Book Review: Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon- The Audible Cinematic Experience

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

  In space no one can see you read......

  If you are a science fiction fan you cannot be alive without knowing about the Alien franchise of the past thirty-plus years. When Sigourney Weaver first appeared on screen as Ellen Ripley, we knew that one of the most courageous heroines was just introduced to audiences. Ripley would go on to star in four Alien films. But the franchise (sans Ripley) began to fizzle out after two Aliens vs Predator adventures. Soon the Xenomorph disappeared from the big screen.

   In 2012 Ridley Scott returned to the Alien universe with Prometheus, the first of three Alien prequels that re-introduced the Engineers to movie-goers. We remembered in Alien an Engineer starship was found infested with Xenomorph eggs. In 1979 the driver of the ship was dubbed  "Space Jockey", and that was all we knew about them. As Scott fleshed out the story of the Engineers, we were introduced to the Trilobite (Giant Face-Hugger), and the very first Xenomorph, dubbed the Deacon Alien.  Talks of a cinematic universe coming together was heard throughout the internet. That is when I began to see a stir in the franchise with Alien: Covenant releasing in theaters in 2017, Neca Toys releasing new Alien figures, new Alien comics being solicited by Dark Horse, and novels being plucked from the past and being made canon.

  The first noticeable tale was from the 2014 novel, Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon. It was re-released on Alien Day (April 26, 2016) as an exclusive cinematic,  all-star cast  presentation available on Audible.com. Of notable stars included were Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter series), and voice-over actress extraordinaire, Laurel Lefkow, as Ripley. The four hour-plus adaptation also featured special effect sounds and original music. It became an instant best seller in audio books, earning much attention from the media. Being an Alien fan, of course I had to buy the audio presentation. I had read the book in 2014, and had loved it. Now it was time to experience this amazing novel in a new way.
 

  Occurring thirty seven years after the original Alien, Out of the Shadows tells us the story of what happened between Alien and Aliens. It introduces us to the crew of the Marion, a mining ship on a job for Weyland-Utani Corporation. They are experiencing nothing too out of the ordinary until a recorded message mentioning a ship, called Nostromo, begins to come in over the comm. It is faint and is of a woman's voice. But that is soon overshadowed when distress calls from both of Marion's drop-ships begin to be received from the surface of LV-178. The message: unknown hostile creatures have attacked and killed many of the crew members of the drop-ships, Samson and Delilah. But even worse the ships are on a return course to the Marion. When the ships begin to approach, the Delilah crashes into the Marion, while the Samson is docked successfully and quarantined.

  But soon another ship is fast approaching. It is the Narcissus, escape vessel from the Nostromo. Once the ship docks the remaining crew members of the Marion come face to face with Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, heroine of the first Alien film. With their ship severely damaged and plummeting towards LV-178's atmosphere, Xenomorphs on the loose, and a damaged antenna array not sending distress calls, Ripley is revived at the worst possible time. After being briefed on their situation, Ripley fills the crew of the Marion in on what they are dealing with. After the skepticism is set aside by the crew, Ripley works with them to form a plan to not only escape the doomed Marion, but to destroy an old adversary that has surprisingly managed to return.

 Their only chance is to use Ripley's escape ship to leave the Marion. But to escape they have to do the unthinkable: since the fuel cells are low on the Narcissus, they must return to the surface of LV-178 in order to retrieve resources needed to power the Narcissus. This is a blind expedition into what could be a colony of Xenomorphs. The clock is counting down with little time to spare.

 The audio presentation's script was very well written, and managed to retain all the adventure, horror, and often humorous story. I thought that the actors chosen to portray the characters were expertly assigned. The one that impressed me the most was Laurel Lefkow's Ripley. She sounded exactly like Sigourney Weaver, and often I forgot that it was Lefkow speaking. Rutger Hauer plays the main villain (no spoilers here) with a devious glee in his voice. Corey Johnson's portrayal of Engineer Chris Hooper was heroic, with just the right amount of sarcasm needed to bring him to life. And Kathrym Drysdale gave us the self-sacrificing Science Officer, Karen Sneddon, with a flawless delivery. I was engrossed from start to finish with this production. Dirk Maggs' direction was paced very well, with music and sound effect placement excellently placed. I turned off the lights, closed my eyes, and snuggled under many blankets while I listened to this. I jumped several times and laughed, as well. The novel had many one-liners that broke up the tension of the story. Thankfully, they are all intact with this production.

    This canonized story is fast-paced, filled with chills, and heart-pounding adventure that had me breathless. It carefully fits between Alien and Aliens, never ruining the series continuity. Lebbon's writing captures the personality of Ellen Ripley perfectly, and his narrative for the main villain is often chilling. Aliens is alive and well on Audible.com! Until Alien: Covenant arrives we can enjoy this cinematic telling of one of the best Alien books ever written.

  I gave this book four out of five stars. This one story that does not disappoint.

Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

 
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All written content and Top Logo (c) Copyright 2017 by Thomas Bahr II
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