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barmyjen's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Although the book sounds like it'll focus on Jenette Vasquez, only a small part focuses on her, with the majority of the book following her children's lives. An interesting story, but I was hoping for more about one of my favourite characters in the franchise. I like the authors writing style though, so will try another of her books. The narrator does a good job.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Missed out on getting to this on time when I had itnot from the library, so nabbed it when I saw it was a free listen on Audible, but recently noticed it was due to come off of the free selection, so I quickly gobbles this one up.
I haven't read an Aliens book before this one but within the last few years had gone through the timeline of movies and have really enjoyed them. I have also read two prior novels by V. Castro: The Haunting of Alejandra and Immortal Pleasures so I was intrigued to see her take on this already established universe.
I don't think I particularly remember the character of Vasquez from the movies, but I enjoyed delving into an imagined origins for her.
For the most part, this was some background entertainment whilst I was doing bits and pieces throughout my day, but the story was strong and the characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed the expansion into the Aliens universe, where we had focused more on the people.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy!
I haven't read an Aliens book before this one but within the last few years had gone through the timeline of movies and have really enjoyed them. I have also read two prior novels by V. Castro: The Haunting of Alejandra and Immortal Pleasures so I was intrigued to see her take on this already established universe.
I don't think I particularly remember the character of Vasquez from the movies, but I enjoyed delving into an imagined origins for her.
For the most part, this was some background entertainment whilst I was doing bits and pieces throughout my day, but the story was strong and the characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed the expansion into the Aliens universe, where we had focused more on the people.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy!
baileycb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
shotterwriting's review against another edition
3.0
Let's start with the good. Overall, I found "Aliens: Vasquez" to be a fairly entertaining and interesting read. As a big, long-term fan of the source material, particularly the first three "Alien" films, I absolutely enjoyed the references to that legacy and the way this book successfully built on that universe in a mostly-convincing and plausible manner. I also appreciated the author's "own voices" representations of various aspects of Latin culture, and the struggles often associated with it, which made for some of the most compelling moments in the book.
Unfortunately, I also ended up coming away from this read a bit unsatisfied by the experience, feeling that several elements of it ultimately came up far short of their full potential. Specifically, I was sorely disappointed by much of the dialogue, which often felt stiff, contrived, and forced to the point of distraction. There were so many instances where characters made statements that just didn't feel like things actual people would say in the circumstances presented, or that came across as incongruous or nonsensical given their established personalities and tendencies. Moreover, there were more issues than I ended up caring to count of poor pacing, underdeveloped characters, or vague and sketchy plot threads throughout the text that ultimately just left me wanting. It's really hard to talk about those things in detail without venturing into spoiler territory but I think it suffices to say that it would be a good idea to go into this read not expecting anything too deep, fully-realized, or sophisticated. That said, there are parts of "Aliens: Vasquez" that I did find genuinely intriguing and thought-provoking but for me, they almost always failed to pay off in the manner I'd hoped they might, providing just enough to wet my appetite and keep me reading without fully delivering the goods.
I realize I'm probably being a bit harsh with my criticisms but I do believe it's important for the purposes of a proper review to not get caught up in nostalgia and assess a work like this based on its own merits and flaws, regardless of the rich and storied context in which it exists. At the end of the day, I did enjoy "Aliens: Vasquez" and would generally recommend it to fans of the franchise, or anyone seeking a competent, military sci-fi reading experience. Sadly, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I would have preferred.
I should probably also mention that I read this as an audiobook via Audible and would say the narration was... okay. Not bad but also not amazing or noteworthy beyond a few, minor highlights.
Unfortunately, I also ended up coming away from this read a bit unsatisfied by the experience, feeling that several elements of it ultimately came up far short of their full potential. Specifically, I was sorely disappointed by much of the dialogue, which often felt stiff, contrived, and forced to the point of distraction. There were so many instances where characters made statements that just didn't feel like things actual people would say in the circumstances presented, or that came across as incongruous or nonsensical given their established personalities and tendencies. Moreover, there were more issues than I ended up caring to count of poor pacing, underdeveloped characters, or vague and sketchy plot threads throughout the text that ultimately just left me wanting. It's really hard to talk about those things in detail without venturing into spoiler territory but I think it suffices to say that it would be a good idea to go into this read not expecting anything too deep, fully-realized, or sophisticated. That said, there are parts of "Aliens: Vasquez" that I did find genuinely intriguing and thought-provoking but for me, they almost always failed to pay off in the manner I'd hoped they might, providing just enough to wet my appetite and keep me reading without fully delivering the goods.
I realize I'm probably being a bit harsh with my criticisms but I do believe it's important for the purposes of a proper review to not get caught up in nostalgia and assess a work like this based on its own merits and flaws, regardless of the rich and storied context in which it exists. At the end of the day, I did enjoy "Aliens: Vasquez" and would generally recommend it to fans of the franchise, or anyone seeking a competent, military sci-fi reading experience. Sadly, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I would have preferred.
I should probably also mention that I read this as an audiobook via Audible and would say the narration was... okay. Not bad but also not amazing or noteworthy beyond a few, minor highlights.
ngallegos87's review against another edition
5.0
Started out a little slow but when it picked up steam, yes! Loved the links between Vasquez, Vickers, and Yutani and Castro perfectly described the horror of the Xenomorphs. Made my skin crawl. A must read for anyone who is a fan of the Alien series.
gingerreader99's review against another edition
4.0
This was completely not at all what I was expecting. I am not sure what I expected but I certainly didn't think I would get something so culturally rich, filled with dark machinations and a kick-ass Aliens sequence across the finale of the novel to appeal to my love for the Aliens movie.
