Title: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 06:39:31 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 06:39:31 AM
DragonCon 2018 is currently taking place in Atlanta and like 2017’s event, with the event comes the announcement of a new Alien novel. And this one is something of a surprise!
I can finally announce one of my upcoming media tie-in projects, which was just announced at @DragonCon.
Coming in January 2019 from @TitanBooks:
ALIEN: ISOLATION.
Amanda Ripley vs. Xenomorphs.
More soon……..
— Keith R.A. DeCandido (@KRADeC) August 31, 2018
There are no further details as of yet so it’s unknown if this is an adaptation of Alien: Isolation or a sequel. While none of the games have been adapted into novels in English, Sierra & Monolith’s Aliens vs. Predator 2 was adapted in Hungarian and titled Aliens vs. Predator: Forced Chase.
Keith R.A. DeCandido has previously written for the Alien universe. He wrote the short Deep Background for the anthology Aliens: Bug Hunt which you can listen to him read on the Dead Kitchen Radio podcast. You can also follow Keith on Facebook or Twitter.
Thanks to Bryan Thomas Schmidt for the news. Keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien and Predator literature news! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: TheBATMAN on Sep 01, 2018, 06:55:05 AM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Sep 01, 2018, 06:55:05 AM
Great news.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: P1NK8C1DBOOTS on Sep 01, 2018, 07:01:24 AM
Post by: P1NK8C1DBOOTS on Sep 01, 2018, 07:01:24 AM
I really enjoyed this game so definitely excited to see how it gets adapted into a novel......also we need a sequel game!!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 01, 2018, 07:38:11 AM
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 01, 2018, 07:38:11 AM
Oh my... I need this so badly...
There was so much going on behind the scenes compared to what Amanda sees, and I really hope we get to read about them.
There was so much going on behind the scenes compared to what Amanda sees, and I really hope we get to read about them.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 07:53:41 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 07:53:41 AM
Well this is unexpected! Really excited to see what they do with this!
I really enjoyed DeCandido's short in Bug Hunt.
I really enjoyed DeCandido's short in Bug Hunt.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Prez on Sep 01, 2018, 08:20:32 AM
Post by: Prez on Sep 01, 2018, 08:20:32 AM
It's nice that the EU side of things has been ramping up rather nicely over the past couple of years ... now if only the films would lift their game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 01, 2018, 08:57:44 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 01, 2018, 08:57:44 AM
I'm really hoping this is a sequel to Isolation, I was hoping we'd have an EU spin-off to tie up loose ends once it became apparent that we weren't getting a second game, be it a comic, book, etc.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 09:08:02 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 09:08:02 AM
If it's not a sequel, I wonder if the door is open to continue Amanda's story past this in future novels.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 01, 2018, 09:20:32 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 01, 2018, 09:20:32 AM
This could be interesting, novels have a way of adding extra flavor to what they based on so I am curious to what difference there will be in this novel compared to the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: TheBATMAN on Sep 01, 2018, 09:30:59 AM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Sep 01, 2018, 09:30:59 AM
No sequel please. Too many entries between Alien and Aliens is rather spoiling things IMO. Just flesh out the characters from the game more.
In actual fact is quite like to see the fall of Sevastopol in a bit more depth. Plenty of scope for sub plots with Ransome and the covert WY takeover.
In actual fact is quite like to see the fall of Sevastopol in a bit more depth. Plenty of scope for sub plots with Ransome and the covert WY takeover.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 01, 2018, 11:33:10 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 01, 2018, 11:33:10 AM
The space before/during the Trilogy is far too occupied as it is, I'll agree there.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 01, 2018, 11:56:53 AM
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 01, 2018, 11:56:53 AM
Which one was the Deep Background story?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: acrediblesource on Sep 01, 2018, 01:03:03 PM
Post by: acrediblesource on Sep 01, 2018, 01:03:03 PM
This would be great if it were a large 1000+ page book. There is so much in this game to be explored in a paperback that there is no reason not to go full out!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Sep 01, 2018, 01:30:41 PM
Post by: felix on Sep 01, 2018, 01:30:41 PM
Now this is a surprise!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 02:31:31 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 02:31:31 PM
Quote from: Wweyland on Sep 01, 2018, 11:56:53 AMWhich one was the Deep Background story?
The one with the journalist who was attached to a Marine unit. I thought it was pone of the better shorts.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Nukiemorph on Sep 01, 2018, 03:18:13 PM
Post by: Nukiemorph on Sep 01, 2018, 03:18:13 PM
I don't read novelizations of movies, games, or comics... Seems pointless to me. But if it's a sequel, I'm in.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Vrastal on Sep 01, 2018, 03:40:54 PM
Post by: Vrastal on Sep 01, 2018, 03:40:54 PM
I wonder what the Disney buyout means for games and books..
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 03:59:30 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 03:59:30 PM
This could be interesting. A Dirk Maggs audio drama would be called for too...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 04:11:19 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 04:11:19 PM
An audio drama of a game where the primary objective is to stay as silent as possible...?
:P
:P
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 01, 2018, 04:55:56 PM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 01, 2018, 04:55:56 PM
It's not pointless if this novelisation is well-written and expands upon Alien Isolation.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Samhain13 on Sep 01, 2018, 06:34:09 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Sep 01, 2018, 06:34:09 PM
Great. If it got Amanda in it would need to be just a game novelization or preferable a sequel, we already got to know about the fall of Sevastopol through the logs, so a novel on those during the outbreak wouldn't give us much new. I hate all those open endings we had in so many material: Covenant, Predator, AVP2010, ACM, Isolation, hell even AVP2 was a left some things on the table. Either by a novel or a comic sequel I prefer to see the histories closed.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 07:06:43 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 07:06:43 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 04:11:19 PM
An audio drama of a game where the primary objective is to stay as silent as possible...?
:P
When you put it that way, it sounds even more awesome! I'm imagining subtle music and sound effects as if something is creeping up on you, heavy breathing, and an all around dreadful vibe. It could work very well..
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 07:13:49 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 07:13:49 PM
I asked Keith if it was an adaptation and he replied "partly."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Ultramorph on Sep 01, 2018, 07:43:27 PM
Post by: Ultramorph on Sep 01, 2018, 07:43:27 PM
Wow, if it continued on from ending and showed what happened after that would be awesome.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Huggs on Sep 01, 2018, 07:49:21 PM
Post by: Huggs on Sep 01, 2018, 07:49:21 PM
What a cool surprise. I hope this doesn't go the way of Covenant: Origins, although I would love to get alittle more background about the early events on Sevastopol, particularly what Waits knew and was dealing with.
Now, an audio drama featuring Bill Hope as Waits again, detailing the downfall of Sevastopol would be amazing.
Now, an audio drama featuring Bill Hope as Waits again, detailing the downfall of Sevastopol would be amazing.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 09:24:09 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 09:24:09 PM
I wonder if the Alien: Isolation comic will factor into this...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 10:00:12 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 10:00:12 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 07:13:49 PMI asked Keith if it was an adaptation and he replied "partly."
Very interesting!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: D88M on Sep 01, 2018, 11:27:25 PM
Post by: D88M on Sep 01, 2018, 11:27:25 PM
Interesting
Interesting
Interesting
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Sep 02, 2018, 02:52:00 AM
Post by: felix on Sep 02, 2018, 02:52:00 AM
As someone who loves novelizations, i am definitely getting this.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 03:16:46 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 03:16:46 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 01, 2018, 07:13:49 PM
I asked Keith if it was an adaptation and he replied "partly."
Indeed. ;)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Sep 02, 2018, 04:50:35 AM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Sep 02, 2018, 04:50:35 AM
Awesome news! Looking forward to all the extra backstory that novelizations usually provide. Time for another play through of Isolation!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 05:34:47 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 05:34:47 AM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Sep 01, 2018, 09:30:59 AMI'd agree if Isolation didn't end on such a cliffhanger. I just want resolution of Amanda's arc and how it leads into what Burke shows us in 'Aliens'. Does Amanda actually just... give up searching for her mother and die of old age? Does she get killed and there's some kind of corporate cover-up?
No sequel please. Too many entries between Alien and Aliens is rather spoiling things IMO. Just flesh out the characters from the game more.
In actual fact is quite like to see the fall of Sevastopol in a bit more depth. Plenty of scope for sub plots with Ransome and the covert WY takeover.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 06:19:46 AM
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 06:19:46 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 05:34:47 AM
Does Amanda actually just... give up searching for her mother and die of old age? Does she get killed and there's some kind of corporate cover-up?
She won't have been killed. Ripley recognized her in the photograph in the movie, and (If I remember correctly) in the audio drama for Out of the Shadows, Ash learns that she worked for WY, survived classified events and then got married back on earth.
While the ending to Isolation may be somewhat vague and mysterious, it appears she was picked up and likely survived a debrief by the company and then went on to live her life.
But if you ask me, that whole business of an Alien being onboard the Torrens was a nightmare.
What I think really happened there is that she was knocked unconscious when she blasted herself and those Aliens loose from Sevastopol, because (if I remember correctly) she hit something at speed. I sincerely doubt she'd even have had enough oxygen left in her suit (at that point) to escape the Torrens, calm down and go to sleep in space, let alone drift for Lord knows how long.
The light that shines across he face at the end is likely the Torrens, which picked her up within minutes of being knocked unconscious, and transported her safely home. Verlaine would be in a position to help her confirm any story, thus allowing her to leave the company and move on with her life.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AM
Quote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 06:19:46 AMThe problem with that is, would the Company allow Amanda to survive with the knowledge she has of all the corporate malfeasance and the fate of her mother? Speaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game? And if she didn't, do you think she'd just let the matter drop and go on with her life? Amanda comes across as the kind of person who wouldn't give up that easily.Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 05:34:47 AM
Does Amanda actually just... give up searching for her mother and die of old age? Does she get killed and there's some kind of corporate cover-up?
She won't have been killed. Ripley recognized her in the photograph in the movie, and (If I remember correctly) in the audio drama for Out of the Shadows, Ash learns that she worked for WY, survived classified events and then got married back on earth.
While the ending to Isolation may be somewhat vague and mysterious, it appears she was picked up and likely survived a debrief by the company and then went on to live her life.
But if you ask me, that whole business of an Alien being onboard the Torrens was a nightmare.
What I think really happened there is that she was knocked unconscious when she blasted herself and those Aliens loose from Sevastopol, because (if I remember correctly) she hit something at speed. I sincerely doubt she'd even have had enough oxygen left in her suit (at that point) to escape the Torrens, calm down and go to sleep in space, let alone drift for Lord knows how long.
The light that shines across he face at the end is likely the Torrens, which picked her up within minutes of being knocked unconscious, and transported her safely home. Verlaine would be in a position to help her confirm any story, thus allowing her to leave the company and move on with her life.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 02, 2018, 07:11:17 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 02, 2018, 07:11:17 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 01, 2018, 09:24:09 PM
I wonder if the Alien: Isolation comic will factor into this...
There's very little to that comic to factor in.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 07:51:46 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 07:51:46 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AMSpeaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game?
Fairly sure the message Marlow plays from the black box reveals that she's out in space in a lifeboat.
Thinking about the "partly" comment, I'm wondering if this might be another story set on Sevastopol during the events of the game that intercepts with Amanda/the other major characters at some point.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:57:24 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:57:24 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 07:51:46 AMThanks. It's been a good while since I played through the game again, and my game backlog is so big (and my free time is so small) that I've been trying to focus on new games before replaying old ones.Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AMSpeaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game?
Fairly sure the message Marlow plays from the black box reveals that she's out in space in a lifeboat.
It is a constant struggle. :(
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:17:30 AM
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:17:30 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AM
The problem with that is, would the Company allow Amanda to survive with the knowledge she has of all the corporate malfeasance and the fate of her mother? Speaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game? And if she didn't, do you think she'd just let the matter drop and go on with her life? Amanda comes across as the kind of person who wouldn't give up that easily.
Sevastopol was destroyed. The company has no idea what she knew about their dealings, and no way of knowing she even heard anything from the recorder.
As for Ripley's fate, like Huda said, she knew. But it had been 15 years. By the time Amanda could escape, and find a ship, crew, or a company willing to help her (I doubt she'd have the resources anyway) her mother would've been floating another few years. That's like 16-18 years floating in a non-specific direction away from the Nostromo's blast zone. It would be like trying to find a needle moving in a somewhat "that way" direction, at unknown altitude, somewhere on earth. She'd be impossible to find and likely dead. To search such an expanse would exceed financial and physical limits. Reality set in, and she had to let go.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Sep 02, 2018, 09:13:56 AM
Post by: felix on Sep 02, 2018, 09:13:56 AM
I hope this wil be released in Mass Paperback format. Hardcovers are too expensive and other formats not compact enough.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 02, 2018, 11:04:09 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 02, 2018, 11:04:09 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AM
The problem with that is, would the Company allow Amanda to survive with the knowledge she has of all the corporate malfeasance and the fate of her mother? Speaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game? And if she didn't, do you think she'd just let the matter drop and go on with her life? Amanda comes across as the kind of person who wouldn't give up that easily.
Yes, because despite their negligence and amorality, they are not straight up murderers, at worst they just have poor judgement in letting A:I's such as Ash and Apollo interprete their orders. They let Morse live after all and he wrote a book about his experience, all they did was get it banned. :laugh:
Note that I am only talking about the company as we see in the movies and not the mustache twirling bond villains they became in the old EU and A:CM, because yes, those lot would murder someone for even trivial matters.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 07:51:46 AMYeah, but its on the Anesidora and Marlow doesn't play it, I think Amanda does as its on the console by the glass pane looking into the engine room/core of the ship.Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AMSpeaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game?
Fairly sure the message Marlow plays from the black box reveals that she's out in space in a lifeboat.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 12:25:29 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 12:25:29 PM
If ordering a synthetic that the crew is expendable if they try to stop it isn't murder, it's not far off.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SiL on Sep 02, 2018, 12:30:22 PM
Post by: SiL on Sep 02, 2018, 12:30:22 PM
SO-937 is frustratingly vague, though. "Ensure return of lifeform, all other priorities rescinded" reeks of legal speak saying "We're not saying to kill the crew, but..."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 02:46:51 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 02:46:51 PM
Quote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:17:30 AMI can appreciate that train of thought, I guess I'd just like to see it broken down narratively in a comic/novel/game and show how Amanda Ripley reaches that point of resignation and acceptance.Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AM
The problem with that is, would the Company allow Amanda to survive with the knowledge she has of all the corporate malfeasance and the fate of her mother? Speaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game? And if she didn't, do you think she'd just let the matter drop and go on with her life? Amanda comes across as the kind of person who wouldn't give up that easily.
Sevastopol was destroyed. The company has no idea what she knew about their dealings, and no way of knowing she even heard anything from the recorder.
As for Ripley's fate, like Huda said, she knew. But it had been 15 years. By the time Amanda could escape, and find a ship, crew, or a company willing to help her (I doubt she'd have the resources anyway) her mother would've been floating another few years. That's like 16-18 years floating in a non-specific direction away from the Nostromo's blast zone. It would be like trying to find a needle moving in a somewhat "that way" direction, at unknown altitude, somewhere on earth. She'd be impossible to find and likely dead. To search such an expanse would exceed financial and physical limits. Reality set in, and she had to let go.
Quote from: SiL on Sep 02, 2018, 12:30:22 PMSO-937 does explicitly say "crew expendable". :P I mean, yeah, it comes short of outright ordering Ash to kill the crew, but the writing's on the wall.
SO-937 is frustratingly vague, though. "Ensure return of lifeform, all other priorities rescinded" reeks of legal speak saying "We're not saying to kill the crew, but..."
It's different from, say, '2001' where HAL9000 goes nuts and kills the crew because of a genuine logic conflict in his programming that his creator didn't foresee.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Sep 02, 2018, 03:13:47 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Sep 02, 2018, 03:13:47 PM
Hell yes! This is awesome news!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 02, 2018, 03:46:17 PM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 02, 2018, 03:46:17 PM
Quote from: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 12:25:29 PMTrue but again that is Ash interpreting it that way.
If ordering a synthetic that the crew is expendable if they try to stop it isn't murder, it's not far off.
Humorously he could have completed his mission if he had simply put Kane in hypersleep, it may not been a guarantee on stopping the process but the crew would have been in cryo and out of the way.
Quote from: SiL on Sep 02, 2018, 12:30:22 PM
SO-937 is frustratingly vague, though. "Ensure return of lifeform, all other priorities rescinded" reeks of legal speak saying "We're not saying to kill the crew, but..."
It is more like they are just prioritizing the Alien over the crew rather than saying "we are not saying to kill.." They probably don't care or mind that the crew is alive so long as they Alien is too.
There is no order for Ash to kill the crew, it is just as a robot who probably thinks in logical terms it becomes apparent to him that the crew is not going to stop trying to get rid of the alien, so logically the only way to keep it alive is to kill them and he malfunctions while coming to that conclusion.
Apollo did the same thing as Ash. It only started killing the civilians once one of the Aliens was killed thus making it conclude that humans are a threat to what it was ordered to secure and protect.
Both machines acted their own way to the orders, its not as if the company would have condoned it. Once again, talking about movie W-Y, not old EU W-Y.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 02, 2018, 04:18:38 PM
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 02, 2018, 04:18:38 PM
Quote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:17:30 AMQuote from: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 07:07:35 AM
The problem with that is, would the Company allow Amanda to survive with the knowledge she has of all the corporate malfeasance and the fate of her mother? Speaking of, did she even really know the fate of her mother by the end of the game? And if she didn't, do you think she'd just let the matter drop and go on with her life? Amanda comes across as the kind of person who wouldn't give up that easily.
Sevastopol was destroyed. The company has no idea what she knew about their dealings, and no way of knowing she even heard anything from the recorder.
As for Ripley's fate, like Huda said, she knew. But it had been 15 years. By the time Amanda could escape, and find a ship, crew, or a company willing to help her (I doubt she'd have the resources anyway) her mother would've been floating another few years. That's like 16-18 years floating in a non-specific direction away from the Nostromo's blast zone. It would be like trying to find a needle moving in a somewhat "that way" direction, at unknown altitude, somewhere on earth. She'd be impossible to find and likely dead. To search such an expanse would exceed financial and physical limits. Reality set in, and she had to let go.
My personal take is that someone had to have sent the salvagers who found Ripley at the beginning of Aliens out there, or else point them in the right direction, in order to have caught her at the edge of the system. If it wasn't Amanda directly, it could have been her actions or her husband that helped ensured the possibility of finding Ripley.
Basically, it would be rather emotionally dramatic if Amanda spent her life with her husband spreading out a network to try and find her mother, but sadly she died just 2 years before her labors bore fruit. This mirrors Ripley's devastation at being 2 years too late to meet her daughter too. :'(
As an aside, Interstellar managed to subvert this by letting the man meet his daughter in her final moments, a scene which I was debating while watching on whether the film was going to pull an Amanda.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PM
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PM
Do we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad? I mean, 937 could've been sent by one guy higher up. The inquiry board in the second movie seemed to have no idea about the aliens, and thought lv-426 was safe. I think it's absolutely possible that there was just a small group of immoral shot callers that influenced and set things up along the way.
There's one heck of a gap between 15 and 57 years. If anyone was legitimately interested in finding her, they would've done it many decades before she was found. Plus, in both the film and the "river of pain" audio drama, the salvagers who found her did not appear to have been looking for her at all.
Quote from: gabgrave on Sep 02, 2018, 04:18:38 PM
My personal take is that someone had to have sent the salvagers who found Ripley at the beginning of Aliens out there, or else point them in the right direction, in order to have caught her at the edge of the system.
There's one heck of a gap between 15 and 57 years. If anyone was legitimately interested in finding her, they would've done it many decades before she was found. Plus, in both the film and the "river of pain" audio drama, the salvagers who found her did not appear to have been looking for her at all.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 08:16:15 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 08:16:15 PM
QuoteDo we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad?
No. 'Cos they're not.
QuoteThere is no order for Ash to kill the crew
But the order gives him carte blanche to do so. Not only with 'crew expendable' but also with 'all other priorities rescinded'.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 08:24:46 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 02, 2018, 08:24:46 PM
Quote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PMThis is a super complicated question when you start thinking about it. What constitutes "bad" in this context? What constitutes the company "as a whole"?
Do we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:35:19 PM
Post by: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:35:19 PM
Quote from: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 08:16:15 PMQuoteDo we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad?
No. 'Cos they're not.
Exactly, I think they get a bit of a bad rap. It's always "the company" wants it for this and that. Well, I don't think "the company" was dirty, but there were definitely some dirty folk operating within it.
I tend to think if the entire company was dirty, then they would've devoted all available resources to the capture of a specimen and would long since have succeeded before the events of the first film. A special order here, a request to check out coordinates there. Taking advantage of a colony's location. This seems like a special little project be conducted covertly from within and piggybacking off the operations of others. Who was pulling the strings is a very interesting question, and one I'd like to see answered someday. They can't say it was David either.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 09:03:05 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 02, 2018, 09:03:05 PM
They were opportunistic. Better plausible deniability that way.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 09:11:12 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 09:11:12 PM
Quote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PMDo we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad? I mean, 937 could've been sent by one guy higher up.
The fact the entire Nostromo incident was covered up (strongly implied in Aliens and outright confirmed in Isolation) suggests it was likely one or more individuals within the company that were responsible for sending the ship there, rather than the company as a whole.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Sep 03, 2018, 03:23:46 AM
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Sep 03, 2018, 03:23:46 AM
I've only played a bit of the game. Loved what I experienced but just never did continue to progress for whatever reason.
Intrigued by this.
Intrigued by this.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Ahsoka on Sep 03, 2018, 07:53:20 AM
Post by: Ahsoka on Sep 03, 2018, 07:53:20 AM
Hopefully a comic adaptation and sequels will happen too.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 10:14:39 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 10:14:39 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 09:11:12 PMQuote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PMDo we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad? I mean, 937 could've been sent by one guy higher up.
The fact the entire Nostromo incident was covered up (strongly implied in Aliens and outright confirmed in Isolation) suggests it was likely one or more individuals within the company that were responsible for sending the ship there, rather than the company as a whole.
Yeah Burke seems to be acting alone in Aliens, I don't think he would have wanted extra company involvement either even if it would have increased chances of getting an Alien because he wanted to have exclusive claim on the credit for getting the specimens. He is probably the only company member in the movies that actually does something straight up evil, getting Ripley and Newt infected was only part of it as Ripley later tells the Marine he would have had to kill them all in their hypersleep for his plan to work.
It is only in Alien 3 we actually meet a group from the company that want the Alien and even then, they offer to save Ripley and they spared Morse. Aaron was killed but only because he assaulted Bishop.
True their offer to save Ripley was so they could get the specimen and there have been a chance Ripley would not survive the operation or that they could be lying but it is ambiguous not overt, unlike in A:CM where Michael Bishop is a blatant nasty piece of work.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: mattmoocow on Sep 03, 2018, 01:53:10 PM
Post by: mattmoocow on Sep 03, 2018, 01:53:10 PM
im so excited. been waiting for this for a while ;D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 03, 2018, 02:46:58 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 03, 2018, 02:46:58 PM
Quote from: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 10:14:39 AMI agree that Burke was acting alone (and other EU materials have supported this), but if you think that the WY detachment sent to Fury 161 wouldn't have executed everyone in the facility if they thought it would have gotten them an Alien, then I've got a bridge to sell you. The goal was to capture an Alien alive; all those PMCs with guns weren't there to shoot at the Alien. :PQuote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 09:11:12 PMQuote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PMDo we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad? I mean, 937 could've been sent by one guy higher up.
The fact the entire Nostromo incident was covered up (strongly implied in Aliens and outright confirmed in Isolation) suggests it was likely one or more individuals within the company that were responsible for sending the ship there, rather than the company as a whole.
Yeah Burke seems to be acting alone in Aliens, I don't think he would have wanted extra company involvement either even if it would have increased chances of getting an Alien because he wanted to have exclusive claim on the credit for getting the specimens. He is probably the only company member in the movies that actually does something straight up evil, getting Ripley and Newt infected was only part of it as Ripley later tells the Marine he would have had to kill them all in their hypersleep for his plan to work.
It is only in Alien 3 we actually meet a group from the company that want the Alien and even then, they offer to save Ripley and they spared Morse. Aaron was killed but only because he assaulted Bishop.
True their offer to save Ripley was so they could get the specimen and there have been a chance Ripley would not survive the operation or that they could be lying but it is ambiguous not overt, unlike in A:CM where Michael Bishop is a blatant nasty piece of work.
Morse got spared because he was the only salvageable part of the operation after Ripley killed herself (and the newborn Queen). Keep in mind this is the same group of WY people who kneecapped Morse when he tried to impede access to Ripley.
That said, I personally don't think Michael Bishop was cartoonishly evil, especially not in the assembly cut. I think he was being genuine when he was saying that they wanted to take the Alien out of Ripley and that they'd let her live.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 03, 2018, 02:56:01 PM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 03, 2018, 02:56:01 PM
It's as simple as Michael Bishop didn't know if they could save Ripley or not, I believe that's why he comes across genuine.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 03, 2018, 02:57:40 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 03, 2018, 02:57:40 PM
The company is definitely operating more overtly in dick mode by the time of the third film, compared to the morally grey interpretation of the preceding two entries.
Bishop and his boys are still nothing like the moustache-twirlers the company became in much of the EU, though.
Bishop and his boys are still nothing like the moustache-twirlers the company became in much of the EU, though.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 03, 2018, 03:03:26 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 03, 2018, 03:03:26 PM
I hope that getting this adaptation of a video game years after it came out means we may yet get an adaptation of Prometheus - fully expanded, with some of the alternate scenes, featuring more backstory of the characters, and also several chapters filling in the blanks of Shea's journey leading up to Covenant. That would make the adaptation truly worth while...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 03, 2018, 03:08:45 PM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 03, 2018, 03:08:45 PM
So, Prometheus but recontextualised to be good?
Sure, go for it.
Sure, go for it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 03:08:59 PM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 03:08:59 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 03, 2018, 02:46:58 PMQuote from: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 10:14:39 AMI agree that Burke was acting alone (and other EU materials have supported this), but if you think that the WY detachment sent to Fury 161 wouldn't have executed everyone in the facility if they thought it would have gotten them an Alien, then I've got a bridge to sell you. The goal was to capture an Alien alive; all those PMCs with guns weren't there to shoot at the Alien. :PQuote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 02, 2018, 09:11:12 PMQuote from: Huggs on Sep 02, 2018, 08:04:59 PMDo we have any concrete evidence that the company, as a whole, was bad? I mean, 937 could've been sent by one guy higher up.
