Coming July 26, 2022.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789099943/ref=sr_1_22?keywords=titan+books&qid=1638018465&s=books&sr=1-22
A gargantuan, horseshoe-shaped ship appears over the mining planet Shānmén, unleashing a black rain of death that creates Xenomorph-like monsters worse than the darkest of nightmares.
As war breaks out among the colonies, a huge ship appears over the UPP mining planet Shānmén, unleashing a black rain of death that yields hideous transformations. Rescue is too far away, and the colonists' only hope appears in the form of the vessel Righteous Fury. It carries the Jackals—an elite mix of former Colonial Marines and Royal Marines. Led by Zula Hendrix, the Jackals seek to rescue the few survivors from the depths of the planet, but have they arrived time?
*Just amended the title. Hicks.
Got really interested until I read that name...
We sure are getting a lot of Alien/Predator books next year.
DJ Khaled voice: Another One!
Titan is pumping them out and I f**kin love it! And Zula is coming back! f**k ya!
oh. This one's by MUTHUR ;D
Godspeed. Neat concept. Bittersweet seeing Zula being used in novels. I liked bits from that dark horse comic book run... (that one writer can f**k off).
Wow what an awesome cover! Digging the white spot!
and simplicity of the black is avante garde if id say so. reminds me of how those classic 70s european impressionist artists did their...ok ill shut up now.
The returning character makes me hesitant, but seeing Clara do this' great, it finally makes sense.
Don't wanna be a bummer, but does Clara have any previous writing credits ?
Quote from: acrediblesource on Nov 27, 2021, 04:55:55 PM
Wow what an awesome cover! Digging the white spot!
and simplicity of the black is avante garde if id say so. reminds me of how those classic 70s european impressionist artists did their...ok ill shut up now.
It litteraly says "Not final cover"
And did their what ? I don't get what're you implying here
Really cool that Clara's co-written this! Hopefully it's a step up from the last Zula book because I thought Prototype was throughly middling. Also that mention of colonies at war definitely seems to put this in the midst of the conflict set up at the end of Into Charybdis and being expanded upon in Colony War.
As others have said, Titan are proper on it with the books lately. This is, what, five we've got on the way now including the AVP novels?
"Not final cover" is still considered a work in progress. Ill drink to that!
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 27, 2021, 05:43:55 PM
Don't wanna be a bummer, but does Clara have any previous writing credits ?
Quote from: acrediblesource on Nov 27, 2021, 04:55:55 PM
Wow what an awesome cover! Digging the white spot!
and simplicity of the black is avante garde if id say so. reminds me of how those classic 70s european impressionist artists did their...ok ill shut up now.
It litteraly says "Not final cover"
And did their what ? I don't get what're you implying here
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 27, 2021, 05:43:55 PM
Don't wanna be a bummer, but does Clara have any previous writing credits ?
Quote from: acrediblesource on Nov 27, 2021, 04:55:55 PM
Wow what an awesome cover! Digging the white spot!
and simplicity of the black is avante garde if id say so. reminds me of how those classic 70s european impressionist artists did their...ok ill shut up now.
It litteraly says "Not final cover"
And did their what ? I don't get what're you implying here
No clara doesn't have a writing credit yet, but she has consulted on several projects including into charybdis, phalanx and the RPG by free league. She knows "alien" better than most. I'm guessing she's co-authoring because this is her first writing credit, but nonetheless, I think she'll nail it based on her previous involvements.
Nothing against Clara. I just hope she has what it takes to execute her ideas whatever they're
This is very exciting news!
Muthur co-authored an ALIEN novel. 8) Congratulations Clara on your up coming novel.
This time its "Not for our eyes only!" ;)
Now that I think about it, I would be more interested in a book set between Pro and Cov dealing with David and Shaw on Planet 4 written by Clara
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 27, 2021, 07:45:10 PM
Nothing against Clara. I just hope she has what it takes to execute her ideas whatever they're
I still think that's why there's a co-author.
Personally, I think this is an amazing opportunity for clara; she gets to learn from a professional author while working on her first book. Maybe the next one she'll be the sole author. It's pretty incredible they've found a co-author to work with her on this. I would guess most authors would rather go at it alone, rather than co-author with someone with no previous experience. I'm very excited for her and her co-author. Looking forward to seeing what they've come up with!!
Always love a new novel! Although I'm not terribly excited about Zulus character in this, but that's just because of what previous iterations of her have been. Guess we'll see...
Are there going to be any Aliens in this Aliens novel?
Even better - there's gonna be fans' favourite - Black Goo ! LOTS of it
I know I sure buy an Alien novel to read about things other than Aliens.
Tbf we've had like 30 novels with Aliens, I'm fine with one experimenting a little bit.
TBF there are millions of books without Aliens in them, they're just not called Aliens novels because of it.
Except that one, which nobody seemed to like and nobody talks about.
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 10:04:53 AMTBF there are millions of books without Aliens in them, they're just not called Aliens novels because of it.
This is still clearly based on the black goo though, which very much is a part of
Alien by this point.
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 10:04:53 AMExcept that one, which nobody seemed to like and nobody talks about.
Fair point, that's like the only one I've not actually read :laugh:
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 10:04:53 AM
TBF there are millions of books without Aliens in them, they're just not called Aliens novels because of it.
Except that one, which nobody seemed to like and nobody talks about.
Which one? Or am I being dense?
The Covenant prequel book.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 10:08:16 AM
This is still clearly based on the black goo though, which very much is a part of Alien by this point.
There's a reason Prometheus didn't have the Alien title in it.
EDIT
And for clarity my initial question was sincere, as there can be goo and Aliens. But if there's no Aliens I honestly don't see the point and will skip it.
I did tell you this was inevitably going to be a commonality in the franchise's future.
neomorphs are cool.
Really don't mind if they take the lead for a book
The franchise isn't called XENomorph anyway.
(thanks for diversifying the threats, Ridley)
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Nov 28, 2021, 11:09:58 AM
I did tell you this was inevitably going to be a commonality in the franchise's future.
And I did tell you I'm not interested in it, what's your point?
Premise of Engineer ship arriving at some distant colony planet to bomb the shit out of it with Black Goo (which, as HuDaFuk pointed out, already connected to Alien, whether one likes it or not) sounds interesting enough for me so I won't be too annoyed with not having proper Aliens in the book but I can understand people who are not too happy with where Ridley took franchise with prequels' narrative being turned off by it
Don't get me wrong, I've got no problems with spinoffs. I just think leave the Alien label off it.
Fox really should've built Prometheus as a brand when they had the chance to catch all of this stuff and open up the possibilities.
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 11:41:39 AMFox really should've built Prometheus as a brand when they had the chance to catch all of this stuff and open up the possibilities.
The lack of action on that just kinda sums up what a shitshow the management of the prequels has been, really. I mean we've got a movie that's a prequel but then it isn't but it kind of is, trying to expand away from the Alien but then they make a sequel that basically forgets all that in favour of introducing the Alien.
The one time they actually tried to build upon
Prometheus was when they introduced the brand into the comics but even that was stymied when they tied the stories exclusively to
AVP crossover events.
Quote from: felix on Nov 27, 2021, 01:10:15 PM
Coming July 26, 2022.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789099943/ref=sr_1_22?keywords=titan+books&qid=1638018465&s=books&sr=1-22
A gargantuan, horseshoe-shaped ship appears over the mining planet Shānmén, unleashing a black rain of death that creates Xenomorph-like monsters worse than the darkest of nightmares.
As war breaks out among the colonies, a huge ship appears over the UPP mining planet Shānmén, unleashing a black rain of death that yields hideous transformations. Rescue is too far away, and the colonists' only hope appears in the form of the vessel Righteous Fury. It carries the Jackals—an elite mix of former Colonial Marines and Royal Marines. Led by Zula Hendrix, the Jackals seek to rescue the few survivors from the depths of the planet, but have they arrived time?
That got my interest. 8)
I always wanted that. I mean, humanity defeating them (and killing them) made them look weak. So I am glad for once they win against us, to so speak.
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 27, 2021, 08:07:33 PM
Now that I think about it, I would be more interested in a book set between Pro and Cov dealing with David and Shaw on Planet 4 written by Clara
Now you're talking.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 11:52:29 AM
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 11:41:39 AMFox really should've built Prometheus as a brand when they had the chance to catch all of this stuff and open up the possibilities.
The lack of action on that just kinda sums up what a shitshow the management of the prequels has been, really. I mean we've got a movie that's a prequel but then it isn't but it kind of is, trying to expand away from the Alien but then they make a sequel that basically forgets all that in favour of introducing the Alien.
The one time they actually tried to build upon Prometheus was when they introduced the brand into the comics but even that was stymied when they tied the stories exclusively to AVP crossover events.
What a waste of potential. I don't like Fire & Stone. :'(
As a whole Fire & Stone was fine IMO with artwork being a highlight of the whole series. Predator storyline was bloody great
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 11:28:52 AM
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Nov 28, 2021, 11:09:58 AM
I did tell you this was inevitably going to be a commonality in the franchise's future.
And I did tell you I'm not interested in it, what's your point?
What you said about the nomenclature, like I mentioned in the Alien FX thread, and Skhellter just said "Alien" or "Aliens" refers more to the franchise now than H.R Giger's beast specifically.
Yes, that's the whole topic I've been discussing; again, what's your point? I know you said it would happen. I said I wouldn't be interested. Now look at us; it's happening, I'm not interested.
Maybe we should call it the Black Goo franchise now.
I'm simply surprised that you're surprised.
The only thing I'm surprised about is people seeming to act like wanting Aliens in an Alien novel is some kind of hot take.
Who da fuk is clara?
She used to run Studio Yutani blog and hosted dedicated podcast show. Member of AvPGalaxy under the username Delta Echo Alpha Delta (formerly known as muthur9000) although she hasn't posted here since May
Also, probably the biggest fan of Covenant out there (ranks it as her number 1 Alien movie)
(https://i.imgur.com/lA5jmQf.jpg)
I ain't hating on Clara or trying to convince anybody to agree with me, I'm just over here feelin' my feels and expressing myself.
And you know what ? I have no problem with it and don't understand why anybody would. You wanna your Aliens in Aliens book ? You have every right to do it
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 10:22:58 PM
I ain't hating on Clara or trying to convince anybody to agree with me, I'm just over here feelin' my feels and expressing myself.
It was more that everyone else is on board while you're in the corner actively not enjoying the (potential) concept.
I'm a bit cautious too :P
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 28, 2021, 09:37:04 PM
She used to run Studio Yutani blog and hosted dedicated podcast show. Member of AvPGalaxy under the username Delta Echo Alpha Delta (formerly known as muthur9000) although she hasn't posted here since May
Also, probably the biggest fan of Covenant out there (ranks it as her number 1 Alien movie)
She's also a very active administrator and moderator at several fan groups on other platforms like Facebook.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Nov 28, 2021, 10:30:54 PM
It was more that everyone else is on board while you're in the corner actively not enjoying the (potential) concept.
The meme's usually used to indicate the crabby person in the corner trying to convince the others to stop enjoying something (at least, that's how I've always seen it used). I'm not doing that.
Maybe the guy at the party standing in the corner while everyone else enjoys the party?
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 28, 2021, 09:37:04 PM
Also, probably the biggest fan of Covenant out there (ranks it as her number 1 Alien movie)
Seriously? ???
Yes seriously.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 10:35:14 AM
The Covenant prequel book.
Oh. I didn't think that one was too bad. Hell, I might even prefer it to the film.
I can't comment; as I mentioned earlier, it's about the only Alien novel I've not read.
It's been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years, I just can't seem to bring myself to start it :laugh:
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 11:52:29 AM
The one time they actually tried to build upon Prometheus was when they introduced the brand into the comics but even that was stymied when they tied the stories exclusively to AVP crossover events.
