ausdj2's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Awful. Just awful.
aquaphase's review against another edition
5.0
The story of how this novel came to be is almost as good as how it ended up.
Many, many moons ago — back in 1987 to be precise — William Gibson was tapped to be the first of what turned out to be ten writers to tackle the script for what was to become the third film in Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise. Gibson ultimately produced a second revision, in 1988, which toned down the story a bit, but the studio still passed on it.
This second revision was adapted into a comic series by Dark Horse Comics in 2018, and an audio drama in 2019 by Audible Studios, but the first revision remained in the dark aside from being passed around the internet on Alien fandom sites and message boards.
Now, in 2021, it sees the proper novelization it deserves; and from the Queen of Cyberpunk herself, Pat Cadigan.
To say that I was excited to read this book is an understatement. I have been a fan of both Gibson and Cadigan since I was a mere kid, and this is exactly the “peanut butter in my chocolate” type of collaboration that I dream about.
This story is gritty as all hell. Focusing largely on Hicks and Bishop after being “rescued” with Ripley and Newt in the Sulaco where they ended up at the conclusion of Aliens, this version of Alien 3 goes from “Ehhh, things might be ok.” to “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” to “Oh yeah, everything is totally screwed.”
We see a whole lot of evolution in the Xenomorphs in this story. Their adaptation and speedy evolution is both terrifying and, for franchise fans, fascinating given the total lore that already exists. These bugs are a total game changer when it comes to their propagation and swarm-like spread.
Through it all, however, we see the laser-focused persistence of Hicks and Bishop. Naturally, as should always be in an Alien story, there is some thinly-veiled political intrigue, and the ever-present idiocy of “The Company” to help push the story along a bit.
What’s striking about this book is that it is a total redirection of the bigger story. Ripley is probably in it for about two chapters before everything gets focused on the Artificial Person and the Marine. I applaud the change, and how a lot of material and memories from Aliens was referenced to give some extra sparkle to the situation the two find themselves in.
Ms. Cadigan tackled this project just perfectly. There are some scantly disguised references to the current COVID-19 pandemic that I found rather amusing, but the bigger story really lends itself to that kind of comparison. Being a fan of her previous writings, falling into a cadence and rhythm that I’m familiar with really helped churn through the pages. The dialogue encompasses so many damn emotions, but nothing ever gets to a point where the broader picture is derailed for lack of detail or cohesiveness.
All-in-all, this was one hell of a novel to read, and I’m both incredibly happy I got to enjoy it, and very sad that I’m done with it. I really, really, really hope this sees the screen someday. If only so I can see some Xenomorph lemurs. Oh yeah, there are lemurs.
Many, many moons ago — back in 1987 to be precise — William Gibson was tapped to be the first of what turned out to be ten writers to tackle the script for what was to become the third film in Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise. Gibson ultimately produced a second revision, in 1988, which toned down the story a bit, but the studio still passed on it.
This second revision was adapted into a comic series by Dark Horse Comics in 2018, and an audio drama in 2019 by Audible Studios, but the first revision remained in the dark aside from being passed around the internet on Alien fandom sites and message boards.
Now, in 2021, it sees the proper novelization it deserves; and from the Queen of Cyberpunk herself, Pat Cadigan.
To say that I was excited to read this book is an understatement. I have been a fan of both Gibson and Cadigan since I was a mere kid, and this is exactly the “peanut butter in my chocolate” type of collaboration that I dream about.
This story is gritty as all hell. Focusing largely on Hicks and Bishop after being “rescued” with Ripley and Newt in the Sulaco where they ended up at the conclusion of Aliens, this version of Alien 3 goes from “Ehhh, things might be ok.” to “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” to “Oh yeah, everything is totally screwed.”
We see a whole lot of evolution in the Xenomorphs in this story. Their adaptation and speedy evolution is both terrifying and, for franchise fans, fascinating given the total lore that already exists. These bugs are a total game changer when it comes to their propagation and swarm-like spread.