The fact the entire Nostromo incident was covered up (strongly implied in Aliens and outright confirmed in Isolation) suggests it was likely one or more individuals within the company that were responsible for sending the ship there, rather than the company as a whole.
Yeah Burke seems to be acting alone in Aliens, I don't think he would have wanted extra company involvement either even if it would have increased chances of getting an Alien because he wanted to have exclusive claim on the credit for getting the specimens. He is probably the only company member in the movies that actually does something straight up evil, getting Ripley and Newt infected was only part of it as Ripley later tells the Marine he would have had to kill them all in their hypersleep for his plan to work.
It is only in Alien 3 we actually meet a group from the company that want the Alien and even then, they offer to save Ripley and they spared Morse. Aaron was killed but only because he assaulted Bishop.
True their offer to save Ripley was so they could get the specimen and there have been a chance Ripley would not survive the operation or that they could be lying but it is ambiguous not overt, unlike in A:CM where Michael Bishop is a blatant nasty piece of work.
Morse got spared because he was the only salvageable part of the operation after Ripley killed herself (and the newborn Queen). Keep in mind this is the same group of WY people who kneecapped Morse when he tried to impede access to Ripley.
That said, I personally don't think Michael Bishop was cartoonishly evil, especially not in the assembly cut. I think he was being genuine when he was saying that they wanted to take the Alien out of Ripley and that they'd let her live.
Not to sound naive but those guns were probably for self-defence and Bishop's protection, yes they want the Alien alive but I would wager that they care about their own lives more. Because you know, the Alien is dangerous. :P
One of them does indeed shoot Morse in the leg and Bishops yells for the shooter to stop. I am not saying they are angels, just not the bond villains they became in the expanded universe.
He probably was but then that game came along.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 03, 2018, 04:43:37 PM
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 03, 2018, 04:43:37 PM
I am all for new books, but adapting an existing story will bring about the nitpicker in me, and I would prefer an original story.
The great thing is that this will create more buzz for Alien: Isolation and perhaps revive the chances for a game sequel.
The great thing is that this will create more buzz for Alien: Isolation and perhaps revive the chances for a game sequel.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 03, 2018, 05:25:30 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 03, 2018, 05:25:30 PM
Quote from: Wweyland on Sep 03, 2018, 04:43:37 PMI am all for new books, but adapting an existing story will bring about the nitpicker in me, and I would prefer an original story.
The "partly" comment from Keith implies to me that this will be largely original.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Chainsaw Squirrel on Sep 03, 2018, 08:11:20 PM
Post by: Chainsaw Squirrel on Sep 03, 2018, 08:11:20 PM
How many times does everyone and their mother have to yell it out on twitter? MAKE ALIEN ISOLATION 2 ALREADY FA f**k SAAAAKE!!!!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 08:38:35 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 08:38:35 PM
As long as Isolation didn't make enough money I suppose.
Bishop told the shooter to stop because he didn't want them to hit Ripley by mistake.
And the Company being 'Bond villains' in the expanded universe is overstated. They're not really in a lot of those stories.
QuoteOne of them does indeed shoot Morse in the leg and Bishops yells for the shooter to stop. I am not saying they are angels, just not the bond villains they became in the expanded universe.
Bishop told the shooter to stop because he didn't want them to hit Ripley by mistake.
And the Company being 'Bond villains' in the expanded universe is overstated. They're not really in a lot of those stories.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 03, 2018, 08:56:16 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 03, 2018, 08:56:16 PM
They may not be in the majority of the books and comics, but whenever they do show up, they seem to be presented as a bunch of amoral nutters. And other than Isolation, I can't think of a single video game featuring them where they're presented as anything other than unrealistically over-the-top psychopaths who happily sacrifice hundreds of innocents to further their goals, or gladly feed random civilians to their pet Aliens in the name of "science".
I think their reputation as being cartoonishly evil villains in the EU is well-founded.
I think their reputation as being cartoonishly evil villains in the EU is well-founded.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 09:05:24 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 09:05:24 PM
Off the top of my head, the Alien stories that fit that description are Berserker, Havoc and No Exit. Might be some more (particularly when you factor in AvP), but that's not much in the grand scheme of things.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SiL on Sep 03, 2018, 09:11:32 PM
Post by: SiL on Sep 03, 2018, 09:11:32 PM
A:CM is a great example.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 09:48:17 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 09:48:17 PM
Yeah I forgot about that earlier. Only just remembered where the hosts came from.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Covenant on Sep 03, 2018, 10:32:41 PM
Post by: Covenant on Sep 03, 2018, 10:32:41 PM
Do you think this one will be adapted as an audio drama ?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 03, 2018, 11:09:42 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 03, 2018, 11:09:42 PM
Quote from: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 09:05:24 PMWY isn't in the AvP EU a lot. They got a name drop in the original AvP comic series, and they're surprisingly tame in the first two AvP PC games. Karl Weyland isn't a very nice guy in AvP2010, though.
Off the top of my head, the Alien stories that fit that description are Berserker, Havoc and No Exit. Might be some more (particularly when you factor in AvP), but that's not much in the grand scheme of things.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 11:23:42 PM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 03, 2018, 11:23:42 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 03, 2018, 11:09:42 PMQuote from: SM on Sep 03, 2018, 09:05:24 PMWY isn't in the AvP EU a lot. They got a name drop in the original AvP comic series, and they're surprisingly tame in the first two AvP PC games. Karl Weyland isn't a very nice guy in AvP2010, though.
Off the top of my head, the Alien stories that fit that description are Berserker, Havoc and No Exit. Might be some more (particularly when you factor in AvP), but that's not much in the grand scheme of things.
The company as a whole in that game is pretty bad, Groves and the other scientists have no issue having colonists kidnapped and impregnated by the Aliens and they also have their comabt androids terminate employees as part of the contract clause.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 03, 2018, 11:35:32 PM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 03, 2018, 11:35:32 PM
It's excessive in AVP 2010.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 04, 2018, 07:23:26 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 04, 2018, 07:23:26 AM
From what I remember Inhuman Condition was particularly cartoony with regards to Karl Bennett.
Unknown. Probably way too early for an Alien Day 2019 release but we've no idea if they're even carrying on with them.
Quote from: Covenant on Sep 03, 2018, 10:32:41 PM
Do you think this one will be adapted as an audio drama ?
Unknown. Probably way too early for an Alien Day 2019 release but we've no idea if they're even carrying on with them.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 04, 2018, 08:08:26 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 04, 2018, 08:08:26 AM
The combination of this novel announcement and Hicks mentioning the game's DLC the other day has led me to reinstall Isolation on the PS4. It's high time I finished the last couple of Survivor add-ons that I never played.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 04, 2018, 09:16:44 AM
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 04, 2018, 09:16:44 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 04, 2018, 08:08:26 AMNever played those although I loved the original game. Heard you just replay some levels from the original game without any story?
The combination of this novel announcement and Hicks mentioning the game's DLC the other day has led me to reinstall Isolation on the PS4. It's high time I finished the last couple of Survivor add-ons that I never played.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 04, 2018, 09:27:28 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 04, 2018, 09:27:28 AM
Unfortunately that is true, there is't any story in most of the DLCs, I think there may be some tidbits as in a few logs but there is no story. I have yet to do them myself.
I have only done the Nostromo ones, which actually do have a little story to them, namely it focuses on a deleted scenerio from Alien where they managed to flush the Alien out of the vents and into the airlock.
The other one is a recreation of Ripley's escape I believe.
I have only done the Nostromo ones, which actually do have a little story to them, namely it focuses on a deleted scenerio from Alien where they managed to flush the Alien out of the vents and into the airlock.
The other one is a recreation of Ripley's escape I believe.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 04, 2018, 11:01:30 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 04, 2018, 11:01:30 AM
Quote from: Wweyland on Sep 04, 2018, 09:16:44 AMNever played those although I loved the original game. Heard you just replay some levels from the original game without any story?
They're completely new levels, but there isn't a lot of story (other than playing as a character you come across in the main game trying to survive before Amanda arrives on Sevastopol). Gameplay-wise they're great though. Considerably more difficult than the main game and a good way to jump straight into the action without having to play through the entire campaign of the main game.
They also mix up the gameplay a little bit - there's a good one where virtually the entire level consists of you being stuck in some vents with a load of Facehuggers.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Nostromo on Sep 05, 2018, 04:03:48 AM
Post by: Nostromo on Sep 05, 2018, 04:03:48 AM
Kick ass storyline and perfect timeline. Wish this would have been selected as a movie trilogy, although prequels are always interesting..
Add the Defiance storyline as a tie in and wow.
Add the Defiance storyline as a tie in and wow.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 04:11:00 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 04:11:00 AM
Amanda Ripley being involved in Defiance was contrived, and Defiance unfortunately totally fell apart in the second half.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 05, 2018, 08:15:44 AM
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 05, 2018, 08:15:44 AM
Quote from: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 04:11:00 AMJust a cameo in the beginning would have been fine, but they started to mention her a lot and she was supposed to be the best friend on Zula, which was just too much.
Amanda Ripley being involved in Defiance was contrived, and Defiance unfortunately totally fell apart in the second half.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 05, 2018, 08:25:11 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 05, 2018, 08:25:11 AM
^ What they said.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 05, 2018, 09:13:23 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 05, 2018, 09:13:23 AM
It seems to be happening everywhere though, ever since Isolation and how successful it was, nearly every novel, audible or comic that came after has to reference something from it. Its not a bad thing and it has shown that Isolation has really made an impact but I think some references are better than others.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 09:24:28 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 09:24:28 AM
Referencing an interstellar hub, or a company/organisation is one thing-
Referencing a survivor of an unrecorded Alien infestation is another.
Referencing a survivor of an unrecorded Alien infestation is another.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 05, 2018, 09:46:04 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 05, 2018, 09:46:04 AM
It was supposed to be before Isolation, wasn't it?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 09:59:02 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 09:59:02 AM
I believe so.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 05, 2018, 10:18:12 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 05, 2018, 10:18:12 AM
From what I remember of that comic, Zula used to follow Amanda about on gateway or some other station I believe. So it was set before Isolation but I remember Isolation telling us that Amanda spent most of her time working in the area her mother disappeared. Gateway is right by earth which is no where near the Zeta Reticuli.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 05, 2018, 10:39:50 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 05, 2018, 10:39:50 AM
Quote from: Wweyland on Sep 05, 2018, 08:15:44 AMQuote from: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 04:11:00 AMJust a cameo in the beginning would have been fine, but they started to mention her a lot and she was supposed to be the best friend on Zula, which was just too much.
Amanda Ripley being involved in Defiance was contrived, and Defiance unfortunately totally fell apart in the second half.
Amanda was Zula's only friend - so therefore was best friend by default.
Defiance takes place entirely after Isolation (apart from the flashbacks).
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Nostromo on Sep 05, 2018, 12:31:04 PM
Post by: Nostromo on Sep 05, 2018, 12:31:04 PM
Quote from: Nostromo on Sep 05, 2018, 04:03:48 AM
Kick ass storyline and perfect timeline. Wish this would have been selected as a movie trilogy, although prequels are always interesting..
Add the Defiance storyline as a tie in and wow.
Quote from: The Old One on Sep 05, 2018, 04:11:00 AM
Amanda Ripley being involved in Defiance was contrived, and Defiance unfortunately totally fell apart in the second half.
You're right, when one mentions Defiance, they should also add an asterisk, with issues 1-6 and without the constant wasted space and chatter of Zula's health problems. Great locations and story though, in the first 6 issues.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Sep 05, 2018, 12:45:42 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Sep 05, 2018, 12:45:42 PM
If I remember, they were on Luna Station when they met?
I agree as others have said, reference the company, important lore bits of Isolation, but having Zula and Amanda be buds was a little silly.
I agree as others have said, reference the company, important lore bits of Isolation, but having Zula and Amanda be buds was a little silly.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 05, 2018, 01:07:41 PM
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 05, 2018, 01:07:41 PM
Ellen Ripley was born on Luna though, right? Makes sense for her daughter to also grow up there.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 05, 2018, 08:35:40 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 05, 2018, 08:35:40 PM
She just worked there. There's nothing to suggest she grew up there.
I liked how they linked Zula and Amanda. It gives the 'EU' a bit more cohesion between titles and media.
I liked how they linked Zula and Amanda. It gives the 'EU' a bit more cohesion between titles and media.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 01:09:05 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 01:09:05 AM
I think that a short random encounter with Amanda was silly. However, Zula could have been a great back-up character in an Amanda story. If the intent was to create a cohesive story tying the two characters together, then it would have worked. Otherwise, this was another element of Defiance that failed. It could have literally developed into a story from Zula's point of view as a back-up character and how she relates to Amanda's bigger story. I just don't like shoehorning...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 01:25:43 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 01:25:43 AM
They each have their own stories. Defiance is Zula's story; Isolation is Amanda's story. Why does the black woman have to be the "back-up character"?
And it wasn't a short random encounter - they became friends and she helped Amanda out on tech jobs while she was doing rehab at Luna.
And it wasn't a short random encounter - they became friends and she helped Amanda out on tech jobs while she was doing rehab at Luna.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 01:30:56 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 01:30:56 AM
I'd have been okay with it even just being a "random encounter". It visually helps establish a timeframe of when things are going in relation to other things. Cameos are cool and I'm okay with them. :)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 01:33:36 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 01:33:36 AM
It was a mistake.
Too ultimately coincidental that they would both encounter the Alien, separately.
It's contrived and I believe it was a misstep.
As was not having the entirety of Defiance under Tristan Jones.
Too ultimately coincidental that they would both encounter the Alien, separately.
It's contrived and I believe it was a misstep.
As was not having the entirety of Defiance under Tristan Jones.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 01:38:03 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 01:38:03 AM
Quote from: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 01:33:36 AM
It was a mistake.
Too ultimately coincidental that they would both encounter the Alien, separately.
It's contrived and I believe it was a misstep.
As was not having the entirety of Defiance under Tristan Jones.
Well they both would have encountered the Alien separately even if Amanda Ripley hadn't cameoed - 'Alien Isolation' came out before the comic, and the comic was always intended to be about Zula and since the word "Aliens" is in the title, the odds are pretty good that she'd encounter an Alien at some point. :P
Definitely agree on the second point, though.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 01:56:01 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 01:56:01 AM
Of course they encountered them separately, it's the fact they encountered them in two completely different instances;
Both miraculously the singular survivors of their own encounter with the same deadly Alien.
While also both having an unrelated personal relationship.
It's that which I believe is contrived and I do not buy it.
Both miraculously the singular survivors of their own encounter with the same deadly Alien.
While also both having an unrelated personal relationship.
It's that which I believe is contrived and I do not buy it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 02:04:36 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 02:04:36 AM
Quote from: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 01:56:01 AMWhat if Amanda's presence had just been a passing cameo?
Of course they encountered them separately, it's the fact they encountered them in two completely different instances;
Both miraculously the singular survivors of their own encounter with the same deadly Alien.
While also both having an unrelated personal relationship.
It's that which I believe is contrived and I do not buy it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 02:07:14 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 02:07:14 AM
I wouldn't find it as egregious but still dislike the inclusion.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: cloverfan98 on Sep 06, 2018, 03:17:37 AM
Post by: cloverfan98 on Sep 06, 2018, 03:17:37 AM
Hope its a sequel to the game as it sadly looks like we won't get a proper game sequel and the sequel bait ending of the first game was really annoying.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 03:28:15 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 06, 2018, 03:28:15 AM
I don't believe ambiguous = Sequel bait, especially with the way it ended.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 03:48:01 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 03:48:01 AM
She got picked up. Not really sequel bait.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 06, 2018, 09:26:56 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Sep 06, 2018, 09:26:56 AM
Yep, she see a lot pass over her face, clearly a ship has found her.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 10:58:15 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 10:58:15 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 01:25:43 AM
They each have their own stories. Defiance is Zula's story; Isolation is Amanda's story. Why does the black woman have to be the "back-up character"?
And it wasn't a short random encounter - they became friends and she helped Amanda out on tech jobs while she was doing rehab at Luna.
You had to go there. ::)
There were no racial undertones to what I was saying, but rather the fact that Ripley is a name that is established in the series as a central character. That is why she would be a main character if the series were to include both characters prominently.
The way it is, is contrived as most people say. Perhaps there were plans to give Ripley a greater central role? It seems that the story suffered from the same issue as the original Aliens: Colonial Marines series, whereby the series had a direction, and then held way through the ship sailed in a different direction leaving fans puzzled.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the novel, and hope that it features the story from the game but expands it significantly..
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 02:01:35 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 02:01:35 PM
What was puzzling about the direction if Defiance?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 02:31:51 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 02:31:51 PM
Zula and her team of Rogue robots were bravely leading a resistance to the military's quest for Alien acquisition. They dropped this mission on a dime and surrendered.
There was a build-up, and a promise of a grand resistance which anticlimactically gave up the ghost.
A good story features an arc for a character which starts on one value and progresses into another value. Effectively, Zula's story started up the arc, and came right back down without ever crossing the apex.
There was a build-up, and a promise of a grand resistance which anticlimactically gave up the ghost.
A good story features an arc for a character which starts on one value and progresses into another value. Effectively, Zula's story started up the arc, and came right back down without ever crossing the apex.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Ironb4lls on Sep 06, 2018, 03:35:03 PM
Post by: Ironb4lls on Sep 06, 2018, 03:35:03 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 01, 2018, 04:11:19 PM
An audio drama of a game where the primary objective is to stay as silent as possible...?
:P
It's funny when you put it that way. But think of it more as an audio drama of a game that won major awards for incredible sound design.
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Sep 01, 2018, 09:30:59 AM
No sequel please. Too many entries between Alien and Aliens is rather spoiling things IMO. Just flesh out the characters from the game more.
In actual fact is quite like to see the fall of Sevastopol in a bit more depth. Plenty of scope for sub plots with Ransome and the covert WY takeover.
This. I'd love to see a limited series on Netflix or Hulu or whatever, that's all about the people on the station. The series could open with the Anesidora's arrival at Sevastopol, which would be a great way to introduce the various conflicts between Waits, Marlow, Ransome, and Lingard. We'd get to know a family on the station - maybe it's that guy whose wife is named Claire, or maybe it's from the POV of the reporter, Julie Jones. The gradual collapse of civil order, the formation of factions, and the rapid deterioration of the relationships between crew members would make for interesting TV even without the presence of a murderous alien. The final few episodes' arc would cover the events from the game itself, culminating in the big finale, though hopefully a little more fleshed out.
Plus, it'd be fun to bring back William Hope as Waits, and maybe some of the other cast members.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 08:21:35 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 08:21:35 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 02:31:51 PM
Zula and her team of Rogue robots were bravely leading a resistance to the military's quest for Alien acquisition. They dropped this mission on a dime and surrendered.
There was a build-up, and a promise of a grand resistance which anticlimactically gave up the ghost.
A good story features an arc for a character which starts on one value and progresses into another value. Effectively, Zula's story started up the arc, and came right back down without ever crossing the apex.
One rogue robot.
They dropped the mission when Zula's pain became unmanageable and their ship was falling to bits.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 09:17:45 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 06, 2018, 09:17:45 PM
Quote from: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 08:21:35 PMYou can rationalize it in the plot, but it doesn't make it less of an anticlimax. It's not like these events randomly happened in a vacuum; the writer was in control every step of the way. He could have, you know, not made Zula's pain unbearable, or whatever.Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 06, 2018, 02:31:51 PM
Zula and her team of Rogue robots were bravely leading a resistance to the military's quest for Alien acquisition. They dropped this mission on a dime and surrendered.
There was a build-up, and a promise of a grand resistance which anticlimactically gave up the ghost.
A good story features an arc for a character which starts on one value and progresses into another value. Effectively, Zula's story started up the arc, and came right back down without ever crossing the apex.
One rogue robot.
They dropped the mission when Zula's pain became unmanageable and their ship was falling to bits.
Like, if the point of the second half of the series was to demonstrate the futility of defiance because something will always happen to derail it and make it fall flat, then uh, mission accomplished I guess? ???
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 07, 2018, 03:38:07 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 07, 2018, 03:38:07 AM
That about sums it up. Believe me, I wish it were otherwise, because the series starts off great and I was looking forward with anticipation to every issue, but, thud! It all fell flat on the end..
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 07, 2018, 03:48:06 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 07, 2018, 03:48:06 AM
Whether it's anticlimactic or not is a personal opinion, which is fair enough. I found Hollis' fate pretty unsatisfying, after the great stuff of her removing the Queen. But that was only really the last issue or two.
The story, however, wasn't puzzling. Zula lost this round, but the final panels indicated her fight wasn't over.
The story, however, wasn't puzzling. Zula lost this round, but the final panels indicated her fight wasn't over.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 07, 2018, 04:50:08 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 07, 2018, 04:50:08 AM
If the story is continued, in a spiritual successor or literally- I hope Tristan Jones is in charge.
& We never see something as bland as "the terrorists" ever again, what a wasted opportunity for something new and interesting aesthetically and conceptually.
& We never see something as bland as "the terrorists" ever again, what a wasted opportunity for something new and interesting aesthetically and conceptually.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 07, 2018, 09:23:03 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 07, 2018, 09:23:03 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 06, 2018, 08:21:35 PMThey dropped the mission when Zula's pain became unmanageable and their ship was falling to bits.
As Xenomrph said, they may have justified it, but that didn't stop it feeling any less like an abrupt u-turn in the story. I have no idea if it's actually the case, but it definitely felt to me like they suddenly changed plans - and binned off the ongoing story as a result.
The fact Extravehicular ended up having nothing to do with the main comic would seem to back that up.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 07, 2018, 09:46:03 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 07, 2018, 09:46:03 AM
Based on what I've read, I don't think that's the case.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 08, 2018, 07:13:26 PM
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 08, 2018, 07:13:26 PM
What's the deal with the Defiance Alien anyway? It's only ever on the covers, and never actually shown in the story, just the normal alien types.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Ultramorph on Sep 08, 2018, 07:36:12 PM
Post by: Ultramorph on Sep 08, 2018, 07:36:12 PM
The Defiance Praetorian appears in one of the early issues, #2 I believe, and it's implied it basically does eggmorphing.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 09, 2018, 10:57:03 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 09, 2018, 10:57:03 AM
Didn't Tristan get ordered to alter it? That's why it looked different between the print and digital editions.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Russ840 on Sep 09, 2018, 02:33:16 PM
Post by: Russ840 on Sep 09, 2018, 02:33:16 PM
Yeah. In extravehicular it was originally the Bog Chap and then he had to alter the design. It's seems that big chap was off the table due to Covenant.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 09, 2018, 03:45:28 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 09, 2018, 03:45:28 PM
How did Big Chap officially die? Floating in vacuum or burnt to a crisp with Narcissus rotors?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 09, 2018, 04:00:45 PM
Post by: gabgrave on Sep 09, 2018, 04:00:45 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 09, 2018, 10:57:03 AMSo basically the print edition has the D-Alien?
Didn't Tristan get ordered to alter it? That's why it looked different between the print and digital editions.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 09, 2018, 08:40:43 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 09, 2018, 08:40:43 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 09, 2018, 03:45:28 PM
How did Big Chap officially die? Floating in vacuum or burnt to a crisp with Narcissus rotors?
According to the script it exploded as it floated away.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 10, 2018, 08:11:32 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 10, 2018, 08:11:32 AM
Quote from: gabgrave on Sep 09, 2018, 04:00:45 PMSo basically the print edition has the D-Alien?
It's been so long since I read it, I honestly can't remember. All I know is they altered the design for the digital edition, while the print edition had the original version (presumably because it was too late to modify the physical copies).
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 11, 2018, 01:10:05 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Sep 11, 2018, 01:10:05 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 09, 2018, 08:40:43 PMQuote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 09, 2018, 03:45:28 PM
How did Big Chap officially die? Floating in vacuum or burnt to a crisp with Narcissus rotors?
According to the script it exploded as it floated away.
I know it's OT, but canon is the film that hits the theatres right? So which version was that?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 11, 2018, 01:47:34 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 11, 2018, 01:47:34 AM
In the final shooting script Ripley blasts the Alien out of the wall with the flamethrower, it advances on her through the flames, Ripley opens the hatch and it's shot into space - but moving at the same speed as the shuttle just behind it. She fires the thrusters and the Alien is "incinerated".
Despite the differences between the above (October 1978) and an earlier draft (June 1978 - below) and the final film, it's safe to say the people making the film wanted the Alien to be dead. The final film can be interpreted as the Alien being dead or simply neutralised as a threat to Ripley.
********
EXT. OUTER SPACE
The burned mass of the Alien drifts slowly away.
Writhing, smoking.
Tumbling into the distance.
Pieces dropping off.
The shape bloats, then bursts.
Spray of particles in all directions.
Then smoldering fragments dwindle into infinity.
Despite the differences between the above (October 1978) and an earlier draft (June 1978 - below) and the final film, it's safe to say the people making the film wanted the Alien to be dead. The final film can be interpreted as the Alien being dead or simply neutralised as a threat to Ripley.
********
EXT. OUTER SPACE
The burned mass of the Alien drifts slowly away.
Writhing, smoking.
Tumbling into the distance.
Pieces dropping off.
The shape bloats, then bursts.
Spray of particles in all directions.
Then smoldering fragments dwindle into infinity.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 11, 2018, 08:19:52 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 11, 2018, 08:19:52 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Sep 11, 2018, 01:10:05 AMI know it's OT, but canon is the film that hits the theatres right? So which version was that?
By all accounts, they fully intended to show the Alien exploding, it's just by the time they came to film the coda aboard the shuttle they were so critically short of funds they simply couldn't afford to do it.
Not saying that clears up what is canon and what isn't, but it least explains why the ending might come across as more ambiguous than intended (although I personally never thought it survived anyway).
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HybridNewborn on Sep 18, 2018, 03:54:07 AM
Post by: HybridNewborn on Sep 18, 2018, 03:54:07 AM
I know I want dramatizations of Cold Forge and Bug Hunt (pick the ten best stories and do an episode for each of em), but by god I hope they dramatize Isolation as well.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 18, 2018, 04:26:44 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Sep 18, 2018, 04:26:44 AM
Quote from: HybridNewborn on Sep 18, 2018, 03:54:07 AMOne could argue that they already have dramatized Isolation, and it's the videogame 'Alien: Isolation'. :P
I know I want dramatizations of Cold Forge and Bug Hunt (pick the ten best stories and do an episode for each of em), but by god I hope they dramatize Isolation as well.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HybridNewborn on Sep 18, 2018, 04:27:32 AM
Post by: HybridNewborn on Sep 18, 2018, 04:27:32 AM
Oh you know what I mean :P
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Sep 21, 2018, 01:30:55 AM
Post by: felix on Sep 21, 2018, 01:30:55 AM
Any official notice on when the Isolation novelization will be released?