For me, Fire and Stone failed mostly because they couldn't really give any definitive storytelling because of Covenant. It was all wishy-washy, uncertain storytelling like Prometheus itself. Though I still really loved Elden - but then the writers didn't even know why/how that mutation worked, it just did. Life and Death I really enjoyed.
But yeah, Prometheus opened up some doors and I'm glad to see them being explored - whether or not it involves XX121. I get why SiL might not like it, but the Engineers are still alien (kinda) and so are the black goo creatures. At this point in the lore, the black goo is the Alien.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 10:35:14 AM
The Covenant prequel book.
That book's problem was not the lack of Aliens. It was just a huge waste.
So Clara's made it clear her contributions are story, not writing. Still cool to see her name on the cover! I'm quite curious about this one. I've been wanting to see the novels branch out further than just the fun they've been having with the DNA reflex the last year, so I'm quite eager to see where this one goes. Also interesting to see Zula back. Despite how Defiance petered off towards the end, and how just plain bad Resistance and Rescue were, I do like the character and enjoyed her in Prototype so keen to see her back.
Was talking with RidgeTop though, and given the reference to the war I'd expect this to be post Charybdis, which is post-Alien 3 so Zula should be pretty f**king old by this point. So maybe she's been chilling out in cryo somewhere?
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 29, 2021, 12:59:30 PMFor me, Fire and Stone failed mostly because they couldn't really give any definitive storytelling because of Covenant. It was all wishy-washy, uncertain storytelling like Prometheus itself.
I wasn't really commenting on the quality of the story, just that I think it's a shame it was ultimately nothing more than a chapter in an
AVP plot rather than launching off into its own series. It was never it's own thing.
But yeah, that too was probably a side-effect of them struggling around what the film people would let them do.
Didn't
Fire and Stone get a huge re-write during development because Fox threw a shit-fit over what they originally had planned?
that fire and stone re-write is still so weird.
It forced them to avoid using the Deacons (which they had planned to do heavily).
Fox felt this was colliding with the neomorphs in Covenant.
which, when you really look at it.. it just doesn't.? the Deacon is a chaotic byproduct of the black goo infecting multiple people (holloway to shaw to the trilobite to the engineer) / The Neomorph was the chaotic byproduct of the genocide of the engineers... On a totally different planet.
Why did Fox feel like this was gonna create story conflict (with a non-canon story that features Predators, anyway?).
It just screams of producers meddling with a story and world they barely understand.
Well, that's kinda what I'm getting at when I talk about the poor management. They were presumably planning to do more with the Deacon in the next film, but evidently that plan - if it ever even existed - changed by the time they got around to making Covenant.
Yeah it is a pity honestly, speaking of DNA Reflex though I thought Aliens Phalanx did it perfectly, with the Vootervert one still being essentially an Alien like we know them but with clawed hands and feet that can shape into shovels for burrowing.
Hope we see more of that in the future with the Alien adapting potentially useful traits into itself.
Rather than "hurr durr big animal with horns makes a big alien with horns" that I find dull.
Hope we also see this with the Neomorphs in this, with them as previously depicted taking on traits from their earliest incubation, for example the first we see developing spines to break through the host's spine.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 29, 2021, 12:59:30 PM
For me, Fire and Stone failed mostly because they couldn't really give any definitive storytelling because of Covenant. It was all wishy-washy, uncertain storytelling like Prometheus itself. Though I still really loved Elden - but then the writers didn't even know why/how that mutation worked, it just did. Life and Death I really enjoyed.
For all its problems in story department Fire & Stone at least tried to do something new with all these crazy mutations and exploring what Black Goo might be while Life & Death I felt steped back to safe and generic "Marines vs Aliens pew pew pew".
Quote from: Local Trouble on Nov 28, 2021, 08:16:23 PM
Maybe we should call it the Black Goo franchise now.
(https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skinofevil_hd_386.png)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0AGDc402TO4/YIIVgei1UII/AAAAAAAAoyg/RNLPEoRgsmQE5xxs_goguCZT5fPai3b4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s572/he-yah.gif)
(https://c.tenor.com/lx38gI6Elh8AAAAC/captain-picard-the-line-must-be-drawn-here.gif)
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 11:03:26 PM
Maybe the guy at the party standing in the corner while everyone else enjoys the party?
I'll be back with this tomorrow.
Quote from: Stitch on Nov 29, 2021, 12:44:30 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 10:35:14 AM
The Covenant prequel book.
Oh. I didn't think that one was too bad. Hell, I might even prefer it to the film.
I think it's actually a really nice sci-fi novel. It just would have benefited from being it's own thing, frankly.
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Nov 30, 2021, 01:28:18 AM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Nov 28, 2021, 08:16:23 PM
Maybe we should call it the Black Goo franchise now.
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skinofevil_hd_386.png
This should be the first post of
'Best picture of a Black Goo' thread.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Nov 30, 2021, 01:38:50 AM
I think it's actually a really nice sci-fi novel. It just would have benefited from being it's own thing, frankly.
My point, in a delicious nutshell.
Yeah, but black goo, neomorphs and The Alien all appear in the same film, and apparently even the tangential tie-ins that share the universe are branded A L I E N at the minute. It just seems like a really odd thing to get hung up on.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Nov 30, 2021, 02:02:02 AM
Yeah, but black goo, neomorphs and The Alien all appear in the same film
So do androids; still wouldn't like an android-centred Alien novel with no Aliens.
QuoteIt just seems like a really odd thing to get hung up on.
I'm not getting hung up on anything, however
Quote from: SiL on Nov 28, 2021, 08:57:53 PM
... I'm surprised ... people [seem] to act like wanting Aliens in an Alien novel is some kind of hot take.
It is a hot take nowadays. Everyone knows that the franchise didn't truly reach its potential until it introduced the Engineers and David.
Unlike the Alien, the Black Goo is not cooked yet.
Quote from: Local Trouble on Nov 30, 2021, 02:38:19 AM
It is a hot take nowadays. Everyone knows that the franchise didn't truly reach its potential until it introduced the Engineers and David.
(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/748/74815.gif)
Quote from: SiL on Nov 30, 2021, 02:21:18 AM
So do androids; still wouldn't like an android-centred Alien novel with no Aliens.
We still don't know if there'll be zero Aliens. There could be all sorts of asspulls to get one in there - not to mention having no idea who exactly is piloting the donut.
Quote... I'm surprised ... people [seem] to act like wanting Aliens in an Alien novel is some kind of hot take.
I think they can get away with the very occasional one that inhabits that world without the monster being front and center and still use the branding to communicate to people what franchise it's related to. The "Prometheus" label is a missed opportunity yes, but it is what it is. Silly hill to gripe on imo.
There WILL be aliens in it... it says so in the synopsis... it's just a question of which aliens we're going to see: big chap, ridged, deacons, neomorphs or something else entirely...
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Nov 30, 2021, 02:48:35 AM
We still don't know if there'll be zero Aliens.
Which is exactly why I asked and am still waiting for an answer one way or another. I've not actually written off the book yet.
QuoteSilly hill to gripe on imo.
I'm not really griping on anything. I made one or two comments explaining my feelings and the rest has been mostly responding to people's direct replies to said feelings.
People are more hung up about me saying I'd like Aliens in my Aliens novels than I am at the prospect of there not being Aliens in my Aliens novels.
Quote from: Engineer on Nov 30, 2021, 03:08:07 AM
There WILL be aliens in it... it says so in the synopsis... it's just a question of which aliens we're going to see: big chap, ridged, deacons, neomorphs or something else entirely...
This is pretty disingenuous considering the title has meant the Alien character itself for most of the last
40 years.
Disagree.
"Alien" was the title because it was nonspecific. It applies whether it's big chap, a neomorph or anything else...
O'Bannon liked the title for that reason, yes, but again, incredibly disingenuous to act like for 40 years you could've written about any alien organism and slapped the franchise branding on it and it would've been fine. The title always referred to the creature.
The breadth of what constitutes as "The Alien" has expanded with each entry, though, with additional interpretations/additions to the creature's mutable nature often drawing upon what came before and, in turn, carrying over and influencing future variants. The Queen in Aliens, the dog/ox-born Alien in Alien 3 and the wide array of implications that come along with it taking traits from its host, the Newborn in Alien: Resurrection, the Pathogen and its myriad of spawn in Prometheus, the Neomorphs in Alien: Covenant... all of this represents the creature we originally met in Alien in some alternate, but still directly related, form.
The whole point of David's spiel in Covenant is that the Alien isn't the pathogen - it's his invention, something new, if derivative. The Alien isn't a random, chaotic spawn like the Neomorphs or trilobytes or Deacons; it's David's precise, perfect organism.
I'm not, at any point, trying to convince anyone to agree with me. I'm not, at any point, saying I don't understand other people's take on the matter.
But I am genuinely surprised so many people seem to act like it's a difficult perspective to wrap their heads around.
It's not a difficult concept to wrap your/my head around... it's simply that I don't agree.
It's alien.... That can mean anything not of earth... and the black goo allows that to be anything the writers want it to be, but it's still connected to Dan o'bannon's "alien" thanks to the prequels.
I mean that's one way Fox can get around any rights issues if the Predator situation doesn't resolve itself :laugh:
Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Nov 30, 2021, 02:42:56 AM
Unlike the Alien, the Black Goo is not cooked yet.
I wouldn't cook Black Goo. I bet the smell would be horrendous
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 30, 2021, 07:16:40 AM
Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Nov 30, 2021, 02:42:56 AM
Unlike the Alien, the Black Goo is not cooked yet.
I wouldn't cook Black Goo. I bet the smell would be horrendous
(https://i.ibb.co/y6Hqb3m/5w1e8x.jpg)
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Nov 30, 2021, 01:38:50 AM
Quote from: Stitch on Nov 29, 2021, 12:44:30 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 28, 2021, 10:35:14 AM
The Covenant prequel book.
Oh. I didn't think that one was too bad. Hell, I might even prefer it to the film.
I think it's actually a really nice sci-fi novel. It just would have benefited from being it's own thing, frankly.
I wouldn't go that far personally. It just jumped a shark with the exploding sheep. It had some truly interesting concepts with the cult and the visions - I just wished they'd have tied it into the franchise more with them being some sort of transmission from the Engineers or some other alien species that had come in contact with the Aliens.
My problems weren't about it not including the Aliens - it could have been tied in more effectively with the other alien aspects of the franchise. But it was just a meh book for me. The cult, as interesting as they were, weren't particularly effect in their attempts. Walter was barely in it. The rest of the crew was barely in it. It didn't quite fit with the film, or the promotional material. And we all wanted David and Shaw on Paradise anyway.
Quote from: SiL on Nov 30, 2021, 04:50:28 AM
O'Bannon liked the title for that reason, yes, but again, incredibly disingenuous to act like for 40 years you could've written about any alien organism and slapped the franchise branding on it and it would've been fine. The title always referred to the creature.
If it was a random alien, I'd perhaps see where you coming from a bit clearer, but it's not just any old random ET with Alien slapped on a cover. The Alien is related to the Pathogen, the Pathogen is related to the Engineers in some fashion or another. It's all still connected within the same story.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 30, 2021, 09:18:55 AM
It just jumped a shark with the exploding sheep. It had some truly interesting concepts with the cult and the visions - I just wished they'd have tied it into the franchise more with them being some sort of transmission from the Engineers or some other alien species that had come in contact with the Aliens.
This is how I've always justified the psychics. I like to think it was a distress signal sent by the engineers on Planet 4 as David bombed them. Some humans are sensitive enough to pick up on this signal and they interpret it as a premonition of their own cities being overrun. The visions seemed vague enough for that, describing "black monsters flooding the streets" or something.
But I've probably put too much thought into it because the book was boring as hell anyway, and I don't remember any exploding sheep...
keep psychics and telepathy away from Alien forever, please.
This isn't WH40K.
Quote from: skhellter on Nov 30, 2021, 09:55:32 AM
keep psychics and telepathy away from Alien forever, please.