Perhaps I should have known there would be Weyland-Yutani shenanigans (that's a light way of putting it) going on in the background but I more so expected there to be a lot more of the Marine bad assery, death and blood.
I think overall I'm just glad this novel really broke down my expectations of what an Aliens novel can be and I hope in the future this author or others write stories like this one that come with action but also substance.
Perhaps I should have known there would be Weyland-Yutani shenanigans (that's a light way of putting it) going on in the background but I more so expected there to be a lot more of the Marine bad assery, death and blood.
I think overall I'm just glad this novel really broke down my expectations of what an Aliens novel can be and I hope in the future this author or others write stories like this one that come with action but also substance.
alehahandrita's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
kingjason's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'm a big fan of the Alien movies and one of my favourite characters was Vasquez, she seemed so small but man she was hard as nails and the way she stood up to the big macho guys like Hudson always made me smile. V. Castro is one of my favourite authors and when I saw she had written this book I said "Hell yeah I'm reading this!" It doesn't disappoint, it kicks ass as much as you'd expect from Vasquez.
Castro does a great job creating this history for Vasquez, from a teen full of swagger and attitude, to ending up in trouble and joining the marines to become the fighting machine she was destined to be. The setting for this future is very similar to what it is today, the treatment and reduced rights of those who don't have money and power is hard hitting and Castro uses all this to give her characters that extra level of strength. Inevitably Vasquez's story comes to an end, I was disappointed by this, I don't know why as having seen the movie I knew what was coming but was still hoping deep down that Castro would find a way to save her....alas she didn't and the book then follows her children as they continue the Vasquez name.
It is now that the book really comes to life, we have dumbass humans carrying out experiments on the aliens/Xenomorphs, ignoring all sensible warnings as it all comes undone. The scenes with the Xenomorphs were spot on, so easy to picture them and their rage at what the humans were doing to them and knowing it was only a matter of time before they got their chance. The final 50 pages or so just whizzed by, such superb writing it was as if I was actually watching the scenes unfold, proper on the edge of your seat storytelling. Loved it. One of my favourite parts of this book was how Castro has stayed on course with the movies, there are so many little easter eggs to find and this made me aware of just how vast these movies were, something you don't experience from watching the movies.
If you're a fan of the movie franchise then give this book a go but be warned as Titan books have a lot of books in this series needing to be read. I'm off now to re-watch Aliens...no idea why haha.
Castro does a great job creating this history for Vasquez, from a teen full of swagger and attitude, to ending up in trouble and joining the marines to become the fighting machine she was destined to be. The setting for this future is very similar to what it is today, the treatment and reduced rights of those who don't have money and power is hard hitting and Castro uses all this to give her characters that extra level of strength. Inevitably Vasquez's story comes to an end, I was disappointed by this, I don't know why as having seen the movie I knew what was coming but was still hoping deep down that Castro would find a way to save her....alas she didn't and the book then follows her children as they continue the Vasquez name.
It is now that the book really comes to life, we have dumbass humans carrying out experiments on the aliens/Xenomorphs, ignoring all sensible warnings as it all comes undone. The scenes with the Xenomorphs were spot on, so easy to picture them and their rage at what the humans were doing to them and knowing it was only a matter of time before they got their chance. The final 50 pages or so just whizzed by, such superb writing it was as if I was actually watching the scenes unfold, proper on the edge of your seat storytelling. Loved it. One of my favourite parts of this book was how Castro has stayed on course with the movies, there are so many little easter eggs to find and this made me aware of just how vast these movies were, something you don't experience from watching the movies.
If you're a fan of the movie franchise then give this book a go but be warned as Titan books have a lot of books in this series needing to be read. I'm off now to re-watch Aliens...no idea why haha.
itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
4.0
This is for the most part an extremely strong book. This is actually my first V. Castro book but it will by no means be my last.
We get some outstanding background to the life of Vasquez in the first 80 pages of this book and it really makes a strong character study. In the film Aliens the character is written by a white man and portrayed by a woman in brownface, as such Castro manages to transform a caricature into a fully fleshed out character.
Once we get into the life of her kids it gets even better. Castro delves into the Alien universe in a deeper, more compelling way than the usual snapshots we get. It reminded me a lot of one of my favourite Alien books 'Alien: Covenant - Origins' which delved into the universe in such a rich way without having a single Alien in it.
Therein lies the problem with the last 60 pages, this feels like two books shoved together with an entire typical Alien story crammed into the last portion of the book. We didn't need the Xenomorphs to really appear at all in this story and while there are a few cool portions of action, it all starts to feel super rushed.
Make no mistake I LOVE the vast majority of this book, it's just a shame at how rushed the finale feels.
We get some outstanding background to the life of Vasquez in the first 80 pages of this book and it really makes a strong character study. In the film Aliens the character is written by a white man and portrayed by a woman in brownface, as such Castro manages to transform a caricature into a fully fleshed out character.
Once we get into the life of her kids it gets even better. Castro delves into the Alien universe in a deeper, more compelling way than the usual snapshots we get. It reminded me a lot of one of my favourite Alien books 'Alien: Covenant - Origins' which delved into the universe in such a rich way without having a single Alien in it.
Therein lies the problem with the last 60 pages, this feels like two books shoved together with an entire typical Alien story crammed into the last portion of the book. We didn't need the Xenomorphs to really appear at all in this story and while there are a few cool portions of action, it all starts to feel super rushed.
Make no mistake I LOVE the vast majority of this book, it's just a shame at how rushed the finale feels.
dankolar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5