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valentinegray's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I would like to start by saying this book is a lot better than the first in the series. (I am talking about “out of the shadows”)
Part of this may be attributed to a different writer so it’s hard to compare the two. I definitely prefer this one and I love the shifting pov.
Part of this may be attributed to a different writer so it’s hard to compare the two. I definitely prefer this one and I love the shifting pov.
whichwitch96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
john87's review against another edition
2.0
While its first half showed a lot of potential, what with its introduction of a more outlandish concept (which as far as I know has not yet been seen in Alien media before), it quickly devolves into your standard Xenos-at-a-dig-site affair that doesn't tread any new ground.
Which is shame as initially I much preferred this book over the previous one as the main character, Alan Decker, comes equipped with a certain ability that could make any typical Alien scenario far more interesting (spoiler:). No matter how hard the writer tries though he never amounts to making it anything more than a glorified motion tracker (which incidentally comes in handy considering the actual motion trackers never work! Convenient). The fact that Decker is tied to another major character is kind of eye-rolling but at this point I've come to expect it from the franchise as a whole. In my opinion it's nothing egregious but the sooner we step away from legacy characters the better.
There are some other, minor, issues at play here as well, as despite the story being set in the year 2497 apparently night vision goggles are still modeled after contemporary technology? At one point the characters are having issues using them in "tight corridors due to reduced peripheral vision" and that "more advanced tech would be far too expensive for them to acquire". Right. Or that, apparently, regular e-mail is used across millions of kilometres, light years even? Maybe by then Weyland-Yutani is using Musk's Starlink running on Azure servers or something, who knows. Immersion breaking? Maybe. Silly? Definitely.
Ultimately it's a decent read that starts off promising but gets progressively more by the numbers throughout. So, if you're simply looking for action of the 'Colonial Marines shooting Xenomorphs'-variety then Sea of Sorrows will more than satiate your appetite. However, if you're interested in something less predictable and more ambitious I'd recommend books like Cold Forge and Into Charybdis instead.
Which is shame as initially I much preferred this book over the previous one as the main character, Alan Decker, comes equipped with a certain ability that could make any typical Alien scenario far more interesting (spoiler:
Spoiler
he's an "empath" that can sense the aliens and as such they him as wellThere are some other, minor, issues at play here as well, as despite the story being set in the year 2497 apparently night vision goggles are still modeled after contemporary technology? At one point the characters are having issues using them in "tight corridors due to reduced peripheral vision" and that "more advanced tech would be far too expensive for them to acquire". Right. Or that, apparently, regular e-mail is used across millions of kilometres, light years even? Maybe by then Weyland-Yutani is using Musk's Starlink running on Azure servers or something, who knows. Immersion breaking? Maybe. Silly? Definitely.
Ultimately it's a decent read that starts off promising but gets progressively more by the numbers throughout. So, if you're simply looking for action of the 'Colonial Marines shooting Xenomorphs'-variety then Sea of Sorrows will more than satiate your appetite. However, if you're interested in something less predictable and more ambitious I'd recommend books like Cold Forge and Into Charybdis instead.
xonrad's review against another edition
1.0
Not a bad story by any means, but completely lacking in value and 100% corporate franchise fan service... ie 100% regurgitated plots, themes, character archetypes.
This was like a compilation of all of the Alien films (excluding the prison themed "3"), with a sprinkling of hints towards the renewed Ridley Scott "Prometheus" origin stories. If it is not a direct copy of a scene, scenario or character, then it is an outright inclusion of a "thing" from any of those given films to justify the "repeat" of said scene, scenario or character. There is nothing new or unique about anything in this tale.
It is well written enough, I'll give Moore that, and I was willing to look past some of the typical "hoora" meathead type dialogue that some of the marines spout off... but with the state these big American/Hollywood franchises are in these days, this is the book/piece-of-content that has convinced me to say goodbye to yet another franchise that was birthed in the glory days of 80's horror and sci-fi cinema.
Alien has become yet another "too big to fail" franchise, and I take comfort in knowing that the taint of disappointment I felt reaching the end of this story will be forgotten entirely.
This was like a compilation of all of the Alien films (excluding the prison themed "3"), with a sprinkling of hints towards the renewed Ridley Scott "Prometheus" origin stories. If it is not a direct copy of a scene, scenario or character, then it is an outright inclusion of a "thing" from any of those given films to justify the "repeat" of said scene, scenario or character. There is nothing new or unique about anything in this tale.
It is well written enough, I'll give Moore that, and I was willing to look past some of the typical "hoora" meathead type dialogue that some of the marines spout off... but with the state these big American/Hollywood franchises are in these days, this is the book/piece-of-content that has convinced me to say goodbye to yet another franchise that was birthed in the glory days of 80's horror and sci-fi cinema.
Alien has become yet another "too big to fail" franchise, and I take comfort in knowing that the taint of disappointment I felt reaching the end of this story will be forgotten entirely.
bradach's review against another edition
3.0
If Out of the Shadows is Alien, then Sea of Sorrows is Aliens. It's not quite as suspenseful as Out of Shadows but there's a lot more guns and action. Definitely a worthwhile read but the suspense Alien is know for is mostly lost due to the sheer quantities of enemies dispatched throughout this book. Keeping track of the numerous characters and their locations relative to each other is also a bit tedious but really, these are pretty minor gripes, it's another great addition to the Alien universe.
modkuraika's review
4.0
I feel like each one of these has gotten steadily better. I liked Alien III, but liked Out of the Shadows more, and I probably liked this one the most. None of these are really breaking the mold or anything, but in terms of sheer entertainment, they're better than any of the actual movies of the last 35 years. For Sea of Sorrows specifically, I enjoyed the empath aspect of it and getting a feel for the way xenomorphs think and collaborate as a hive mind was super fascinating but in a way where it didn't rob them of any mystique a la Prometheus and Covenant. I could've done without the protagonist being related to Ripley somehow, as they way Out of the Shadows bridged the first two movies also bothered me. It's too easy, and unneeded.
smcloud's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t love Sea of Sorrows as much as Out of the Shadows. I think it was so much battle and gore that I got lost in the violence (I do that with any battle heavy movie/book). However I love that it tied in with Sea of Sorrows. It genuinely feels like I’m experiencing an Alien movie just in a different location.
revolution666's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
angelikareadsavariciously's review against another edition
4.0
The production value is top notch but the story wasn't as good as the first. Looking forward to the next!
hasseltkoffie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5