This isn't WH40K.
Been here since the original Alien 3! It's been a part of the series so long, I'm just very used to it. It's why I have no issue with it.
Quote from: Nukiemorph on Nov 30, 2021, 09:51:10 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 30, 2021, 09:18:55 AM
It just jumped a shark with the exploding sheep. It had some truly interesting concepts with the cult and the visions - I just wished they'd have tied it into the franchise more with them being some sort of transmission from the Engineers or some other alien species that had come in contact with the Aliens.
This is how I've always justified the psychics. I like to think it was a distress signal sent by the engineers on Planet 4 as David bombed them. Some humans are sensitive enough to pick up on this signal and they interpret it as a premonition of their own cities being overrun. The visions seemed vague enough for that, describing "black monsters flooding the streets" or something.
It's how it is in my headcanon, but something like it should have actually been in the book IMHO.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 30, 2021, 09:18:55 AM
The Alien is related to the Pathogen, the Pathogen is related to the Engineers in some fashion or another. It's all still connected within the same story.
That, I've got no bones with. The semantics of "well it's just the word Alien so it can be whatever; it was never just about the creature", not so much.
There are lots of things connected within the universe that I like, that I would also feel cheated by if I picked up a book with
Aliens on the title and saw that it focused solely on those elements. I just feel that if you're going to shift the primary threat away from the capital-A Alien and instead focus on the side elements you're agreeing with Scott that the beast itself is cooked and we might as well move on to something new without the baggage.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 30, 2021, 10:15:03 AM
Quote from: skhellter on Nov 30, 2021, 09:55:32 AM
keep psychics and telepathy away from Alien forever, please.
This isn't WH40K.
Been here since the original Alien 3! It's been a part of the series so long, I'm just very used to it. It's why I have no issue with it.
I just got excited that you also think that Runner was f**king with Golic's mind via telepathy ('cause that's a theory I subscribe to) ...
... but then I realised you were talking about DH comics
Resurrection touched on the concept too.
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 30, 2021, 11:18:26 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 30, 2021, 10:15:03 AM
Quote from: skhellter on Nov 30, 2021, 09:55:32 AM
keep psychics and telepathy away from Alien forever, please.
This isn't WH40K.
Been here since the original Alien 3! It's been a part of the series so long, I'm just very used to it. It's why I have no issue with it.
I just got excited that you also think that Runner was f**king with Golic's mind via telepathy ('cause that's a theory I subscribe to) ...
... but then I realised you were talking about DH comics
Mind screw and creatures, huh? seems like a perfect job for Mr. Hawley. 8)
(https://i.ibb.co/nkyxSDj/gif-7.gif)
Quote from: SiL on Nov 30, 2021, 06:51:21 AM
I mean that's one way Fox can get around any rights issues if the Predator situation doesn't resolve itself :laugh:
Nah cuz the language there says "all derivative works" so they capture it all. For that, it's a question of whether a judge agrees or not...
For me, the goo gets a boo.
But Goo is so unpredictable and interesting ! One can say it's like
Spoiler
Voodoo Magic ? ;)
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 30, 2021, 02:20:30 PM
But Goo is so unpredictable and interesting ! One can say it's like
Spoiler
Voodoo Magic ? ;)
Well I definitely like that type of Magic. ;D
But for me, the more Alien becomes less about the Aliens, the more this IP loses its identity and subsequently becomes less special... and starts feeling like run-of-the-mill clones of other movies with their infected zombies and grotesque Thing-like abominations.
You can do it much better than Infiltrator, if you can dispense with the Abominations and more random feeling stuff, the Neomorphs I think personally have so much potential.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 30, 2021, 09:18:55 AM
I just wished they'd have tied it into the franchise more with them being some sort of transmission from the Engineers or some other alien species that had come in contact with the Aliens.
My problems weren't about it not including the Aliens - it could have been tied in more effectively with the other alien aspects of the franchise. But it was just a meh book for me. The cult, as interesting as they were, weren't particularly effect in their attempts. Walter was barely in it. The rest of the crew was barely in it. It didn't quite fit with the film, or the promotional material. And we all wanted David and Shaw on Paradise anyway.
Oh, I meant "not a franchise tie-in at all and just be an original one off story in its own world" would have been a better use of the bones of that novel. Feels like it'd have been a decent if forgettable novel without the Alien stuff crammed in, but as is, it's a "meh" result.
Quote
The Alien is related to the Pathogen, the Pathogen is related to the Engineers in some fashion or another. It's all still connected within the same story.
Thank you Hicks!! This was what I was trying to say; you just articulated it far better than I did lol
Voodoo and I finally found the thing we're in perfect agreement on :laugh:
That might be beginning of a beautiful friendship
You want Aliens? I'll give you f**king Aliens.
Quote from: Anonymous on Dec 03, 2021, 09:39:15 PM
You want Aliens? I'll give you f**king Aliens.
Ridley? That you? Thanks for stopping by, I've been enjoying your
The Last Duel/
House of Gucci press tour! :D
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Dec 04, 2021, 01:44:19 PM
Quote from: Anonymous on Dec 03, 2021, 09:39:15 PM
You want Aliens? I'll give you f**king Aliens.
Ridley? That you? Thanks for stopping by, I've been enjoying your The Last Duel/House of Gucci press tour! :D
Ridley told me to tell you "Sir, f*** you, f*** you, thank you, f*** you, go f*** yourself, sorry go on" :laugh:
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Dec 04, 2021, 02:45:55 PM
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Dec 04, 2021, 01:44:19 PM
Quote from: Anonymous on Dec 03, 2021, 09:39:15 PM
You want Aliens? I'll give you f**king Aliens.
Ridley? That you? Thanks for stopping by, I've been enjoying your The Last Duel/House of Gucci press tour! :D
Ridley told me to tell you "Sir, f*** you, f*** you, thank you, f*** you, go f*** yourself, sorry go on" :laugh:
Thank you, Sir! Very much appreciated!
(https://i.ibb.co/mc5sr2X/5wmrgv.jpg)
(https://s10.gifyu.com/images/unnamedeed1e9f29a725c6e.gif)
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Nov 30, 2021, 01:57:31 PM
For me, the goo gets a boo.
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 30, 2021, 02:20:30 PM
But Goo is so unpredictable
Macguffins usually are.
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 28, 2021, 09:37:04 PM
Also, probably the biggest fan of Covenant out there (ranks it as her number 1 Alien movie)
Oh my.
Cover is up!
https://bnccatalist.ca/ViewTitle.aspx?id=39707535
(https://bnccatalist.ca/images/catImages/title/1955035/9781789099942_tnmd.jpg)
Kinda funky but I like it, reminds me of this, early 2000s.
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/bc/07/2cbc0754f210596c02d1fd91723dcf92.jpg)
I didn't expect that cover. Like it! :D
Higher resolution. I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien. Finally an illustrated cover! Reminds me of the old Bantam stuff. More of this please!
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cAQ8zLIIL.jpg)
f**k yeah, Titan, that's the way to go ! Hopefully they have big faith in that book if they go out of their way with such cover
Quote from: RidgeTop on Mar 05, 2022, 11:23:42 AM
I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien
I don't understand where "probably" part comes from. Into Charybdis and Infiltrator may had a decent enough covers but this blew both of them right out of f**king water
A good cover without any conial marine alien models with actual art color me surpise
Quote from: RidgeTop on Mar 05, 2022, 11:23:42 AMHigher resolution. I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien. Finally an illustrated cover! Reminds me of the old Bantam stuff. More of this please!
It's
absolutely their best cover imo, but to be fair the only other one I've ever thought was any good was
Into Charybdis.
Their others don't even come close.
Hopefully this means they've finally got the message about shit covers :laugh:
Quote from: RidgeTop on Mar 05, 2022, 11:23:42 AM
Higher resolution. I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien. Finally an illustrated cover! Reminds me of the old Bantam stuff. More of this please!
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cAQ8zLIIL.jpg
They forgot to put Clara's name on the cover, someone needs to give them a head's up before that one goes out.
Quote from: Kradan on Mar 05, 2022, 11:38:36 AM
I don't understand where "probably" part comes from. Into Charybdis and Infiltrator may had a decent enough covers but this blew both of them right out of f**king water
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Mar 05, 2022, 12:15:48 PM
It's absolutely their best cover imo, but to be fair the only other one I've ever thought was any good was Into Charybdis.
Their others don't even come close.
Hopefully this means they've finally got the message about shit covers :laugh:
Probably Absolutely.
I'm going to be the odd man out here and say I prefer the Into Charybdis cover. But this is great and I love original illustrated art.
Thank you for listening Titan and please keep it up!
Is that Olivia Shipp with Zula on the cover?
Quote from: RidgeTop on Mar 05, 2022, 11:23:42 AM
Higher resolution. I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien. Finally an illustrated cover! Reminds me of the old Bantam stuff. More of this please!
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cAQ8zLIIL.jpg
Into charybdis lol
Definitely picking this up for the Neomorphs though
Quote from: 426Buddy on Mar 05, 2022, 12:34:00 PM
I'm going to be the odd man out here and say I prefer the Into Charybdis cover. But this is great and I love original illustrated art.
Thank you for listening Titan and please keep it up!
Is that Olivia Shipp with Zula on the cover?
I thought of Olivia as well. Also, she kinda reminds me of the lead female Colonial Marine from Life & Death comics
Quote from: 426Buddy on Mar 05, 2022, 12:34:00 PM
Thank you for listening Titan and please keep it up!
Here, here!
QuoteIs that Olivia Shipp with Zula on the cover?
I reckon so! We've not seen her in the synopsis, but we know they've been hanging out. Wonder where we're looking timeline-wise here. And it looks like her.
Quote from: Engineer on Mar 05, 2022, 02:28:18 PM
Quote from: RidgeTop on Mar 05, 2022, 11:23:42 AM
Higher resolution. I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien. Finally an illustrated cover! Reminds me of the old Bantam stuff. More of this please!
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cAQ8zLIIL.jpg
Into charybdis lol
I prefer this cover over Charybdis myself.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Mar 05, 2022, 02:32:32 PM
Definitely picking this up for the Neomorphs though
Yeah, I'm definitely intrigued by that too!
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 05, 2022, 06:15:44 PM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Mar 05, 2022, 12:34:00 PM
Thank you for listening Titan and please keep it up!
Here, here!
QuoteIs that Olivia Shipp with Zula on the cover?
I reckon so! We've not seen her in the synopsis, but we know they've been hanging out. Wonder where we're looking timeline-wise here. And it looks like her.
Quote from: Engineer on Mar 05, 2022, 02:28:18 PM
Quote from: RidgeTop on Mar 05, 2022, 11:23:42 AM
Higher resolution. I think this is fantastic, probably the best looking cover art we've received from Titan's time with Alien. Finally an illustrated cover! Reminds me of the old Bantam stuff. More of this please!
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cAQ8zLIIL.jpg
Into charybdis lol
I prefer this cover over Charybdis myself.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Mar 05, 2022, 02:32:32 PM
Definitely picking this up for the Neomorphs though
Yeah, I'm definitely intrigued by that too!
Fair enough. I like this one a lot but I still like the cover of into charybdis the best so far.
I agree, Charybdis cover just has a classy style to it that I like. Not that there is anything wrong with this, this is better than all the rest combined.
Pretty cool it sounds like Shipp and Zula are heading a unit called the Jackals. I'm liking the sound of this story.
Yeah this cover feels very videogame, but not in a bad way, in a good one.
I don't do the books any more, but red Neomorphs are cool as f**k.
I think that's just the lighting, them being translucent reflecting the red and purple light surrounding, but I may be completely incorrect.