No listing on amazon so far.
No listing on amazon so far.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 21, 2018, 01:34:40 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 21, 2018, 01:34:40 AM
January.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Huggs on Sep 21, 2018, 03:29:25 AM
Post by: Huggs on Sep 21, 2018, 03:29:25 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 21, 2018, 01:34:40 AM
January.
Excellent. I'm really interested to see where they go with this. Particularly in relation to the events before the arrival of Amanda, and some more information about what Waits, Samuels and Axel.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 21, 2018, 04:19:54 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 21, 2018, 04:19:54 AM
I think perhaps go have another look at Keith's tweet.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: cloverfan98 on Sep 22, 2018, 08:34:42 PM
Post by: cloverfan98 on Sep 22, 2018, 08:34:42 PM
I apologize if this has been answered before but I'm a bit out of the loop with the current EU. Whats the deal with Amanda's appearance in Aliens Defiance? Was that before or after the events of Isolation? Where they trying to bring Amanda into more of the comics?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 22, 2018, 09:15:22 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 22, 2018, 09:15:22 PM
Zula met Amanda on Luna some time before Isolation while the former was doing rehab. She followed Amanda around on engineering job to pass the time. It was done to link the different series.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Sep 26, 2018, 03:54:22 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Sep 26, 2018, 03:54:22 AM
I sort of hope that it's a sequel to Alien Isolation but I also wouldn't mind a novelization that goes into further detail about some things going on behind the scenes.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 26, 2018, 11:43:40 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 26, 2018, 11:43:40 AM
This novel is not a sequel.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HybridNewborn on Sep 26, 2018, 02:25:16 PM
Post by: HybridNewborn on Sep 26, 2018, 02:25:16 PM
I hope they get Andrea Deck to read the audiobook
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Sep 27, 2018, 05:05:45 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Sep 27, 2018, 05:05:45 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 26, 2018, 11:43:40 AM
This novel is not a sequel.
Isn't it still unknown whether its an adaptation or sequel?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 06:56:06 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 06:56:06 AM
I can tell you it's not a sequel.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Sep 27, 2018, 06:58:16 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Sep 27, 2018, 06:58:16 AM
Good to know. Can you tell me how you know this?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 07:14:05 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 07:14:05 AM
Read the treatment a few months back.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2018, 07:57:42 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2018, 07:57:42 AM
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/aliens/dvdcaptures/dvdcapture096.jpg)
"He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw an alien once."
"He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw an alien once."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 08:32:22 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 08:32:22 AM
:laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 08:35:19 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 08:35:19 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2018, 07:57:42 AM
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/aliens/dvdcaptures/dvdcapture096.jpg
"He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw an alien once."
You will address me as SNOW WHITE!!!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 08:44:59 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 08:44:59 AM
If it's not a sequel, that leads me back to my initial thought that it might be a concurrent story set on Sevastopol. That would seem to fit with the author's comment that it's only "partly" an adaptation of the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2018, 08:45:53 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2018, 08:45:53 AM
Quote from: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 08:35:19 AMQuote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 27, 2018, 07:57:42 AM
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/aliens/dvdcaptures/dvdcapture096.jpg
"He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw an alien once."
You will address me as SNOW WHITE!!!
SM no longer! Now SW.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 08:50:04 AM
Post by: SM on Sep 27, 2018, 08:50:04 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 08:44:59 AM
If it's not a sequel, that leads me back to my initial thought that it might be a concurrent story set on Sevastopol. That would seem to fit with the author's comment that it's only "partly" an adaptation of the game.
He also said Amanda vs Xenomorphs.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 10:34:49 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 27, 2018, 10:34:49 AM
Did he? I missed that bit. That's interesting.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Sep 27, 2018, 10:40:42 AM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 27, 2018, 10:40:42 AM
Isolation expansion pack.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 11:15:14 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 11:15:14 AM
According to DeCandido, "it will be about 2/3 an adaptation of the game, 1/3 Ripley family backstory."
From his Twitter (http://1045713106482212864).
From his Twitter (http://1045713106482212864).
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 03, 2018, 11:37:56 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 03, 2018, 11:37:56 AM
That's cool. Ellen Ripley obviously knew the crew of the Nostromo beforehand, so maybe we'll get to see them hanging out before their fateful journey.. of course some Ripley family intrigue will be a fun read...
All this retroactive novelization gives me hope we will get a good Prometheus novel with fully expanded background, along with Shew's journey to the Engineer homeworld.
All this retroactive novelization gives me hope we will get a good Prometheus novel with fully expanded background, along with Shew's journey to the Engineer homeworld.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Oct 03, 2018, 11:57:33 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Oct 03, 2018, 11:57:33 AM
Sounds like we'll get some scenes of young Amanda and motherly Ellen.
A story following David and Shaw post-Prometheus is NEEDED.
A story following David and Shaw post-Prometheus is NEEDED.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 12:00:04 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 12:00:04 PM
I hope DeCandido has remembered Ripley's husband's name was supposed to be Alex
And that Amanda's middle name is supposed to be Tei :P
And that Amanda's middle name is supposed to be Tei :P
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 03, 2018, 12:57:07 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 03, 2018, 12:57:07 PM
Yes, it would be great if they remembered details like that and validated the odd bits of existing lore..
I would love to see a last supper scene with the nostromo crew right after Ripley bids farewell to Amanda...
I would love to see a last supper scene with the nostromo crew right after Ripley bids farewell to Amanda...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 03:34:58 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 03:34:58 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 12:00:04 PMWhere are those details from? The supplemental crew manifest stuff from 'Alien'/'Aliens'?
I hope DeCandido has remembered Ripley's husband's name was supposed to be Alex
And that Amanda's middle name is supposed to be Tei :P
Also did Isolation (the game) get those wrong?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 03, 2018, 04:22:48 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 03, 2018, 04:22:48 PM
If It did, i don't want to know.. :)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 06:39:27 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 06:39:27 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 03:34:58 PMWhere are those details from? The supplemental crew manifest stuff from 'Alien'/'Aliens'?
Also did Isolation (the game) get those wrong?
Her father's name is from Out of the Shadows. Tei comes from the novel adaption of Female War.
I don't recall either being contradicted by the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Oct 03, 2018, 08:11:58 PM
Post by: SM on Oct 03, 2018, 08:11:58 PM
Yes to the former. The latter hasn't come up.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 08:14:32 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 08:14:32 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 06:39:27 PMEasy handwave on the father's name being contradicted: first name + middle name.Quote from: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 03:34:58 PMWhere are those details from? The supplemental crew manifest stuff from 'Alien'/'Aliens'?
Also did Isolation (the game) get those wrong?
Her father's name is from Out of the Shadows. Tei comes from the novel adaption of Female War.
I don't recall either being contradicted by the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 04, 2018, 07:31:11 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 04, 2018, 07:31:11 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Oct 03, 2018, 06:39:27 PMQuote from: Xenomrph on Oct 03, 2018, 03:34:58 PMWhere are those details from? The supplemental crew manifest stuff from 'Alien'/'Aliens'?
Also did Isolation (the game) get those wrong?
Her father's name is from Out of the Shadows. Tei comes from the novel adaption of Female War.
I don't recall either being contradicted by the game.
If I remember rightly didn't Female War also say she was a test tube baby and Ripley had no husband?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Oct 04, 2018, 07:42:20 AM
Post by: SM on Oct 04, 2018, 07:42:20 AM
Original Sin said Amanda was a journo, which has about the same amount of merit.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 04, 2018, 07:45:03 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 04, 2018, 07:45:03 AM
That pesky EU. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Oct 04, 2018, 07:49:44 AM
Post by: The Old One on Oct 04, 2018, 07:49:44 AM
I don't know about the rest y'all but I picture test-tube human babies in Alien. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 04, 2018, 01:23:44 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 04, 2018, 01:23:44 PM
General Spears in Verheiden / Beauvais Aliens comics was a vat-grown baby and this featured significantly as a part of his pathos. It is a very appropriate element for the Aliens series. It is almost a polar opposite of what the Aliens do in their birthing process. Whereas the aliens are an excess of sharing the body for new life, the vat-grown people are a complete absence of body sharing.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 04, 2018, 02:35:54 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Oct 04, 2018, 02:35:54 PM
Quote from: SM on Oct 04, 2018, 07:42:20 AMHey people change careers, it's very common in fact. :P
Original Sin said Amanda was a journo, which has about the same amount of merit.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Oct 04, 2018, 03:10:02 PM
Post by: The Old One on Oct 04, 2018, 03:10:02 PM
Nonsense, the total polar opposite of the realism that Alien 1979 presents.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 04, 2018, 04:07:03 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Oct 04, 2018, 04:07:03 PM
How do you mean?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Oct 04, 2018, 04:21:35 PM
Post by: The Old One on Oct 04, 2018, 04:21:35 PM
Sci-Fi as far away from '60's concept of science fiction as achievable, down to Earth and authentic- Much of the EU is not.
Possible ≠ Correct story decision. IMO
Possible ≠ Correct story decision. IMO
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Dec 11, 2018, 01:30:11 AM
Post by: felix on Dec 11, 2018, 01:30:11 AM
Release date shifted to July 30th 2019.
https://bnccatalist.ca/ViewTitle.aspx?id=17384685
https://bnccatalist.ca/ViewTitle.aspx?id=17384685
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Dec 11, 2018, 08:14:54 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Dec 11, 2018, 08:14:54 AM
Balls. :-\ That really sucks.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: bobby brown on Dec 11, 2018, 08:25:43 AM
Post by: bobby brown on Dec 11, 2018, 08:25:43 AM
I don't know about you guys, but I always envisioned Ripley as a bit of an absent mother, Perhaps She had Amanda when she was quite young and didn't have the time to fully develop her maternal instincts. This gives her character some dimensions and it strengthens her arch in ALIENS when she redeems herself with newt.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 11, 2018, 09:05:08 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 11, 2018, 09:05:08 AM
Quote from: felix on Dec 11, 2018, 01:30:11 AMRelease date shifted to July 30th 2019.
https://bnccatalist.ca/ViewTitle.aspx?id=17384685
I hope they're not messing with it like they did the novelisation of The Predator. I'm curious what could cause such a lengthy delay.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Dec 11, 2018, 09:29:43 AM
Post by: SM on Dec 11, 2018, 09:29:43 AM
How did they mess with The Predator novelisation?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 11, 2018, 09:47:54 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Dec 11, 2018, 09:47:54 AM
Having another author completely rework it to remove and replace the original final act.
Is that why people thought it was such a dull read? Impossible to say without seeing the original version. But I can't imagine suddenly getting someone else take over and significantly rewrite an entire act at the last minute did it any favours.
Is that why people thought it was such a dull read? Impossible to say without seeing the original version. But I can't imagine suddenly getting someone else take over and significantly rewrite an entire act at the last minute did it any favours.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Dec 11, 2018, 09:51:26 AM
Post by: SM on Dec 11, 2018, 09:51:26 AM
Ah. Well to the best of my knowledge, that's not what happened here.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HybridNewborn on Dec 27, 2018, 08:16:45 PM
Post by: HybridNewborn on Dec 27, 2018, 08:16:45 PM
There been any news on this?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Dec 27, 2018, 09:29:04 PM
Post by: SM on Dec 27, 2018, 09:29:04 PM
Other than the release being pushed back, no.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Dec 27, 2018, 09:59:25 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Dec 27, 2018, 09:59:25 PM
I'm guessing they pushed this back to space out releases considering Vol 7 of the Omnibus' just dropped a few days ago. (I got my copy!)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Dec 27, 2018, 10:57:10 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Dec 27, 2018, 10:57:10 PM
Really looking forward to this..
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Dec 28, 2018, 01:42:35 AM
Post by: SM on Dec 28, 2018, 01:42:35 AM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Dec 27, 2018, 09:59:25 PM
I'm guessing they pushed this back to space out releases considering Vol 7 of the Omnibus' just dropped a few days ago. (I got my copy!)
I don't believe so. It was scheduled for Jan 2019 for some time.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Jan 08, 2019, 12:43:44 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Jan 08, 2019, 12:43:44 PM
Do we still think this is going to be a novelisation of Isolation with some added backstory or something else with all this Amanda hype going down?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Ultramorph on Jan 08, 2019, 02:50:19 PM
Post by: Ultramorph on Jan 08, 2019, 02:50:19 PM
As I understand it it's partly adaptation of Isolation and partly Ripley family chronicle.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jan 08, 2019, 09:27:36 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jan 08, 2019, 09:27:36 PM
Anybody have a cover image yet?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Jan 29, 2019, 01:07:45 AM
Post by: felix on Jan 29, 2019, 01:07:45 AM
Synopsis is at up at BNC.
"The action-packed official adaptation of Alien: Isolation and a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.
The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hellbent to discover what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She joins a Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, only to find space station Sevastopol in chaos with a Xenomorph aboard. Flashbacks reveal Amanda's history and events that forced her mother to take the assignment aboard the Nostromo."
"The action-packed official adaptation of Alien: Isolation and a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.
The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hellbent to discover what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She joins a Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, only to find space station Sevastopol in chaos with a Xenomorph aboard. Flashbacks reveal Amanda's history and events that forced her mother to take the assignment aboard the Nostromo."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Jan 29, 2019, 01:25:40 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jan 29, 2019, 01:25:40 AM
Sounds like it could be interesting, maybe it'll give Amanda Ripley's character some much needed depth.
I just home the home-life struggles aren't too cliche.
I just home the home-life struggles aren't too cliche.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jan 29, 2019, 02:19:16 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jan 29, 2019, 02:19:16 AM
Quote from: felix on Jan 29, 2019, 01:07:45 AM
Synopsis is at up at BNC.
"The action-packed official adaptation of Alien: Isolation and a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.
The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hellbent to discover what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She joins a Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, only to find space station Sevastopol in chaos with a Xenomorph aboard. Flashbacks reveal Amanda's history and events that forced her mother to take the assignment aboard the Nostromo."
This sounds really cool. Can't wait!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Jan 29, 2019, 03:24:08 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jan 29, 2019, 03:24:08 AM
Birthday Present incoming!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 29, 2019, 09:44:59 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jan 29, 2019, 09:44:59 AM
I'm excited for this, but like Old One I'm hoping the history stuff isn't trite.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jan 30, 2019, 02:05:59 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jan 30, 2019, 02:05:59 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 29, 2019, 09:44:59 AM
I'm excited for this, but like Old One I'm hoping the history stuff isn't trite.
Can't argue with that
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Mar 05, 2019, 05:10:16 AM
Post by: felix on Mar 05, 2019, 05:10:16 AM
No mention of this on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Is it still slated for release?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 05, 2019, 06:44:44 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 05, 2019, 06:44:44 PM
Curious indeed.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 09, 2019, 12:59:14 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 09, 2019, 12:59:14 PM
Courtesy of Xenopedia editor Kingsman28:
Zula Hendricks will appear in the novel! (https://twitter.com/KRADeC/status/1104132515823013888)
Zula Hendricks will appear in the novel! (https://twitter.com/KRADeC/status/1104132515823013888)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 09, 2019, 01:36:18 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 09, 2019, 01:36:18 PM
(https://y.yarn.co/27b1d87d-31b8-4f51-aae5-9f6f0e0feb86_text_hi.gif)
Right...
Right...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 09, 2019, 04:42:36 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 09, 2019, 04:42:36 PM
Well they were friends on Luna before the events of Isolation and Defiance...
I'm keen to get some added in-depth characterisation and to see how their lives were playing out before their Xenomorph encounters.
Also surely the cover gets unveiled soon.
I'm keen to get some added in-depth characterisation and to see how their lives were playing out before their Xenomorph encounters.
Also surely the cover gets unveiled soon.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 09, 2019, 04:51:31 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 09, 2019, 04:51:31 PM
Sweet. I do love Zula and with them together in Resistance at the minute, it'll be nice to get more of their history together.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 09, 2019, 05:27:08 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 09, 2019, 05:27:08 PM
2137-2179 is a busy time period.
Isolation, Blackout, Defiance, Resistance, Rescue, Out of the Shadows, River of Pain, Aliens, and Alien 3.
Sweet mercy!
Isolation, Blackout, Defiance, Resistance, Rescue, Out of the Shadows, River of Pain, Aliens, and Alien 3.
Sweet mercy!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:42:52 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:42:52 PM
Quote from: Frosty Venom on Mar 09, 2019, 05:27:08 PM
2137-2179 is a busy time period.
Isolation, Blackout, Defiance, Resistance, Rescue, Out of the Shadows, River of Pain, Aliens, and Alien 3.
Sweet mercy!
Out of the Shadows has been decanonised due to Davi creating the aliens but I see your point.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 10, 2019, 12:44:32 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 10, 2019, 12:44:32 PM
He created the Planet 4 Xenomorphs at least... But lets not get into that.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:49:53 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:49:53 PM
It's also a great fun read but a ridiculous premise.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 12:51:40 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 12:51:40 PM
Ridiculous, indeed. Tim Lebbon's, Christopher Golden and James A Moore's Alien novels.
&
The Amanda Ripley Chronicles... stretches the Alien universe's verisimilitude.
&
The Amanda Ripley Chronicles... stretches the Alien universe's verisimilitude.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 01:53:49 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 01:53:49 PM
Oh come on! Mandy's just looking for her mom!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 10, 2019, 02:04:52 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 10, 2019, 02:04:52 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:42:52 PMOut of the Shadows has been decanonised due to Davi creating the aliens but I see your point.
Out of the Shadows was decanonised before it even began by the fact you can see Ripley's harpoon gun still wedged under the Narcissus door at the start of Aliens :P
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 02:09:46 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 02:09:46 PM
Indeed and regarding Amanda Ripley:
"Alien's about blue collar
working Joes, most of which-
if their mother disappeared
in the vast expanse of space
would grieve and then move on.
Guess we're lucky that
Amanda Ripley's the Hollywood perseverance archetype."
"All entries in the series that have forced the inclusion of something/someone Ripley have suffered from it.
Isolation's a fluke, that succeeded because Amanda Ripley had no character- we filled her shoes.
So when she was saying goodbye to Ellen Ripley for the last time, so were we.
& Amanda Ripley's purpose is fulfilled narratively and thematically with that conclusion."
"Alien's about blue collar
working Joes, most of which-
if their mother disappeared
in the vast expanse of space
would grieve and then move on.
Guess we're lucky that
Amanda Ripley's the Hollywood perseverance archetype."
"All entries in the series that have forced the inclusion of something/someone Ripley have suffered from it.
Isolation's a fluke, that succeeded because Amanda Ripley had no character- we filled her shoes.
So when she was saying goodbye to Ellen Ripley for the last time, so were we.
& Amanda Ripley's purpose is fulfilled narratively and thematically with that conclusion."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 10, 2019, 11:13:59 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 10, 2019, 11:13:59 PM
::) it's a fictional universe... CHILL! But in regards to your points, modern day truckers make $100k a year so now imagine how much more a space trucker would make! They would most likely NOT be poor "working joes" ("working joes" I'd imagine would be stuck earthside making much less). As for Amanda Ripley's purpose, well once she found out the truth about her mother she'd be essentially purposeless; naturally that leads people to seek out a new purpose. All the better if that new purpose includes something ALIEN related.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 11:37:00 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 11:37:00 PM
Yeah, ignore Alien's intention and the entire series text and subtext lol.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/alien-40-ridley-scott-sigourney-weaver
Character's stories finish and a believable fiction's the result.
Alien's a realistic fiction masterpiece, the Amanda Ripley adventures idea is unrealistic.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/alien-40-ridley-scott-sigourney-weaver
Character's stories finish and a believable fiction's the result.
Alien's a realistic fiction masterpiece, the Amanda Ripley adventures idea is unrealistic.
Quote from: The Old One on Feb 22, 2019, 02:40:00 AM
No, but records could've been falsified by the "Special Order" cabal. We don't really know how her story ends, that's not what worries me about utilizing Amanda Ripley. It's artfully finishing a story set between Alien and Aliens, which doesn't make the latter seem absurd that worries me, or seem absurd in of itself.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 10, 2019, 11:47:41 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 10, 2019, 11:47:41 PM
I'm not ignoring anything except your opinions.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 11:56:24 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 10, 2019, 11:56:24 PM
Aggression? *Shrugs*
Apologies.
E.G
Amanda Ripley and Zula Hendricks together, believable?
After encountering the Alien? Yes.
Before encountering the Alien? No.
Apologies.
E.G
Amanda Ripley and Zula Hendricks together, believable?
After encountering the Alien? Yes.
Before encountering the Alien? No.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 11, 2019, 12:42:03 AM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 11, 2019, 12:42:03 AM
Ha whatever makes you feel better.
Back to the topic, Keith R.A. Decandido mentioned a few days ago on Twitter that he was "going over the remaining notes of Alien Isolation" which leads me to believe that the novel is still going through edits/rewrites. Probably explains why we don't have a concrete release date yet.
Back to the topic, Keith R.A. Decandido mentioned a few days ago on Twitter that he was "going over the remaining notes of Alien Isolation" which leads me to believe that the novel is still going through edits/rewrites. Probably explains why we don't have a concrete release date yet.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 11, 2019, 12:44:55 AM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 11, 2019, 12:44:55 AM
No recognition of the January release though.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 11, 2019, 01:16:38 AM
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 11, 2019, 01:16:38 AM
Maybe due to the below expectations reception of the other Amanda related material, they decided to take more time into this one. I prefer him to take as much time as he needs as long as it provides a better novel on the end.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 11, 2019, 03:57:11 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 11, 2019, 03:57:11 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Mar 10, 2019, 02:04:52 PMQuote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:42:52 PMOut of the Shadows has been decanonised due to Davi creating the aliens but I see your point.
Out of the Shadows was decanonised before it even began by the fact you can see Ripley's harpoon gun still wedged under the Narcissus door at the start of Aliens :P
Only a few hard core geeks caught that. It wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. After wiping her memory (which itself was juvenile) I'm sure the nice people that put her to bed would put the harpoon back where it belongs so afipley doesn't get freaked out when she wakes up.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 11, 2019, 08:58:53 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 11, 2019, 08:58:53 AM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Mar 11, 2019, 12:42:03 AM
Ha whatever makes you feel better.
Let's take a step back there. Some dismissive attitudes in play here.
Quote from: Samhain13 on Mar 11, 2019, 01:16:38 AM
Maybe due to the below expectations reception of the other Amanda related material, they decided to take more time into this one. I prefer him to take as much time as he needs as long as it provides a better novel on the end.
For sure. I'll happily wait if it's a better product. I'm still looking forward to seeing more of Zula and Amanda's relationship prior to any Alien involvement though.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Mar 10, 2019, 02:04:52 PMQuote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 10, 2019, 12:42:52 PMOut of the Shadows has been decanonised due to Davi creating the aliens but I see your point.
Out of the Shadows was decanonised before it even began by the fact you can see Ripley's harpoon gun still wedged under the Narcissus door at the start of Aliens :P
Ha, one of those things is a little more significant. :P As SM usually says, those books are far better than they have any right to be. Aside from the silly Fox mandated inclusions, those were some solid books.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 11, 2019, 11:20:00 AM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 11, 2019, 11:20:00 AM
One good book IMO
The first. (Enormous contrivance, though.)
The rest mediocre/bad.
Agreed regarding a superior novel.
"Coming- when it's ready."
The first. (Enormous contrivance, though.)
The rest mediocre/bad.
Agreed regarding a superior novel.
"Coming- when it's ready."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 11, 2019, 01:16:17 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Mar 11, 2019, 01:16:17 PM
My apologies for my dismissive remarks. Lesson learned: alcohol and forums don't mix.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 11, 2019, 01:21:44 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 11, 2019, 01:21:44 PM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Mar 11, 2019, 01:16:17 PMLesson learned: alcohol and forums don't mix.
Unless you go here (https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=43058.0) :P
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 11, 2019, 05:39:25 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 11, 2019, 05:39:25 PM
I've been really happy with the novels since Titan started publishing them. The Fox mandates were a bad idea and some of Bug Hunt was ridiculous, though I still had good fun with about half of those stories. I really don't care for Zula and her spending more time with Amanda, but if it's not gonna be the focus of the story, I wont have any problem with that.
I'd also rather wait for a good novel for as long as it takes. No rush. A well written narrative is always a great thing for the Alien EU.
I'd also rather wait for a good novel for as long as it takes. No rush. A well written narrative is always a great thing for the Alien EU.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Hudson on Mar 11, 2019, 05:55:51 PM
Post by: Hudson on Mar 11, 2019, 05:55:51 PM
Quote from: Still Collating... on Mar 11, 2019, 05:39:25 PM
I've been really happy with the novels since Titan started publishing them. The Fox mandates were a bad idea and some of Bug Hunt was ridiculous, though I still had good fun with about half of those stories. I really don't care for Zula and her spending more time with Amanda, but if it's not gonna be the focus of the story, I wont have any problem with that.
I'd also rather wait for a good novel for as long as it takes. No rush. A well written narrative is always a great thing for the Alien EU.
Yeah, but the longer in between novels doesn't mean they're giving more time for the writer to create something good and polished. It just means they're waiting for a project they like, then they choose a writer and give them three months to make it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 11, 2019, 06:14:24 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 11, 2019, 06:14:24 PM
A unfortunate truth.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 11, 2019, 06:17:06 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 11, 2019, 06:17:06 PM
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b0/79/3f/b0793f03f414af87d379ba0d74b3e16a.gif)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 11, 2019, 08:10:18 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 11, 2019, 08:10:18 PM
I vote for letting artists and scribes take the time needed to create their opus.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Mar 11, 2019, 10:30:21 PM
Post by: SM on Mar 11, 2019, 10:30:21 PM
You can't not have deadlines.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SiL on Mar 11, 2019, 10:38:22 PM
Post by: SiL on Mar 11, 2019, 10:38:22 PM
But people love how long it's taking George RR Martin to finish the Game of Thrones books!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 12, 2019, 12:42:36 AM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 12, 2019, 12:42:36 AM
Perhaps a equilibrium? No?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Local Trouble on Mar 12, 2019, 01:01:35 AM
Post by: Local Trouble on Mar 12, 2019, 01:01:35 AM
A good editor makes all the difference.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 03:36:10 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 03:36:10 AM
Quote from: SM on Mar 11, 2019, 10:30:21 PM
You can't not have deadlines.
Set yourself free brother!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 12, 2019, 03:50:08 AM
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 12, 2019, 03:50:08 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 03:36:10 AMQuote from: SM on Mar 11, 2019, 10:30:21 PM
You can't not have deadlines.
Set yourself free brother!
