readwithanna's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. This felt like such a fresh perspective on the alien franchise. The only reason I'm not giving this more than 4 stars is because of the audiobook narrator.
I don't understand the reason behind having a man in his sixties narrate the perspective of a nineteen year old woman. We never leave her perspective. It's told in third person but it's very limited to what she's experiencing.
There's also a way in which he narrates the other characters that kept taking me out of the story. One of the boys running with our MC (her name isn't spelled anywhere so I don't know how to spell it so she'll be MC), the narration is very choppy with him. The best way I can describe it is like the voice you make when you really have to pee but you need to ask a question and get an answer because you can hurry away. It's that strained, whiny sound. I don't know if that makes sense.
Besides that, I did think the pacing suffered a little. There was a point where I thought we were slowly gearing up towards the end and then I looked at my phone and realised there were over two and a half hours left of the audiobook. A little bit could have been trimmed, I think.
But the atmosphere. The horror in this is so well realised. I love how this is a new perspective on the xenomorphs themselves. They're very much seen as animals in this, which I don't think always is the case since they're often overpowered.
I don't understand the reason behind having a man in his sixties narrate the perspective of a nineteen year old woman. We never leave her perspective. It's told in third person but it's very limited to what she's experiencing.
There's also a way in which he narrates the other characters that kept taking me out of the story. One of the boys running with our MC (her name isn't spelled anywhere so I don't know how to spell it so she'll be MC), the narration is very choppy with him. The best way I can describe it is like the voice you make when you really have to pee but you need to ask a question and get an answer because you can hurry away. It's that strained, whiny sound. I don't know if that makes sense.
Besides that, I did think the pacing suffered a little. There was a point where I thought we were slowly gearing up towards the end and then I looked at my phone and realised there were over two and a half hours left of the audiobook. A little bit could have been trimmed, I think.
But the atmosphere. The horror in this is so well realised. I love how this is a new perspective on the xenomorphs themselves. They're very much seen as animals in this, which I don't think always is the case since they're often overpowered.
Spoiler
I did think it was unsatisfying when in the prologue it's established that the Mc got together with the guy she'd been sleeping with and now have a kid together. I don't remember his name but the comments he made about the MC and women in general was gross and even the MC recognised that. But then he doesn't grow in his views. Or if he does then we don't really get to see that. I don't know, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Also, the MC mentions several times that she doesn't want kids so to have her end up with a misogynistic man and a kid just feels like an insult.sblonk's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
stevied's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Body horror, Death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
jamiesbookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5) I was a bit disappointed because it felt more like a YA book and I wasn’t expecting that. I was hoping for more suspense and terror but it didn’t translate.
The characters were fun even though they seemed to constantly push the message of gender equality. It’s just isn’t what I want when I am reading a book to escape reality. I wanted gore and to feel nervous about what was happening.
Try not to get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I hoped I would.
The characters were fun even though they seemed to constantly push the message of gender equality. It’s just isn’t what I want when I am reading a book to escape reality. I wanted gore and to feel nervous about what was happening.
Try not to get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I hoped I would.
johnlynchbooks's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I think it’s necessary to start this off thanking Scott Sigler. This book breathes some new life into a franchise that’s seemingly done everything imaginable.
Aliens: Phalanx is very much a blend of fantasy and horror, much more than a blend of scifi/horror. We’re thrust into a world of bronze armor and spears. A world that has been decimated by the threat of the xenomorph. The world of Ataegina is populated by pockets of civilization that struggle just to survive, finding it necessary to scavenge and barter for supplies. At the request of the author note in the beginning, I don’t want to say to much to avoid spoilers, but it’s worth noting that this setting works exceptionally well, it feels completely different than anything I’ve experienced from the franchise and even if the book were removed from the IP, it would still be a very entertaining read.
Phalanx is filled with compelling characters, including one of the best female protagonists the series has ever had.
When I finished Phalanx, despite the length of the novel, I didn’t want it to be over. Sigler had me spellbound from start to finish and unless you have a dislike for ancient civilizations or fantasy settings, I believe you’ll love it too.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Aliens: Phalanx is very much a blend of fantasy and horror, much more than a blend of scifi/horror. We’re thrust into a world of bronze armor and spears. A world that has been decimated by the threat of the xenomorph. The world of Ataegina is populated by pockets of civilization that struggle just to survive, finding it necessary to scavenge and barter for supplies. At the request of the author note in the beginning, I don’t want to say to much to avoid spoilers, but it’s worth noting that this setting works exceptionally well, it feels completely different than anything I’ve experienced from the franchise and even if the book were removed from the IP, it would still be a very entertaining read.
Phalanx is filled with compelling characters, including one of the best female protagonists the series has ever had.
When I finished Phalanx, despite the length of the novel, I didn’t want it to be over. Sigler had me spellbound from start to finish and unless you have a dislike for ancient civilizations or fantasy settings, I believe you’ll love it too.
4.5 out of 5 stars