Through it all, however, we see the laser-focused persistence of Hicks and Bishop. Naturally, as should always be in an Alien story, there is some thinly-veiled political intrigue, and the ever-present idiocy of “The Company” to help push the story along a bit.
What’s striking about this book is that it is a total redirection of the bigger story. Ripley is probably in it for about two chapters before everything gets focused on the Artificial Person and the Marine. I applaud the change, and how a lot of material and memories from Aliens was referenced to give some extra sparkle to the situation the two find themselves in.
Ms. Cadigan tackled this project just perfectly. There are some scantly disguised references to the current COVID-19 pandemic that I found rather amusing, but the bigger story really lends itself to that kind of comparison. Being a fan of her previous writings, falling into a cadence and rhythm that I’m familiar with really helped churn through the pages. The dialogue encompasses so many damn emotions, but nothing ever gets to a point where the broader picture is derailed for lack of detail or cohesiveness.
All-in-all, this was one hell of a novel to read, and I’m both incredibly happy I got to enjoy it, and very sad that I’m done with it. I really, really, really hope this sees the screen someday. If only so I can see some Xenomorph lemurs. Oh yeah, there are lemurs.
kirstinreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
So, first and foremost, don't go into this thinking it will read like a Gibson novel. It won't. His flavour is still there, how characters talk and act are very similar to his books, but the description and writing isn't. I think Gibson's name got mainly attached to sell the book. He wrote the screenplay, which Pat Cadigan adapted into this novel. This is all her writing, not Gibson's. Once I got that sorted in my head this book was a fun ride and excellent read.
aapw4's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sullyisreading's review against another edition
I'll treat this like a review of where I read up to, which was the beginning of chapter twelve.
I find myself agreeing with the other reviews I've seen on here. The story is fine, some parts of it are even good, I think seeing more of the background and lives not directly connected to Ripley is interesting. Moreso, although it may be a little controversial to change how the xenomorphs can reproduce, I find it very intriguing that Bishop was a carrier. Although I didn't read more, considering that xenomorphs adapt their physique based on their host, I think a technological-xenomorph is a pretty neat idea to get at, whether it is realised in the story or not, I don't know.
Those are really my only positives. I don't enjoy Pat Cadigan's writing here. It is continuously the aspect that ruins every sense of tension, intrigue, amusement or enjoyment. At first I found it charming the fact that we get to read character thoughts we wouldn't otherwise see on screen, and how points are repeated for effect - quickly this charm turned to feeling like being beat over the head. The writing is low-brow, not in terms of being crude necessarily, but is simple. The writing is appealing to a young adult, a teenager of maybe twelve years would appreciate how the writing is accessible when compared to some other books. As an adult, it is incredibly annoying after a short amount of time. As another review pointed out, the mention of Ken and Barbie in relation to two MiliSci representatives is confusing and fails to land as a joke. In fact, those two representatives are the worst characters in the story, not simply because Pat Cadigan really wants to drive home the fact that we shouldn't like them as characters, but because every time they feature the prose becomes absolute piss - paragraphs are dedicated from multiple characters explaining with excruciating repetitive reasons for why they aren't liked. They always smile, they sound like news reporters, they're like Barbie and Ken, they know nothing.
I wondered throughout where the line between William Gibson's original script draft and Pat Cadigan's novelisation blurs. While I can appreciate and follow the skeleton plot that I can only assume comes from William, the lack of interesting characterisation and the very poor writing for what I would assume is an adult's book (considering the series it is based on is 17+) leaves a very poor taste in my mouth. I would have preferred reading the actual script draft, and feel sad that I got this instead.
The story is not enjoyable. I'm going to be refunding my purchase after this review. It's a shame, as I genuinely liked the premise. This book was a let down, and I cannot recommend it.
