ALIEN: Out of the Shadows (Novel 1)

[HuDaFuK]

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.

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.

[Xenomrph]

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.

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.

[SM]

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.

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.

[saintssinphony]

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. 

[HuDaFuK]

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.

Probably because the movies came first in this case, rather than the other way around.

[saintssinphony]

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.

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.

[SM]

The latter is what happens in 99% of novelisations.

[HuDaFuK]

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...

[saintssinphony]

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.

[HuDaFuK]

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.

[Mr. Clemens]

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 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...

[HuDaFuK]

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...

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.

[Corporal Hicks]

http://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/alan-dean-foster/

From 06.

[Xenomrph]

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).

[SM]

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.