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howattp's review against another edition
3.0
As always, there are hits and misses in an anthology, and this one really hits a wide range. I applaud the daring of some, while hoping that we’d get more scary, down to earth installments.
stewie's review against another edition
4.0
Since the coronavirus started last year, my reading has drastically reduced. I used to read at least an hour or two a day because of my commute on public transport, and that dropped to an hour a day if I was lucky. It's slowly getting back to normal, but I've been downloading audiobooks as a way to still feed my hungry brain words.
However, I'd been having trouble really getting into audiobooks, which is odd because I really like podcasts. This all changed with Aliens: Bug Hunt.
First, Aliens: Bug Hunt has a great variety of stories. Editor [a:Jonathan Maberry|72451|Jonathan Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512594942p2/72451.jpg] has put together a varied collection of tales from full-on battles to one-on-one action. Points of view range from androids to soldiers to scientists to even Aliens themselves. It's a great mix
It's tough to choose a favorite, but [a:Rachel Caine|15292|Rachel Caine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373144795p2/15292.jpg]'s "Broken" is definitely a standout. It centers on Bishop (the android from Aliens) in one of his earlier missions. It's a pretty cool look inside his head.
On the flipside, [a:Scott Sigler|114504|Scott Sigler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1434042056p2/114504.jpg]'s "Dangerous Prey" takes on the point of view of an Alien and it's engrossing as hell.
Lastly, I should mention why things changed on my ability to listen to an audiobook: the narrators. My god, the narrators in this are exceptional. There's a different reader for each story, and all are fantastic. This was a one-two punch; great stories read by great readers.
There are tons of great authors in this mix and the narrators do an admirable job of bring their stories to life. If you dig Aliens, or just like a good sci-fi/horror story, this will do you well.
However, I'd been having trouble really getting into audiobooks, which is odd because I really like podcasts. This all changed with Aliens: Bug Hunt.
First, Aliens: Bug Hunt has a great variety of stories. Editor [a:Jonathan Maberry|72451|Jonathan Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512594942p2/72451.jpg] has put together a varied collection of tales from full-on battles to one-on-one action. Points of view range from androids to soldiers to scientists to even Aliens themselves. It's a great mix
It's tough to choose a favorite, but [a:Rachel Caine|15292|Rachel Caine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373144795p2/15292.jpg]'s "Broken" is definitely a standout. It centers on Bishop (the android from Aliens) in one of his earlier missions. It's a pretty cool look inside his head.
On the flipside, [a:Scott Sigler|114504|Scott Sigler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1434042056p2/114504.jpg]'s "Dangerous Prey" takes on the point of view of an Alien and it's engrossing as hell.
Lastly, I should mention why things changed on my ability to listen to an audiobook: the narrators. My god, the narrators in this are exceptional. There's a different reader for each story, and all are fantastic. This was a one-two punch; great stories read by great readers.
There are tons of great authors in this mix and the narrators do an admirable job of bring their stories to life. If you dig Aliens, or just like a good sci-fi/horror story, this will do you well.
potato_tiger's review against another edition
2.0
The short stories were too limited in scope and were too short. This made many of the stories too similar and many seemed pretty derivative.
lehasselhoff's review against another edition
5.0
Read this and the Predator anthology, If It Bleeds, back-to-back. I’m so happy I read this second because it rounded out the two releases so well. Each story was engaging and made me appreciate the shit Colonial Marines endure when dealing with Weyland-Yutani. Highly recommended for Aliens fans.
shortstackkat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
3.75
james7634's review against another edition
3.0
These stories read like fan fiction as many of them were. Many of the authors wanted to celebrate Alien and Aliens instead of adding to the dialog. That being said, some authors created wonderful military-science fiction worlds that added a little flavor to the now generic space marine.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
4.0
I’m not an army or marine fan in fiction, but I’m a huge Alien series fan and the second remains my favorite of the bunch (closely, closely tied with the first). An anthology from stories all set during the first four Alien movies? As soon as I discovered this, I dove into it.
The stories are, as with any anthology, a mixed offering. I notice there’s a lot of three star ratings, or less, but this one was a solid four to me. Not every story was a winner, but I don’t think I hated any of them. The Alien as we know it from the movies does not show up in each story - sometimes its concepts from the world-building, sometimes different aliens - and many of the stories have invented marines with the same team or company but not the team from the movies. No matter.