(https://y.yarn.co/0a69a2cc-d365-41ee-a16b-27cbb671a0c2_text_hi.gif)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 03:54:51 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 03:54:51 AM
Who wants to bet the cover art will be re-used promotional art for the game?
I wouldn't be so mad but I would rather some original work.
I wouldn't be so mad but I would rather some original work.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 12, 2019, 04:02:00 AM
Post by: Samhain13 on Mar 12, 2019, 04:02:00 AM
The series have a bad history in regards to covers. They already used the mcfarlane action figures for that, altered photos from avp movies and their bad creatures design, promotional art for ACM, reused the AVPR alien and Wolf on covers enough times to give me ptsd. Oh my.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 12, 2019, 09:05:12 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 12, 2019, 09:05:12 AM
As much as I will defend Titan's novels, I have to say, reusing Isolation's promo artwork would probably make it the best of the covers so far.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 12, 2019, 09:12:57 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 12, 2019, 09:12:57 AM
Yeah, it's a real shame they don't bother with original cover art. Just look at the old Bantam or DH Press novels and they're so much more attractive. They've got covers that actually make you want to pick them up.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 11:56:31 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 11:56:31 AM
I agree. I used to love picking up old Star Trek NG novels a few decades ago because of the beautifully illustrated covers. Don't underestimate the value of the artwork. It means a lot.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 02:17:57 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 02:17:57 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 12, 2019, 09:05:12 AM
As much as I will defend Titan's novels, I have to say, reusing Isolation's promo artwork would probably make it the best of the covers so far.
You're not wrong.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 03:26:03 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 03:26:03 PM
Quote from: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 02:17:57 PMQuote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 12, 2019, 09:05:12 AM
As much as I will defend Titan's novels, I have to say, reusing Isolation's promo artwork would probably make it the best of the covers so far.
You're not wrong.
I predict that "You're not wrong" will be the phrase of the year. The ultimate back-handed compliment. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Mar 12, 2019, 03:29:58 PM
Post by: The Old One on Mar 12, 2019, 03:29:58 PM
You're not wrong.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 12, 2019, 03:36:23 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 12, 2019, 03:36:23 PM
(https://media.giphy.com/media/g3urShdMPdvwY/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: 426Buddy on Mar 12, 2019, 03:50:00 PM
Post by: 426Buddy on Mar 12, 2019, 03:50:00 PM
I really really really hate whats happened to the cover art for these novels. I wish they would go back to original art like they did with the bantam novels.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 03:50:30 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 12, 2019, 03:50:30 PM
(https://media.giphy.com/media/MOfCHryBw2LRu/giphy.gif)
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/1740f3825d6d03ad4e8707a03e6a581e/tenor.gif?itemid=10746852)
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/1740f3825d6d03ad4e8707a03e6a581e/tenor.gif?itemid=10746852)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 04:25:35 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 04:25:35 PM
I think its cute how the Terminator's toes curl up as he lifts a guy in a very mean way.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 12, 2019, 08:26:59 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 12, 2019, 08:26:59 PM
As long as the artwork isn't reused low res A:CM aliens. Not again, please no. I really miss the original artwork for the novels.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Mar 12, 2019, 09:10:53 PM
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Mar 12, 2019, 09:10:53 PM
I'll bet it's a Stompy screenshot.
Not even joking.
Not even joking.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 09:25:22 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 12, 2019, 09:25:22 PM
...to give it that in-game feel...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 13, 2019, 09:43:26 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 13, 2019, 09:43:26 AM
At least an in-game screenshot would actually make a modicum of sense on this novel :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 13, 2019, 12:12:34 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 13, 2019, 12:12:34 PM
You're not wrong.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 13, 2019, 01:11:26 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 13, 2019, 01:11:26 PM
I'll take a Stompy screenshot gladly.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 16, 2019, 07:44:01 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 16, 2019, 07:44:01 AM
One of these would do fine.
(https://scontent.fper6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/53155189_260683364867655_1448734151598407680_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent.fper6-1.fna&oh=d14f4bb588a3ebef79bc813d7d923272&oe=5D078FDF)
(https://scontent.fper6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/s2048x2048/54415303_377423733101548_1968234497866465280_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent.fper6-1.fna&oh=f248df59e3d473e85978eb14c61c6947&oe=5D1E1A35)
(https://scontent.fper6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/54416682_2290927707618799_3568698909045817344_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_ht=scontent.fper6-1.fna&oh=ad4dc63078273932d692b3588126991d&oe=5D033020)
(https://scontent.fper6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/53155189_260683364867655_1448734151598407680_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent.fper6-1.fna&oh=d14f4bb588a3ebef79bc813d7d923272&oe=5D078FDF)
(https://scontent.fper6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/s2048x2048/54415303_377423733101548_1968234497866465280_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent.fper6-1.fna&oh=f248df59e3d473e85978eb14c61c6947&oe=5D1E1A35)
(https://scontent.fper6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/54416682_2290927707618799_3568698909045817344_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_ht=scontent.fper6-1.fna&oh=ad4dc63078273932d692b3588126991d&oe=5D033020)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 16, 2019, 09:38:18 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 16, 2019, 09:38:18 AM
At this point I'd put money on them using one of those green-tinged promo shots.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 16, 2019, 02:39:14 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 16, 2019, 02:39:14 PM
That does make the most sense but come on Titan, the ingame screenshots are so much better. Surprise us... ;)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 16, 2019, 04:11:23 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Mar 16, 2019, 04:11:23 PM
I'm ok with them making a cover that conveys the vibe of the game cover. If it helps people to connect with the game, that is a good thing, especially if it will introduce new players to this modern classic.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 17, 2019, 10:14:47 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 17, 2019, 10:14:47 AM
I wonder if this will include anything from the Digital Series or Blackout.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 17, 2019, 10:59:48 AM
Post by: Still Collating... on Mar 17, 2019, 10:59:48 AM
Don't need it, but I wouldn't mind if some of those story aspects are expanded upon.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 17, 2019, 11:02:20 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Mar 17, 2019, 11:02:20 AM
I hope it does include the extended ending of episode 7 and perhaps the events that happen just before Blackout.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 17, 2019, 08:13:07 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Mar 17, 2019, 08:13:07 PM
The fact Zula's in it suggests to me there's a good chance it'll touch on something from the comics.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 26, 2019, 02:43:14 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Mar 26, 2019, 02:43:14 PM
QuoteOn this day ten years ago, the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers announced that I was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from them.
On this day today, I got notes from 20th Century Fox approving my manuscript for ALIEN: ISOLATION (with some changes, of course, because there are always changes), and with this comment:
"I think Keith did an awesome job, and I agree – his voice is perfect for this story."
Go me.
https://www.facebook.com/KeithRADeCandido/posts/2313999425593611?__xts__[0]=68.ARC1V20dIjYCsRszZUQodmY0rSQRioehFcA4XgQ_E1hu8rnVFvJU0LNHEoYgWtBGXwacvbFr3IBWdTMnLmoGLxQaaY5jtpml0x1cyyeV0Z_dhF6Z7gafvQXeBmuEW3ruqCdV21ZXWV3sNzkhr09plPErA0JhWolglemw3PUWckYSWVbCnFz2yjvXPzXiz2e5EIczJDRERpnPFgumceX6wOtq3LvlrUyapxACir_n1iiwXk4y0QJ5f3QSwsdj4-Cgej7TQ1K5-1T8yfXvAN16YFhAo86ObI130u41GJ2PJ3l3XyIcc1sxbSsoCWYYTnhXxNwRwC6MzjyCvtsvxfun8D9qL6Es-CJeK3YCi1_I0CS2WZRHwf2dHw&__tn__=-R
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HybridNewborn on Apr 08, 2019, 04:00:20 PM
Post by: HybridNewborn on Apr 08, 2019, 04:00:20 PM
Any place to preorder this yet?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Apr 16, 2019, 01:49:30 PM
Post by: The Old One on Apr 16, 2019, 01:49:30 PM
No.
Patience lol.
Patience lol.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HybridNewborn on Apr 16, 2019, 04:05:59 PM
Post by: HybridNewborn on Apr 16, 2019, 04:05:59 PM
Last time I checked in on this was December heh
time to go back to getting my zen thing on :P
(https://www.toplessrobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/xenoyoga.jpg)
time to go back to getting my zen thing on :P
(https://www.toplessrobot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/xenoyoga.jpg)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on Apr 17, 2019, 05:36:36 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Apr 17, 2019, 05:36:36 AM
We must be like the Ovomorphs on the Derelict. Patiently awaiting many years for a host to arrive.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Apr 17, 2019, 05:40:36 AM
Post by: SM on Apr 17, 2019, 05:40:36 AM
It's definitely on its way.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2019, 12:10:32 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2019, 12:10:32 PM
Happy #ALIENDAY!
— Keith R.A. DeCandido (@KRADeC) April 26, 2019
Look for a couple of cool announcements regarding ALIEN: ISOLATION.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Apr 26, 2019, 12:17:50 PM
Post by: SM on Apr 26, 2019, 12:17:50 PM
He's a good egg, our Keith.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 26, 2019, 01:11:23 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 26, 2019, 01:11:23 PM
Look forward to whatever news is coming!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2019, 02:14:51 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2019, 02:14:51 PM
(https://i1.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/AlienIsolation-FINAL.jpg?resize=623%2C1024&ssl=1)
Not too surprising! I do like the effect. They also use it on the Prototype cover.
https://bloody-disgusting.com/books/3558016/exclusive-titan-celebrates-alien-day-three-new-books-2019/
Not too surprising! I do like the effect. They also use it on the Prototype cover.
https://bloody-disgusting.com/books/3558016/exclusive-titan-celebrates-alien-day-three-new-books-2019/
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 26, 2019, 03:00:51 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Apr 26, 2019, 03:00:51 PM
Can't seem to get the link working, any good info on there?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2019, 03:05:41 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Apr 26, 2019, 03:05:41 PM
Nah, pretty sure it's just the synopsis we've had for ages.
QuoteNext up is the action-packed official adaptation of the successful video game "Alien: Isolation", offering a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.
The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hell-bent on discovering what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She joins a Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, only to find space station Sevastopol in chaos with a Xenomorph aboard. Flashbacks reveal Amanda's history and events that forced her mother to take the assignment aboard the Nostromo.
"Alien: Isolation" is written by Keith R A DeCandido and sees release July 30, 2019.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Hudson on Apr 26, 2019, 03:07:22 PM
Post by: Hudson on Apr 26, 2019, 03:07:22 PM
Basically my same thoughts w/r/t the Prototype cover: I love it.
Can't wait to experience this story in a fleshed out form via the novel. I'm actually way more excited to pick this up than I realized.
Can't wait to experience this story in a fleshed out form via the novel. I'm actually way more excited to pick this up than I realized.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Still Collating... on Apr 26, 2019, 03:14:00 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Apr 26, 2019, 03:14:00 PM
Not surprised by the cover choice. And that's a good thing, no A:CM xenos.
This looks good, can't wait for the novels.
This looks good, can't wait for the novels.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Apr 28, 2019, 12:26:57 PM
Post by: felix on Apr 28, 2019, 12:26:57 PM
I notice the Isolation novel isn't listed on Amazon yet.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on May 05, 2019, 10:49:32 PM
Post by: felix on May 05, 2019, 10:49:32 PM
On Amazon for pre-order
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789092140/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=alien+isolation&qid=1557096478&s=books&sr=1-2
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789092140/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=alien+isolation&qid=1557096478&s=books&sr=1-2
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on May 06, 2019, 04:07:12 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on May 06, 2019, 04:07:12 AM
Quote from: felix on May 05, 2019, 10:49:32 PMThanks for the tip, ordered!
On Amazon for pre-order
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789092140/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=alien+isolation&qid=1557096478&s=books&sr=1-2
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 07, 2019, 07:19:05 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 07, 2019, 07:19:05 AM
(https://decandido.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/alienisolationfullcover.jpg)
https://decandido.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/preorder-alien-isolation-plus-the-full-cover/
https://decandido.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/preorder-alien-isolation-plus-the-full-cover/
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on May 07, 2019, 09:14:15 AM
Post by: felix on May 07, 2019, 09:14:15 AM
Nice!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Frosty Venom on May 07, 2019, 02:24:09 PM
Post by: Frosty Venom on May 07, 2019, 02:24:09 PM
Good stuff.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 08, 2019, 01:48:36 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 08, 2019, 01:48:36 AM
Exactly as expected.... and totally AWESOME!
(Wish we had a printed game guide)
(Wish we had a printed game guide)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Stitch on May 10, 2019, 09:14:48 AM
Post by: Stitch on May 10, 2019, 09:14:48 AM
Cool, shall be pre-ordering this as soon as I'm back from holiday.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on May 16, 2019, 11:05:31 PM
Post by: felix on May 16, 2019, 11:05:31 PM
https://titanbooks.com/70010-alien-isolation/
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: felix on Jul 10, 2019, 12:21:45 PM
Post by: felix on Jul 10, 2019, 12:21:45 PM
Preview pages available.
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=WTyhDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=WTyhDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Jul 10, 2019, 11:24:14 PM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 10, 2019, 11:24:14 PM
So far, so good.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 11, 2019, 07:38:05 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 11, 2019, 07:38:05 AM
I think he's over-estimating the size of the Pilot's Chamber but enjoyed it the first few chapters. Looking forward to getting the book in my hands.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Old One on Jul 11, 2019, 08:20:27 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 11, 2019, 08:20:27 AM
Yes, by a great deal. lol
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 11, 2019, 08:32:09 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 11, 2019, 08:32:09 AM
Got as far as the chapter headings and decided I didn't want anything spoiled, so I didn't actually read any of the preview. Looking forward to this.
It was already huge in the game compared to the film. Maybe it's just growing :P
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 11, 2019, 07:38:05 AMI think he's over-estimating the size of the Pilot's Chamber but enjoyed it the first few chapters. Looking forward to getting the book in my hands.
It was already huge in the game compared to the film. Maybe it's just growing :P
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Kradan on Jul 11, 2019, 08:34:04 AM
Post by: Kradan on Jul 11, 2019, 08:34:04 AM
Topic's name - Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Me looking on calendar - the 11th of July 2019.
;D
Me looking on calendar - the 11th of July 2019.
;D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xenomrph on Jul 13, 2019, 12:25:48 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Jul 13, 2019, 12:25:48 PM
Quote from: Kradan on Jul 11, 2019, 08:34:04 AMI was just thinking the same thing. :P
Topic's name - Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Me looking on calendar - the 11th of July 2019.
;D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 14, 2019, 11:05:36 PM
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 14, 2019, 11:05:36 PM
Hoping the Derelict size mistake is corrected before printing.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 12:12:35 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 12:12:35 AM
What's wrong with the pilots chamber?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 06:38:52 AM
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 06:38:52 AM
Maybe remove a constant poster from your ignore list and you'd know. Something about fitting several Anesidoras inside the Derelict's pilot chamber.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 06:41:35 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 06:41:35 AM
I was responding to your post.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 06:44:16 AM
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 06:44:16 AM
Something mentioned beforehand, anyway I edited my last post to inform you.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 06:49:31 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 06:49:31 AM
Oh, that.
I wondered about that myself but we never see the whole pilot chamber in the film - it's cylindrical rather than spherical like a Juggernaut. It also mentions their lights can't penetrate into the shadows so I thought it was a fair call.
I wondered about that myself but we never see the whole pilot chamber in the film - it's cylindrical rather than spherical like a Juggernaut. It also mentions their lights can't penetrate into the shadows so I thought it was a fair call.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 06:53:32 AM
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 06:53:32 AM
But we do in Isolation, I thought that'd be pertinent as it's an adaptation of that story. A new interpretation is fine I guess, but I think several whole spaceships is a stretch based upon Alien, Isolation, Prometheus or even Alien's concept art, the curvature of the wall in Alien certainly doesn't indicate such a immense size.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 06:56:43 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 15, 2019, 06:56:43 AM
We do in Isolation the game and for something so accurate in other areas, that chamber was the wrongest.
It's Marlow's impression of the space - so as I said, fair call IMO.
It's Marlow's impression of the space - so as I said, fair call IMO.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 07:03:16 AM
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 07:03:16 AM
I think it's hard to get that chamber, right as a 3D space.
And trying to create one that's a compromise between Prometheus' depiction and Alien's depiction, but it isn't as inaccurate as ACM's depiction.
Yeah true it is a character POV interpretation.
And trying to create one that's a compromise between Prometheus' depiction and Alien's depiction, but it isn't as inaccurate as ACM's depiction.
Yeah true it is a character POV interpretation.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Cruentus on Jul 15, 2019, 01:05:34 PM
Post by: The Cruentus on Jul 15, 2019, 01:05:34 PM
The chamber in Isolation was definitely inaccurate in terms of size, there was also corridors that I don't think were in the movie and the corridors even had a light source I think. Leigh also pointed out that the hole to the cargo hold was in a different spot to the movie as well. I will have to double check that as I can't remember. I think even platform was lower than in the movie since Marlow could climb it fine on his own whereas Kane needed help.
That being said, I think it still its a good likeness, they did really well in capturing the first movie's atmosphere with Isolation.
River of Pain novelization seemed to butcher it though as Anne and Russ find eggs, alien corpses and mist in the pilot chamber.
That being said, I think it still its a good likeness, they did really well in capturing the first movie's atmosphere with Isolation.
River of Pain novelization seemed to butcher it though as Anne and Russ find eggs, alien corpses and mist in the pilot chamber.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 15, 2019, 01:12:54 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 15, 2019, 01:12:54 PM
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jul 15, 2019, 01:05:34 PM
River of Pain novelization seemed to butcher it though as Anne and Russ find eggs, alien corpses and mist in the pilot chamber.
Its like some writers don't even bother to watch the movies.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 15, 2019, 01:24:03 PM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 15, 2019, 01:24:03 PM
Yeah, you'd certainly think so.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 01:28:34 PM
Post by: The1PerfectOrganism on Jul 15, 2019, 01:28:34 PM
Or just invent without thought to consequence.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 15, 2019, 01:45:18 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 15, 2019, 01:45:18 PM
I don't know why it's the Pilot's chamber that gets butchered so consistently, but it's true. The River of Pain didn't bother me so much at first, but it really strikes me as careless as time goes by.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 15, 2019, 01:55:06 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 15, 2019, 01:55:06 PM
I believe that got fixed in later printings? I remember seeing mention of it somewhere.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 15, 2019, 02:02:29 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 15, 2019, 02:02:29 PM
Well that's thoughtful.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Cruentus on Jul 15, 2019, 02:13:02 PM
Post by: The Cruentus on Jul 15, 2019, 02:13:02 PM
Interesting, if you do find it Hicks, could you post it? It would be nice to see a side by side comparison and see if they did a good job fixing it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 15, 2019, 03:21:38 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 15, 2019, 03:21:38 PM
Quote from: Samhain13 on Jul 15, 2019, 01:12:54 PMIts like some writers don't even bother to watch the movies.
Some of the film-to-novel goofs in River of Pain struck me as especially egregious, because there were moments when it conspicuously recreated scenes from the film and then got them wrong. I mean ffs, I'm not talking about really picky stuff that only nerds like us would jump on, I'm talking about things that would be abundantly obvious from watching said scenes even once, which you'd think would be par for the course if you're actively trying to duplicate them.
It just makes the whole thing feel sloppy and careless.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 15, 2019, 01:55:06 PMI believe that got fixed in later printings? I remember seeing mention of it somewhere.
Really? That's interesting. I'll try to remember to have a peek if I ever stumble across a copy in a shop.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 15, 2019, 04:02:56 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 15, 2019, 04:02:56 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jul 15, 2019, 03:21:38 PMQuote from: Samhain13 on Jul 15, 2019, 01:12:54 PMIts like some writers don't even bother to watch the movies.
Some of the film-to-novel goofs in River of Pain struck me as especially egregious, because there were moments when it conspicuously recreated scenes from the film and then got them wrong. I mean ffs, I'm not talking about really picky stuff that only nerds like us would jump on, I'm talking about things that would be abundantly obvious from watching said scenes even once, which you'd think would be par for the course if you're actively trying to duplicate them.
It just makes the whole thing feel sloppy and careless.
Yeah, sometimes the authors seems make very simple errors, which could have been easily avoided by simply watching the movies and paying attention. There has been moments which Predators kill unharmed humans in books, and it seems some authors weren't even aware that's a thing they don't tend to do.
But then sometimes they still want or have to change stuff for whatever reason, River of Pain and Out of Shadows had of lot of retconing of course, well the Ripley and Narcissus stuff, then they had the Jorden find bodies of Engineers and Aliens that killed each other on the Derelict, and automatically mentioned how they knew right way the Engineers were wearing suits. ::)
Maybe Fox also asked to try to tie in with what we saw on Prometheus. Another thing I noticed as I'm reading stuff, both Original Sin and Sea of Sorrows mention the beacon from the Derelict as being a distress call for help while its clear on Alien it was actually a warning signal to stay away.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 15, 2019, 01:55:06 PM
I believe that got fixed in later printings? I remember seeing mention of it somewhere.
Never heard any mention of this. Only the changes in later printings of Bug Hunt.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 18, 2019, 04:30:12 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 18, 2019, 04:30:12 PM
A new adventure arrived at the AvP Galaxy offices today!! I'm looking forward to seeing what @KRADeC has in store for me! #AlienIsolation #AmandaRipley #Alien #Aliens #Xenomorph #XenomorphXX121 #TitanBooks pic.twitter.com/OWzxGVqfL7
— Alien vs. Predator Galaxy (@avpgalaxy) July 18, 2019
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Huggs on Jul 18, 2019, 04:57:07 PM
Post by: Huggs on Jul 18, 2019, 04:57:07 PM
Is that wear on the cover just part of the art, or does your mailman drive a paint shaker?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 18, 2019, 07:16:06 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 18, 2019, 07:16:06 PM
Ha. It's part of the cover art.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 18, 2019, 07:20:19 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 18, 2019, 07:20:19 PM
I still can't believe this exists. So cool!
Now let's get that Prometheus expanded novelization done!
Now let's get that Prometheus expanded novelization done!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 18, 2019, 07:36:06 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 18, 2019, 07:36:06 PM
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/read-an-exclusive-excerpt-from-titans-terrifying-new-alien-isolation-prose-novel
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Frosty Venom on Jul 19, 2019, 03:26:50 AM
Post by: Frosty Venom on Jul 19, 2019, 03:26:50 AM
Interesting that DeCandido was given information particularly from Out of the Shadows...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 03:35:09 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 03:35:09 AM
If it pertains to Amanda's parentage then it's a given.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 07:25:05 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 07:25:05 AM
I wish I'd have known to re-read Out of the Shadows before. I've already run into some flashbacks and I can't remember how it jives with what we learnt in Shadows.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 19, 2019, 07:59:23 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 19, 2019, 07:59:23 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 03:35:09 AMIf it pertains to Amanda's parentage then it's a given.
I wondered how well this was going to tie into past info about her. I'm glad they're making an effort to get it all to line up.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 08:03:03 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 08:03:03 AM
From memory it ties in to the bits and pieces mentioned in the animated series. But goes into more detail about her past.
Spoiler
And a little of her mother's, pre-Nostromo.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 19, 2019, 10:42:10 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 19, 2019, 10:42:10 AM
I already prodded Hicks to drop a question about how much background info DeCandido received should he ever get an interview with him :)
Her dad's name should be Alex and she was born at home. That's about all I remember lol.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 07:25:05 AMI've already run into some flashbacks and I can't remember how it jives with what we learnt in Shadows.
Her dad's name should be Alex and she was born at home. That's about all I remember lol.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:07:39 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:07:39 AM
Thanks for that interview article. I sure hope Out of the Shadows is not treated as canon and referenced here. I love OotS but only as a sort of alternative universe scenario. I'm all for a new Ripley adventure post Aliens, but for her to do something in the 57 years between the 2 main films is pretty silly. It's silly fun.
Is that cover glossy or a flat finish.
Is that cover glossy or a flat finish.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:12:10 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:12:10 AM
QuoteHer dad's name should be Alex
Indeed it is.
QuoteI sure hope Out of the Shadows is not treated as canon and referenced here.
Why would it not?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:29:57 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:29:57 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:12:10 AMQuoteHer dad's name should be Alex
Indeed it is.QuoteI sure hope Out of the Shadows is not treated as canon and referenced here.
Why would it not?
Because it's silly for one thing as I already mentioned. She wakes up in her slumber to fight more aliens and then goes back to sleep to fight more aliens decades later? Is the universe that small?
Moreover, if David created the aliens, then why are there ancient aliens in OotS?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:35:13 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:35:13 AM
Ash was specifically looking for the Aliens.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:37:02 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:37:02 AM
How do you account for the ancient aliens?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
That'd be telling.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Cruentus on Jul 19, 2019, 11:41:43 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Jul 19, 2019, 11:41:43 AM
Use a jedi mind trick on him, he might spill the beans then! :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 11:43:31 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 11:43:31 AM
I'm hoping that means they have actually discussed a solution (that doesn't involve time travel).
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:49:28 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:49:28 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
That'd be telling.
You don't want to sell death sticks.
You want to spill the beans on where the aliens really come from.
;D
Hey if you really have a theory that ties everything together and that works without time travel, I'm all for it. To me, that moment in Covenant where David mistakenly attributes the poem to the wrong author tells me that he may have recreated rather than created the aliens, while believing otherwise. I'm all for that.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 11:52:44 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 11:52:44 AM
The solution we're all hoping for. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 05:28:18 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 05:28:18 PM
High five!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 19, 2019, 05:48:29 PM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 19, 2019, 05:48:29 PM
High five!!!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Jul 19, 2019, 06:43:56 PM
Post by: Stitch on Jul 19, 2019, 06:43:56 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 19, 2019, 11:52:44 AMYeah! Let's storm Fox Disney until they give us the solution. If we naruto run they can't stop us all!
The solution we're all hoping for. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 19, 2019, 09:14:40 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 19, 2019, 09:14:40 PM
SM, now that;s just teasing... :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Ultramorph on Jul 20, 2019, 12:27:56 AM
Post by: Ultramorph on Jul 20, 2019, 12:27:56 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
That'd be telling.
Obviously Walter travels back in time and creates the Predators to fight David and his xenomorph army. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 05:46:08 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 05:46:08 AM
Shit...
Back to the drawing board...
Back to the drawing board...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Huggs on Jul 20, 2019, 05:54:27 AM
Post by: Huggs on Jul 20, 2019, 05:54:27 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2019, 11:49:28 AMQuote from: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
That'd be telling.
You don't want to sell death sticks.
You want to spill the beans on where the aliens really come from.
;D
Hey if you really have a theory that ties everything together and that works without time travel, I'm all for it. To me, that moment in Covenant where David mistakenly attributes the poem to the wrong author tells me that he may have recreated rather than created the aliens, while believing otherwise. I'm all for that.
