in places and missed layers, like if you read back the event that lead to Reza's death in light of the email you wonder if he ignored Kamran or not because he did not respect him enough in a life or death situation or simply did not hear him.

I think Nightmare Asylum's already summarized my thoughts in a number of places and, I'd just be repeating much of what he's said in regards to this examination of the way the military industrial complex inherently causes harm as an expansionist force, and ultimately as we see in the epilogue forces friend against friend, never mind people like Duncan who actively exploit the power they hold over others, or the idealists manipulated into dying for others.

Blue Marsalis:
Such a perfect turning of our expectations on our heads, it is set up so classically, an Alien in a vent in an abandoned lab again? But with each descriptor we grow to understand that not only did it not always do what the Alien does, it saved this man, although with brutal efficiency.

But not only does it recall to me the visage of H.R Giger's abandoned concept in it's entirety with, the lips, rippling ridges, barbed tongue, and enormous bladed tail. But also with the robotic voice reminded me of the scrapped concept for the end of the original 1979 film. But perhaps that's just a coincidence.

As might surprise you I actually am fine with this being what it is, as the product of years research, and the specific circumstances of Blue's existence never to be replicated again.

It also works superbly on a number of thematic and narrative levels, Blue already existed in a form of biomechanical existence before their transformation, already living inside a body Alien to them.

The first doctor to acquire the Plagiarus Preapotens, who arguably knows it better than anyone else can ever hope to outside of a certain artificial intelligence, and even then after more funding than allotted. Blue can only barely manipulate it, with it inexorably reverting to it's default composition, apart from this once. So if this comes up again, I'm calling it nonsense, if it's not this set of specific circumstances.

I also basically did this reading of the brief but impactful return of my beloved Pathogen and Neomorph:


And this when Blue and Marcus touched through the glass:

[close]

But yeah, I truly believe everyone's as grey as Alex White depicts deep down, in their own Charybdis:
#Bluedideverythingright

I pretty much agree on all this, I have only read TCF once so I'm overdue for a revisit. But I think I prefer IC just a bit more. Alex White gets this series more than most authors imo.

Spoiler
So does anyone have any ideas about where all the eggs came from? I believe the Marines fought their way into an egg chamber but there was no mention of a queen. Was AW just not interested in detailing the queens presence in the hive or maybe the aliens were going full eggmorphing? Was the hive deep in the abandoned WY facility new or was it just sealed and then opened up by the marines? Seems like their were more aliens that colonists? 🤔 maybe it's just meant to be mysterious.
[close]



Nightmare Asylum

Quote from: 426Buddy on Mar 25, 2021, 12:23:18 AM
Spoiler
So does anyone have any ideas about where all the eggs came from? I believe the Marines fought their way into an egg chamber but there was no mention of a queen. Was AW just not interested in detailing the queens presence in the hive or maybe the aliens were going full eggmorphing? Was the hive deep in the abandoned WY facility new or was it just sealed and then opened up by the marines? Seems like their were more aliens that colonists? 🤔 maybe it's just meant to be mysterious.
[close]

Spoiler
It was unclear to me but I was almost wondering if Blue, what with her "Queenscode" and all, might be responsible for the eggs.
[close]

426Buddy

426Buddy

#397
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Mar 25, 2021, 02:18:54 AM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Mar 25, 2021, 12:23:18 AM
Spoiler
So does anyone have any ideas about where all the eggs came from? I believe the Marines fought their way into an egg chamber but there was no mention of a queen. Was AW just not interested in detailing the queens presence in the hive or maybe the aliens were going full eggmorphing? Was the hive deep in the abandoned WY facility new or was it just sealed and then opened up by the marines? Seems like their were more aliens that colonists? 🤔 maybe it's just meant to be mysterious.
[close]

Spoiler
It was unclear to me but I was almost wondering if Blue, what with her "Queenscode" and all, might be responsible for the eggs.
[close]

Spoiler
I thought about that but didn't think she had time during the story, maybe before the Marines arrived? She also describes them as feral at one point. Also later when they stopped listening to her I assumed it was because another queen was around.
[close]

HuDaFuK

Quote from: 426Buddy on Mar 25, 2021, 12:23:18 AM
Spoiler
So does anyone have any ideas about where all the eggs came from? I believe the Marines fought their way into an egg chamber but there was no mention of a queen. Was AW just not interested in detailing the queens presence in the hive or maybe the aliens were going full eggmorphing? Was the hive deep in the abandoned WY facility new or was it just sealed and then opened up by the marines? Seems like their were more aliens that colonists? 🤔 maybe it's just meant to be mysterious.
[close]

Spoiler
My immediate impression was that the eggs were always there, but thinking back on it I'm not sure that makes sense - the Iranian who gets infected clearly comes into contact with the goo, and from memory all traces of that were on the far side of the hive the Marines find.

Maybe I'll ask the question, see what White says.
[close]

BlueMarsalis79

Spoiler
Am I totally crazy or did Blue not refer to them as their children?

Meaning this' the result of not just Plagiarus Preapotens that your standard Facehugger carries, but the variation that your Royal Facehugger carries, hence the other Aliens recognising Blue as an authority temporarily. (I presume until a Praetorian or Queen got brought into the equation.)

If so that means just like we see suggested elsewhere, under the right conditions the standard Facehugger's capable of turning it's standard Plagiarus Preapotens into Royal Plagiarus Preapotens or as dubbed by Blue Marsalis "the Queenscode" that right?
[close]

Kimarhi

I've just read the book once so there is quite possibly a passage I skimmed over and didn't register, but I always got the impression that the
Spoiler
first batch of Aliens arrived on the Darkstar and were brought there by Marsalis and that there never was an Alien presence on whatever the planet designation was beforehand.  Just the goo.  Then crazy woman sets the Aliens loose and they find away to reproduce Alien Isolation style (interesting that no queen is mentioned in Isolation, Cold Forge, or Charybdis yet it seems there are growing alien populations even without them)  I also always thought that those first Aliens were the rest of the crew on whatever station they tried to pull the plug on Marsalis.  HOWEVER, I'm not sure about that since Crazy woman falls into the goo and does not mutate into a drone.  So even though you have a common denominator in the goo being in both places, you get two totally different results Marsalis and what happened to Crazy Woman.  Too me it is kind of implied that the other drones were the initial lab crew because it seems Marsalis tries to go out of her way to avoid killing unless its necessary.  I'm guessing that some of the goo got some of the crewmates infected as well and they turned and followed Marsalis as being the most dominant praetorian/baby queen whatever you want to call her.  If they weren't goo infected crew members then maybe she does have queen functions and can't help herself and infected some refueling station people somewhere or something.
[close]

See despite me thinking White writes his creatures just like the other bug inspired Alien writers I do think he makes things more interesting in his worlds.  This is just enough implied to be a variety of different ways to have happened and lets us ask questions that don't have answers to.  Making it more interesting in discussions.   Just like the old days. 

Spoiler
I think Marsalis is not done done.  The whole gathering of her body and taking it away by Rook with nobody else to see what happens is to convenient for a sequel.
[close]

HuDaFuK

Spoiler
Blue's "demise" definitely reeked of room-to-return, which I'm very cool with.
[close]

Kimarhi

Especially since she has become my favorite White character. 

HuDaFuK

Dunno, I'm a sucker for Dorian :) Guy was just such a c**t.

BlueMarsalis79


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