There are many stories - my thoughts on some of the as follows:
The anthology starts out well enough with Chance Encounter by Paul Kupperberg. ⅗. Pretty good. Writing style polished, characters stood out as unique enough, twist at the end to show the Xenomorph tend to have surprises up their creepy sleeves. On a planet during an expedition, the company gets excited when an unknown aggressor is encountered - let me guess, humans expendable."
The second story, Reaper, was good but the ending was a bit abrupt - and a planet filled with aliens of sorts. The third story, Broken, sucked me in and gave the POV through Bishop's development. Would like to read another story about him set during the future Alien.
RECLAMATION by Yvonne Navarro - weird. It's showing Hicks being in an alien hive before the events of the Aliens movie. Creative enough idea but it doesn't mesh up with the existing fanbase, so it's more of a miss."
Blowback - Not OUR aliens, but the Marines from "Aliens". Golden convincingly brought the characters to life. There is a sad scene, but it shows insight into company greed. As the lead thinks, working for the marines is one thing, but working for a company as a marine another. Having to follow orders and be used is one reason I'd never be military material, and this story showcases that. Definitely one of the best.
Ray Garton wrote No Good Deed well, but the lead bounty Hunter is a deplorable human being who ruined the end for me.
Zero to hero is definitely an unusual offering of the bunch. A non-heroic marine (of sorts) is forced to confront some of his worst fears. It speaks of traps and company ploys and horrid human nature. You can't help but like the videogame addicted guy, though. The ending is depressing but it fits the tale. It doesn't have the aliens we know, but it's a unique spin on the Corporal marines.
Dangerous Prey told through the POV of the aliens and face huggers was a treat for fans.
I usually wouldn't have been interested in a story about Burke but wow, Dark Mother was dark and good. Creepy imagery of plastic faces and hanging there waiting for the inevitable. Dark mother indeed. One of the best, set during the second Aliens film.

You get adorable story names like Hugs to Die For, Empty Next --- even if the stories are anything but adorable.
The author pool is well done with the talented Jonathan Maberry behind the editing helm. His tale itself is years after Ripley succumbs to her fate on Fury 161. Rachel Caine, Brian Keene, Christopher Golden are among other well-recognized authors.
It seems the majority of the best stories are in the first half, of course, but good ones can be found peppered throughout. Recommended for Alien fans.
The stories are, as with any anthology, a mixed offering. I notice there’s a lot of three star ratings, or less, but this one was a solid four to me. Not every story was a winner, but I don’t think I hated any of them. The Alien as we know it from the movies does not show up in each story - sometimes its concepts from the world-building, sometimes different aliens - and many of the stories have invented marines with the same team or company but not the team from the movies. No matter.

There are many stories - my thoughts on some of the as follows:
The anthology starts out well enough with Chance Encounter by Paul Kupperberg. ⅗. Pretty good. Writing style polished, characters stood out as unique enough, twist at the end to show the Xenomorph tend to have surprises up their creepy sleeves. On a planet during an expedition, the company gets excited when an unknown aggressor is encountered - let me guess, humans expendable."
The second story, Reaper, was good but the ending was a bit abrupt - and a planet filled with aliens of sorts. The third story, Broken, sucked me in and gave the POV through Bishop's development. Would like to read another story about him set during the future Alien.
RECLAMATION by Yvonne Navarro - weird. It's showing Hicks being in an alien hive before the events of the Aliens movie. Creative enough idea but it doesn't mesh up with the existing fanbase, so it's more of a miss."
Blowback - Not OUR aliens, but the Marines from "Aliens". Golden convincingly brought the characters to life. There is a sad scene, but it shows insight into company greed. As the lead thinks, working for the marines is one thing, but working for a company as a marine another. Having to follow orders and be used is one reason I'd never be military material, and this story showcases that. Definitely one of the best.
Ray Garton wrote No Good Deed well, but the lead bounty Hunter is a deplorable human being who ruined the end for me.
Zero to hero is definitely an unusual offering of the bunch. A non-heroic marine (of sorts) is forced to confront some of his worst fears. It speaks of traps and company ploys and horrid human nature. You can't help but like the videogame addicted guy, though. The ending is depressing but it fits the tale. It doesn't have the aliens we know, but it's a unique spin on the Corporal marines.
Dangerous Prey told through the POV of the aliens and face huggers was a treat for fans.
I usually wouldn't have been interested in a story about Burke but wow, Dark Mother was dark and good. Creepy imagery of plastic faces and hanging there waiting for the inevitable. Dark mother indeed. One of the best, set during the second Aliens film.

You get adorable story names like Hugs to Die For, Empty Next --- even if the stories are anything but adorable.
The author pool is well done with the talented Jonathan Maberry behind the editing helm. His tale itself is years after Ripley succumbs to her fate on Fury 161. Rachel Caine, Brian Keene, Christopher Golden are among other well-recognized authors.
It seems the majority of the best stories are in the first half, of course, but good ones can be found peppered throughout. Recommended for Alien fans.
nooker's review against another edition
4.0
While I did enjoy this, there were a few stories that were written before the movies that seem like they would have affected events in the movies. For example, there was a story about Hicks where he encountered an alien species that sounded extremely similar to the the Aliens, yet when he encountered them in the movie he didn't seem to have any experience to draw upon. Still fun and contained some authors that I really like.
z523's review against another edition
2.0
Some of the stories were okay. The rest were awful.
The worst was one where a bunch of marines read a report about xenomorphs, went to an abandoned ship, heard screams and xenomorph shrieks inside, said nope and left. The end.
The worst was one where a bunch of marines read a report about xenomorphs, went to an abandoned ship, heard screams and xenomorph shrieks inside, said nope and left. The end.