They absolutely read as conveying a translucent red to me. We'll see if the book mentions anything about that I guess.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91cAQ8zLIIL.jpg)
(https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/covers/images/014/674/264/large/colin-shulver-acth1.jpg?1544976998)
I think this' where the pink and red's derived from. Either way, the mouth's completely incorrect, yet again. They have given it the human Colin Shulver and or Nico Fernandez style jaw instead of the pharyngeal jaw we see in the film.
(https://www.alien-covenant.com/aliencovenant_uploads/vlcsnap-2017-08-02-20h46m13s031.png)
I'm still seeing them as overtly red, considering the way the muzzle flare is painted as reflecting off parts with actual orange tones, no real impact from the blue background, and the only white being similarly placed and proportioned on the humans gear, I assume to imply lightning.
Having said that, it's probably simply an artistic choice. I still like it.
That's why it feels refreshingly oldschool, in promo art Aliens used to be often given a green hue irrespective of their surroundings, this feels like that but with the Neomorph.
*Inferno's Fall, not Inferno Falls.
The cover reminds me of the ol bantam novel colors.
Old Skool.
I love the cover. It's really cool to have the Neomorphs back.
I'm so far behind on the novels, do we know the context of why the Engineers are bombing planets with the black goo?
Quote from: Kimarhi on Mar 06, 2022, 03:35:49 PM
The cover reminds me of the ol bantam novel colors.
Old Skool.
Yeah, Genocide, Female War era.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Mar 05, 2022, 09:58:38 PM
I'm still seeing them as overtly red, considering the way the muzzle flare is painted as reflecting off parts with actual orange tones, no real impact from the blue background, and the only white being similarly placed and proportioned on the humans gear, I assume to imply lightning.
Having said that, it's probably simply an artistic choice. I still like it.
I see red, too
Heads are too pointy and lack the curve and pronounced lobe to be straight up Neomorphs
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Mar 05, 2022, 10:08:48 PM
That's why it feels refreshingly oldschool, in promo art Aliens used to be often given a green hue irrespective of their surroundings, this feels like that but with the Neomorph.
I like that take
I think all the changes are just artistic license. They also have Alien 3 mouths.
I've always kind of interpreted the Neos as having a less defined form than the proper Alien anyways. They're less refined, a bit lumpy, and can vary in details like the paintings of the head, etc.
Do we know who did the cover? The more I look at it the more I get some Den Beauvais vibes.
I don't think it is him, but it definitely recalls his work if you ask me.
Not yet. Trying to find out who it was.
But I totally love it too. It's a huge step in the right direction, and I do like it more than Charbydis' cover. It's not giving me complete Bantam vibes, but it's just all around a genuinely good piece of artwork and far exceeds the photoshop bashes that the interns have been cranking out. I really hope that Titan continue this.
Nice cover!
Don't Olivia and Zula live in different times?
Zula was in comics with Amanda (2130s)
Olivia is a Colonel in Fireteam Elite, set in 2202
Unless they bring cryosleep into it.
Yeah, they're completely different generations. Zula would be 40 when Olivia was born. SM's timeline dates Rescue - the last time we saw Zula? - as 2145, a good decade before Olivia is born too. So yeah, I imagine they'd have to bring in some cryosleep shenanigans to keep them reasonably close in age. And it's the Alien series so that's not out of left-field.
The artist is Alex Ronald!
Only realised that Clara is co-writing this. Well done and congrats. Looking forward to it.
That cover is definite Den B vibes about it as others have mentioned.
Quote from: Alex86UK on Mar 08, 2022, 05:49:02 AM
Don't Olivia and Zula live in different times?
Zula was in comics with Amanda (2130s)
Olivia is a Colonel in Fireteam Elite, set in 2202
Unless they bring cryosleep into it.
Indeed. Seems the logical way to make it work. Not sure why Zula would be asleep for so long though. Hope they are not going down some kind of consciousness transfer into a new body shit the TV series is looking at.
Love this cover art!
Quote from: Ultramorph on Mar 06, 2022, 05:52:02 PM
I love the cover. It's really cool to have the Neomorphs back.
I'm so far behind on the novels, do we know the context of why the Engineers are bombing planets with the black goo?
It's touched on in the RPG in both the "Destroyer of Worlds" and the "Colonial Marines: Operations Manual" storylines, which are then referenced in "Fireteam Elite". However it's still framed as a mystery somewhat.
Quote from: JohnK on Mar 08, 2022, 10:03:12 AM
The artist is Alex Ronald!
This has been confirmed. You can find more of Alex's work here - https://www.instagram.com/comicartlex/?hl=en
Looks like he's done work for Titan's comics in the past.
That's cool.
A blog post from Philippa talking about Inferno: https://www.pjballantine.com/2022/03/31/alien-infernos-fall/
Very exciting, just in time for my birthday, I eagerly look forward to this.
Wait when are engineers bombing planets with black goo?
I dont remember that in fireteam or previous novels?
It's from the RPG.
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 05, 2022, 09:18:10 PM
It's from the RPG.
So nothing in any other media? I dont play the rpg. Its a shame , its an odd way to add to lore with a niche genre
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
I'm sure it'll be addressed within the book.
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 06, 2022, 08:16:05 AM
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
Is there a way to read the lore without having to play the RPG?
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Apr 06, 2022, 06:03:09 PM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 06, 2022, 08:16:05 AM
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
Is there a way to read the lore without having to play the RPG?
You could read through the rpg book
Quote from: Engineer on Apr 06, 2022, 09:47:39 PM
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Apr 06, 2022, 06:03:09 PM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 06, 2022, 08:16:05 AM
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
Is there a way to read the lore without having to play the RPG?
You could read through the rpg book
But does that read more like a users manual or actual book?
Quote from: Engineer on Apr 06, 2022, 09:47:39 PM
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Apr 06, 2022, 06:03:09 PM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 06, 2022, 08:16:05 AM
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
Is there a way to read the lore without having to play the RPG?
You could read through the rpg book
I have the RPG, but I'm waiting for friends to become available to go through the scenarios. I don't want to spoil the game by reading it beforehand.
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Apr 06, 2022, 11:00:43 PM
Quote from: Engineer on Apr 06, 2022, 09:47:39 PM
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Apr 06, 2022, 06:03:09 PM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 06, 2022, 08:16:05 AM
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
Is there a way to read the lore without having to play the RPG?
You could read through the rpg book
But does that read more like a users manual or actual book?
It does although there is a timeline and universe overview then chapters at the end which cover the lore in depth. From memory its a good 100 pages of what is a 300 page book. Worth picking up if you can find a cheap second hand copy perhaps?
Quote from: Stitch on Apr 07, 2022, 01:54:18 AM
Quote from: Engineer on Apr 06, 2022, 09:47:39 PM
Quote from: Gentleman Death on Apr 06, 2022, 06:03:09 PM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Apr 06, 2022, 08:16:05 AM
I think Titan announced they are working in conjunction with the RPG and that the next several novels will have tie-in scenarios with the RPG.
I dont play it myself either but the lore is quite excellent.
Is there a way to read the lore without having to play the RPG?
You could read through the rpg book
I have the RPG, but I'm waiting for friends to become available to go through the scenarios. I don't want to spoil the game by reading it beforehand.
Unless you're going to be the one running the game, you should definitely give the core rules book at least somewhat of a readthrough beforehand just to get yourself familiar with the rules and systems in play, since there are quite a lot of things you need to keep track of. It's also divided up into a "player's" and "game mother's" sections as well, so you can easily avoid any parts you think might spoil anything for you.
To be honest though as far as the core rules go, it's only really the included scenario "Hope's Last Day" that you'd want to completely avoid (again, unless you're going to be the one running it), and that's the very last thing in the book so it's easy not to read. A lot of the lore sections are in the "game mother" part of the book though, and detail the various governments, corporations and regions of space that might end up playing some part in your adventures, but they don't contain any actual spoilers. They're more there for potential inspiration for GM's to turn into homebrew scenarios and campaigns.
Similarly, the Colonial Marines Operations Manual has "player" and "GM" sections, and in that case much of the lore and timeline stuff about their creation and the battles they've fought over the years is in the player section. I know there's more stuff in the GM part of that book, but I've been avoiding that in hopes that one day we might get to play through the Marine campaign.
The cinematic scenarios though (Chariot of the Gods, Destroy of Worlds and Heart of Darkness) you should avoid reading at all unless you're planning on running them, as they're all about dem spoilers.
But yeah, even if you don't think you might actually end up playing it, the rpg is a fantastic source of lore and info, and by far the most cohesive and expansive tome on the Alien universe as a whole to date. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the world-building side of things.
Delayed till August it seems.
I'm about 140 pages in and I'm happy to say I'm really enjoying it so far. A lot of strong and interesting world and character building going on.
I'm about 60 pages off the end of the book. I'm continuing to really enjoy it. Very well written, the characters are great - I'm especially liking Mae and the Knot group - and the world-building is really solid too. But I've hit a point that's confused regarding the creatures.
Spoiler
When the Juggernaught showed up and dropped it's cargo, I had taken away that it was mutating the colonists into Neomorphs. I'd been a little unsure of that in the first place as despite David saying the black goo did mutate the victims as well as killing, the Neomorphs seemed to have been quite specific in regards to how they developed. But we also saw Neomorphic creatures in David's bestiary so I rolled with it.
But it seems the books now depicting the mutated wild-life as being more XX121 in appearance, with a creature that seemed to resemble the sharks from Fire and Stone. Obviously Fire and Stone depicted the whole eco-system developing into more Alien-like creatures than Neomorphic like creatures, but the presence of both feels like a clash to me.
Where does this land in the chronology of the titan books?
Sorry if i've missed this already.
How disappointing.
Any connections with Fireteam Elite in this?
Quote from: Protomorph on Jul 27, 2022, 01:00:02 PMWhere does this land in the chronology of the titan books?
Sorry if i've missed this already.
I had the impression it takes place some time after Colony War. I already listened to the audiobook, and I like it a lot. There were some things I didn't like, but the characters and world building were what made this.
Quote from: Wweyland on Jul 27, 2022, 09:31:29 PMAny connections with Fireteam Elite in this?
In some fashion.
Quote from: xShadowFoxX on Jul 28, 2022, 06:04:04 AMQuote from: Protomorph on Jul 27, 2022, 01:00:02 PMWhere does this land in the chronology of the titan books?
Sorry if i've missed this already.
I had the impression it takes place some time after Colony War.
It's definitely after Colony War. No doubt there. Not sure on how long exactly.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 28, 2022, 09:58:22 AMQuote from: Wweyland on Jul 27, 2022, 09:31:29 PMAny connections with Fireteam Elite in this?
In some fashion.
Quote from: xShadowFoxX on Jul 28, 2022, 06:04:04 AMQuote from: Protomorph on Jul 27, 2022, 01:00:02 PMWhere does this land in the chronology of the titan books?
Sorry if i've missed this already.
I had the impression it takes place some time after Colony War.
It's definitely after Colony War. No doubt there. Not sure on how long exactly.
I figured as much because it mentioned that Davis was a dog unless I heard something else, and that war between the colonies was still going on.. or it was.. it's interesting that the year wasn't specified because for all we know, it kinda felt like the war between the colonies was over.. unless I'm wrong.
The Colony War really wasn't that much of a focus in the book at all. But iirc it was mentioned.
I don't like Fire and Stone, so hearing it goes that direction's a major turn off.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Jul 28, 2022, 10:35:24 AMI don't like Fire and Stone, so hearing it goes that direction's a major turn off.
I wasn't a fan of those particular elements in the book as well but I enjoyed it regardless. It just had a lot of nice imagery, particularly the attack on the colony, which was essentially chaos and the Engineer ruins were a nice touch I thought.
I can't help but also feel that the last couple of books are building up to a major event and after reading this one, it's starting to feel that "maybe" it's picking up where Covenant left off? A bit of a stretch, I know.
I think it's definitely heading in that direction. Seemed to be setting up
Spoiler
David's return.
