Reviews

Aliens: Life and Death by Dan Abnett

wyrmbergmalcolm's review

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2.0

Whenever I pick up a book or graphic novel, I check the front, spine and inside cover to see if it's the first in a series. This book had no indication as to its numerical positioning so I assumed, as with most books thus unmarked, that it's the first. I read it, it had lots of combat with aliens and humans dying in nice, visceral ways, but hadn't the first clue as to what was going on. After finishing the book, I examined the cover again and spotted, in the bottom right-hand corner of the back cover "Book 3". Not the most prominent of positions for such an important piece of information, but it at least explained a lot. Subsequent research shows that this is part of a 4-book crossover event from Predator, Prometheus, Aliens & Aliens Vs. Predator (in that order, I believe).
So, based on the merit of this book, the artwork was okay, nothing particularly special but also drawn and coloured with a slightly cartoony flair. The action scenes were intense with a lot going on in them. Not knowing who the characters were meant that there was little emotional impact accompanying their demise (but I can't blame a book for reading it out of order...). The story itself was unoriginal for the franchise, using many plot points from the films and other books though I would say the Engineer vs. Xenomorph Queen vs. Predator which was pretty cool in the few panels it features in.

wondawilson's review

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dark tense fast-paced

3.75

booknooknoggin's review

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3.0

These all seem the same....soldiers stranded fighting their way out.
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