Or someone going back in time resulted in the poem being written by someone else. ;)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 08:18:22 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 08:18:22 AM
What's the official release date for this? I just got an email from Amazon telling me to expect it on 6th August.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 08:49:09 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 08:49:09 AM
Locally it's saying July 30.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 08:53:49 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 08:53:49 AM
OK. I might've gone for cheapo postage which would make that about right.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Jul 20, 2019, 09:34:09 AM
Post by: Stitch on Jul 20, 2019, 09:34:09 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 08:53:49 AMIt's done the same for me and I have prime, so I'm not best pleased.
OK. I might've gone for cheapo postage which would make that about right.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 10:43:49 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 20, 2019, 10:43:49 AM
In fairness, Amazon are usually really conservative with their delivery estimates. Stuff almost always seems to show up well in advance of when they say it will.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 20, 2019, 11:34:22 AM
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 20, 2019, 11:34:22 AM
Quote from: Ultramorph on Jul 20, 2019, 12:27:56 AMQuote from: SM on Jul 19, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
That'd be telling.
Obviously Walter travels back in time and creates the Predators to fight David and his xenomorph army. :laugh:
Approved by Shane Black ;D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 20, 2019, 10:23:47 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 20, 2019, 10:23:47 PM
Knowning Fox they will choose goddamn timetraveling asspull.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 10:45:41 PM
Post by: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 10:45:41 PM
Yeah they do that all the time, right?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Local Trouble on Jul 20, 2019, 10:56:34 PM
Post by: Local Trouble on Jul 20, 2019, 10:56:34 PM
Maybe David's next move is to pull a Skynet and create a time machine so he can end humanity in the past.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 20, 2019, 11:57:28 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 20, 2019, 11:57:28 PM
Quote from: SM on Jul 20, 2019, 10:45:41 PM
Yeah they do that all the time, right?
Bad decisions? Yes. Another one to their list is expected.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 21, 2019, 12:12:32 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 21, 2019, 12:12:32 AM
No, time travel.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 21, 2019, 12:20:14 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 21, 2019, 12:20:14 AM
"The Predator" nearly included the concept, so far as filming it so I think caution isn't unreasonable.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 21, 2019, 12:22:43 AM
Post by: Samhain13 on Jul 21, 2019, 12:22:43 AM
Quite.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 21, 2019, 11:09:47 AM
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 21, 2019, 11:09:47 AM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Jul 20, 2019, 10:56:34 PM
Maybe David's next move is to pull a Skynet and create a time machine so he can end humanity in the past.
Alien vs Terminator crossover confirmed!
But seriously, a non-time travel solution for the discrepancy that doesn't decanonize the EU (again...) that's been working very hard to make everything fit would be very appreciated.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 21, 2019, 03:36:39 PM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 21, 2019, 03:36:39 PM
If it isn't within a film, I think it's a grave omission of a great arc conclusion for David, a realisation crumbling the A.I's perception of itself.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 21, 2019, 04:39:20 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 21, 2019, 04:39:20 PM
Yes, we do need a wrap-up to the David story.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 21, 2019, 11:25:00 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Jul 21, 2019, 11:25:00 PM
I agree with that, I'd really like to see a conclusion for David, I just fear that Scott won't let anyone else be the creator of the Alien but David. Though of course, I could be proven wrong.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: cloverfan98 on Jul 22, 2019, 12:30:39 AM
Post by: cloverfan98 on Jul 22, 2019, 12:30:39 AM
I know this is odd coming from some one who loves movie novelizations but its hard for me to imagine what a book could add that would make it worth reading as opposed to playing Isolation. More insight into the characters heads I suppose but reading the book has got to be a shorter experience than playing through the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 22, 2019, 02:28:40 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 22, 2019, 02:28:40 AM
Spoiler
There's a lot about Amanda's past.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 22, 2019, 03:40:44 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 22, 2019, 03:40:44 AM
I hope your fear is unfounded,
Still Collating...
Still Collating...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on Jul 22, 2019, 07:10:12 AM
Post by: Kradan on Jul 22, 2019, 07:10:12 AM
David created Aliens, Engineers, us and Ridley Scott. Deal with it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 22, 2019, 07:45:07 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 22, 2019, 07:45:07 AM
Quote from: cloverfan98 on Jul 22, 2019, 12:30:39 AMI know this is odd coming from some one who loves movie novelizations but its hard for me to imagine what a book could add that would make it worth reading as opposed to playing Isolation. More insight into the characters heads I suppose but reading the book has got to be a shorter experience than playing through the game.
This is partly why I'm so interested in reading it, to see how it translates a fairly story-lite game into novel length.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 22, 2019, 07:52:59 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 22, 2019, 07:52:59 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 22, 2019, 02:28:40 AMSpoiler
There's a lot about Amanda's past.[close]
I'm finding this to be the best part of the novel so far. I'm about 140 pages in.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 22, 2019, 08:20:54 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 22, 2019, 08:20:54 AM
Spoiler
Yeah, I found myself skim reading the parts adapting the game, to get to the 'new' stuff.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 22, 2019, 08:22:49 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 22, 2019, 08:22:49 AM
My problem so far is just a general lack of Like he's relying on me remembering it from the game.
Spoiler
descriptions setting the locations. I'm not sure if I'm just skim reading or not paying attention, but I'm just finding Amanda is going up stairs that weren't described as being there earlier.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 23, 2019, 12:45:49 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 23, 2019, 12:45:49 AM
Doesn't sound great, I'll wait for a full review.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 30, 2019, 09:50:23 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 30, 2019, 09:50:23 AM
My copy's on its way :)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Jul 30, 2019, 10:21:23 AM
Post by: The Old One on Jul 30, 2019, 10:21:23 AM
I expect a full breakdown within the week. ;D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 01, 2019, 07:18:55 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 01, 2019, 07:18:55 AM
I think I'm gonna give this a restart and come at it again. Just not been feeling it outside of the flashbacks, but don't know if I just wasn't in the mood.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 01, 2019, 07:25:48 AM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 01, 2019, 07:25:48 AM
Perhaps it just isn't the greatest.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 01, 2019, 08:09:25 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 01, 2019, 08:09:25 AM
I just want to give it a fair blast. I know I've been in a bit of a bad mood lately and not really been arsed to do much so I figure it can't hurt to give a fresh start.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 01, 2019, 03:08:11 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 01, 2019, 03:08:11 PM
My copy arrived yesterday, but I wanted to finish my re-read of the Aliens novelisation before I started it. I have an irrational hatred of the concept of reading two books at once.
Should hopefully get into it tonight.
Should hopefully get into it tonight.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 01, 2019, 09:07:34 PM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 01, 2019, 09:07:34 PM
About one third the way through. Standard stuff so far. Nice little unexpected cameo though.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 01, 2019, 11:10:01 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 01, 2019, 11:10:01 PM
Apart from Zula Hendricks? Interesting.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Aug 01, 2019, 11:35:14 PM
Post by: Stitch on Aug 01, 2019, 11:35:14 PM
I'm about 1/4 through. The whole stress of the eleventh birthday thing is a bit too much, I think.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 02, 2019, 10:07:00 AM
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 02, 2019, 10:07:00 AM
I wonder how I'm gonna feel about it when I read it, but being a child of that age and having your mother disappear just like that, with no explanation as to what really happened can be quite traumatic I believe.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 02, 2019, 01:08:10 PM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 02, 2019, 01:08:10 PM
Finished it. Solid enough without being anything spectacular. Game's events are heavily abridged as you would expect, but I enjoyed the flashback element. They really fleshed out Amanda pretty well.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xiggz456 on Aug 02, 2019, 09:33:01 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Aug 02, 2019, 09:33:01 PM
Just finished it and while not near as intense as the game, I still had a good time with this one. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks of Amanda's life (especially those moments with Zula) as they were what was "new" to the story. There's also "audio logs" between chapters which I thought was a nice touch.
Definitely worth a read and now I have an irresistible urge to play through the game again!
Spoiler
My few nitpicks include the way 9 year old Amanda is written as though she's a 5 year old (girls that age act more similar to bored teens than little kids and the latter is how she was written). Next would be wrong colors including Amanda's hair being blonde and Working Joes being purple (weird right?). Lastly the book was written in third person and Decandido should've taken a page from Alex White's book and gone first person to both amp up the tension as well as mirror the first person perspective of the game.
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Definitely worth a read and now I have an irresistible urge to play through the game again!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 02, 2019, 10:10:23 PM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 02, 2019, 10:10:23 PM
Spoiler
There was one file that bugged me and that was Taylor's instructions she received before she boarded the Torrens. It confirms Weyland-Yutani knew the Anisedora had been to LV-426 - which means they knew that was the source of the eggs 42 years before the events of Aliens occurred. Can't recall if this log was in the game or not but seems a sloppy error. I'm sure in the game Taylor knew the Alien was onboard Sevastopol before they left in the Torrens, but they didn't know where it came from. Obviously Taylor subsequently found out from Marlow but died before she could send the source information back to the company.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 02, 2019, 10:16:18 PM
Post by: SM on Aug 02, 2019, 10:16:18 PM
Spoiler
Can't remember exactly off the top of my head, but I think what happened was that some in the Company got wind of what was happening on Sevastopol with the Alien and purchased the station two days before the Torrens left. Not sure they knew about LV-426 all along, or that Taylor was in on it.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xiggz456 on Aug 02, 2019, 10:39:11 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Aug 02, 2019, 10:39:11 PM
Spoiler
Ya it was a Memo from WY Chief Council Abernathy Smith to Taylor and it mentioned the Nostromo being engaged in Special Order 937 and Sevestopol's SO 939 as well as giving Taylor authority to negotiate the retrieval of anything the Anesidora found on LV-426. the Memo was dated November 14th and the crew on the Torrens wake up in December so I'm guessing the 14th is when WY bought the station (2 days before the Torrens left). So ya I guess Taylor was in on it.
I certainly don't remember this memo in the game but I never found all the audio logs so I could have missed it.
I certainly don't remember this memo in the game but I never found all the audio logs so I could have missed it.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 02, 2019, 10:46:12 PM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 02, 2019, 10:46:12 PM
Spoiler
Yeah, im pretty sure in the game Ricardo tells Amanda that Taylor was sent to retrive the Alien somehow, so she had prior knowledge of it which ties in to WY purchasing Svestopol before they left. I may be remembering wrong but in the game im sure she frees Marlow in exchange for the source location ie: LV426. But in the book she is given orders before she leaves in the Torrens to ensure special order 939 is executed and to negotiate with the Anesidora crew for whatever they salvaged on LV426. So the book at least suggests the company knew of the planet way way before the events of Aliens, which makes no sense???
Im sure this memo isnt in the game.
Im sure this memo isnt in the game.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 02, 2019, 10:49:53 PM
Post by: SM on Aug 02, 2019, 10:49:53 PM
Spoiler
Whoever issued SO937 knew about the planet way before Aliens.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 03, 2019, 07:42:24 AM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 03, 2019, 07:42:24 AM
Spoiler
Then why wait 57 years to formally investigate a planetoid said to be so small it can do an entire rotation in a few hours?
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 03, 2019, 07:47:46 AM
Post by: SM on Aug 03, 2019, 07:47:46 AM
Spoiler
Because they issued SO937 and lost a ship, payload and crew.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 03, 2019, 08:25:19 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 03, 2019, 08:25:19 AM
Quote from: TheBATMAN on Aug 03, 2019, 07:42:24 AMThe second half of that sentence is demonstrably false, but that's neither here nor there.Spoiler
Then why wait 57 years to formally investigate a planetoid said to be so small it can do an entire rotation in a few hours?[close]
To answer the question, SM basically said it:
Spoiler
Doing so would be tantamount to admitting to major corporate malfeasance resulting in the disappearance of an expensive ship and her crew. Even if the perpetrator didn't get in legal trouble, I suspect they'd be on thin ice within the company for sending an expensive ship on an unconfirmed boondoggle with nothing to show for it. No one would want to admit to that, better to cut their losses and write the whole thing off.
57 years later, Ripley shows up and gives testimony that there's something worth investigating, and even then the inquest hearing thinks she's full of shit. It takes Burke making a unilateral decision for anything to even get done, and even then that's because there were colonists present who could go check things out. If the planet were uninhabited, I doubt anything further would have come of it.
57 years later, Ripley shows up and gives testimony that there's something worth investigating, and even then the inquest hearing thinks she's full of shit. It takes Burke making a unilateral decision for anything to even get done, and even then that's because there were colonists present who could go check things out. If the planet were uninhabited, I doubt anything further would have come of it.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 03, 2019, 04:39:19 PM
Post by: TheBATMAN on Aug 03, 2019, 04:39:19 PM
Spoiler
Its not false at all when it comes directly from a script.
Secondly, thats utter tosh considering the extremes the company would go to to procure a specimen. There are all manner of ways the company could investigate LV426 without revealing special order 937. They could send a team there covertly, completely unrelated to what happened to the Nostromo. This very idea seems to be what Alex White alludes to in the Cold Forge. Waiting another 42 years for Ripley to show up makes absolutely zero sense if the company knew exactly where the xenomorph came from all along, which is now what the Isolation novel suggests. No sense at all.
Secondly, thats utter tosh considering the extremes the company would go to to procure a specimen. There are all manner of ways the company could investigate LV426 without revealing special order 937. They could send a team there covertly, completely unrelated to what happened to the Nostromo. This very idea seems to be what Alex White alludes to in the Cold Forge. Waiting another 42 years for Ripley to show up makes absolutely zero sense if the company knew exactly where the xenomorph came from all along, which is now what the Isolation novel suggests. No sense at all.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 03, 2019, 06:50:15 PM
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 03, 2019, 06:50:15 PM
QuoteIts not false at all when it comes directly from a script.It's false when the movie itself disproves it on multiple levels. For a planet with a rotation of a couple hours, it's extremely coincidental that every exterior shot across two movies shows the same lighting conditions at all times, even though a rotational period that fast would mean the light would be changing by the minute.
Context matters - it's a line spoken by a fallible human being reading a monitor, and the very next person to speak is incredulous that it could be that small, especially given its apparent gravity. Just because a character speaks something doesn't automatically make it gospel truth. :)
This is all pretty off-topic, but it was worth pointing out for anyone else reading.
Re: the topic at hand,
Spoiler
You're right that the more Alien encounters happen between 'Alien' and 'Aliens', the less sense 'Aliens' makes. You can come up with ways to explain it (which is what SM and I are trying to do), but those explanations aren't airtight and aren't going to work for everybody - 'Aliens' wasn't written with a bunch of intermediate spin-off stories in mind, after all.
Special Order 937 is about procuring a specimen, but the Company didn't know what that actually was - they were just homing in on a signal of nonhuman origin. The result of that endeavor ends up being not just a total bust, but a colossal financial loss by way of the Nostromo and its cargo.
The Nostromo's flight recorder gets recovered, giving them another lead. Meanwhile, the signal from the Derelict gets switched off. The Company literally buys a space station only to, once again, walk away with less than nothing when the station gets destroyed almost immediately after they buy it.
You can count the events of "Alien: Blackout" if you want, too, where the same thing happens all over again.
Irrespective of the increasing risk of the public or the authorities catching wind of the egregious corporate malfeasance, at one point or another the people making these kinds of decisions are going to cut their losses. :P
The "real" answer is that writing a narrative set in between two other narratives is hard - you have to balance having appropriate "stakes" and "revelations" to make the story interesting and justify its existence, but at the same time you risk compromising their narratives. 'Out of the Shadows' had the same problem except that it went in the other direction. Rather than derailing 'Aliens', 'Out of the Shadows' nullified itself by having Ripley forget the whole thing. That doesn't mean it doesn't have neat characters doing neat stuff or that it's not worth experiencing, of course.
Special Order 937 is about procuring a specimen, but the Company didn't know what that actually was - they were just homing in on a signal of nonhuman origin. The result of that endeavor ends up being not just a total bust, but a colossal financial loss by way of the Nostromo and its cargo.
The Nostromo's flight recorder gets recovered, giving them another lead. Meanwhile, the signal from the Derelict gets switched off. The Company literally buys a space station only to, once again, walk away with less than nothing when the station gets destroyed almost immediately after they buy it.
You can count the events of "Alien: Blackout" if you want, too, where the same thing happens all over again.
Irrespective of the increasing risk of the public or the authorities catching wind of the egregious corporate malfeasance, at one point or another the people making these kinds of decisions are going to cut their losses. :P
The "real" answer is that writing a narrative set in between two other narratives is hard - you have to balance having appropriate "stakes" and "revelations" to make the story interesting and justify its existence, but at the same time you risk compromising their narratives. 'Out of the Shadows' had the same problem except that it went in the other direction. Rather than derailing 'Aliens', 'Out of the Shadows' nullified itself by having Ripley forget the whole thing. That doesn't mean it doesn't have neat characters doing neat stuff or that it's not worth experiencing, of course.
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 03, 2019, 07:40:07 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 03, 2019, 07:40:07 PM
TheBATMAN
Spoiler
I remember the game's story and dialog very well, played it recently. Never is it stated that Taylor knew where the alien came from, nor is it really implied she knew anything about the creature before she found out about it on the station. After she does, of course she wants to take it back or any info on it available, that's when she strikes a deal with Marlow.
And what the hell? Blond hair and purple droids?
And what the hell? Blond hair and purple droids?
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Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Aug 03, 2019, 09:44:51 PM
Post by: Hudson on Aug 03, 2019, 09:44:51 PM
Started the book today, about 50 pages in. So far so good. :D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Aug 04, 2019, 01:00:53 PM
Post by: Stitch on Aug 04, 2019, 01:00:53 PM
Having finished it, now, I think it's very much OK. It made me just want to play the game instead of reading about it, because that's a better experience.
I didn't like the characterisation of young Amanda, and I didn't like how the whole eleventh birthday thing was handled. It feels like the author picked up on the wrong point of the line in the film to me. It's a valid interpretation, but it felt off. My interpretation is that in Aliens the point was Ellen would be back by Amanda's birthday, and the fact it was her eleventh was to stress just how much time had passed and how she'd missed her daughter's entire life. The book makes the whole thing about it being her eleventh birthday, and it feels forced to me.
The added backstory of Ellen Ripley I quite liked, and it felt mostly true to character. There wasn't much of it, but it was decent.
There's a mention of Ash, which I'm not sure fits the established timeline, but I might be wrong.
The mention of Zula didn't really add much to the narrative. In fact, most of the additional backstory didn't add much to the narrative, and that's the book's real problem.
It's a brief adaptation of a 10-15 hour very intense video game, with additional, mostly superfluous, backstory. Where the game felt very tense, the novel seems to skip right over it. The alien itself barely seems to appear in the novel and I don't recall one instance of hiding in a locker. I think the biggest problem is has is that it's completely lacking any tension.
It's very much OK.
I didn't like the characterisation of young Amanda, and I didn't like how the whole eleventh birthday thing was handled. It feels like the author picked up on the wrong point of the line in the film to me. It's a valid interpretation, but it felt off. My interpretation is that in Aliens the point was Ellen would be back by Amanda's birthday, and the fact it was her eleventh was to stress just how much time had passed and how she'd missed her daughter's entire life. The book makes the whole thing about it being her eleventh birthday, and it feels forced to me.
The added backstory of Ellen Ripley I quite liked, and it felt mostly true to character. There wasn't much of it, but it was decent.
There's a mention of Ash, which I'm not sure fits the established timeline, but I might be wrong.
The mention of Zula didn't really add much to the narrative. In fact, most of the additional backstory didn't add much to the narrative, and that's the book's real problem.
It's a brief adaptation of a 10-15 hour very intense video game, with additional, mostly superfluous, backstory. Where the game felt very tense, the novel seems to skip right over it. The alien itself barely seems to appear in the novel and I don't recall one instance of hiding in a locker. I think the biggest problem is has is that it's completely lacking any tension.
It's very much OK.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Aug 04, 2019, 06:46:45 PM
Post by: Hudson on Aug 04, 2019, 06:46:45 PM
About 150 pages in. The Zula stuff is really extra. The lengthy flashback chapter that cuts into the breakfast convo with Taylor is slow. I'm digging adaptations of gameplay but some of it feels like it's taking too much time with descriptions of opening doors and climbing around. I think we can afford to gloss over even more of that.
On the fence about the inclusion of the computer logs between chapters. It's neat but they feel like mere interruptions so far because from a POV perspective there's no indication (at the part I'm at so far) that Amanda or anyone is actually reading these logs.
EDIT:
About halfway through. Again, I think the flashback chapters really slow the pace of the main narrative because everything comes to a halt, but they're interesting I guess. I think they could probably be more concise, especially when you have to get through two in a row. It's working as a sequel to the first film so far. And yes it is giving me that urge to install the game and give it another play through probably when I finish reading.
On the fence about the inclusion of the computer logs between chapters. It's neat but they feel like mere interruptions so far because from a POV perspective there's no indication (at the part I'm at so far) that Amanda or anyone is actually reading these logs.
EDIT:
About halfway through. Again, I think the flashback chapters really slow the pace of the main narrative because everything comes to a halt, but they're interesting I guess. I think they could probably be more concise, especially when you have to get through two in a row. It's working as a sequel to the first film so far. And yes it is giving me that urge to install the game and give it another play through probably when I finish reading.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 05, 2019, 07:46:46 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 05, 2019, 07:46:46 AM
About two chapters shy of finishing. As others have already said, it's good enough but not amazing. Generally speaking, the gameplay sections are a tad weak while the plot-progressing sections and flashbacks are stronger. My main gripe is probably that, for a book about one of the most terrifying Alien experiences of recent years, there's really not a lot of Aliens in it. So far I think Amanda's bumped into an Alien about three times in the entire novel, and even those encounters were incredibly brief and basically consisted of her seeing it and then immediately running away. I don't even recall her meeting an adult Alien in the hive, and that was one of the most frantic sequences of the entire game.
I was also really hoping it might include some tangents that expanded on things on Sevastopol we didn't see in the game, like events involving other characters prior or simultaneous to Amanda's arrival - while one early interlude got my hopes up in this regard, sadly it was essentially devoid of any of that kinda thing, which I thought was a shame. Not only could it have been interesting, it would've allowed DeCandido to be a bit more original and expansive.
Other little gripes/observations:
I was also really hoping it might include some tangents that expanded on things on Sevastopol we didn't see in the game, like events involving other characters prior or simultaneous to Amanda's arrival - while one early interlude got my hopes up in this regard, sadly it was essentially devoid of any of that kinda thing, which I thought was a shame. Not only could it have been interesting, it would've allowed DeCandido to be a bit more original and expansive.
Other little gripes/observations:
- The Joes are purple, for no logical reason.
- The inclusion of some of the game's archive logs between chapters was a nice touch.
- Ripley sure loves her bottled water!
- I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure elements of Ellen Ripley's expanded backstory tie up with Ridley Scott's original behind the scenes notes for the character, which was again a nice touch.
- If Creative Assembly had a crib sheet for all their characters, DeCandido clearly didn't get it, because almost all of the expanded names he comes up with contradict the names or initials given in the game. (I'm aware no one but a nerd like me will even notice this.)
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Aug 02, 2019, 10:39:11 PMSpoiler
I certainly don't remember this memo in the game but I never found all the audio logs so I could have missed it.[close]
Spoiler
It wasn't in the game. A few of the later archive logs are original, that one included.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Aug 05, 2019, 04:52:15 PM
Post by: Hudson on Aug 05, 2019, 04:52:15 PM
Nice touch on the Ripley backstory synching with the Alien production notes. I think I recognized some of the names of the ships she served on.
Also, Amanda's hair is described as blond?
Also, Amanda's hair is described as blond?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 05, 2019, 05:25:45 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 05, 2019, 05:25:45 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 05, 2019, 07:46:46 AM
The Joes are purple, for no logical reason.
THANOS!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 06, 2019, 02:52:18 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 06, 2019, 02:52:18 PM
I don't get it when problems like these arise. Just like in River of Pain when the movie dialog and scenes were done wrongly, how can this happen? Who watches bits of Isolation and goes: yep, the droids are purple and Amanda is blonde, I hope it's not just the lighting...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 03:00:23 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 03:00:23 PM
Quote from: Still Collating... on Aug 06, 2019, 02:52:18 PM
I don't get it when problems like these arise.
Some writers don't do their research. Its not like Fox/Disney cares whenever they do or not anyway.
Could have been worse. He could have given the purple to Amanda's hair.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Aug 06, 2019, 02:52:18 PM
Who watches bits of Isolation and goes: yep, the droids are purple and Amanda is blonde, I hope it's not just the lighting...
Maybe he just googled stuff and came across fanart of purple working joes.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 06, 2019, 03:04:08 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 06, 2019, 03:04:08 PM
It does feel like he hasn't actually played the game. I associate intense fear and panic with Isolation, and there's just none of that in here. It's like he didn't experience it for himself.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 03:10:31 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 03:10:31 PM
Heck he didn't even had to play it. Wasn't this what the alien isolation digital series was for? That would have been enough to avoid such errors.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Aug 06, 2019, 04:07:22 PM
Post by: Hudson on Aug 06, 2019, 04:07:22 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 06, 2019, 03:04:08 PM
It does feel like he hasn't actually played the game. I associate intense fear and panic with Isolation, and there's just none of that in here. It's like he didn't experience it for himself.
The most egregious example I've gotten to so far is the San Cristobal scene with Kuhlman. The whole sequence is glossed over when it was actually the most tense in the game through that point. I understand that the sneaking around doesn't push the plot forward, but the Alien doesn't even appear which makes the entire thing seem trivial. Amanda just goes and gets Morley's key card. And as has been mentioned, the Alien seems absent. I'm about halfway through. I'm still not into the flashbacks. I think you can embed exposition without interrupting the forward momentum of the story. It's what the reader's interior access to the character is for. Feels like the story gets put on pause a lot.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 06, 2019, 05:35:20 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 06, 2019, 05:35:20 PM
Yeah, I mentioned it in my review and it rings even more true now that I've finished - considering what a terrifying and all-pervasive force the Alien was in the game, it comes across as pretty incidental in the novel. I think the worst bit is when Amanda
The more I think about it, the more the novel reminds me of ADF's Alien 3 novelisation - starts out really well but by the end if feels as though time and/or the author's interest was running out.
Spoiler
just starts killing them towards the end. I don't wanna be harsh on DeCandido because generally I liked his writing but way to miss the entire point of the game.