So loving the world building in this here, apart from "Food Wars" being a laugh out loud stupid name for absolutely anything, perhaps a bit overly saccharine and lots of characters to grapple with, but I am enjoying it so far anyway and loving the setting and the integration with current continuity.
Not a fan of the implication of Sean Fifield being the inventor of the PUPs honestly, that man could not invent a sandwich frankly.
I have this pre-ordered, quite looking forward to it as it seems like what I've been wanting the last 10 year since Prometheus came out.
I've been so out of the loop the last few years, what's even going on with continuity now? Are the novels and Marvel stuff separate or are they referencing each other?
It is very much integrated with Alien Isolation, the last era of Dark Horse Aliens Comics like Dead Orbit and Dust To Dust and particularly the ones featuring Zula Hendricks and the recent batch of the Alien Titan Books Novels, Aliens Fireteam Elite and also Alien The RPG.
The Marvel stuff does not impact anything as yet thankfully.
Spoiler
Neomorph is mutant of human?
This was released officially yesterday!
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 10, 2022, 05:47:11 AMThis was released officially yesterday!
Ordered it last night. Will be arriving later today.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 03, 2022, 01:34:14 PMNot a fan of the implication of Sean Fifield being the inventor of the PUPs honestly, that man could not invent a sandwich frankly.
He invented tobacco tho !
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/f0a6907c7439490b2ecb7b05bbfde5cd/263ec6e0cb26bcc8-d7/s540x810/abfba81a1b8689269953656250a1937dcd13f545.gifv)
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 03, 2022, 01:34:14 PMNot a fan of the implication of Sean Fifield being the inventor of the PUPs honestly, that man could not invent a sandwich frankly.
That implication was already in Prometheus.
Completely off-topic, but:
Quote from: SiL on Aug 10, 2022, 10:53:55 AMOn a scale of 1 to "complaining about Prey being woke", how fragile is your masculinity?
Lol.
Quote from: Ultramorph on Aug 03, 2022, 05:29:53 PMI have this pre-ordered, quite looking forward to it as it seems like what I've been wanting the last 10 year since Prometheus came out.
I've been so out of the loop the last few years, what's even going on with continuity now? Are the novels and Marvel stuff separate or are they referencing each other?
The novels from Titan do reference each other. The comics so far haven't been well received so I'm guessing they aren't being treated as canon.
Quote from: Kradan on Aug 10, 2022, 10:26:29 AMQuote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 03, 2022, 01:34:14 PMNot a fan of the implication of Sean Fifield being the inventor of the PUPs honestly, that man could not invent a sandwich frankly.
He invented tobacco tho !
https://64.media.tumblr.com/f0a6907c7439490b2ecb7b05bbfde5cd/263ec6e0cb26bcc8-d7/s540x810/abfba81a1b8689269953656250a1937dcd13f545
.gifv
That's weed
Quote from: Protomorph on Jul 27, 2022, 01:00:02 PMWhere does this land in the chronology of the titan books?
Sorry if i've missed this already.
It takes place after all the books released by Titan thus far, not counting Phalanx which stands alone in its continuity.
Im just over halfway through the book. I really wanted to like this book, but so far it is a whole lot of nothing. I don't care about the main characters in The Knot, like at all. The main character of this book is a grandma, which doesn't interest me in the slightest. At the risk of sounding like an asshole/idiot, the Author put too much of herself into this book and all the characters in the Knot. Corporal Hicks gave Colony War the lowest score possible because of that. It isn't as distracting in this book as it was Colony War, but I actually liked the characters in that book more than this.
I like Zula but she hasn't done anything worthwhile in the book at all. She isn't even a POV character. Instead we have
Spoiler
Mae, the "daughter" of Zula and Davis
. Who also hasn't done enough to warrant the few POV chapters she's gotten.
Like I said, Im only halfway through so maybe the last half actually gives me something to enjoy. But so far, Im just bored.
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 12, 2022, 10:08:51 PMCorporal Hicks gave Colony War the lowest score possible because of that.
I disliked Colony War because it was a parody, filled with caricatures. Putting his own views into the book wasn't a problem I had, it was how he handled it. Authors drawing from their own lives, interests and experiences into books isn't new - "write what you know". Personally, I actually loved the characters in this. I found this unique family dynamic really interesting.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2022, 08:04:40 AMQuote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 12, 2022, 10:08:51 PMCorporal Hicks gave Colony War the lowest score possible because of that.
I disliked Colony War because it was a parody, filled with caricatures. Putting his own views into the book wasn't a problem I had, it was how he handled it. Authors drawing from their own lives, interests and experiences into books isn't new - "write what you know". Personally, I actually loved the characters in this. I found this unique family dynamic really interesting.
So after getting damn near close to the end, my biggest problem with this book is nothing happens "on screen" if that makes sense. The action is always heard, seen from a distance, or only mentioned after the fact. Im going to finish it later today, but that is my biggest gripe. It doesn't help that I'm not nearly as invested in the characters.
We can't compare everything to what Alex White did, but this book doesn't have the tension or horror of a good Alien book. The detail given for the action doesn't tell me enough to feel any tension because what little action has happened so far is over right as it gets good because the character dies.
I just finished the book. Below are my final thoughts and some things I haven't touched on.
Spoiler
The entire book is about a character who will not be relevant going forward. Even the characters around Her (Carter, Lena, and Bai Yun) ultimately don't matter, as they just leave the story and the book ends from Mae's perspective.
The entire point of this book is all explained to the reader through exposition in the LAST chapter. None of it happens through the story, which means the entire story doesn't have a point.
Also, it is strongly implied that David is the one who is bombing the colonies. The engineer ship is destroyed in this book, so I'm very puzzled as to when this takes place.
The movies dictate the canon, so the presence of David in an Engineer ship throws a wrench into the timeline for me.
The spark notes are all that are needed for this book. I sound like an asshole so I have to say I really like Clara's other work in the universe. Her maps for the RPG are amazing. But this book missed the mark for me by a mile and I really don't see the point of reading it save for the last chapter, which again is the only chapter with any bearing on the EU as a whole.
I may be salty because I was told I'd be getting another Zula Hendrick's story when all we got was a mining family who won't affect the greater canon. Titan's books so far have done a good job of building the greater universe through individual stories. This just told a story of people trapped underground. Zula isn't even a POV character. I do like Mae, and Im excited to see where the Jackals go from here.
I'd love for Clara to get another crack at an Aliens book because the love for the franchise is evident. As a story though, this didn't do it for me.
Curious to hear everyone else's thoughts.
Please Answer!
Spoiler
Neomorph is Mutant of Human?
Weren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Quote from: Nelostic on Aug 15, 2022, 08:20:49 AMPlease Answer!
Spoiler
Neomorph is Mutant of Human?
Yes. In both book and Covenant.
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 14, 2022, 09:23:17 PMThe entire book is about a character who will not be relevant going forward.
I struggle to see why this is an issue, and it's not something that I've ever really seen anyone complain about. Not everyone has to be an on-going character. I f**king love Hoop from Out of the Shadows and he's a one-and-done. While the bulk of the characters might not be seen again, I personally loved the Knot. They were a really interesting character group that really stood out and I was fascinated by.
In terms of characters that are going to stick around I thought it was pretty clear that
Spoiler
Mae is the new on-going character, setup to take the place of an aging Zula Hendricks.
The book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue. Instead its about 80% Toru and her family stuck underground not doing anything, 5% characters who die, and 15% Mae. Zula is a side character who's name was used as bait.
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 15, 2022, 05:32:49 PMThe book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue.
I see where you're coming from now.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 15, 2022, 05:34:29 PMQuote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 15, 2022, 05:32:49 PMThe book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue.
I see where you're coming from now.
I do like some of the stuff in this book. I think it starts of really strong, but I kept waiting for the focus to shift to the Jackals. When it does, we're there for one chapter and then its back to being stuck underground. I like Mae and was really stoked to learn more about her. I didn't get that much compared to Toru and the Knot.
Spoiler
The Engineer ruins were really cool as well.
Finally finished! Overall I found the story enjoyable and found the new characters to be well fleshed out.
Spoiler
I do wish there was more Zula and Olivia action but with both being in leadership roles it makes sense for them to be more on the sidelines. Also quite liked Mae's arc on being a "free" synthetic and what comes with that. Some fun creature action but I think some of the descriptions could've been a bit clearer. Everyone might want to catch up on the RPG as there is some spoilery hints regarding the Border Bombers
Overall solid story that uses a lot of elements from the RPG and FTE. 7.5/10
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 15, 2022, 05:32:49 PMThe book mislead me into thinking I'd be getting half a Zula book, half a group of miners that she is trying to rescue. Instead its about 80% Toru and her family stuck underground not doing anything, 5% characters who die, and 15% Mae. Zula is a side character who's name was used as bait.
Lol, that might be a plus for me since I never really liked Zula. Found her annoying and grumpy in Defiance and kinda meh in the later instalments, best version was in Prototype, but that whole novel was not really alien like with the whole stupid virus and the giant robo animal mechs.
I like Zula and don't think she's been written too well in the past. I liked Defiance more than most people on this site it seems, but I agree that she was best in Prototype. I didn't think Prototype was great either, but Zula is one of like 3 characters the EU has focused on recently so I was geared up for a Zula story writtten by a woman and we did not get that. Idgaf about the Knot
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Aug 16, 2022, 04:15:11 PMFinally finished! Overall I found the story enjoyable and found the new characters to be well fleshed out.
Spoiler
I do wish there was more Zula and Olivia action but with both being in leadership roles it makes sense for them to be more on the sidelines. Also quite liked Mae's arc on being a "free" synthetic and what comes with that. Some fun creature action but I think some of the descriptions could've been a bit clearer. Everyone might want to catch up on the RPG as there is some spoilery hints regarding the pathogen bombers!
I totally agree that a lot of the descriptions of the action and creatures could have been better. There were some cool moments in the book, but it wasn't written clearly enough. I had to imagine things instead of picturing what the book was saying.
Overall solid story that uses a lot of elements from the RPG and FTE. 7.5/10
I liked about half of Defiance.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 16, 2022, 05:26:45 PMI liked about half of Defiance.
Same...
Pretty much the half illustrated by Tristan Jones. He really elevated that series with his artwork.
Pretty much.
I liked parts that were dtawn by Tristan. f**king shame we didn't get another comic from him. f**k schedules, f**k deadlines, f**k Marvel, f**k Land, f**k Larroca, f**k everything
Just finished this. It was my most anticipated of the three Alien books this year because I'm thirsty as hell for anything Engineer-y or with even a whiff of a continuation of the prequel arc.
Overall I enjoyed it, even if there were a few things I was disappointed about.
Spoiler
Positives:
The Knot, and Toru especially, were mostly excellently realised and interesting characters. Plenty of interesting ideas were adressed which helped to flesh out the world (e.g. being in love with an android, servitude/indenture, adoption). The oceanic sensibility was really refreshing, as was the focus on the combine and the different way of working life (as opposed to just generic WY colonists).
The deaths of Nathan and Pinar in particular were given really strong emotional weight and the creeping personification of Mae was something I thought was handled well and set up plenty of future possibilities in universe.
The Engineer ruins were intriguing and well envisioned, I wish there had been more exploring in this section of the book.
Negatives:
I thought most of the action sequences were a little lacklustre and hard to follow in the way they were described.
The Engineer encounter was almost a carbon copy of the same scene from Prometheus and I was really disappointed that we didn't actually learn anything new about them from this novel as that was my biggest hope.
As someone who hasn't read Prototype or Defiance I was a bit non-plussed about the Zula Hendricks sections, but that's more of a me problem.
My main issue by far was the constant crowbarring in of names and model numbers of things, mostly weapons. It was really jarring, almost like overzealous product placement. I understand this was likely a Fox thing and not an author thing, they clearly want to tie-in to the RPG stuff, but it took me out of the story every time and made some of the dialogue sound really stilted.
