AvPG Interviews James A. Moore

[Corporal Hicks]

I have just uploaded an interview with RidgeTop and I conducted with James A Moore, the author of the upcoming Alien novel, Sea of Sorrows. It is episode 17 of our podcast series:

“As a deputy commissioner for the ICC, Alan Decker's job is to make sure the settlements on LV178 follow all the rules, keeping the colonists safe. But the planet known as New Galveston holds secrets, lurking deep beneath the toxic sands dubbed the Sea of Sorrows. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has secrets of its own, as Decker discovers when he is forced to join a team of mercenaries sent to investigate an ancient excavation. Somewhere in that long-forgotten dig lies the thing the company wants most in the universe—a living Xenomorph. Decker doesn't understand why they need him, until his own past comes back to haunt him. Centuries ago, his ancestor fought the Aliens, launching a bloody vendetta that was never satisfied. That was when the creatures swore revenge on the Destroyer... Ellen Ripley.”

James spills several juicy nuggets about the upcoming novel including the reveal that his book will be looking more closely into the hive consciousness of the Aliens, something that we can easily see this exclusive preview that Titan have provided us. I’d like to thank James for taking the time to chat with us and Titan for the preview.  Sea of Sorrows is due out late July and can be pre-ordered at Amazon or Titan.

Link To Post

[Darkness]

Nice guy. I'd love to see the canon chart thing he mentioned.

[SM]

You will in a few months.

[Ultramorph]

You will in a few months.

That would be very neat, indeed.

[Corporal Hicks]

You will in a few months.

That would be very neat, indeed.

He was referring to the new book being written by S.D Perry. The Weyland Yutani Report.

[Ultramorph]

Very cool! I'll definitely be picking that up when it gets listed on Amazon. 

[Xenomorphine]

Can't say I'm a fan of how the Alien's perspective is being written in that preview. It's using tribal terminology, but the actual wording feels too human.

I know that people who attempt to do psychic communication with animals (medical diagnoses and so forth) say they don't use words, but impart pictures and emotions. That's how I'd prefer the Alien's state of mind to be conveyed.

Shall listen later, though.

As for the synopsis, I hope it's not accurate. Revenge doesn't feel like a concept Aliens should be motivated by (in the same way as it didn't feel right for the shark in the last 'Jaws' film). It goes against the spirit of Ash's famous speech.

[Ultramorph]

As for the synopsis, I hope it's not accurate. Revenge doesn't feel like a concept Aliens should be motivated by (in the same way as it didn't feel right for the shark in the last 'Jaws' film). It goes against the spirit of Ash's famous speech.

He does say that the xenos aren't really going out of their way to hunt Decker, IIRC. I think it's more of a "that one's dangerous!" once they encounter him sort of thing.

[TheBATMAN]

Excellent interview guys, looking forward to the new book but admittedly I'm slightly hesitant about the whole hive mind and marking Ripley's descendants thing, I don't really see the point of it.

I enjoyed Out of the Shadows and am interested to see the return of the dog-aliens, though I still don't get why they didn't just use Engineers, unless Fox vetoed it for whatever is in store for Prometheus 2 perhaps?

It's certainly going to be an interesting few months with both these books and Isolation. I wonder if Isolation is the reason River of Pain is being released last in the book trilogy, despite its setting in the timeline?

[SM]

Revenge doesn't feel like a concept Aliens should be motivated by (in the same way as it didn't feel right for the shark in the last 'Jaws' film). It goes against the spirit of Ash's famous speech.

The Queen didn't chase Ripley and Newt because it wanted to play fetch.

[Xenomorphine]

I don't put the Queen's behaviour down to revenge, as such. She clearly knows it's no good staying where she is, with the egg chamber in a blazing inferno and Ripley is clearly a threat in need of being put down. Whether she was chasing her down or Ripley just happened to be on the same route out, is anyone's guess.

The viewer can read vengeance into it, but I don't personally get that impression when I watch it.

[SM]

Without revenge there's no purpose to the Queen chasing Ripley.

[OpenMaw]

Revenge was definitely the intention on Cameron's part. Both from Ripley's point of view(which Weaver fought against, ultimately giving Ripley more depth as a result.) and the queen seeking to kill Newt in revenge against Ripley, for killing her children.