[close]
The more I think about it, the more the novel reminds me of ADF's Alien 3 novelisation - starts out really well but by the end if feels as though time and/or the author's interest was running out.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 06, 2019, 05:44:56 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 06, 2019, 05:44:56 PM
I'll pass then.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 06:21:17 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 06:21:17 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 06, 2019, 05:35:20 PM
I think the worst bit is when AmandaSpoiler
just starts killing them towards the end.[close]
(https://i.imgur.com/6SZvvbP.jpg)
Spoiler
How does one turn the aliens from f**king Isolation into cannon fodder material? Way to kill my fanboy boner.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 06, 2019, 10:29:35 PM
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 06, 2019, 10:29:35 PM
Quote from: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 06:21:17 PMQuote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 06, 2019, 05:35:20 PM
I think the worst bit is when AmandaSpoiler
just starts killing them towards the end.[close]
https://i.imgur.com/6SZvvbP.jpgSpoiler
How does one turn the aliens from f**king Isolation into cannon fodder material? Way to kill my fanboy boner.[close]
Spoiler
What the hell? I'm not into making the aliens invincible, ever, but when you're adapting this particular story, the one moment where you don't get the aliens killed is here!
[close]
What a shame, a pass for me as well. Wasted potential to really expand the story of the station. All the new backstory for Amanda in the world can not win me over when you make her blonde.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Aug 07, 2019, 05:25:18 AM
Post by: Stitch on Aug 07, 2019, 05:25:18 AM
Why are people taking issue with purple working joes?
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avp/images/5/56/WorkingJoe-MattFiler-1.jpg)
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avp/images/5/56/WorkingJoe-MattFiler-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 07, 2019, 07:53:10 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 07, 2019, 07:53:10 AM
Because that's lavender at best.
Another slightly odd thing I noticed with the book - at the beginning, DeCandido is big on giving every piece of tech we encounter a proper technical designation, from pistols to the access tuner to the freaking welding torch Amanda uses to effect repairs on Luna. But then later on he completely gives up on this and talks about generic "shotguns". Seemed a little strange.
Quote from: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 06:21:17 PMSpoiler
How does one turn the aliens from f**king Isolation into cannon fodder material? Way to kill my fanboy boner.[close]
Spoiler
I wouldn't go as far as to say they become canon fodder - if memory serves she kills one or maybe two - but the fact she literally just walks up to one and cooks it with her flamethrower when in the game its so explicitly unkillable felt like a really bizarre change to make.
[close]
Another slightly odd thing I noticed with the book - at the beginning, DeCandido is big on giving every piece of tech we encounter a proper technical designation, from pistols to the access tuner to the freaking welding torch Amanda uses to effect repairs on Luna. But then later on he completely gives up on this and talks about generic "shotguns". Seemed a little strange.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 07, 2019, 10:55:46 AM
Post by: Still Collating... on Aug 07, 2019, 10:55:46 AM
Quote from: Stitch on Aug 07, 2019, 05:25:18 AM
Why are people taking issue with purple working joes?
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avp/images/5/56/WorkingJoe-MattFiler-1.jpg)
Cause in full on bright light they are as white and pale as can be, doesn't really scream purple or blue. Though I'd give that a pass, maybe Amanda's colorblind :laugh: but her blond hair is what really bugs me cause I keep thinking how can that be just casually mistaken?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Cruentus on Aug 07, 2019, 11:03:46 AM
Post by: The Cruentus on Aug 07, 2019, 11:03:46 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 07, 2019, 07:53:10 AM
Because that's lavender at best.Quote from: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 06:21:17 PMSpoiler
How does one turn the aliens from f**king Isolation into cannon fodder material? Way to kill my fanboy boner.[close]Spoiler
I wouldn't go as far as to say they become canon fodder - if memory serves she kills one or maybe two - but the fact she literally just walks up to one and cooks it with her flamethrower when in the game its so explicitly unkillable felt like a really bizarre change to make.[close]
Another slightly odd thing I noticed with the book - at the beginning, DeCandido is big on giving every piece of tech we encounter a proper technical designation, from pistols to the access tuner to the freaking welding torch Amanda uses to effect repairs on Luna. But then later on he completely gives up on this and talks about generic "shotguns". Seemed a little strange.
To be fair
Spoiler
the Alien being unkillable is only a gameplay mechanic, its not literally meant to be invincible but I can agree killing it so easily and casually is a disservice. I was looking forward to this book as well.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 07, 2019, 11:34:05 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 07, 2019, 11:34:05 AM
https://www.thezombiechimp.com/2019/08/05/alien-isolation-novel-review/
Positive review here.
Positive review here.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 07, 2019, 01:48:09 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 07, 2019, 01:48:09 PM
I see, I don't waste time on mediocrity though.
And you can't kill an adult Alien with fire, as Covenant established.
And you can't kill an adult Alien with fire, as Covenant established.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 07, 2019, 02:47:59 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 07, 2019, 02:47:59 PM
https://scifibulletin.com/books/tie-in-fiction/alien-review-alien-isolation/
Another reviewer who enjoyed it.
Another reviewer who enjoyed it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 07, 2019, 03:28:14 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 07, 2019, 03:28:14 PM
Quote from: Still Collating... on Aug 07, 2019, 10:55:46 AMQuote from: Stitch on Aug 07, 2019, 05:25:18 AM
Why are people taking issue with purple working joes?
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/avp/images/5/56/WorkingJoe-MattFiler-1.jpg)
Cause in full on bright light they are as white and pale as can be, doesn't really scream purple or blue. Though I'd give that a pass, maybe Amanda's colorblind :laugh: but her blond hair is what really bugs me cause I keep thinking how can that be just casually mistaken?
Maybe he just thought she would look better as a blond. I found it hard to believe he could have mistaken that, he must have seen a picture of her before. So he choose to do that for whatever reason.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Aug 08, 2019, 03:17:05 PM
Post by: Hudson on Aug 08, 2019, 03:17:05 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 07, 2019, 07:53:10 AM
Because that's lavender at best.Quote from: Samhain13 on Aug 06, 2019, 06:21:17 PMSpoiler
How does one turn the aliens from f**king Isolation into cannon fodder material? Way to kill my fanboy boner.[close]Spoiler
I wouldn't go as far as to say they become canon fodder - if memory serves she kills one or maybe two - but the fact she literally just walks up to one and cooks it with her flamethrower when in the game its so explicitly unkillable felt like a really bizarre change to make.[close]
Another slightly odd thing I noticed with the book - at the beginning, DeCandido is big on giving every piece of tech we encounter a proper technical designation, from pistols to the access tuner to the freaking welding torch Amanda uses to effect repairs on Luna. But then later on he completely gives up on this and talks about generic "shotguns". Seemed a little strange.
I thought that was an annoying aspect of the description. Not sure why it couldn't just be a hack tool, it had to be a "Halfin" or whatever. The fact that this went on for nearly every item Amanda picked up was irritating.
Finished it this morning. Overall, it's not an effective look at the franchise in novel form. The whole thing is just one overly long awkward experience. I began to dread the flashback chapters to be honest. Ugh. Pacing was horrendous all the way through. There's nothing about any of the secondary characters that's expanded upon. I thought it would've been cool for us to get some kind of through-line with Ransome. Nope. The Alien doesn't feel very dangerous. There's no tension. Very disappointing to have what is essentially another swing and miss at this story. The plot of the game still feels incomplete to me. The web series is a disaster. And now this, which essentially amounts to 378 pages of a set up for Amanda and Zula's friendship to be carried on in future books and comics. 2/5 overall. Didn't take long to get from The Cold Forge to here, but I'm still looking forward to the upcoming novels.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 12, 2019, 02:20:13 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 12, 2019, 02:20:13 PM
Ouch, definitely passing now.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Neomorph-01 on Aug 13, 2019, 10:49:11 AM
Post by: Neomorph-01 on Aug 13, 2019, 10:49:11 AM
I have picked up the Alien Isolation novel last week. Just finished it, and I enjoyed it.
I loved the flashbacks that flesh out Amanda's life in addition to giving more to Ellen Ripley and past assignments (I'm not posting spoilers) which explained her distrust of engineers (Parker and Brett - not the race Engineers).
The tie-in to Aliens: Defiance was a nice cherry on top.
I loved the flashbacks that flesh out Amanda's life in addition to giving more to Ellen Ripley and past assignments (I'm not posting spoilers) which explained her distrust of engineers (Parker and Brett - not the race Engineers).
The tie-in to Aliens: Defiance was a nice cherry on top.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 13, 2019, 02:28:26 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 13, 2019, 02:28:26 PM
From what I hear the normal life flashback is by far the best part.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2019, 05:00:01 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2019, 05:00:01 PM
I've said a few negative things about this, so I'll reiterate a positive one - I seriously loved that the Ellen Ripley flashbacks tied into her character profile for Alien.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Aug 13, 2019, 06:50:53 PM
Post by: Stitch on Aug 13, 2019, 06:50:53 PM
Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Aug 13, 2019, 02:28:26 PMI'd say the opposite. The flashbacks interrupt the flow of the story. Yes, you get to hear a bit more about Ellen and Amanda's background, but it doesn't amount to anything important and detracts from the story at hand.
From what I hear the normal life flashback is by far the best part.
Spoiler
Here's the long and the short of it. Her mom disappeared, her step-dad was an asshole, they were broke, people ripped her off when she was trying to find out what happened to her mom.
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 13, 2019, 08:41:49 PM
Post by: SM on Aug 13, 2019, 08:41:49 PM
Good of you to spoil it though.
Well done.
Well done.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2019, 08:46:30 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2019, 08:46:30 PM
Let's remember spoiler tags please.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Aug 14, 2019, 11:19:42 AM
Post by: Stitch on Aug 14, 2019, 11:19:42 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 13, 2019, 08:46:30 PM
Let's remember spoiler tags please.
Quote from: SM on Aug 13, 2019, 08:41:49 PM
Good of you to spoil it though.
Well done.
Apologies, not intended that way, which is why I didn't go into detail. My point was more that we don't really learn anything more of any importance from the book than we do from other sources which talk about Amanda, such as the 5 year old video game, for example.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 16, 2019, 12:18:34 AM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 16, 2019, 12:18:34 AM
I doubt it means much anyway. The book isn't an instant classic, or even good in my opinion.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 16, 2019, 05:25:10 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 16, 2019, 05:25:10 AM
paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-alien-isolation-author-keith-r-a-decandido/
Turns out Keith didn't actually play the game:
Turns out Keith didn't actually play the game:
QuoteWhen they first approached you about writing this book, had you already played Alien: Isolation?
Nope. I'm not much of a gamer mainly due to lack of time.
But did you play it after you agreed to write Alien: Isolation?
I didn't, but I did have access to all the gaming materials, and, best of all, Gamer's Little Playground put up a video on YouTube that functions as a movie of the game, basically editing together the entirety of the game action into a single two-hour "movie." That was hugely helpful as it combined with the script to give me a ton of material to work with. The cutscenes YouTube video in particular gave me a good feel for the visuals of Sevastopol.
Also of assistance was the Alien: Isolation comic book that Dark Horse put out as a companion to the game. All of it was mined for the novel.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 16, 2019, 10:05:03 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 16, 2019, 10:05:03 AM
Not that surprising in hindsight, but you would've thought they could've found an author who had.
*cough* Alex White *cough*
*cough* Alex White *cough*
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 16, 2019, 10:42:29 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Aug 16, 2019, 10:42:29 AM
I'm not surprised at all. I said earlier it felt like he hadn't. :(
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 16, 2019, 12:52:13 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 16, 2019, 12:52:13 PM
Yeah no, absolutely a waste of potential- it's basically the one required criteria isn't it? Experiencing the media you're adapting first hand.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 426Buddy on Aug 16, 2019, 04:22:47 PM
Post by: 426Buddy on Aug 16, 2019, 04:22:47 PM
I havent read it yet but I can't believe he didn't play the game.
That just seems wrong, you can't watch the youtube videos of the game cutscenes, its not even close to the same experience.
Super disappointed in this. :-\
That just seems wrong, you can't watch the youtube videos of the game cutscenes, its not even close to the same experience.
Super disappointed in this. :-\
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 12:54:14 AM
Post by: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 12:54:14 AM
This isn't a game; it's a book.
There are already a game and a animated series. This is a different take.
There are already a game and a animated series. This is a different take.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 17, 2019, 01:41:03 AM
Post by: Samhain13 on Aug 17, 2019, 01:41:03 AM
:laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 17, 2019, 01:42:21 AM
Post by: Xenomrph on Aug 17, 2019, 01:42:21 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 12:54:14 AMOn the one hand that's a pretty reasonable assessment, viewing it as a companion to the game and all, but on the other hand you'd think getting basic details from the game right so that it stays as a semi-cohesive vision would be a good idea.
This isn't a game; it's a book.
There are already a game and a animated series. This is a different take.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 426Buddy on Aug 17, 2019, 02:24:32 AM
Post by: 426Buddy on Aug 17, 2019, 02:24:32 AM
Its like adapting anything, you should probably check out the source material first.
Watching the animated series doesn't do the game justice.
Watching the animated series doesn't do the game justice.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 17, 2019, 02:24:59 AM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 17, 2019, 02:24:59 AM
You're right, but it isn't a good one.
So far every adaptation's fallen apart in my opinion, the book is mediocre and the series is abysmal, a pity considering the quality of the original experience.
So far every adaptation's fallen apart in my opinion, the book is mediocre and the series is abysmal, a pity considering the quality of the original experience.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 05:43:14 AM
Post by: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 05:43:14 AM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Aug 17, 2019, 02:24:32 AM
Its like adapting anything, you should probably check out the source material first.
Watching the animated series doesn't do the game justice.
Pretty sure he would've had access to the script.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯 on Aug 17, 2019, 11:30:47 AM
Post by: 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯 on Aug 17, 2019, 11:30:47 AM
Well, Alan Dean Foster wrote the Alien novelization without having seen the film*. :laugh:
*Though in fairness, that was simply because the film was still being made while he wrote it.
*Though in fairness, that was simply because the film was still being made while he wrote it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Stitch on Aug 17, 2019, 04:55:07 PM
Post by: Stitch on Aug 17, 2019, 04:55:07 PM
Quote from: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 05:43:14 AMProbably, but watching a fanmade movie edit and having access to the script doesn't make you feel the way that playing the game does.Quote from: 426Buddy on Aug 17, 2019, 02:24:32 AM
Its like adapting anything, you should probably check out the source material first.
Watching the animated series doesn't do the game justice.
Pretty sure he would've had access to the script.
An adaptation should make the reader of the book feel the way the player of the game does. The game was tense, but the novel was not.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 10:02:38 PM
Post by: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 10:02:38 PM
Then play the game I guess...? Again it simply strikes me that Keith was doing a different take.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 19, 2019, 07:42:49 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Aug 19, 2019, 07:42:49 AM
Writing an adaptation several years after the fact, I do think it's a bit silly not to have the author at least sample the original material. Same as when River of Pain recreated scenes from the Special Edition of Aliens but then got them wrong compared to the film. A fifteen minute sit-down with the Blu-ray would've sorted that, but apparently they didn't bother.
Alex White has clearly played Isolation, and the Alien encounters so obviously inspired by it in The Cold Forge are leagues ahead of anything in this novelisation.
Alex White has clearly played Isolation, and the Alien encounters so obviously inspired by it in The Cold Forge are leagues ahead of anything in this novelisation.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Aug 19, 2019, 07:48:11 AM
Post by: SiL on Aug 19, 2019, 07:48:11 AM
Quote from: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 10:02:38 PMA different take of a tense experience which -- apparently -- intentionally leaves out the tension feels ... self-defeating?
Then play the game I guess...? Again it simply strikes me that Keith was doing a different take.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2019, 08:12:25 AM
Post by: SM on Aug 19, 2019, 08:12:25 AM
If you like.
I didn't feel any tension when reading it nor did I miss a lack of tension because I was intimately aware of the events already.
I didn't feel any tension when reading it nor did I miss a lack of tension because I was intimately aware of the events already.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xiggz456 on Aug 19, 2019, 01:37:07 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Aug 19, 2019, 01:37:07 PM
Like Huda said after Alex White so expertly created the same feeling of tension within his novel to the point where I knew he must've played Isolation; it's evident that the same intense feelings can be translated to novel form. So Keith kinda missed the mark here.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Aug 20, 2019, 05:14:12 PM
Post by: Hudson on Aug 20, 2019, 05:14:12 PM
Quote from: SiL on Aug 19, 2019, 07:48:11 AMQuote from: SM on Aug 17, 2019, 10:02:38 PMA different take of a tense experience which -- apparently -- intentionally leaves out the tension feels ... self-defeating?
Then play the game I guess...? Again it simply strikes me that Keith was doing a different take.
It's only self-defeating if no one makes any money off of it.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 29, 2019, 10:24:21 PM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 29, 2019, 10:24:21 PM
Mediocrity isn't good for marketing.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Nostromo on Aug 30, 2019, 02:31:17 AM
Post by: Nostromo on Aug 30, 2019, 02:31:17 AM
Just got the audiobook, looking forward to this one.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Aug 31, 2019, 02:35:03 AM
Post by: The Old One on Aug 31, 2019, 02:35:03 AM
I hope it's good, I sincerely do.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Sep 06, 2019, 07:32:51 PM
Post by: Hudson on Sep 06, 2019, 07:32:51 PM
Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Aug 29, 2019, 10:24:21 PM
Mediocrity isn't good for marketing.
Well maybe you should start working for Fox. I think they've needed this insight for quite a while with regard to Alien and Predator.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Samhain13 on Sep 06, 2019, 07:35:37 PM
Post by: Samhain13 on Sep 06, 2019, 07:35:37 PM
Quite.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 09, 2019, 06:39:05 PM
Post by: Wweyland on Sep 09, 2019, 06:39:05 PM
The book mentions an incident in Ellen Ripley's past where she helped save a shuttle from "Earther terrorists".
Wonder if that is a nod to the Alien: Covenant Origins prequel where an exactly similar event occurred. The timeline doesn't quite match (she would have been 11 years old), but maybe she was a cadet in training?
Wonder if that is a nod to the Alien: Covenant Origins prequel where an exactly similar event occurred. The timeline doesn't quite match (she would have been 11 years old), but maybe she was a cadet in training?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 09, 2019, 06:53:09 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 09, 2019, 06:53:09 PM
It's not. It's a nod to Ridley Scott's original notes for the character, which I believe mention just such an event.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Sep 09, 2019, 08:29:35 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 09, 2019, 08:29:35 PM
That ^.
Quote2115 (October 16)
Ripley successfully negotiates an end to a hostage crisis on Weyland-Yutani shuttle craft Erebus saving 49 lives and resulting in the conviction of 8 terrorists.
From Alien DVD.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kimarhi on Sep 10, 2019, 02:47:55 AM
Post by: Kimarhi on Sep 10, 2019, 02:47:55 AM
She should've taken them all out.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on Sep 12, 2019, 01:43:37 PM
Post by: Kradan on Sep 12, 2019, 01:43:37 PM
Have listened to audiobook recently. Pretty enjoyed it. I really like the flashback parts 'cause they really made me believe that Amanda was the person able to survive the situation she was in on Sevastopol. Also I really liked how Ellen's missing was described as a real tragedy for her daughter - what was supposed to be the happiest day in her life turned into the worst one. I didn't get that sense from game itself and mention of Amanda in Aliens was too damn short. Seeing situation through Amandas's POV was cool too and sometimes it was surprisingly funny ( " f**k, f**k, f**k " if you know what i mean )
But on another hand, the actual in - game events weren't translated to a book format very well and felt very cut . Hospital, Project KG -348, hive sections ( the most memorable ones IMO ) were unforgivably short. Alien didn't seem more of a threat than goddamn Joe or just some malfunction which is a total shame especially knowing what Stompy is in Isolation. And I think it didn't really appeared much in the book. Also not a fan of killable xenos and Amanda being able to outrun them.
But again i enjoyed Amanda's backstory very much and honestly would prefer if whole book was just about Amanda dealing with her life after mom's missing. I guess it would be called Alien Isolation Origins 'cause it wouldn't have any Aliens in it :P
7,5 / 10
But on another hand, the actual in - game events weren't translated to a book format very well and felt very cut . Hospital, Project KG -348, hive sections ( the most memorable ones IMO ) were unforgivably short. Alien didn't seem more of a threat than goddamn Joe or just some malfunction which is a total shame especially knowing what Stompy is in Isolation. And I think it didn't really appeared much in the book. Also not a fan of killable xenos and Amanda being able to outrun them.
But again i enjoyed Amanda's backstory very much and honestly would prefer if whole book was just about Amanda dealing with her life after mom's missing. I guess it would be called Alien Isolation Origins 'cause it wouldn't have any Aliens in it :P
7,5 / 10
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Sep 12, 2019, 04:16:50 PM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 12, 2019, 04:16:50 PM
Yes, I very much concur.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Sep 12, 2019, 08:47:35 PM
Post by: SM on Sep 12, 2019, 08:47:35 PM
QuoteAlso not a fan of killable xenos and Amanda being able to outrun them.
They get killed and outran in the films a lot.
QuoteBut again i enjoyed Amanda's backstory very much and honestly would prefer if whole book was just about Amanda dealing with her life after mom's missing.
Not the best plan for to attract casuals.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Sep 12, 2019, 09:12:36 PM
Post by: The Old One on Sep 12, 2019, 09:12:36 PM
So? It's an adaptation of Isolation, not the films-
and the essence of the original (superior) story isn't present.
and the essence of the original (superior) story isn't present.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 23, 2019, 09:00:38 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Sep 23, 2019, 09:00:38 AM
I'm revisiting this to review it! Wonder how it holds up for my second read through.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 23, 2019, 11:18:19 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Sep 23, 2019, 11:18:19 AM
My overriding memories of the book are loving that they tied Ripley's history into the Ridley notes and hating how badly it mishandled the actual Alien stuff.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Sep 23, 2019, 11:31:46 AM
Post by: SiL on Sep 23, 2019, 11:31:46 AM
Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Sep 12, 2019, 09:12:36 PMThe Alien's not actually indestructible in the story, though. It's a game mechanic.
So? It's an adaptation of Isolation, not the films-
and the essence of the original (superior) story isn't present.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on Sep 23, 2019, 10:18:13 PM
Post by: Kradan on Sep 23, 2019, 10:18:13 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Sep 23, 2019, 09:00:38 AM
I'm revisiting this to review it! Wonder how it holds up for my second read through.
We need podcast Corporal. Bay 12, please .
Spoiler
And what about long-awaited Isolation walktrough ?
[close]
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on Sep 24, 2019, 05:14:25 PM
Post by: Hudson on Sep 24, 2019, 05:14:25 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Sep 23, 2019, 11:18:19 AM
My overriding memories of the book are loving that they tied Ripley's history into the Ridley notes and hating how badly it mishandled the actual Alien stuff.
My lasting first impression will be the pervasive sense throughout that the author never once played the video game. And then this turned out to be the case.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 15, 2019, 07:14:16 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 15, 2019, 07:14:16 PM
My thoughts on the book: https://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/alien-isolation-novel/
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Darkness on Oct 15, 2019, 07:58:49 PM
Post by: Darkness on Oct 15, 2019, 07:58:49 PM
How did you know he didn't play the game?
Refresh my memory. What happens in San Cristobal and Gemini Lab?
Refresh my memory. What happens in San Cristobal and Gemini Lab?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Oct 15, 2019, 08:15:05 PM
Post by: The Old One on Oct 15, 2019, 08:15:05 PM
He said as much.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 16, 2019, 02:32:35 PM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Oct 16, 2019, 02:32:35 PM
Quote from: Darkness on Oct 15, 2019, 07:58:49 PM
How did you know he didn't play the game?
He said he didn't. I'd mentioned earlier it felt like he hadn't played it, which was confirmed in this interview.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Aug 16, 2019, 05:25:10 AM
paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-alien-isolation-author-keith-r-a-decandido/
Turns out Keith didn't actually play the game:QuoteWhen they first approached you about writing this book, had you already played Alien: Isolation?
Nope. I'm not much of a gamer mainly due to lack of time.
But did you play it after you agreed to write Alien: Isolation?
I didn't, but I did have access to all the gaming materials, and, best of all, Gamer's Little Playground put up a video on YouTube that functions as a movie of the game, basically editing together the entirety of the game action into a single two-hour "movie." That was hugely helpful as it combined with the script to give me a ton of material to work with. The cutscenes YouTube video in particular gave me a good feel for the visuals of Sevastopol.
Also of assistance was the Alien: Isolation comic book that Dark Horse put out as a companion to the game. All of it was mined for the novel.
Quote from: Darkness on Oct 15, 2019, 07:58:49 PM
Refresh my memory. What happens in San Cristobal and Gemini Lab?
:o San Cristobal was your second run-in with the Alien. It was the hospital, where you see it slither out of the vents for the first time. That whole sequence.
Gemini Lab's was the sequence that was shown off at all the press demos and etc, when you finally catch Stompy and get ejected along with the module from the station.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Oct 16, 2019, 02:55:28 PM
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Oct 16, 2019, 02:55:28 PM
Yeah, I can see not playing it having an impact.
Btw - nice review Hicks
Btw - nice review Hicks
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Darkness on Oct 16, 2019, 06:36:40 PM
Post by: Darkness on Oct 16, 2019, 06:36:40 PM
Indeed, it would have made a bigger difference had he played it but I can understand him just watching a summary video on youtube to get the best bits of what happens. A lot of what happens in the game can be condensed.
You're a fountain of knowledge. I didn't even remember the names of those places.
Yeah, they were pretty important for the story. Maybe the book just wasn't aimed at you but just casual fans who didn't play the game.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Oct 16, 2019, 02:32:35 PM
:o San Cristobal was your second run-in with the Alien. It was the hospital, where you see it slither out of the vents for the first time. That whole sequence.
Gemini Lab's was the sequence that was shown off at all the press demos and etc, when you finally catch Stompy and get ejected along with the module from the station.
You're a fountain of knowledge. I didn't even remember the names of those places.
Yeah, they were pretty important for the story. Maybe the book just wasn't aimed at you but just casual fans who didn't play the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Oct 16, 2019, 11:17:49 PM
Post by: The Old One on Oct 16, 2019, 11:17:49 PM
I really don't think it holds a candle to the original version.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xiggz456 on Oct 18, 2019, 02:10:40 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Oct 18, 2019, 02:10:40 PM
I just gave this a re-read in anticipation of "Prototype". While still not near tense enough to be a successful adaptation I do like that the flashbacks foster a bigger payoff when Amanda finally hears her mom's message on the Anesidora. Obviously a lot of the game is abridged but I noticed this time that Amanda never gets pulled through the vents and cocooned (towards the end of the game). Also this time it bugged me how many times she runs away when one of her first sightings described a man trying to run and the alien catching him in two quick strides (so apparently Amanda is a track star lol). Overall I like Keith's writing but he really should of experienced the game before he took on the job. Hicks' score of 5/10 is a fair score as Keith just veered too far from the source material.