I'd put it beneath Phalanx but above the rest (with the two Alex White novels standing head and shoulders above everything else at the top).
7/10
I feel exactly the same with one addition:
Spoiler
I do not like the portrayal of the Pathogen in this and do not think it improved the narrative either.
Quote from: SiL on Aug 15, 2022, 08:23:14 AMWeren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Yeah, that irked me as well when I saw it. I know certainly that a big part of the map was his work, if not the whole thing, don't know how much Clara added to that, but it's a shame that SM didn't get mentioned there.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 17, 2022, 11:19:12 AMI feel exactly the same with one addition:
Spoiler
I do not like the portrayal of the Pathogen in this and do not think it improved the narrative either.
Just started reading it, first I read the RPG section, but the pathogen usage doesn't make me feel confident... That's what happens when creatives think that each new entry must have new types of Aliens. Firstly, it doesn't, secondly, I'm not against going crazy Kenner like if there are consistent rules.
Spoiler
But making Xenos out of pathogen? What? Why? How can a lore consultant let this through? If they are mutated Neomorph and Abomination variants, that's all okay with me. Though Neo's have their own specific life cycle, but okay. The RPG section literally mentions a guy turning into the Covenant xenomorph (The Body burster in Destroyer of Worlds at least had a good explanation), and that the other creatures are mutated into Xenomorphs by the Pathogen. But they're called Xenomorphs. I know that could be the general term, but it doesn't seem to be used like that here. Why couldn't they just be Abominations, or have the life cycle of the Neo's or Xeno's? If it's so easy to just bomb the place and turn creatures into actual Xeno's, how is that not a superiors version to the complicated traditional life cycle? If it was not the case that these are traditional XX121 Xenos, they sould've been more specific about that.
They even have a weird explanation for the Prowler from AFE.
Why has the Pathogen become the "whatever" virus that mutates things just because, without good explanations. What's the difference between this version and the Resident Evil virus then?
I'd expect better from lore consultants. How did Gaska let this pass?
It is... very unexpected and brings the whole thing down, even setting aside the fact it seemingly contradicts other materials, and undermines Alex White's excellent work...
Even purely narratively it is difficult, because you get the sense the monsters can do whatever whenever required, perhaps it needs another read to take in.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Aug 17, 2022, 03:51:07 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 15, 2022, 08:23:14 AMWeren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Yeah, that irked me as well when I saw it. I know certainly that a big part of the map was his work, if not the whole thing, don't know how much Clara added to that, but it's a shame that SM didn't get mentioned there.
... someone else got credited? SM not getting credit for his maps is par for the course but crediting someone else is trash by everyone involved.
I'm suddenly glad I haven't picked up the RPG.
Some behind the scenes drama going on obviously... or sometimes people just do not get credited when they ought to.
Sounds like someone stealing someone else's work for clout.
If you're insinuating something about Clara or someone I'd rather you just say it. We are not in full possession of the facts though.
Sounds like stealing to me.
I've noticed in another case too how Disney is notorious for it, for example with Star Wars taking and using 3D models and art (that look great) but giving 0 credit to the fans that make this stuff
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 17, 2022, 08:08:02 PMIf you're insinuating something about Clara or someone I'd rather you just say it. We are not in full possession of the facts though.
I don't have the book so I don't know what the attribution looks like.
Quote from: SiL on Aug 17, 2022, 07:27:14 PMQuote from: Still Collating... on Aug 17, 2022, 03:51:07 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 15, 2022, 08:23:14 AMWeren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Yeah, that irked me as well when I saw it. I know certainly that a big part of the map was his work, if not the whole thing, don't know how much Clara added to that, but it's a shame that SM didn't get mentioned there.
... someone else got credited? SM not getting credit for his maps is par for the course but crediting someone else is trash by everyone involved.
I'm suddenly glad I haven't picked up the RPG.
Don't know if there's anything nefarious going on, I hope not, but the book just says Clara is a consultant known for her stellar cartography on the RPG. No mention of SM. Again, I don't know how much she added, but remembering SM's maps, it seems that a great deal was already done by him for the RPG. Just seems weird that such things happen.
I'm not sure, but I think the RPG Core Rule Book does give credit to SM, though I can't remember certainly.
The rule book has been fantastic till now. Gaska really knows what he's doing IMO. Though some aspects of the final expansion and this book's RPG expansion give me concerns...
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 17, 2022, 06:34:20 PMIt is... very unexpected and brings the whole thing down, even setting aside the fact it seemingly contradicts other materials, and undermines Alex White's excellent work...
Even purely narratively it is difficult, because you get the sense the monsters can do whatever whenever required, perhaps it needs another read to take in.
Yeah, Alex White did great stuff with the Pathogen and the RPG made it seem like we're getting consistency and some realistic rules. And now we get mutant goo that creates anything the story needs, really Alien like creatures, but who gives a damn about the classic life cycle. I mean, if they wanted to go that rout, with all those xeno variants, just introducing eggs would've made everything okay. But no, the magical goo can do anything, why care about consistency and logical changes, explanations etc.
If she's credit with work on the expansion that would at least make more sense. Thanks for the information!
Quote from: SiL on Aug 17, 2022, 07:27:14 PMQuote from: Still Collating... on Aug 17, 2022, 03:51:07 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 15, 2022, 08:23:14 AMWeren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Yeah, that irked me as well when I saw it. I know certainly that a big part of the map was his work, if not the whole thing, don't know how much Clara added to that, but it's a shame that SM didn't get mentioned there.
... someone else got credited? SM not getting credit for his maps is par for the course but crediting someone else is trash by everyone involved.
I'm suddenly glad I haven't picked up the RPG.
SM's name is in the core rule book. Under the "special thanks to" credits. Clara started with his map, hence his "special thanks to" credit then expanded on the map to what it is in the book. Beyond that, anything else behind the scenes related to how he was credited exactly, I have no idea, but nonetheless he wasn't exactly uncredited, his name is there.
Good to know, thank you Engineer.
Quote from: Engineer on Aug 17, 2022, 11:30:13 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 17, 2022, 07:27:14 PMQuote from: Still Collating... on Aug 17, 2022, 03:51:07 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 15, 2022, 08:23:14 AMWeren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Yeah, that irked me as well when I saw it. I know certainly that a big part of the map was his work, if not the whole thing, don't know how much Clara added to that, but it's a shame that SM didn't get mentioned there.
... someone else got credited? SM not getting credit for his maps is par for the course but crediting someone else is trash by everyone involved.
I'm suddenly glad I haven't picked up the RPG.
SM's name is in the core rule book. Under the "special thanks to" credits. Clara started with his map, hence his "special thanks to" credit then expanded on the map to what it is in the book. Beyond that, anything else behind the scenes related to how he was credited exactly, I have no idea, but nonetheless he wasn't exactly uncredited, his name is there.
What a pleasant change. Thank you!
Quote from: SiL on Aug 17, 2022, 11:40:03 PMQuote from: Engineer on Aug 17, 2022, 11:30:13 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 17, 2022, 07:27:14 PMQuote from: Still Collating... on Aug 17, 2022, 03:51:07 PMQuote from: SiL on Aug 15, 2022, 08:23:14 AMWeren't the RPG maps taken from SM's designs?
Yeah, that irked me as well when I saw it. I know certainly that a big part of the map was his work, if not the whole thing, don't know how much Clara added to that, but it's a shame that SM didn't get mentioned there.
... someone else got credited? SM not getting credit for his maps is par for the course but crediting someone else is trash by everyone involved.
I'm suddenly glad I haven't picked up the RPG.
SM's name is in the core rule book. Under the "special thanks to" credits. Clara started with his map, hence his "special thanks to" credit then expanded on the map to what it is in the book. Beyond that, anything else behind the scenes related to how he was credited exactly, I have no idea, but nonetheless he wasn't exactly uncredited, his name is there.
What a pleasant change. Thank you!
Clara is always good about pushing for people to get their due credit. She got my name credited in the core rule book too in the same section. But I don't think she had much say in how those credits were displayed, that'd be on Free League I suppose.
Yes, that's down to publishers.
Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Aug 17, 2022, 06:34:20 PMIt is... very unexpected and brings the whole thing down, even setting aside the fact it seemingly contradicts other materials, and undermines Alex White's excellent work...
Even purely narratively it is difficult, because you get the sense the monsters can do whatever whenever required, perhaps it needs another read to take in.
I know you're going to not love this answer but if I recall correctly, the RPG mentions that different strains of Pathogen lead to different mutations. From neomorphs to abominations to body Bursters (Gibson aliens).
In this story
Spoiler
it seemed more neomorphic with a bit of traditional Xeno mixed in. Perhaps a certain android has had a hand in this though.
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 16, 2022, 05:23:30 PMI like Zula and don't think she's been written too well in the past. I liked Defiance more than most people on this site it seems
I don't really have any problems with Zula as a character, but she's just too fundamentally flawed. It
should be an interesting framework for a character. This disabled Colonial Marine full of regrets and desperate to prove herself after getting badly injured in her very first combat drop.
But the way the story of Defiance is framed around Zula just makes her... silly. Professional militaries never worry about the Sunk Cost Fallacy. Also, professional militaries know that soldiers get killed or maimed in battle. It's literally part of the job. So, no matter how much it costs to train a Colonial Marine, if that Marine gets blown up in their first battle, the Corps moves on, and trains a replacement.
Which works both ways. Zula Hendricks would have been medically separated and shifted off to the Veterans Administration. If the Corps believed she could serve in some kind of non-combatant role, or maybe the contract is a "federal service" contract and she gets sent off somewhere to be put behind a desk doing data entry or something. What the government
wouldn't do is go to the time and expense of having surgeons fix her, only to send her back out to strenuous duty where she is likely to get broken again, where they have to have surgeons take the time and expense to fix her again. The Marine officer literally comes in, berates her for costing them a ton of money, then the Corps sends her back out to cost them more money? Nevermind how ridiculous the scene is with the officer scolding her for getting blown up by artillery, why is this future government so bad at accounting? Also, who was shooting at them? The officer and her NCO mention "bugs" but apparently they are bugs with mortars?
The whole concept for Defiance is stupid, which made it hard for me to really get into it. If Zula is the protagonist, the story needed a more intelligently written way to get her involved in the action. As it was written, it felt like one person wrote a story, and then somebody else came and inserted a protagonist they'd imagined up, who was a small-framed woman who wanted to prove she was as good as everyone else, but also she was physically disabled.
I was a Marine for ten years. Carried a combat load and a radio for much of it. I've got a bad back and two bad knees because of it, lol. What most people don't realize is the most important part of being a Marine is not the ability to pull a trigger and hit a target. It's to carry a shitload of weight for a long ass time, and then still be able to pull a trigger and hit things after you've been exhausted and sore for hours or even days.
So how do you do this intelligently? You have to reframe the story around something where she makes sense as the protagonist. Maybe Zula had been a co-pilot in the Colonial Marines and was medically separated out of the Corps after her dropship crashed, so she took a low level job as an orbital ferry pilot because low/no gravity was easier on her injuries. Then, she gets wrapped up in things beyond her control when the Davises' mission goes bust. But having her clomping around pretending to still be a Marine in body armor or heavy EVA suits, only with a crippling spinal injury to boot, is beyond silly. They needed to pick a character for Zula. Is she the Action Protagonist, or your "Crippled Woman Desperate to Prove Herself?"
Then the subsequent stories for Zula Hendricks seem to forget about her back injury entirely.
Also, apparently Ripley is no longer the winner of the "Worst Luck Always Encountering the Alien" award. Also, how many times was the Alien encountered between the events of Alien and Aliens? So much for the ECA Rep saying "Never recorded once in over 300 surveyed worlds." Was it recorded on all of the other 300 worlds? Is their reporting and record-keeping system that bad? The Zula Hendricks "continuity" is probably one of the worst things in the garbled mess that is the Alien "canon." I'd be happy if she just went away at this point.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Aug 17, 2022, 10:45:10 PMBut no, the magical goo can do anything, why care about consistency and logical changes, explanations etc.
