Aliens Echo : An Original Young Adult Novel

Started by felix, Jul 19, 2018, 12:59:24 AM

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Aliens Echo : An Original Young Adult Novel (Read 55,579 times)

Perfect-Organism

I read the first Aliens comic series circa 1988 when I was in grade 8.  Those were not young adult, and yet they dealt with young adult topics if you think about it, in a twisted way.  Anyway, I turned out fine I think.  Not sure what the point of this is, but it does not bode well..

The Old One

The Old One

#16
It bodes nothing if it doesn't sell well, it'll be a one-off.
Let's not bring out the pitchforks just yet until we know what the book actually entails.

SM

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jul 19, 2018, 08:08:57 PM
I read the first Aliens comic series circa 1988 when I was in grade 8.  Those were not young adult, and yet they dealt with young adult topics if you think about it, in a twisted way.  Anyway, I turned out fine I think.  Not sure what the point of this is, but it does not bode well..

So - 'those books that dealt with young adult topics turned okay - but this young adult book doesn't sound any good'...?

The point is to tell different kinds of stories to draw in different demographics.

Perfect-Organism

Are you intentionally missing the point SM?  There is a difference between a young adult topic and a young adult presentation.  A young adult topic may be handled in a way which should be for mature adults like the first Aliens series from DH.  There were no holds barred, but it was a story of a young lady turning into an adult.

Conversely there is a way to present a topic in a young adult way, such as the first AVP film, where it wasn't a story about young adults but it was presented in a young adult fashion, avoiding excessive blood, gore, etc.  Effectively PG13.

SM

SM

#19
QuoteAre you intentionally missing the point SM?

Were you intentionally being vague?

Since you've actually explained what you meant now - thank you - I guess, yes?

I'm not sure why it doesn't bode well though.

Wysps

I haven't read an Alien-centric novel before, but I think I might actually pick this one up merely out of curiosity.  I'm interested to see how they present this as a "young adult book".

SM

It's primarily to do with who the protagonists are and dialling down the explicit language and gore (I believe).  Obviously there is still violence, but you're unlikely to get as descriptive as White gets in Cold Forge in a passage about the vivisection of a chimp.


Perfect-Organism

Perfect-Organism

#22
This is my opinion only, but I personally prefer the Aliens franchise to be of a more mature nature, geared towards adults.  I mentioned this before, elsewhere, that I consider the Aliens film to be a sort of adult fairy tale, sort of like Pan's Labyrinth.  Yes, it is the story of a child, but it is not a story for children.  When I was in grade 7, it was precocious of me to read the Aliens comics, and my parents never saw what was in them.  I wouldn't let them.  I liked that feeling that I was reading something more mature that wasn't patronizing me, or trying to turn it into a junior subject.  As an adult, I feel less geeky about my Aliens books on my bookshelf because there is a certain maturity there.  They're not children's comics or stories like Avengers or Spider-Man.

Taking these mature subjects, and turning them into something that engages a younger audience will inevitably whitewash much of the horror of this series to make it palatable to younger viewers.  This is a trend, that from my perspective as an adult who enjoys the series for its adult nature, does not bode well for the series.  The disturbing horror of the series is at its core.  When you take it out, what is left?

I have spent 20 years designing toys, and I understand the logic of what is happening.  There is an incentive to make the Aliens brand accessible to a younger crowd.  There are millions to be made there selling toys, gadgets and all sorts of goodies.  I am not privy to your demographic research, but would expect the Alien fan base to be consistently adults, and as a consumer, I would hope it remains so, and perhaps from an ethical perspective, it should remain an adults-only property.  If young adults or teens are to access this material, it should be because they are mature enough to want to read adult material, not because they are fed drivel without essence.

SM

I'd expect (though I don't know) the Aliens audience to have a large amount of teenagers.  I saw Aliens when I was 13, which is the lower end for Young Adult.  And we are talking Young Adult; not children.

426Buddy

I would wager that many of us became fans as kids.

I know I've been interested in aliens since i was too young to really remember. I do remember getting my parents to buy Alien when I was 9 and had already been terrified by and in love with Aliens. I went on that movie ride with the Alien section  at disney land when I was 9. At that time my parents were already well aware of my immense interest in the series.

Perfect-Organism

Perhaps I was unduly harsh calling the work drivel.  I haven't read it so what do I know?  But the basic premise of taking the adult themes and somehow sugar-coating them for a younger audience doesn't sit well with me.

I was 11 or 12 when I saw Aliens for the first time.  I started reading the comics with issue 2 of Aliens, so probably at 13 or 14.  Would I give these comics to my children (if I had them) at 12 or 13?  I'm not sure.  But I definitely felt they were the right fit for me as I was reading them back then.  It was the bleak, realistic, horror which I found appealing.  I can't speak for anyone else, but if those comics I read back then were toned down, with no chest bursting, hard-core violence, etc., I would have felt my intelligence insulted.

I've seen some young-adult Star Wars books.  If this is what becomes of Aliens, I don't think it will attract teenagers, but it may alienate adults.

SM

It's one book - so far.  It's not a child-centric apocalypse of licensed content.  When Star Wars did books aimed a younger crowd, they didn't stop with the more mature stuff.

I've read a couple of treatments for this.  Neither were remotely "sugar coated".

The Old One

The Old One

#27
I also believe Star Wars' young adult novel "Lost Stars" was received extremely well, I wouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

Perfect-Organism

You know what?  I'm big enough that I can say I judged a book by its cover.  I probably shouldn't have.  I am skeptical of the premise, but maybe the author did a good job of walking a fine line.  As I said, I haven't read it so what do I know?  All I can say is as a young adult, and even in entering my teenage years, I enjoyed Aliens as it was, dirty, gritty, dark & bloody. 

D88M

Could be good, but the tag disgusts me, i dont like the idea at all, but we will see what comes out of it.

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