Next week we'll be getting issue 4 of Rescue and Prototype the week after that which will conclude the Amanda Ripley Read/Play/Watch campaign. It's been an interesting ride but I'm grateful for it nonetheless.
Next week we'll be getting issue 4 of Rescue and Prototype the week after that which will conclude the Amanda Ripley Read/Play/Watch campaign. It's been an interesting ride but I'm grateful for it nonetheless.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Oct 20, 2019, 12:51:16 PM
Post by: The Old One on Oct 20, 2019, 12:51:16 PM
Yeah, I think I agree- but honestly I think the message still pays off within the original source material because of Alien, Aliens and Alien³ it's a nice bookend.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xiggz456 on Oct 20, 2019, 11:28:36 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Oct 20, 2019, 11:28:36 PM
Indeed. The flashbacks just add a little extra emotion on Amanda's end. Just realized that Amanda now has her own quadrilogy with Isolation, Blackout, Resistance and Rescue. Fitting.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Nov 04, 2019, 06:44:24 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Nov 04, 2019, 06:44:24 AM
Podcast review is up :) http://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode096.mp3
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Xiggz456 on Nov 04, 2019, 04:32:22 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Nov 04, 2019, 04:32:22 PM
Another solid podcast fellas! I too would like to see Keith take a crack at an original novel for the franchise as the writing wasn't an issue.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: XenoHunter99 on Nov 05, 2019, 04:29:13 AM
Post by: XenoHunter99 on Nov 05, 2019, 04:29:13 AM
It was an enjoyable podcast. Thanks for that.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Nov 05, 2019, 08:41:32 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Nov 05, 2019, 08:41:32 PM
Something I neglected to mention, but which also bugged me:
Given how cool it was that they went to the effort of making sure Ripley's backstory matched up with her original character notes (right down to the names of the captains of the ships she served on), it's a shame they didn't put the same care and effort into ensuring consistency with the characters from the game the novel is actually adapting - virtually every full name the book comes up with doesn't match with the name or initial you can find out from rooting around in the game. You'd think at least someone might have had a list of those things lying around.
Given how cool it was that they went to the effort of making sure Ripley's backstory matched up with her original character notes (right down to the names of the captains of the ships she served on), it's a shame they didn't put the same care and effort into ensuring consistency with the characters from the game the novel is actually adapting - virtually every full name the book comes up with doesn't match with the name or initial you can find out from rooting around in the game. You'd think at least someone might have had a list of those things lying around.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: The Old One on Nov 07, 2019, 11:38:16 AM
Post by: The Old One on Nov 07, 2019, 11:38:16 AM
Yeah, but I think it's got larger issues.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 26, 2020, 04:21:24 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 26, 2020, 04:21:24 AM
So, I stayed away from this topic as I didn't want to spoil the experience of reading the book. Alas, this morning I finished it, and I caught up on reading the posts.
I have to admit there were many sections of longueur which had me take looong breaks away. Eventually, the book picked up some pace and I found it interesting to see just how much of young Amanda we got to see. That was cool. But something was missing in this work for me. Maybe it was... passion.
I have to admit there were many sections of longueur which had me take looong breaks away. Eventually, the book picked up some pace and I found it interesting to see just how much of young Amanda we got to see. That was cool. But something was missing in this work for me. Maybe it was... passion.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 04:37:36 AM
Post by: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 04:37:36 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 26, 2020, 04:21:24 AM
So, I stayed away from this topic as I didn't want to spoil the experience of reading the book. Alas, this morning I finished it, and I caught up on reading the posts.
I have to admit there were many sections of longueur which had me take looong breaks away. Eventually, the book picked up some pace and I found it interesting to see just how much of young Amanda we got to see. That was cool. But something was missing in this work for me. Maybe it was... passion.
Bingo. If I'm not mistaken KRD says in an interview he was asked to write this book, not the other way around? It shows.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 26, 2020, 08:16:36 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on May 26, 2020, 08:16:36 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 26, 2020, 04:21:24 AM
But something was missing in this work for me. Maybe it was... passion.
For sure! You could feel him having more interest in his original material in the book.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on May 26, 2020, 09:58:23 AM
Post by: Kradan on May 26, 2020, 09:58:23 AM
Agreed
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 02:12:46 PM
Post by: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 02:12:46 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on May 26, 2020, 08:16:36 AMQuote from: Perfect-Organism on May 26, 2020, 04:21:24 AM
But something was missing in this work for me. Maybe it was... passion.
For sure! You could feel him having more interest in his original material in the book.
From his standpoint, I can totally understand that. If you're writing a book, how could you not be more engaged in the original stuff you're creating, rather than what probably feels like a transcription of someone else's source material? It's one thing to novelize a graphic novel, or a film based on the screenplay. Both of these are more or less pieces of writing being converted into another form of writing. For a video game, I would imagine it's a really cumbersome experience, especially if you're not even playing the game and you're essentially just trying to write the prose version of a YouTube video. I'm sure it wasn't a fun experience per se.
However, people who saw the title, Alien Isolation, and had played the game, were not eagerly awaiting DeCandido's take on Ripley's backstory before they were looking to experience an adaptation of the video game's story. If you're getting paid to write a media tie-in, I think you need to deliver on fan expectations, and I don't agree that this occurred. That's where I don't understand what the editors of this book were going for from a marketing perspective. Most of the people who played the game probably didn't read this book. I think that's a fair assumption. But I bet most people who read this book had played the game.
Superficially, there's no tension in flashbacks. Each time the flashbacks pop into this book, Sevastopol's story comes to a grinding halt and the pacing gets messed up. Then, when we return to the modules of the story that are supposed to be scary, the momentum never picks up. The whole thing feels very strange if you're familiar with how tense the game can be. I just don't feel any sense of dread or fear in the parts of this book where you tonally need that. It's a boring book and the game is never boring.
I think it will be remembered as one of the more awkward entries in the Zula/Amanda Team-Up Era, or whatever we'll label it as.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on May 26, 2020, 02:14:53 PM
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on May 26, 2020, 02:14:53 PM
This discussion is making me think back to reading Halo: The Flood back in high school, and how much I hated all of the parts that adapted the Halo: Combat Evolved 1:1 but how I really enjoyed the parts that broke away from Master Chief's POV. I remember the Master Chief parts all basically reading like a gameplay guide, which just... wasn't enjoyable.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 02:21:31 PM
Post by: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 02:21:31 PM
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on May 26, 2020, 02:14:53 PM
This discussion is making me think back to reading Halo: The Flood back in high school, and how much I hated all of the parts that adapted the Halo: Combat Evolved 1:1 but how I really enjoyed the parts that broke away from Master Chief's POV. I remember the Master Chief parts all basically reading like a gameplay guide, which just... wasn't enjoyable.
I haven't read them yet, but I'm curious about SD Perry's Resident Evil books. They were popular enough to get reprinted, which seems like kind of a rare thing outside of Star Wars books. But Resident Evil from 1998 is such a sparse game in so many ways, in some ways like Halo. Especially with long stretches of silence from the main protagonist. I want to see how she tackled the gameplay.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 28, 2020, 03:36:36 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on May 28, 2020, 03:36:36 AM
The Aliens felt like space bugs again, with none of the fearful dread associated with the game.
On a positive note, thanks were given to Dan Abnett and the folks who wrote the game. It always kind of stuck in my craw that Mark Verheiden never received any credit for his work which was transcribed by a Perry or two into some novels. It was quite shameful.
On a positive note, thanks were given to Dan Abnett and the folks who wrote the game. It always kind of stuck in my craw that Mark Verheiden never received any credit for his work which was transcribed by a Perry or two into some novels. It was quite shameful.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheBATMAN on May 28, 2020, 06:10:35 PM
Post by: TheBATMAN on May 28, 2020, 06:10:35 PM
Quote from: Hudson on May 26, 2020, 02:21:31 PMQuote from: Nightmare Asylum on May 26, 2020, 02:14:53 PM
This discussion is making me think back to reading Halo: The Flood back in high school, and how much I hated all of the parts that adapted the Halo: Combat Evolved 1:1 but how I really enjoyed the parts that broke away from Master Chief's POV. I remember the Master Chief parts all basically reading like a gameplay guide, which just... wasn't enjoyable.
I haven't read them yet, but I'm curious about SD Perry's Resident Evil books. They were popular enough to get reprinted, which seems like kind of a rare thing outside of Star Wars books. But Resident Evil from 1998 is such a sparse game in so many ways, in some ways like Halo. Especially with long stretches of silence from the main protagonist. I want to see how she tackled the gameplay.
The books are pretty faithful. The Umbrella Conspiracy and RE2 in particular are pretty faithful adaptions and one of the fun things is being able to visualise where in the mansion or RPD the characters are at that point in the book. Her original RE novels are not quite as good unfortunately.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jun 06, 2020, 02:38:20 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jun 06, 2020, 02:38:20 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Nov 04, 2019, 06:44:24 AM
Podcast review is up :) http://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode096.mp3
Just finished listening to this. It pains me to say it, but the review is spot on. This novel, while ok for the knowledgeable reader, and valuable for the uninitiated, just could have been so much better, especially if The author played the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: j0nesy on Jun 06, 2020, 06:27:38 PM
Post by: j0nesy on Jun 06, 2020, 06:27:38 PM
i try to avoid thinking about this novelization anymore, but it still boggles my mind that the writer thought he could successfully replicate the atmosphere and tone of this incredibly immersive game, without actually playing it (i think he watched the digital series released by ign, but that's not really the same) :-\
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 04:07:38 AM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 04:07:38 AM
Between all the logs, and the twitter account, and the backstory and cut bits and the narrative of the game itself, why didn't the just get the writer/s of the game to make the adaptation?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 28, 2020, 08:03:27 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 28, 2020, 08:03:27 AM
Because writing a novel is very different from writing a game script.
Having said that, Abnett did do a short story in the Bug Hunt anthology.
Having said that, Abnett did do a short story in the Bug Hunt anthology.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 28, 2020, 10:01:50 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 28, 2020, 10:01:50 AM
He was a well known author of Warhammer books too. He had the experience.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jul 28, 2020, 01:14:36 PM
Post by: Nightmare Asylum on Jul 28, 2020, 01:14:36 PM
He's also a really great comic writer. His run (along with his former writing partner, Andy Lanning) of Guardians of the Galaxy from 2008-2010 is one of my favorite comic books ever, and is basically responsible for creating the team lineup that everyone knows today from the James Gunn movies.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 04:14:36 PM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 04:14:36 PM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jul 28, 2020, 08:03:27 AM
Because writing a novel is very different from writing a game script.
Having said that, Abnett did do a short story in the Bug Hunt anthology.
Opinions may vary, but I loved his bug hunt story, Reapers. It was bleak and twisted, and frankly apocalyptic, and not being specifically about the Xenoes it avoided that story pitfall that Hicks hates where the characters are behind the reader in knowing what's up.
We should totally get an interview with Abnett and ask what his vision of an Isolation novel might have looked like, or even an Isolation tangent or follow-up novel. If anyone knows the lore or the characters or the missed opportunities of the game, like the stories of all those poor gone-feral saps stuck on the station slowly losing their humanity, he would know.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: j0nesy on Jul 28, 2020, 05:31:05 PM
Post by: j0nesy on Jul 28, 2020, 05:31:05 PM
i really think this was one of those situations where it's 'who you know', with keith decandido being friends with the editor. i don't hate the novelization, but it just doesn't live up to the game (which tbf, set a really high standard) :-\
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 06:25:51 PM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 06:25:51 PM
I just want More. I want more Dr. Lingard, I want more Samuels, I want more shifty Ransome, I want more Capt Verlaine, more Axel, more Mike Tanaka, even more Julia Jones, sleezy press. I want to know the dubious circumstances that got Ripley to Mendel Station. Give me more of this world.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
Post by: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 01:12:21 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 01:12:21 AM
The Isolation novel is meant to be Amanda's story, similar to how Prototype was Zula's story.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:13:26 AM
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:13:26 AM
Quote from: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Shhhh, I can put it on my to-do list. *runs back to rabbit hole*
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 01:25:08 AM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 01:25:08 AM
Quote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:13:26 AMQuote from: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Shhhh, I can put it on my to-do list. *runs back to rabbit hole*
Yaaasss. I've been meaning to check out "Burning Bridges"!
Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 01:12:21 AM
The Isolation novel is meant to be Amanda's story, similar to how Prototype was Zula's story.
The first season of Orange is the New Black was meant to be Piper's story. Arguably the first season of Game of Throne's is meant to be Ned Stark's story. The first season of Northern Exposure was meant to Dr Joel Fleischman's story. Sometimes tangential stories end up becoming equally, or indeed far more interesting than main stories, sometimes not.
Quote from: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Agreed! I'm imagining Julia Jones as being anti-heroic and a great framing/expository role, like Becka McBride from AvP: Eternal, Edison Carter from Max Headroom, or maybe even sleazier like Hardcore's Tony Pope from Predator 2. Or who knows, maybe just a rad adventure seeker like Nickole Kejela from Deep Background, a much better use of DeCandidio's talent.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:49:26 AM
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:49:26 AM
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 01:25:08 AMQuote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:13:26 AMQuote from: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Shhhh, I can put it on my to-do list. *runs back to rabbit hole*
Yaaasss. I've been meaning to check out "Burning Bridges"!
The written version or the audiobook? The written version is complete, and we're slowly working on the audio version.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 02:55:07 AM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 02:55:07 AM
Quote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:49:26 AMQuote from: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 01:25:08 AMQuote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:13:26 AMQuote from: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Shhhh, I can put it on my to-do list. *runs back to rabbit hole*
Yaaasss. I've been meaning to check out "Burning Bridges"!
The written version or the audiobook? The written version is complete, and we're slowly working on the audio version.
Aw what? I had no idea, can I have a link? I'd love the read, I only heard about the audio recently.
Regarding the audio. If you're ever looking for voice talent for a dramatization or figurative extra hands, I'm a voice actor and a sound editor too, I'd love to be involved somehow. Either way, looking forward to giving this a read/listen.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 03:18:11 AM
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 03:18:11 AM
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 02:55:07 AMQuote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:49:26 AMQuote from: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 01:25:08 AMQuote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:13:26 AMQuote from: Kradan on Jul 28, 2020, 09:11:04 PM
I would love a book told from Ransome's or Julia Jones' perspective.
Shhhh, I can put it on my to-do list. *runs back to rabbit hole*
Yaaasss. I've been meaning to check out "Burning Bridges"!
The written version or the audiobook? The written version is complete, and we're slowly working on the audio version.
Aw what? I had no idea, can I have a link? I'd love the read, I only heard about the audio recently.
Regarding the audio. If you're ever looking for voice talent for a dramatization or figurative extra hands, I'm a voice actor and a sound editor too, I'd love to be involved somehow. Either way, looking forward to giving this a read/listen.
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13484456/1/Burning-Bridges (https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13484456/1/Burning-Bridges)
So far, it's just me reading the book, and my boyfriend is editing and adding music. If we need some extra help, I'll let you know.
The audio version is on YouTube, and we're trying to get it on Spotify.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 04:33:19 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 04:33:19 AM
QuoteThe first season of Orange is the New Black was meant to be Piper's story. Arguably the first season of Game of Throne's is meant to be Ned Stark's story. The first season of Northern Exposure was meant to Dr Joel Fleischman's story. Sometimes tangential stories end up becoming equally, or indeed far more interesting than main stories, sometimes not.
Indeed they can be more interesting. They're not Alien Isolation though - they're something else.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 07:36:37 AM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 07:36:37 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 04:33:19 AMQuoteThe first season of Orange is the New Black was meant to be Piper's story. Arguably the first season of Game of Throne's is meant to be Ned Stark's story. The first season of Northern Exposure was meant to Dr Joel Fleischman's story. Sometimes tangential stories end up becoming equally, or indeed far more interesting than main stories, sometimes not.
Indeed they can be more interesting. They're not Alien Isolation though - they're something else.
Interesting.
If I understand what you're saying, from my perspective I'd certainly I beg to differ. To me all these characters Dan Abnett's written, with their interweaving narratives, are all part of the whole, they populate and thus create the world that Amanda Ripley inhabits and interacts within, and they've all been there from the start. In my estimation, it would be like whittling down Blade Runner to only the story beats of Decker's narrative. Without the overarching world he inhabits, I feel like Blade Runner would not truly be Blade Runner, it would be an anemic and unsatisfying 'something else'.
I suppose one could play Isolation through and not listen to, or read any logs. One could skip over the cutscenes and chose not to follow any figurative side quests. But regardless of how central, in one's estimation, those aspects and characters are to the narrative of the "main character", wouldn't it be disingenuous to claim they're not even members of their own story? I guess I don't understand, from my perspective that would be like saying Brett and Parker's narratives are not Ellen Ripley's and they are therefore not "Alien" - they're something else.
Grant you, I'm probably fundamentally misunderstanding what you're commenting on. Can you help me understand what your thoughts are? No worries if you'd prefer not to. It's still a valid viewpoint, regardless. I'm just interested.
Quote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 03:18:11 AM
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13484456/1/Burning-Bridges (https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13484456/1/Burning-Bridges)
So far, it's just me reading the book, and my boyfriend is editing and adding music. If we need some extra help, I'll let you know.
The audio version is on YouTube, and we're trying to get it on Spotify.
Oh man, thanks! This'll be sweet to read (and/or hear)!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 29, 2020, 08:04:50 AM
Post by: Corporal Hicks on Jul 29, 2020, 08:04:50 AM
I'm not sure if SM is trying to say that Isolation itself or the intent behind the book is just Amanda's story as a mirror to Zula's experience in Prototype, or that there's no room for other character stories within the Isolation story?
I certainly think that there is room for the story of other character's within the Isolation world, and would definitely have preferred to have seen something along those lines myself.
I certainly think that there is room for the story of other character's within the Isolation world, and would definitely have preferred to have seen something along those lines myself.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 29, 2020, 08:49:49 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Jul 29, 2020, 08:49:49 AM
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 04:14:36 PMOpinions may vary, but I loved his bug hunt story, Reapers. It was bleak and twisted, and frankly apocalyptic, and not being specifically about the Xenoes it avoided that story pitfall that Hicks hates where the characters are behind the reader in knowing what's up.
Reapers was one of my favourites too. I'd mostly forgotten he'd written it when I started writing that post :laugh:
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 06:25:51 PMI just want More. I want more Dr. Lingard, I want more Samuels, I want more shifty Ransome, I want more Capt Verlaine, more Axel, more Mike Tanaka, even more Julia Jones, sleezy press.
Yeah, I was really hoping the book would expand on some of those characters as background. Maybe some interludes set before Amanda arrives on the station. Stuff like this is hinted at in the game - especially in the archive logs - so they definitely would've had something to work with.
Sadly they didn't seem to delve into the game's info store at all, hence why none of the expanded character names matched what was given in the game.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 29, 2020, 09:27:08 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 29, 2020, 09:27:08 AM
SM's saying Isolation itself was designed to be Amanda's story.
A better analogy would be Isolation is season one of Game of Thrones and the Alien franchise as a whole is the rest of the series. Season one is about Ned; Isolation is about Amanda. Further stories unravel the tales of others.
A better analogy would be Isolation is season one of Game of Thrones and the Alien franchise as a whole is the rest of the series. Season one is about Ned; Isolation is about Amanda. Further stories unravel the tales of others.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 10:12:15 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 10:12:15 AM
Yeah. Alien Isolation - the game, the novel, the Youtube series - is about Amanda's search for her mother and having a similar encounter to her mother. The other characters stories are all peripheral to that. It's not about Axel, or Marlow, or Waits, or Riccardo. Even the title points of one person on her own.
As for 'mirroring' Zula's story - it's not a mirror as such, and it evolved by accident. Prototype was a bit different originally, but as things progressed it ended up with one novel each to lead into Resistance. There were also plans with Zula and Amanda that didn't pan out too.
Alien is largely an ensemble with the main trio being Dallas, Ash and Ripley. Aliens and Alien 3 are however all about Ripley.
As for 'mirroring' Zula's story - it's not a mirror as such, and it evolved by accident. Prototype was a bit different originally, but as things progressed it ended up with one novel each to lead into Resistance. There were also plans with Zula and Amanda that didn't pan out too.
QuoteI guess I don't understand, from my perspective that would be like saying Brett and Parker's narratives are not Ellen Ripley's and they are therefore not "Alien" - they're something else.
Alien is largely an ensemble with the main trio being Dallas, Ash and Ripley. Aliens and Alien 3 are however all about Ripley.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:48:34 PM
Post by: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 01:48:34 PM
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 07:36:37 AMQuote from: TheSailingRabbit on Jul 29, 2020, 03:18:11 AM
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13484456/1/Burning-Bridges (https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13484456/1/Burning-Bridges)
So far, it's just me reading the book, and my boyfriend is editing and adding music. If we need some extra help, I'll let you know.
The audio version is on YouTube, and we're trying to get it on Spotify.
Oh man, thanks! This'll be sweet to read (and/or hear)!
No problem. The topic is already up in the Fan Section.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 05:51:46 PM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 05:51:46 PM
Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 10:12:15 AMQuoteI guess I don't understand, from my perspective that would be like saying Brett and Parker's narratives are not Ellen Ripley's and they are therefore not "Alien" - they're something else.
Alien is largely an ensemble with the main trio being Dallas, Ash and Ripley. Aliens and Alien 3 are however all about Ripley.
I'm probably still not understanding, but I think maybe I've got to disagree. I can't imagine either of those two latter stories remotely having the resonance that they do, for me anyway, without their specific ensemble casts of characters. But to each their own. Thank you for explaining.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 29, 2020, 08:04:50 AM
I'm not sure if SM is trying to say that Isolation itself or the intent behind the book is just Amanda's story as a mirror to Zula's experience in Prototype, or that there's no room for other character stories within the Isolation story?
I certainly think that there is room for the story of other character's within the Isolation world, and would definitely have preferred to have seen something along those lines myself.
Not sure if you're a King fan, but Needful Things is a perfect example of what a satisfying iteration of an Isolation adaptation would have been for me; minus the central antagonist of Leland Gaunt, that is. If you haven't read it, it's basically a story that starts off happy enough, it paints a picture of a normal town, (well, as normal as Castle Rock has ever been) and you get small windows into the, more or less, normal individuals inhabiting that world. As the story progresses, seemingly innocuous individual actions on the parts of the different characters start to add up and compound on each other, and by the end the town is engulfed in chaos, death, and mayhem with everyone at each others throats and the town literally erupting into flames. Sort of like the classic Twilight Zone "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", or like those poor schmucks isolated in that Grocery Store when the fog starts rolling in with the teeth and the tentacles in The Mist, before you know it, it's all apocalyptic cults and human sacrifice in Aisle 4.
I love those stories because, in much the way that Lord of the Flies did, it highlights how the resolve and morality of normal folks, like you or I, can slowly and collectively be eroded away in situations of isolation, until your character/s arrive at the point where they realize that the true monsters are not the beasts in the woods, but in fact we ourselves and each other. So, when the crescendo finally starts popping at the end, it not only feels earned but you're forced to examine what role you or the ones you care about may have played in the ultimate downfall of that once safe world.
Is that a far cry from crouching under desks and hiding in lockers? Sure, but without the viceral and inescapable cosmic horror surrounding you in that small and temporary pocket of refuge that you've scurried yourself into, the uncertain, desperate hope you're pathetically clinging to, the action itself loses its weight and significance.
Quote from: SiL on Jul 29, 2020, 09:27:08 AM
SM's saying Isolation itself was designed to be Amanda's story.
A better analogy would be Isolation is season one of Game of Thrones and the Alien franchise as a whole is the rest of the series. Season one is about Ned; Isolation is about Amanda. Further stories unravel the tales of others.
That's a fair cop.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jul 29, 2020, 08:49:49 AMQuote from: SpaceKase on Jul 28, 2020, 04:14:36 PMOpinions may vary, but I loved his bug hunt story, Reapers. It was bleak and twisted, and frankly apocalyptic, and not being specifically about the Xenoes it avoided that story pitfall that Hicks hates where the characters are behind the reader in knowing what's up.
Reapers was one of my favourites too. I'd mostly forgotten he'd written it when I started writing that post :laugh:
Right?! I guess it kinda makes sense when you compare the desperate circumstances of sealing yourself away in a small metal
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 09:37:37 PM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 09:37:37 PM
QuoteI'm probably still not understanding, but I think maybe I've got to disagree. I can't imagine either of those two latter stories remotely having the resonance that they do, for me anyway, without their specific ensemble casts of characters. But to each their own. Thank you for explaining.
You disagree that Aliens and Alien 3 are about Ripley? Who else are they about?
I don't believe I suggested anywhere that the other characters should be removed; but Aliens and Alien 3 are not Hicks, Newt, Dillon or Aaron's stories. They're supporting characters. Those movies are Ripley's stories.
Other characters come into her orbit then they die. Ditto Amanda in Isolation.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 29, 2020, 10:54:53 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 29, 2020, 10:54:53 PM
Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 09:37:37 PMQuoteI'm probably still not understanding, but I think maybe I've got to disagree. I can't imagine either of those two latter stories remotely having the resonance that they do, for me anyway, without their specific ensemble casts of characters. But to each their own. Thank you for explaining.
You disagree that Aliens and Alien 3 are about Ripley? Who else are they about?
I don't believe I suggested anywhere that the other characters should be removed; but Aliens and Alien 3 are not Hicks, Newt, Dillon or Aaron's stories. They're supporting characters. Those movies are Ripley's stories.
Other characters come into her orbit then they die. Ditto Amanda in Isolation.
The underpinning logic expressed here is the reason these stories fall flat after Aliens. Aliens ceased to be a film just about Ripley. It was a film about motherhood, and that is always at least a binary relationship, i.e. mother - children, mother - son, or mother - daughter as in the case of Aliens. Without Newt, Ripley has no story in Aliens, so Ripley and Newt are the core of that film.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 29, 2020, 11:02:22 PM
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 29, 2020, 11:02:22 PM
Newt is important to Ripley and the movie in general but the film isn't about her.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 29, 2020, 11:17:40 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 29, 2020, 11:17:40 PM
It's not about motherhood?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:25:58 PM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:25:58 PM
Motherhood is a theme. So is post traumatic stress and overcoming demons. So is corporate greed.
It's still about Ripley. This isn't Hicks or Newts story - they are influences on Ripley to become the warrior-mother we see by the end of the film.
And - again - I've not suggested other characters be removed.
It's still about Ripley. This isn't Hicks or Newts story - they are influences on Ripley to become the warrior-mother we see by the end of the film.