I mean, you literally just described the plot twists of Prometheus and Covenant. Magical Goo is unfortunately inextricably tied to the Alien franchise at this point.
I really enjoyed your breakdown of Zula. I don't agree with every point, but I really appreciated the character breakdown from someone who served.
The premise for the new game that was announced around San Diego comic con definitely sounds like a Zula story, so we'll see if she finally gets a proper story that people can unanimously enjoy. She might not be going anywhere is why I bring that up.
So I read it again.. for the third time. And I'm kind of annoyed. The book, to me, doesn't really hold up with a second or even third read through. There's more to pick up and analyze.. the characters are still great but thinking it through.. I'm dropping my score from 7 to 6 which is below average over here.
About 70 pages in. Finding it a slog so far. The 'Knot' and its associated characters are not really standing out for me at all.
Not a Zula fan either. Wish she had been kept to the comics. I didnt actually mind Defiance for the most part but I just couldn't buy the amount of xeno encounters between Alien and Aliens. I wish the comics were a different continuity to the novels.
For anyone that is interested, the book has sold out on Amazon Oz, was just about to order. Got the short story collection "Bug Hunt" instead.
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Aug 23, 2022, 09:06:49 AMAbout 70 pages in. Finding it a slog so far. The 'Knot' and its associated characters are not really standing out for me at all.
Not a Zula fan either. Wish she had been kept to the comics. I didnt actually mind Defiance for the most part but I just couldn't buy the amount of xeno encounters between Alien and Aliens. I wish the comics were a different continuity to the novels.
While I like Zula as a character, her inclusion is a lie to sell more copies and to act like this ties into the EU. The Jackals are not important to the story at all.
Also, I did not care about The Knot either. They aren't interesting. For all the focus on them, they have no bearing on anything going forward. Or in this book for that matter. They exist to get stuck in the mine and find the ruins.
What the ruins?
Engineer's
Or
Drukathi's?
Clara Carija says to call the
Spoiler
Prowler in the EVAC scenario a Catcher instead
as it is not intended to be the same creature from AFE.
Engineer's
Or
Drukathi's
Is in this book?
Quote from: Nelostic on Aug 28, 2022, 11:51:17 PMEngineer's
Or
Drukathi's
Is in this book?
Engineers. I kinda doubt Drukathi are canon.
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Aug 30, 2022, 01:54:03 AMEngineers. I kinda doubt Drukathi are canon.
In this book
Is
Miners found Ruins of engingineers?
On what planet?
Good book, I have some issues with it, but only what amounts to pretty superficial stuff. Sadly overshadowed mostly I think by being released between Prey and Pathogen.
I'm nearing the end of a re-read of this and something I've noticed re: the portrayal of the way the black goo is working.
Spoiler
It's not until the last 50 pages or so that they start to describe all the mutated lifeform as armoured like the normal Aliens. I'd been reading all the other forms as various Neomorph-like mutations.
Which I still wasn't terribly keen on since we never quite saw them mutate that way in the Covenant flashback, but I rationalized as "well, we saw Neomorphic creatures in David's lab, and we know David said it did mutate some creatures" so I rolled with that. By the end of the book, it's even possible that this is a pathogen that David reprogrammed to get those results.
But then the last 50 pages of the book goes into the Fire and Stone realms and seems to depict them as the various LV-223 things like the Xeno-shark where the goo mutated them into something more overtly Alien.
Feels like an abrupt change that was missed in the editing.
Disappointing. This is exactly why I don't want most writers making Pathogen centric books/comics, I don't trust that most have the restraint or nuance to handle it correctly.
So to add to that,
Spoiler
the mutated Engineers are described as blue/black so I'm now wondering if the book is saying they just turned into big ass deacons.
The over-all descriptions of the various aliens aren't really specific enough for me to really know what creature I'm supposed to be imagining. It's really the only thing about the book that is disappointing me.
But then they're later described as just being black. I don't know. The use and depiction of the goo and the mutations are the only thing I'm unsure of when it comes to Inferno's Fall.
I think it is some of Titan's strongest character and world-building. I really do love the book, it's just that goo that I've got doubts about.
Finally finished this. Not bad but found the whole thing a bit dull. The characters didnt really appeal to me and whilst I wont criticise the excellent RPG, I honestly feel the over-reliance on its source material is starting to harm these stories somewhat.
Certainly not a bad book, but not one of the better Titan efforts for me.
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Sep 15, 2022, 05:35:40 PMI wont criticise the excellent RPG, I honestly feel the over-reliance on its source material is starting to harm these stories somewhat.
I think the biggest problem with the Aliens license is that it's just not meant for this volume of material. The Alien universe is one of bleak corporate exploitation among the stars in a very near-future setting. The Marines in the movie are f**king
bored out of their minds. Their dinner table conversations are about bad food and prostitutes. They complain about not getting into any "stand up fights." As a former Marine, the only people who complain about not getting into any real fights are the people who've never been in one.
Frost says "I got a bad feeling about this drop," and Crowe immediately makes fun of him for it.
The Alien was supposed to be the most exciting thing that had happened to humanity, though not in a good way. The rest of it was terraforming worlds, then pulling natural resources out of them. Space travel is slow, ships are expensive, colonies are fairly small and purpose-built.
The trouble for the license is that
because the Alien is the most exciting thing that ever happened, it coming back over and over is the only way to make the setting exciting.
The RPG tried to spice things up with this whole Call of Duty: Space Warfare setting with some three way Not-So-Cold War, but it's almost antithetical to the way the setting has been depicted. The idea of governments fighting over distant planets, when space travel is still so relatively slow, is at odds with a future where corporations have tremendous pull and can control the lives of their employees so completely.
I mean, the RPG didn't even realize that its depictions of Arcturians would be a paradigm-shifting discovery. A near-human alien species that worships a race of other near-human aliens from the sky? It would upend everything we know about human evolution and our place in the universe. The RPG treats the place as a curiosity that only scientists care about. The fact that the RPG seems to dictate a lot of the "canon" for the books is probably a bad thing, because, honestly, the RPG's canon is kinda dumb. A setting looking for a reason to exist as an RPG, rather than a setting so interesting and full of possibilities, it begs for an RPG to be there.
Destroyer of Worlds is a pretty solid example of just how badly written the RPG is a lot of the time. Nothing in the story makes any sense. It's just a sequence of action scenes strung together by a skeletal detective plot. How do UPP operatives arrive on planet if there is one space port? How does a fleet of UPP ships arrive without being detected until they are in low orbit? Why do the orbital defenses only start firing as the UPP invasion is underway? If the setting has no shields, space combat would be incredibly dangerous to all sides, something you'd only engage in if desperate or with some overwhelmingly pressing need.
It's not Firefly or Star Wars with a galaxy full of developer worlds to visit and freebooters with their own Affordable Spacecraft. It's much closer to The Expanse. There's just not going to be a lot you can do with the setting before it's going to feel like everything is a retread, or you have to go so far outside the established canon to introduce anything new.
Quote from: VeteranSergeant on Sep 15, 2022, 09:42:49 PMI mean, the RPG didn't even realize that its depictions of Arcturians would be a paradigm-shifting discovery. A near-human alien species that worships a race of other near-human aliens from the sky? It would upend everything we know about human evolution and our place in the universe. The RPG treats the place as a curiosity that only scientists care about.
This in particular drives me up the wall.
Yeah it is a shit part. But then Prometheus presented itself in a way I also took issue with to that effect. That being the underreaction to other humanoid life.
I find that easier to handwave since they were explicitly looking for them and then they were seemingly all long dead, as opposed to an unexpected and thriving planet everybody knows about and can visit.
I agree, but the more Engineer ruins pop up in the setting, the more something like Alien The RPG Arcturians become an inevitability sadly.
I suppose so.
Need Alien RPG
Engineers!
And I want engineers in
Marvel!
So I went back to check where the switch into something more overtly Alien comes in, and I think it's Chapter 26.
Spoiler
Quote"The first creature which emerged stood at least three meters tall and balanced on two overgrown back legs with almost hoof-like feet. It carried the same armored carapace and dorsal tubes as all Xenos. The neck arched longer, while the head sported a thick vertical fin that must have come from its host animal. The coloring wasn't black, however. Instead, the creature gleamed with a strange, deep-red armored skin."
So I'm wondering if it's intended that the goo mutated humans into something Neomorphic, but intended the wildlife to mutate into something more Alien, and I didn't quite pick up on it? I dunno.
is that a direct quote from the book?
Aye.
That said, I need to go check the previous wildlife attacks for descriptions there too.
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2022/11/10/the-knot-tightens-under-pressure-reviewing-alien-infernos-fall-avp-galaxy-podcast-155/
Podcast is up.
QuoteThe episode also includes a little mini-review of the previous novel, Alien: Colony War
(https://media.tenor.com/sTgOAh9zfX4AAAAC/inglorious-basterds-call-me.gif)
Basically nailed it with Colony War. I liked how one of you basically just messaged the author asking about that one retcon and the way they responded just made my eyes roll immensely. It was just a bad take on the Alien universe. I did like Inferno's Fall but even I had problems with that one throughout. I did like some of the characters and it's interesting you all bring up the
Spoiler
Blade Runner
aspect of it because now I kind of don't want it there now.
Quote from: Local Trouble on Nov 29, 2021, 01:13:58 AMQuote from: Kradan on Nov 28, 2021, 09:37:04 PMAlso, probably the biggest fan of Covenant out there (ranks it as her number 1 Alien movie)
Seriously? ???
Yes, there're even audio recordings to back it up
That was a good episode. I kinda hoped for a little more of corporal getting mad with Colony war (like when you reviewed Resistance/Rescue)
Spoiler
Also, when I heard about author implying there's some conspiracy to cover up Amanda's fate my immediate thought was "Is ... is that ralfy ?"
Everyone says they liked the book, then proceeds to list everything wrong with the book while only saying they like the characters.
This book was a waste of time, and it really highlights the problem for me of coming to a fan-specific place. Y'all are talking about lore and the details of the goo as if that is what the book should be judged on.
Nothing of importance happens because the main character POV is ultimately useless. It's a way to get Clara's family members into an Alien book, but they aren't important enough so they get cast aside at the end.
Even the characters for which I bought the book hardly appear. I was straight-up misled into thinking this book was about Zula and instead I got 80% bitter old woman, 20% shitty android writing.
I did not like this book at all and hearing y'all's positive thoughts helped me to realize the dichotomy in this fandom.
Quote from: Wompdonkey on Nov 17, 2022, 04:53:37 PMThis book was a waste of time, and it really highlights the problem for me of coming to a fan-specific place. Y'all are talking about lore and the details of the goo as if that is what the book should be judged on.
Because those aspects of the lore are just part of a wider world-building that is quite controversial at the minute. It's a fair point we focused on the aspects we didn't like (the goo), but it's such a hot topic for us.
I completely understand you're disappointed it wasn't more focused around Zula, but I also think at this point we should expect covers to not be representative of the content. This is a very frequent thing. But I thoroughly enjoyed the Knot. They don't all have to have a massive impact going forwards. And I'm particularly interested in those more complicated family dynamics so I found them massively interesting.
I've just finished and I'm undecided on my opinions. I quite liked Toru and the Knot as characters, and everything they did seemed realistic.
I didn't pick up on the implications that it's David seeding the worlds until reading this thread, but that does seem to make a certain amount of sense.
I'm not a big fan of Zula, so her being sidelined was fine for me, but the way the actual EU expansion plot was done, was poor. Either stick to the plot about the miners or about the jackals, and since the main story was about the miners, I'd have gone with them. As it is, the book ends up on an MCU style 'post credits stinger', so to speak, and I dislike that.
Magic black plot goo has once again been reverted from some semblance of sense, to magic black plot goo.
