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nooker's review against another edition
5.0
This is what the movie should have been instead of the pile of garbage that it was.
just_hebah's review against another edition
3.0
This was surprisingly better than the first 30 or so pages promised. It's definitely pulpy alien-fighting story, but the pleasantly diverse cast gave it a little something extra, and it ended on an unexpected note.
john_opalenik's review against another edition
2.0
Basically the novelization of the original Alien vs Predator comic book. As always, the original was better.
The book and comic were both way better than the movies though. They should have just used this as a script and we would have been all set.
The book and comic were both way better than the movies though. They should have just used this as a script and we would have been all set.
candystripelegs's review
3.0
There are some things in here that did not age well. The main character Machiko is Japanese, and there is a lot of moments where she is a walking stereotype (she knows martial arts, cares a lot about honor, calls the Predators dragons and samurai, etc.), and the juxtaposition of her and Dachande thinking of honor a lot has the unfortunate implication that her being Japanese is why she understands him and Predator culture. There's also a scene where someone tries to rape her and its mostly just shrugged off and forgotten later when they have to work together, which is weird.
But its still endearing. Machiko is given a lot more depth as the book goes on, and particularly when she teams up with the lead Predator, Dachande, its a really fun read. It goes down mostly how you expect, but its face paced and an easy read. I don't read a lot of books that focus on action because i often struggle to understand what is even going on with the way a lot of fighting tends to be described, but its all very clear here. And despite my annoyance at what I outlined in my first paragraph, there are things that feel remarkably progressive for a pulp novel from 1994. Machiko deals with a lot of sexism, delivered often in an over the top way but its still a major element as she tries to lead the humans to safety. And also there's a lesbian couple amongst the survivors, presented without comment as if it is perfectly ordinary.
But its still endearing. Machiko is given a lot more depth as the book goes on, and particularly when she teams up with the lead Predator, Dachande, its a really fun read. It goes down mostly how you expect, but its face paced and an easy read. I don't read a lot of books that focus on action because i often struggle to understand what is even going on with the way a lot of fighting tends to be described, but its all very clear here. And despite my annoyance at what I outlined in my first paragraph, there are things that feel remarkably progressive for a pulp novel from 1994. Machiko deals with a lot of sexism, delivered often in an over the top way but its still a major element as she tries to lead the humans to safety. And also there's a lesbian couple amongst the survivors, presented without comment as if it is perfectly ordinary.
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