And - again - I've not suggested other characters be removed.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 29, 2020, 11:31:30 PM
Post by: SiL on Jul 29, 2020, 11:31:30 PM
It's like how Predator is Dutch's story. Obviously the other commandos are important, but Dutch is the lead and it's his perspective that drives the tale.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: j0nesy on Jul 29, 2020, 11:31:51 PM
Post by: j0nesy on Jul 29, 2020, 11:31:51 PM
Quote from: SpaceKase on Jul 29, 2020, 05:51:46 PM
I'm probably still not understanding, but I think maybe I've got to disagree. I can't imagine either of those two latter stories remotely having the resonance that they do, for me anyway, without their specific ensemble casts of characters. But to each their own. Thank you for explaining.
i really don't think sm is saying that ripley is the only thing happening in aliens or alien3, or the only thing that matters, but she is clearly the focus. she's the protagonist, after all. those films had some great supporting characters, and some not great; i don't think sm disputes that the ensemble cast led to how well we may think those two films came out, but they were ripley's stories :)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:36:52 PM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:36:52 PM
The key words there are "supporting characters". Aliens isn't about Bishop and Alien 3 isn't about Clemens.
I'm not sure why anyone would think this is an unusual take.
I'm not sure why anyone would think this is an unusual take.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 29, 2020, 11:38:03 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 29, 2020, 11:38:03 PM
No, I get that, but Aliens was transcendental. The film went beyond Ripley. That's why Alien 3 was so unsatisfying to so many people.
The core of Aliens was "keep Newt alive" much in the same way as the core of Lord of the Rings was "cast the ring into the fire". I get that this is an objective, but the objective was a human being; a child. So really, it was a tale about Newt. Ripley was the character charged with carrying that objective through to the end. The film set things up in such a way that if its sequel was not about Ripley and Newt, it was doomed to fail.
Yes they are supporting characters. The story is not about them. True.
The core of Aliens was "keep Newt alive" much in the same way as the core of Lord of the Rings was "cast the ring into the fire". I get that this is an objective, but the objective was a human being; a child. So really, it was a tale about Newt. Ripley was the character charged with carrying that objective through to the end. The film set things up in such a way that if its sequel was not about Ripley and Newt, it was doomed to fail.
Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:36:52 PM
The key words there are "supporting characters". Aliens isn't about Bishop and Alien 3 isn't about Clemens.
I'm not sure why anyone would think this is an unusual take.
Yes they are supporting characters. The story is not about them. True.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:42:01 PM
Post by: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:42:01 PM
Aliens is Ripley's journey. Newt is a macguffin.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:30:54 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:30:54 AM
Quote from: SM on Jul 29, 2020, 11:42:01 PM
Aliens is Ripley's journey. Newt is a macguffin.
The ring in LOTR was a macguffin for sure, just like the stones in the Marvel series. But Newt was not an object. The film was about motherhood, so the child is a focal point of every sane, normal mother. To the eyes of the viewer, Newt became the focal point by extension. Aliens stopped being about Ripley, the moment she met Newt. Once that holy relationship was established in Aliens, the following films felt hollow by severing it. If you feel the life of a little girl can be pared down to being a macguffin, well, we can leave it at that.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 12:40:53 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 12:40:53 AM
Newt's not a MacGuffin. The communication problem is a MacGuffin. Newt isn't insignificant on her own.
That said, nothing you're saying actually counters the point that Aliens is Ripley's story. Newt is important, but it's not Newt's story. It's about Ripley.
That said, nothing you're saying actually counters the point that Aliens is Ripley's story. Newt is important, but it's not Newt's story. It's about Ripley.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:52:32 AM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:52:32 AM
I think we can agree it was an excellent story! The mother / child relationship is a powerful one.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 01:43:06 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 01:43:06 AM
Absolutely nobody has said otherwise.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 30, 2020, 03:18:49 AM
Post by: SM on Jul 30, 2020, 03:18:49 AM
QuoteThe communication problem is a MacGuffin.
Not sure what you mean. The communication problem with the colony? Isn't that the inciting incident?
It's been 20 years since I read a screenwriting book...
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 03:38:57 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 03:38:57 AM
The communication being lost with the colony is the inviting incident, yes.
I'm not sure Aliens actually has a MacGuffin thinking about it. Newt doesn't fit Hitchcock's definition because she's valued by the audience. Hitchcock thought a MacGuffin was a thing that drove the plot but was ultimately meaningless to the story, like the Jockey in Alien.
I'm not sure Aliens actually has a MacGuffin thinking about it. Newt doesn't fit Hitchcock's definition because she's valued by the audience. Hitchcock thought a MacGuffin was a thing that drove the plot but was ultimately meaningless to the story, like the Jockey in Alien.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 04:05:33 AM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 04:05:33 AM
Jockey is no MacGuffin cause he's not driving the plot. I think Weyland-Yutani is in both Alien and Alien 3.
Despite being a human being and cutesy and all I think Newt has MacGuffinish qualities. She's the object in the film that constantly needs saving and ups the ante for the main protagonist without having much of a personality of her own (even more so in the theatrical).
I mean she basically has no scene on her own without Ripley (in the theatrical that is). She seems to be more valuable than a suitcase full of money (and most certainly is, except for Burke) but overall she's written just like one.
Despite being a human being and cutesy and all I think Newt has MacGuffinish qualities. She's the object in the film that constantly needs saving and ups the ante for the main protagonist without having much of a personality of her own (even more so in the theatrical).
I mean she basically has no scene on her own without Ripley (in the theatrical that is). She seems to be more valuable than a suitcase full of money (and most certainly is, except for Burke) but overall she's written just like one.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 05:01:23 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 05:01:23 AM
Investigating the signal is what starts the movie, just like Marion Crane stealing the money starts Psycho. The jockey is irrelevant beyond motivating the characters to act and find the Alien like the money is irrelevant beyond getting Crane to the Bates motel; it's a MacGuffin.
Newt is relevant to the story beyond just motivating action. She's not a MacGuffin.
Newt is relevant to the story beyond just motivating action. She's not a MacGuffin.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Tichinde on Jul 30, 2020, 05:29:47 AM
Post by: Tichinde on Jul 30, 2020, 05:29:47 AM
Quote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 12:40:53 AM
Newt's not a MacGuffin. The communication problem is a MacGuffin. Newt isn't insignificant on her own.
That said, nothing you're saying actually counters the point that Aliens is Ripley's story. Newt is important, but it's not Newt's story. It's about Ripley.
Tell the guys who wrote "The Predator" that. She was gonna be the package the fugitive brought to earth to help defend humanity from Predators ;D
You can't run from newtguffin. It's a thing, she is supreme, accept newt into your heart
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 05:38:47 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 05:38:47 AM
They said they decided to shoot the Ripley ending after because they thought too few people would know or care who Newt was ;)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 06:17:50 AM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 06:17:50 AM
Quote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 05:01:23 AM
Investigating the signal is what starts the movie, just like Marion Crane stealing the money starts Psycho. The jockey is irrelevant beyond motivating the characters to act and find the Alien like the money is irrelevant beyond getting Crane to the Bates motel; it's a MacGuffin.
Newt is relevant to the story beyond just motivating action. She's not a MacGuffin.
The Signal =/= the Jockey. Take the Jockey out of the film and you lose nothing (plotwise).
And I highly doubt the signal to be considered a MacGuffin, especially in a more traditional/Hitchcockian sense:
'The MacGuffin is the thing that the spies are after but the audience don't care.'
Seems more like the inciting incident, again. Aaand it's not like the content of the signal is somehow irrelevant or completely dropped plotwise after they find it's origin... It's in fact foreshadowing the whole rest of the movie.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 06:50:33 AM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 06:50:33 AM
Quote from: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 06:17:50 AMThe Jockey is the source of the signal, which is what the crew goes looking for. This leads them to the Alien. That makes the Jockey -- the source of the signal -- the MacGuffin.
The Signal =/= the Jockey. Take the Jockey out of the film and you lose nothing (plotwise).
It's the thing the crew are after, but the audience doesn't care -- once the Alien is revealed.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:19:38 AM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:19:38 AM
Quote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 06:50:33 AMQuote from: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 06:17:50 AMThe Jockey is the source of the signal, which is what the crew goes looking for. This leads them to the Alien. That makes the Jockey -- the source of the signal -- the MacGuffin.
The Signal =/= the Jockey. Take the Jockey out of the film and you lose nothing (plotwise).
It's the thing the crew are after, but the audience doesn't care -- once the Alien is revealed.
By that logic the Death Star would be the MacGuffin in ANH cause it's the source of the plans and what they solely refer to. Or maybe the Bothan spies are the MacGuffin cause they are the 'source' that led to their existance outside the possession of the Empire? Believe me or not: the plans themselves are the MacGuffin.
Is the creator of the treasure map or even the treasure itself the MacGuffin cause it's the source, even the raison d'etre of the map? In most cases the map itself is the MacGuffin: the protagonists chase it, lose it, find it again, defend it's possession against the antagonists. The map as a touchable/losable object drives the plot, not the immobile, entrenched treasure that gonna be found or not, not the over-the-hill adventurist who cheaply sells the map in a back alley mumbling some cloudy warnings. Maybe theres's no treasure at all? Doesn't affect the narrative functionality of the map one bit. Does the audience care for the map? Not one bit. They care for the people who fight for it.
The Jockey does not fly by, they rock the engines, chase him to LV, chase him inside the ship to the Alien. The signal does all that on it's own in a completely sufficient (and way cheaper) way. It's the 'item' in question here, not it's transmitter (maybe it's an automatic warning signal initiated by the ship, automatically triggered by the emergence of the Alien/a loose hugger?), even not what it ultimately refers to: the Alien itself cause in a sense, it's the actual 'source' that made the warning necessary in the first place. I doubt you wanna say the Alien be the MacGuffin of Alien --
But again: I don't think even the signal qualifies as a MacGuffin. The audience cares massively for the signal. Until the individual characters of the crew members start to emerge it's the sole point of the plot. That's never ever a MacGuffin. At no time the audience is in any way deeply invested in a MacGuffin, that's sorta the whole point of the damn thing, that's why it's so easily droppable at almost any point in the story.
Plus the signal as a warning is hyper heavily linked to theeee main thing of the whole story: the Alien itself. Is the money linked to Bates? Not a bit. Clearly shows the difference imo. The money just vanishes, the real message of the signal foreshadwos the events that are about to unfold. It kinda vanishes like any good prophecy vanishes: not at all. One could even argue it bridges the time between the hugger falling off and the burst: Somethings ugly is lingering. It's actually never really dropped, even not on this basic narrative level.
The signal is probably the inciting incident incorporating a prophetical portion like a negative salvation story, a rendition of misery, evil, harm (this more on the higher symbolic level tho, but a MacGuffin could never accomplish any of this, nor would it aim for it in the first place). On a basic narrative level it seems rather comparable to the communication problem in Aliens, Shaws singing in Covenant etc --
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:05:29 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:05:29 PM
Quote from: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 04:05:33 AM
Jockey is no MacGuffin cause he's not driving the plot. I think Weyland-Yutani is in both Alien and Alien 3.
Despite being a human being and cutesy and all I think Newt has MacGuffinish qualities. She's the object in the film that constantly needs saving and ups the ante for the main protagonist without having much of a personality of her own (even more so in the theatrical).
I mean she basically has no scene on her own without Ripley (in the theatrical that is). She seems to be more valuable than a suitcase full of money (and most certainly is, except for Burke) but overall she's written just like one.
Newt does actually have a character arc in the film. She starts on one value and ends on another, so there is growth. When we meet her, she is practically gone feral due to isolation and the horrors that befall her. Her growth proceeds through those moments when she begins to open up as a human being. That first moment when Ripley wipes the grime off Newt's face followed by her saying her first word, "Newt" and then moving on to accept Ripley as her Mom. That is a full character arc.
Children aren't always treated with the same depth in film. The kids in Jurassic Park (a very similar film to Aliens) basically have no arc that I can recall. The essence of being a "normal" child is to not have a story. They're supposed to avoid being involved in a story. Stories are for adults. It's when children don't have adult protection or supervision that they tend to have their own story, sort of like in Stranger Things or Stand By Me.
By contrast, the kids in Jurassic Park only survived. They did not experience growth. But Newt definitely did.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 12:32:00 PM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 12:32:00 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:05:29 PMQuote from: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 04:05:33 AM
Jockey is no MacGuffin cause he's not driving the plot. I think Weyland-Yutani is in both Alien and Alien 3.
Despite being a human being and cutesy and all I think Newt has MacGuffinish qualities. She's the object in the film that constantly needs saving and ups the ante for the main protagonist without having much of a personality of her own (even more so in the theatrical).
I mean she basically has no scene on her own without Ripley (in the theatrical that is). She seems to be more valuable than a suitcase full of money (and most certainly is, except for Burke) but overall she's written just like one.
Newt does actually have a character arc in the film. She starts on one value and ends on another, so there is growth. When we meet her, she is practically gone feral due to isolation and the horrors that befall her. Her growth proceeds through those moments when she begins to open up as a human being. That first moment when Ripley wipes the grime off Newt's face followed by her saying her first word, "Newt" and then moving on to accept Ripley as her Mom. That is a full character arc.
Children aren't always treated with the same depth in film. The kids in Jurassic Park (a very similar film to Aliens) basically have no arc that I can recall. The essence of being a "normal" child is to not have a story. They're supposed to avoid being involved in a story. Stories are for adults. It's when children don't have adult protection or supervision that they tend to have their own story, sort of like in Stranger Things or Stand By Me.
By contrast, the kids in Jurassic Park only survived. They did not experience growth. But Newt definitely did.
I guess maybe a case could be made for both sides. To subscribe to the claim that Newt has some kind of significant character arc I would need to rewatch the whole thing cause it's actually been quite some while.
I just vividly remember her role in the finale where I always get the strong feeling she's written like a textbook MacGuffin: She (conveniently) gets Alienapped only to fully become the Princess Peach to Ripleys Super Mario. Then at the hangar bay it's kinda repeated where Ripleys already 'safe' so the Queen goes for Newt only to again enable Ripleys warrior side.
This just reeks of MacGuffin to me, cause to be honest, it's not written in a super sophisiticated way Mr. Cameron. That's why I am fairly easily able to relate to anyone who sees Newt as a MacGuffin in Aliens.
Maybe both is just true tho. She got her character moments but she has strong MacGuffin tendencies at the time same, especially in the finale where she is constantly saved and nothing much else.
EDIT: A rather strong point against the MacGuffin thesis would be her role on the symbolic level of the whole story, cause that's most definitely not the purpose of the typical MacGuffin, to be meaningful in this kind of way.
Still: There's a lot of rescuing happening almost every time she's involved. ;)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:41:27 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 12:41:27 PM
Well, she is a child so naturally she needs rescuing, but that dovetails with what I've been saying in other areas here. Newt is a princess effectively. Yes, she experiences growth, but it arises from her rescue and the restructuring of her parent - child relationship.
Aaand, that makes Aliens an adult fairy tale, well suited to Disney's interests.
Aaand, that makes Aliens an adult fairy tale, well suited to Disney's interests.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: BlueMarsalis79 on Jul 30, 2020, 12:45:10 PM
Post by: BlueMarsalis79 on Jul 30, 2020, 12:45:10 PM
You alright man? I've seen you write this over and over.
Some variation on how it ought to be the "Aliens" franchise moving forward.
Disney's not looking at this forum for advice, I think we all know where you stand.
Some variation on how it ought to be the "Aliens" franchise moving forward.
Disney's not looking at this forum for advice, I think we all know where you stand.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 01:17:51 PM
Post by: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 01:17:51 PM
Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Jul 30, 2020, 12:45:10 PM
You alright man? I've seen you write this over and over.
Some variation on how it ought to be the "Aliens" franchise moving forward.
Disney's not looking at this forum for advice, I think we all know where you stand.
Ya, I'm not going to engage in conversation with someone who PM's me and says James Cameron is "a basic bitch/common man's good director without a hint of any unique voice or artistry", and that I should "stop sucking his and Aliens' dick."
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 30, 2020, 04:09:34 PM
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 30, 2020, 04:09:34 PM
She was probably just frustrated with your schtick. :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on Jul 30, 2020, 04:31:29 PM
Post by: Kradan on Jul 30, 2020, 04:31:29 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jul 30, 2020, 01:17:51 PMQuote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Jul 30, 2020, 12:45:10 PM
You alright man? I've seen you write this over and over.
Some variation on how it ought to be the "Aliens" franchise moving forward.
Disney's not looking at this forum for advice, I think we all know where you stand.
Ya, I'm not going to engage in conversation with someone who PM's me and says James Cameron is "a basic bitch/common man's good director without a hint of any unique voice or artistry", and that I should "stop sucking his and Aliens' dick."
If that's actually what she's written - that's rude and unneccesary. Also, I strongly disagree with "without a hint of any unique voice or atistry" bit
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 30, 2020, 05:14:30 PM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 30, 2020, 05:14:30 PM
Tangentially, this thread is really making me miss McMuffins. Are there no Golden Arches in this Corporate Dystopian Cassette-Retro Future...??
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 08:51:26 PM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 08:51:26 PM
Quote from: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:19:38 AMNo, because the Death Star is the primary threat of the film and the thing which must be destroyed. It's not otherwise irrelevant to the plot like the Jockey.
By that logic the Death Star would be the MacGuffin in ANH cause it's the source of the plans and what they solely refer to.
I'm assuming the rest of your post also completely missed my point.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SM on Jul 30, 2020, 08:59:39 PM
Post by: SM on Jul 30, 2020, 08:59:39 PM
Pretty sure Lucas said Artoo was the Macguffin in Star Wars.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Jul 30, 2020, 09:14:28 PM
Post by: Voodoo Magic on Jul 30, 2020, 09:14:28 PM
Superbad didn't have a Macguffin, but it had one awesome McLovin.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 30, 2020, 09:22:30 PM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 30, 2020, 09:22:30 PM
Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Jul 30, 2020, 09:14:28 PM
Superbad didn't have a Macguffin, but it had one awesome McLovin.
#truth
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 09:45:57 PM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 09:45:57 PM
Quote from: SM on Jul 30, 2020, 08:59:39 PMHe did, but Lucas disagreed with Hitchcock that a MacGuffin should be something otherwise disposable to the plot; by Lucas' definition, Newt is a MacGuffin.
Pretty sure Lucas said Artoo was the Macguffin in Star Wars.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 10:17:38 PM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 10:17:38 PM
Quote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 08:51:26 PMQuote from: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:19:38 AMNo, because the Death Star is the primary threat of the film and the thing which must be destroyed. It's not otherwise irrelevant to the plot like the Jockey.
By that logic the Death Star would be the MacGuffin in ANH cause it's the source of the plans and what they solely refer to.
I'm assuming the rest of your post also completely missed my point.
Lul, what's with this condescending BS response?
That your exit strategy or something? Well it worked. Congrats!
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 10:45:47 PM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 10:45:47 PM
I wasn't being condescending. I was explaining why I didn't respond to the rest of your points - if your starting position was that fundamentally wrong I didn't think you'd suddenly change it up three paragraphs in.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:07:30 PM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:07:30 PM
After one sentence - the very first sentence - you write:
:D
Have a nice evening or day whatsover --
Quote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 08:51:26 PM
I'm assuming the rest of your post also completely missed my point.
:D
Have a nice evening or day whatsover --
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 11:13:33 PM
Post by: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 11:13:33 PM
Yes, which I just explained.
I feel like you're using this as an excuse to nope out of the conversation because you realised you missed the point and this is easier than acknowledging it. I can't say I'm sad to see the conversation end. Stay safe.
I feel like you're using this as an excuse to nope out of the conversation because you realised you missed the point and this is easier than acknowledging it. I can't say I'm sad to see the conversation end. Stay safe.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 30, 2020, 11:17:36 PM
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 30, 2020, 11:17:36 PM
Quote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 11:13:33 PM
Yes, which I just explained.
I feel like you're using this as an excuse to nope out of the conversation because you realised you missed the point and this is easier than acknowledging it. I can't say I'm sad to see the conversation end. Stay safe.
Welcome to AvP Galaxy :laugh:
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:21:48 PM
Post by: kwisatz on Jul 30, 2020, 11:21:48 PM
You mean the conversation where you conveniently skip 98% of my statement?
That's your notion of a conversation?
Edit know what -- forget it, completelycompletely forgetforget IT ileaveleave good Night AvPGalaxyyyyy
That's your notion of a conversation?
Edit know what -- forget it, completelycompletely forgetforget IT ileaveleave good Night AvPGalaxyyyyy
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 31, 2020, 12:25:43 AM
Post by: 426Buddy on Jul 31, 2020, 12:25:43 AM
The Literature section is a holy place, a sanctuary if you will.
Please, no fighting here. :'(
Please, no fighting here. :'(
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Huggs on Jul 31, 2020, 12:34:35 AM
Post by: Huggs on Jul 31, 2020, 12:34:35 AM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Jul 31, 2020, 12:25:43 AM
The Literature section is a holy place, a sanctuary if you will.
Please, no fighting here. :'(
Someday, Hicks gonna be like...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1jZe976iUn4
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 31, 2020, 01:54:13 AM
Post by: SpaceKase on Jul 31, 2020, 01:54:13 AM
Quote from: Huggs on Jul 31, 2020, 12:34:35 AMQuote from: 426Buddy on Jul 31, 2020, 12:25:43 AM
The Literature section is a holy place, a sanctuary if you will.
Please, no fighting here. :'(
Someday, Hicks gonna be like...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1jZe976iUn4
Hahaha :D awww.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation - The Novelization
Post by: Kradan on Jul 31, 2020, 07:06:46 AM
Post by: Kradan on Jul 31, 2020, 07:06:46 AM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Jul 30, 2020, 11:17:36 PMQuote from: SiL on Jul 30, 2020, 11:13:33 PM
Yes, which I just explained.
I feel like you're using this as an excuse to nope out of the conversation because you realised you missed the point and this is easier than acknowledging it. I can't say I'm sad to see the conversation end. Stay safe.
Welcome to AvP Galaxy :laugh:
(https://media2.giphy.com/media/3ohc10x9J8nYFuWwRW/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Prez on Jan 05, 2021, 08:20:39 AM
Post by: Prez on Jan 05, 2021, 08:20:39 AM
Finally reading this over the New Years break. Enjoying it. Whilst I have only played the game fleetingly (because I'm too chicken sh*t to play it completely) I do recognise key sequences from the game within the book.
What I do enjoy is that we get to see a bit of (Ellen) Ripley's backstory prior to the Nostromo. It never dawned on me how heartbreaking Amanda's own story is too.
What I do enjoy is that we get to see a bit of (Ellen) Ripley's backstory prior to the Nostromo. It never dawned on me how heartbreaking Amanda's own story is too.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Kradan on Jan 05, 2021, 10:09:39 AM
Post by: Kradan on Jan 05, 2021, 10:09:39 AM
Everything in that book that isn't retelling of game events is great
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Miguel on Feb 02, 2021, 02:05:05 PM
Post by: Miguel on Feb 02, 2021, 02:05:05 PM
I have a doubt about the physical formats of this book. Is there a single paperback edition or are there both the smaller "mass-market paperback" edition and the standard "paperback" edition?
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 02, 2021, 02:09:51 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 02, 2021, 02:09:51 PM
Since the 2014 trilogy (Out of the Shadows, Sea of Sorrows and River of Pain), which came in both sizes, I've only seen Titan's books in the larger paperback size, with the exception of the film novelisations (and Covenant - Origins).
(That's in the UK.)
(That's in the UK.)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Xiggz456 on Feb 02, 2021, 02:21:31 PM
Post by: Xiggz456 on Feb 02, 2021, 02:21:31 PM
Quote from: Miguel on Feb 02, 2021, 02:05:05 PM
I have a doubt about the physical formats of this book. Is there a single paperback edition or are there both the smaller "mass-market paperback" edition and the standard "paperback" edition?
Here in the States I've only ever seen the mass market paperback in book stores.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Miguel on Feb 02, 2021, 02:23:58 PM
Post by: Miguel on Feb 02, 2021, 02:23:58 PM
Yesterday I bought this book through Amazon (I'm from Spain, so I can't buy Alien books in physical stores) in the only format that appeared (mass-market paperback), so I assumed that it only existed in that format. But today I wondered if there exists also the other softcover edition, as I previously bought Aliens: Bug Hunt and Aliens: Phalanx and these are the "larger" paperback format (if you want know size: 13.06 x 20.24 cm, approx.).
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: Stitch on Feb 03, 2021, 11:12:23 AM
Post by: Stitch on Feb 03, 2021, 11:12:23 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Feb 02, 2021, 02:09:51 PMI'm in UK and I bought the Cold Forge expecting it to be the same size as all the others. It wasn't, it was the smaller size, so it doesn't fit on the shelf as tidily. It was just listed as Mass Market Paperback.
Since the 2014 trilogy (Out of the Shadows, Sea of Sorrows and River of Pain), which came in both sizes, I've only seen Titan's books in the larger paperback size, with the exception of the film novelisations (and Covenant - Origins).
(That's in the UK.)
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 03, 2021, 11:39:38 AM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 03, 2021, 11:39:38 AM
Quote from: Stitch on Feb 03, 2021, 11:12:23 AMI'm in UK and I bought the Cold Forge expecting it to be the same size as all the others. It wasn't, it was the smaller size, so it doesn't fit on the shelf as tidily. It was just listed as Mass Market Paperback.
That's interesting. I received different sizes with the 2014 books (I got a bigger Sea of Sorrows, but luckily Hicks sorted me a smaller copy to match the other two ;D) but since then I've never seen the smaller size. I've ordered every Titan EU novel since without checking any specifics and they've all been the larger type when they've arrived, plus any time I've come across them in a book shop it's been the bigger size too.
As I already mentioned, the movie novelisations are the exceptions, plus the prequels Covenant - Origins and, now that I think about it, Hunters and Hunted, which are all in the same smaller size.
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: The Cruentus on Feb 03, 2021, 12:33:03 PM
Post by: The Cruentus on Feb 03, 2021, 12:33:03 PM
Hey Huda, you going to need to clean out your inbox lol Can't message you. :laugh:
Only a few more days and new novel will be out. Can't wait. ;D
Only a few more days and new novel will be out. Can't wait. ;D
Title: Re: Alien: Isolation The Novel Bursting January 2019!
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 03, 2021, 12:40:46 PM
Post by: HuDaFuK on Feb 03, 2021, 12:40:46 PM
Quote from: The Cruentus on Feb 03, 2021, 12:33:03 PMHey Huda, you going to need to clean out your inbox lol Can't message you. :laugh:
I didn't even realise there was a limit :laugh: Should be cleared now.