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pelerin's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Pulpy, action thriller. I enjoyed it, just made sure not to think too hard 🤪
garethmk's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
orion1225's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amy_da1sy's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
As a standalone this is pretty good.
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm listening to another Alien universe audiobook, Colony War by David Barnett (also available in non-audio format) , and I've got mixed feelings wasn't just just sunk cost that kept me going. Plot is engaging and i like how it builds on the universe and characters set up in the other books, but it's just like...very on the nose, as it were, which I'm not used to in a piece of Alien(s) media that otherwise gets the important parts (The alien bits) right. The politics are extremely obvious, like there's a guy who's very clearly Space Boris Johnson, and a fair few of the characters definitely feel like tropes I've seen before. Perhaps franchise love is driving me here, idk. It feels so meta without actually breaking the fourth wall that it leaves me conflicted.
also like, idk if it's just because I keep repeating chapters because I zone out and miss information, but some of the dialogue is weirdly repetitive.
Overall, I think I'm satisfied with it, and the book ended up definitely being more than the sum of its parts
also like, idk if it's just because I keep repeating chapters because I zone out and miss information, but some of the dialogue is weirdly repetitive.
Overall, I think I'm satisfied with it, and the book ended up definitely being more than the sum of its parts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Gun violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Gore, Infertility, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Vomit and Alcohol
Minor: Pedophilia
itcamefromthepage's review
3.0
The Caveat going into this story is that it is very much connected to the larger Alien expanded universe (Comics, Videogames, Novels, and EVEN the RPG), so I'd be interested to hear how this reads from an uninitiated perspective. It was a bit jarring at first since most Alien novels are pretty self contained. That being said it plays around with your expectations in the best way.
It is a book very much focused on exploring the history of the British Empire and if, like me, you are a sucker for worldbuilding you will enjoy this book. The interstitials with various News Reports were very entertaining.
Definitely not focused on the guns...everything is very inconsistent (pulse rifles are lasers...then they aren't?) so if you are a hardcore Alien fan those little things will stick out. I care less about the guns then I do the story but I still noticed the inconsistencies.
Beyond the macro Alien WORLD, its characters are really great. I listened to this on audiobook and it has the same narrator as Aliens: Into Charybdis. Shiromi Arserio is an outstanding narrator and I may actually start seeking out other audiobooks just because she narrates them. The characters all have well thought out arcs and the plot had some very entertaining twists. I was hesitant due to how connected it is to certain stories I dislike (not a fan of Alien: Defiance) but by the end it won me over. There is a lot of humour on display but it never took me out of the horror aspects of the book.
Not everything works and certain plot developments I felt were very telegraphed. Some characters have an odd voice that will either work for you or won't.
I will be interested to see how it holds up to a re-read.
It is a book very much focused on exploring the history of the British Empire and if, like me, you are a sucker for worldbuilding you will enjoy this book. The interstitials with various News Reports were very entertaining.
Definitely not focused on the guns...everything is very inconsistent (pulse rifles are lasers...then they aren't?) so if you are a hardcore Alien fan those little things will stick out. I care less about the guns then I do the story but I still noticed the inconsistencies.
Beyond the macro Alien WORLD, its characters are really great. I listened to this on audiobook and it has the same narrator as Aliens: Into Charybdis. Shiromi Arserio is an outstanding narrator and I may actually start seeking out other audiobooks just because she narrates them. The characters all have well thought out arcs and the plot had some very entertaining twists. I was hesitant due to how connected it is to certain stories I dislike (not a fan of Alien: Defiance) but by the end it won me over. There is a lot of humour on display but it never took me out of the horror aspects of the book.
Not everything works and certain plot developments I felt were very telegraphed. Some characters have an odd voice that will either work for you or won't.
I will be interested to see how it holds up to a re-read.
siena_j_p's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Holy heck these books just get bleaker and bleaker. Which of course means I love them. This one picks up a bit after Into Charybdis with Cher Hunt, Shy’s sister. A journalist, Cher wants to uncover what exactly happened to Shy, and it turns out to be a lot more than she bargained for. This book isn’t nearly as gory and violent, but it still takes an incredibly cynical view of politics. Which, fair enough, although it does get kind of frustrating, because why are these people just making the same stupid decisions over and over again, knowing full well what happened to the people before them? But again, fair enough – people haven’t exactly done a ton to disprove that. But on the other hand, because everyone didn’t die immediately, this book actually had room for more relationships to develop, and they were quite nice to read about, especially Davis’s relationships with just about everybody. I haven’t got a lot else to say honestly, other than that this is just a really fun thriller with a surprising but fascinating political dimension.
jobby's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jenc's review against another edition
2.5
Weyland-Yutani's really beating this one strategy right into the ground, huh.
Maybe the (mostly) good guys will get 'em next time.
Maybe the (mostly) good guys will get 'em next time.