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Posted by Kimarhi
 - Mar 26, 2021, 09:17:13 PM
Likewise, if you enjoyed it, good on you. 


I'm not anti White or anything, just that I don't think he writes them that different.  I was actually surprised at how much the Xenos felt Aliens (second movie) inspired whereas everything else was kind of turned on its head with expectations. 

Posted by 426Buddy
 - Mar 26, 2021, 05:20:57 PM
That's just not how I read them at all. But hey to each their own.
Posted by Kimarhi
 - Mar 26, 2021, 03:54:00 PM
I'm going to have to disagree with White writing the Aliens themselves, they are portrayed exactly the same way they always are since Aliens.

I mean, he was whacking them with a powerloader.  Which was a cool move by Marcus/Blue, but not so much by the Aliens.  It literally means that the Alien has to sit there and be fly swatted by something that slow moving.  The queen in Aliens was at least massive and would've had more trouble getting out of the way.  The warriors though? 

Again, I'm not talking about the world building or the actual story, those are fine, just the Aliens themselves. 

White isn't BAD at writing the creatures but it's just the same stuff it always is when they encounter humans.  There is no ambiguous gauge of intelligence or anything like that.  Just Alien banshee scream, human munchies, much kill. 


Posted by 426Buddy
 - Mar 26, 2021, 01:21:36 PM
A lot of similarities but a lot of differences too.
Posted by BlueMarsalis79
 - Mar 26, 2021, 12:58:14 PM
Aren't they essentially the same story?
Posted by 426Buddy
 - Mar 26, 2021, 12:53:30 PM
Always loved that idea, terrifying for the person being dragged to the hive. It was really done with great effect in Berserker.
Posted by SiL
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:27:53 AM
I mostly remember allowing the one member of the team to be kidnapped and taken into the bowels of the hive so the others could go find them. That's one idea that would be great for a "we know about Aliens already" movie. Berserker's novel did great with the concept as well.
Posted by BlueMarsalis79
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:25:15 AM
I just mainly remember the exosuit to be honest but it's a time and a half since I read it.

I do remember stuff in it being excellent.

But I also remember various things bothering me although I couldn't for the life of me tell you what they all were exactly now. (Probably Xenozip or Royal Jelly I can't remember which and the escape pod ending)
Posted by SiL
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:20:26 AM
I'm specifically referring to Bissette's prose in capturing the feel. He could pack a lot of information into a few terse paragraphs, and built mood like nobody's business.
Posted by BlueMarsalis79
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:14:38 AM
Yeah that's what I'm driving at.

It's a thing all it's own.

And in that respect I don't think it's fair to compare it to either novels or graphic novels.
Posted by 426Buddy
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:12:38 AM
Yeah Tribes is awesome.

Hard to compare to a novel though, it's just such a unique little oddity.
Posted by BlueMarsalis79
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:05:44 AM
Tribes rules at depicting the Alien I'll give it that, but I don't know if I'd think that fondly of it if not for the art, I think in the last ten or so pages it goes off the rails.

And don't know what to categorise it as either honestly.

(Still no idea why that particular title though)
Posted by SiL
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:02:27 AM
Having finally got halfway through Cold Forge I still think Tribes is the pinnacle for Alien encounters themselves. In terms of worldbuilding, not so much -- the MAX suits never felt right -- but in terms of just the visceral experience of dealing with an Alien infestation that novella's got legs for days.
Posted by BlueMarsalis79
 - Mar 26, 2021, 11:00:18 AM
Yeah you're crazy dude.

Perhaps not so much in Into Charybdis but in The Cold Forge the way Alex describes the Alien's the crème de la crème.

No question.
Posted by Corporal Hicks
 - Mar 26, 2021, 10:47:15 AM
Yeah, that's not something I can agree on at all. Alex White and Scott Sigler are just phenomenal at writing for the Alien universe. They get it far more than I think we can say Sir Ridley does these days. Their entries are up there with the films and Isolation.
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