I find myself agreeing with the other reviews I've seen on here. The story is fine, some parts of it are even good, I think seeing more of the background and lives not directly connected to Ripley is interesting. Moreso, although it may be a little controversial to change how the xenomorphs can reproduce, I find it very intriguing that Bishop was a carrier. Although I didn't read more, considering that xenomorphs adapt their physique based on their host, I think a technological-xenomorph is a pretty neat idea to get at, whether it is realised in the story or not, I don't know.
Those are really my only positives. I don't enjoy Pat Cadigan's writing here. It is continuously the aspect that ruins every sense of tension, intrigue, amusement or enjoyment. At first I found it charming the fact that we get to read character thoughts we wouldn't otherwise see on screen, and how points are repeated for effect - quickly this charm turned to feeling like being beat over the head. The writing is low-brow, not in terms of being crude necessarily, but is simple. The writing is appealing to a young adult, a teenager of maybe twelve years would appreciate how the writing is accessible when compared to some other books. As an adult, it is incredibly annoying after a short amount of time. As another review pointed out, the mention of Ken and Barbie in relation to two MiliSci representatives is confusing and fails to land as a joke. In fact, those two representatives are the worst characters in the story, not simply because Pat Cadigan really wants to drive home the fact that we shouldn't like them as characters, but because every time they feature the prose becomes absolute piss - paragraphs are dedicated from multiple characters explaining with excruciating repetitive reasons for why they aren't liked. They always smile, they sound like news reporters, they're like Barbie and Ken, they know nothing.
I wondered throughout where the line between William Gibson's original script draft and Pat Cadigan's novelisation blurs. While I can appreciate and follow the skeleton plot that I can only assume comes from William, the lack of interesting characterisation and the very poor writing for what I would assume is an adult's book (considering the series it is based on is 17+) leaves a very poor taste in my mouth. I would have preferred reading the actual script draft, and feel sad that I got this instead.
The story is not enjoyable. I'm going to be refunding my purchase after this review. It's a shame, as I genuinely liked the premise. This book was a let down, and I cannot recommend it.
dreadgodmatthius's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
even_steven's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The plot is pretty basic and there’s absolutely no characterisation, which may not be the worst thing given that you’re just waiting for these people to die. Plot-wise, it feels like a mash-up of Alien and Aliens, and it’s not as good as either of those. Cadigan’s writing is serviceable, but a couple of things grated after a while. First, Cadigan has a bad habit of using colloquialisms and references that just feel out of place within the context of the Alien franchise’s setting (future, outer space). For example, the incessant likening of two characters to “Barbie” and “Ken” felt repetitive and awkward. Second, Cadigan doesn’t really know how to build suspense. Human encounters with xenomorphs and other varieties of alien feel a bit rote; there’s no sense of shock or horror. Without any sense of suspense, there’s no corresponding feeling of surprise. Characters, who have been provided absolutely no meaningful character development, appear in the narrative and then later die unceremoniously. This would be fine if the deaths felt visceral, but it all just falls a bit flat. In any case, it was interesting to read this alternate version of Alien 3, as it feels more in keeping with the tone of the first two films. However, as much as the version of Alien 3 that we got tends to be dismissed, I feel that it at least tried something a bit different and, as such, is a more interesting story than this one.
cas_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
flexluthor's review against another edition
2.0
This shit STUNK man. I love the Alien movies (Aliens is my favorite movie of all time) and while the Alien 3 that they made was terrible, this unmade screenplay would have been just as bad if not worse. William Gibson is one of my all time favorite sci fi authors, but I can't see this script working any better than the one they went with.
They give the Aliens new ways to reproduce (super confusing), they write Newt and Ripley out of the book in the first 100 pages (it's Ripley's series!), overall just a mess. I still read the whole thing because I love me some Aliens but damn did this suck
They give the Aliens new ways to reproduce (super confusing), they write Newt and Ripley out of the book in the first 100 pages (it's Ripley's series!), overall just a mess. I still read the whole thing because I love me some Aliens but damn did this suck
kjtoo's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0