Scored this book as a Secret Santa (Kris Kringle) from a work colleague. Looking forward to reading it.
Quote from: Kradan on Nov 28, 2021, 09:37:04 PMShe used to run Studio Yutani blog and hosted dedicated podcast show. Member of AvPGalaxy under the username Delta Echo Alpha Delta (formerly known as muthur9000) although she hasn't posted here since May
Also, probably the biggest fan of Covenant out there (ranks it as her number 1 Alien movie)
Yeeeeeeah not quite, she was obsessed with it for a time, but as her partner I will tell you now —
Alien is her absolute favourite in the series. But she does love them all like her children (sans AVP/AVP:R 🤮).
AVP was plural. 😂
Edit to say "AVPs" then lol
The games are good though. Well two. The rest is a mush.
Requiem is so bad I just pretend it doesn't exist. So what's Requiem? Mozart?
To clarify I've always used AVP as both a count and non-count noun where the non-count form refers to the whole idea, quantity, etc. I think the entire concept is garbage 😂, but in retrospect I did like those first two games, but that was in spite of the premise lol. The comics did nothing for me. And as I've said in another thread, I think most of the EU is trash. 😜
Quote from: Necronomicon II on Jun 27, 2023, 04:22:28 AMThe games are good though. Well two. The rest is a mush.
Requiem is so bad I just pretend it doesn't exist. So what's Requiem? Mozart?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi8vJ_lMxQI
To clarify I've always used AVP as both a count and non-count noun where the non-count form refers to the whole idea, quantity, etc. I think the entire concept is garbage 😂, but in retrospect I did like those first two games, but that was in spite of the premise lol. The comics did nothing for me. And as I've said in another thread, I think most of the EU is trash. 😜
When you say first two games... are you going all the way back to the Atari jaguar?
I assume he means 99 and AvP2.
Also it's going to fall to me to make an actually playable tabletop version of AvP, because the Prodos one, aside from being dead, is based on Mutant Chronicles/Warzone and that shit is 30 years out of date mechanically.
Watch this space tho.
Ye those were great, never played the Atari one. I've been binging console wars history videos lately and damn Atari had some bangers.
I saw about 5 minutes of gameplay over 10 years ago for the jaguar game lol
The 2 pc games were classics though.
I didn't finish this book. can anyone tell me how David is hinted at? (I heard he was).
Quote from: bobby brown on Jun 30, 2023, 12:46:01 PMI didn't finish this book. can anyone tell me how David is hinted at? (I heard he was).
Well, if you must know,
Spoiler
it sort of implies that David is responsible for this campaign due to a couple of androids that flew the juggernaut. And since the film Covenant implied that the Neomorphs were a specific direction from David, you could see the connections here in Inferno's Fall, but even that is kind of riddled with holes due to the goo being too magical again.
Oh boy. The most concise way I could describe this is disappointing, wasted potential. The book has really great parts and really, really bad bits IMO. The good parts are the best of the trilogy by far, but the bad stuff to me is baffling when a lore consultant is a coauthor. In short, first half - great! Second half - don't like it cause of the lore stuff that kept breaking my immersion. Full review:
Spoiler
The character stuff with the family in the first half is great. Worldbuilding, finding out their personal history, nice stuff. Philippa did this part well with the guidance from Clara.
Biggest missed opportunity. They had old David models at the colony (makes sense cause of the RPG). The only interaction we had with them was written so well! AND THEY NEVER USED THE DAVIDS IN THE STORY AGAIN. Why?!?! That could've added so much more... A huge waste. And that David model was the best written synth in the story.
Nothing's really done with Zula or Olivia. The new Daughter synth from Davis was the worst written android I've ever seen. That was fan fiction level. The stereotypical robotic stiffness was so hard to read. This isn't Data from Star Track. Synths have never been so robotic in the movies and in the old EU. Even the Working Joes had a malevolence and hidden depth to them (Perchance to dream...). What's the point of having a synth "learn" how to be a human? When you've had lifelike synths for over a century now? It's not like she's even acting like a child, she's just acting like a badly roleplayed robot in a RPG session. And what's with the beaming backups and synth minds all of a sudden? That was weird in the RPG, it's still wrong here. This was never in the old EU when such a thing could've been useful so many times. How could Clara, a lore consultant, approve this?
The Engineer ruins, beings and creatures derived from them are so underutilized that it's funny. None of the imagery is well described and it's all very quickly glossed over.
You down a Border Bomber and you don't even go to search the wreckage? To see who's responsible instead of guessing? Why didn't the ship fight back or evade? It just stood there.
The alien imagery is very poorly described, along with the action. Nothing's clear or detailed. You can't introduce so many new looking creatures and say almost nothing of their description. Being red doesn't mean anything.
The first Neomorph attack was well done! Why couldn't we stick with that? I doubt it was Philippa's idea, but why do creatives always want to do their own thing using existing IPs? Why weren't the Neomorphs good enough? We've never had a book about them. They're only in one movie, they could be used more. The same wasted opportunity for the book, just like Alien's Fireteam Elite. They want to use the Neos, but not use them, like wtf?
Clara said in an interview that every new piece of Alien media has to have a different variant of the Alien. That is a horrible idea and misses the point of these creatures completely if you ask me. That's what got us the A:R flesh bags and the Newborn etc.. We did not need these confusing not Neos/not Aliens.
In doing so, you've screwed up how the Pathogen works. And recently we've had clarification on these subjects! Alex White's novels and the RPG really thoroughly clear up how the Pathogen works in it's base form most of the time. A consultant should know this. And no, the stupid new red element can't help change things so drastically. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
If you want red xenos as a nod to Genocide, than use normal eggs. You have the wildlife to be creative with forms. If you use Pathogen, the creatures are never armored, always fleshy and pale. And in the later novels we have no indication of David being involved. So it's not a modified version of the Pathogen. In the sense nobody should be able to create what David was trying for 10 years. And certainly not the same thing.
And even if you did, you make in that way the greatest sin of all. If you can create normal Aliens with a Pathogen Bombing, you don't need Queens or Eggs. And it's faster. You're saying the old original is dumb and the new stuff is better and cooler. That's what I couldn't get out of my head. All the micro Easter eggs to dozens of Alien media won't mean a thing when you don't treat the Alien right. This makes no sense, so I can't take the story seriously, as canon.
And the final wtf moment I had was near the end, in the span of a few pages of each other, the main character "almost died" 3 times! Setting it up 3 times like this seriously might be it and then 3 times going with a Deus Ex Machina to save the day. Philippa obviously knows how to write engaging characters, but when the action starts, things fall apart. I mean, just spacing things out a bit would've been easy, and not to do the same thing so many times back to back (the first was with the Engineers, then the other two times, out of the caves during the final battle, if I remember correctly, the Hippo xeno and the Raptror xeno). This litteraly happens in the span of like 15 minutes of reading.
Didn't like how easily the Jackals were handling the Aliens.
Expected more, especially regarding the handling of the Pathogen and Alien lore, like, you know, the most important things in the EU so far?
If I could give this a thousand likes I would.
Turns out Scott was right when he said the beast is cooked, at least as far as the IP owners are concerned. They really just don't seem to give a shit about it any more.
You are so cynical sometimes, as with unpolitical things, we need the middle ground.
If the directive is to reinvent the wheel every time they make something, it's not cynical to say they don't really put much value in the original creature itself any more. If they can't just let it be, then it's fair to say they think it's cooked and need to keep spicing it up.
We need a hero to just describe the "new" creatures in the way one might describe runners but insist it's an OC and hope the boss never bothered with Alien 3.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Sep 05, 2023, 02:23:45 AMWe need a hero to just describe the "new" creatures in the way one might describe runners but insist it's an OC and hope the boss never bothered with Alien 3.
Or just go for broke on your Monkey Gorilla Ox Alien shenanigans. Stop with the freaking neo-proto-ecto-mesomorph goo monsters.
Quote from: SiL on Sep 05, 2023, 01:55:52 AMThey really just don't seem to give a shit about it any more.
It's always been up and down. You had the DH Press
Alien books which were almost universally shit, and then you have Titan who I still think have put out more good than bad - including the lion's share of the best
Alien novels ever published imo.
It's just a shame we've had so many duds on the bounce lately.
I mean the creature itself, not the IP.
Sure, but I'd argue that still applies to the DH Press books - especially the one with the Facehuggers that could fly and Aliens that rolled around like car tyres.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 05, 2023, 09:26:24 AMSure, but I'd argue that still applies to the DH Press books - especially the one with the Facehuggers that could fly and Aliens that rolled around like car tyres.
f**k I vaguely remember that getting memed, which book was it?
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 05, 2023, 09:26:24 AMSure, but I'd argue that still applies to the DH Press books - especially the one with the Facehuggers that could fly and Aliens that rolled around like car tyres.
Ain't nobody defending
DNA War.
But occasionally they let the Aliens be Aliens.
So do they in Titan Books.
Phalanx's big "oh shit" moment's literally the appearance of a Runner Alien.
Also, the red-shelled big cat Xeno in this novel is dubbed the "Prowler". Is it supposed to be the same beast as the Prowler from Fireteam, or is it just a case of unimaginative naming?
Alex White's novels and Phalanx especially are perfect examples of how to breath fresh air into the novels. They are very creative and quite original in multiple regards, especially Phalanx, yet they don't really try to reinvent the Alien. They respected the creature and just threw it in special situations, and wrote interesting characters, settings, using the existing Alien in creative ways.
I liked most of Titan's stuff till recently. But they are having a loosing streak in my eyes. And that streak is becoming a trend. I hope the new movie and series do well so that it gives the books a direction where to go. I loved getting these books so frequently! But I'd rather wait for quality over quantity.
If good/original covers are so expensive, I'll take back the A:CM photoshop covers, just find and pay for good writers that actually like and understand the Alien and it's setting. I'll pay for a more expensive novel if it's done well. Just please no more of this ridiculous stuff.
And step up your proofreading, hire different lore consultants for second opinions and so on. Or hire previous authors that actually wrote good Alien books already.
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Sep 05, 2023, 10:08:03 AMQuote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 05, 2023, 09:26:24 AMSure, but I'd argue that still applies to the DH Press books - especially the one with the Facehuggers that could fly and Aliens that rolled around like car tyres.
f**k I vaguely remember that getting memed, which book was it?
I need to see that meme! :laugh:
Quote from: Slutty Badger on Sep 05, 2023, 01:30:40 PMAlso, the red-shelled big cat Xeno in this novel is dubbed the "Prowler". Is it supposed to be the same beast as the Prowler from Fireteam, or is it just a case of unimaginative naming?
It's not the prowler from Fireteam, can't be. Clara confirmed it. It just acts similar and the mix-up might have happened cause the new Xeno is not described well at all, not really specifically. And in the RPG scenario, one of the humans turned into the Alien from Covenant cause of the bombings (that also shouldn't be anywhere near possible). But we know it's not that specific type of Alien, it can't be. So the names, attacks and stats are probably just approximations for something similar so that the players have something to visualize.
That's my guess though.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Sep 05, 2023, 01:51:02 PMIt's not the prowler from Fireteam, can't be. Clara confirmed it. It just acts similar and the mix-up might have happened cause the new Xeno is not described well at all, not really specifically. And in the RPG scenario, one of the humans turned into the Alien from Covenant cause of the bombings (that also shouldn't be anywhere near possible). But we know it's not that specific type of Alien, it can't be. So the names, attacks and stats are probably just approximations for something similar so that the players have something to visualize.
That's my guess though.
Yeah, in EVAC one of the workers at Romashka Outpost, Alexi, is infected by the pathogen and is said to be mutating into a malformed Stalker, which is an adult Praetomorph.
I think if it were meant to be a mainline Xenomorph, the correct term would have been used. Same for the Imp (Praetomorph 'burster) in
Fallout, which is said to have emerged from a rat. Guess Praetomorphs are getting around!