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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
A fun, unique twist on the usual Alien-universe story. Bronze age civilization and military tactics vs. xenomorphs is a great concept, and Sigler delivered on that.
The biggest issue I ran into with this book is that the first half of the book is quite slow in pacing as it sets up how this society functions. Ultimately I felt like it was worth pushing through, but I will say my reading of this took me much longer than most other books, Alien universe or otherwise.
I listened to the audio version and for the most part I really enjoyed that, the only exception being the voice the reader did for Creen, which sounded like a cartoonish, disgusted valley girl rather than an angsty teen boy.
The biggest issue I ran into with this book is that the first half of the book is quite slow in pacing as it sets up how this society functions. Ultimately I felt like it was worth pushing through, but I will say my reading of this took me much longer than most other books, Alien universe or otherwise.
I listened to the audio version and for the most part I really enjoyed that, the only exception being the voice the reader did for Creen, which sounded like a cartoonish, disgusted valley girl rather than an angsty teen boy.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was good! To be clear; not outstanding or amazing, but good.
Aliens: Phalanx was a bit of a breath of fresh air from the usual Alien plots we get.
This story was a lot more focused on world-building, and the quasi-primitive society created here, as well as their relationship to the Xenomorphs (or "Demons", as they refer to them). It really was quite unique and I enjoyed that element a lot.
Scott Sigler clearly did a lot of research for this book. The armour, weapons, flora and raw materials all felt balanced and believable for the world we were inhabiting.
On the topic of "inhabiting", I'll briefly mention my feelings regarding the characters; I didn't care much for them, which was a real shame, but that's where this story fell short for me.
All of them felt like shallow YA protagonists - acting either super-childishly or perfectly mature, whichever suited the needs of the story best, regardless of how the character had been set-up and shown to us previously. There was very little consistency and it robbed me of any connection I should have felt toward them.
As for the connections to the bulk of the franchise - almost all of it happens in the last 50 pages or so, which was fine with me.
It doesn't use the films as a crutch, it felt happy to be it's own, self-contained thing, and for the most part it worked.
I'd recommend it for Alien fans, and for those who like to see sci-fi and fantasy merge a bit.
Also, the whole way through, the setting and the world and the aesthetic all reminded me of Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, so if you are a fan of those games, I'd also say this is worth a read.
3.5 stars, rounded down for the pretty naff characterisations.
Aliens: Phalanx was a bit of a breath of fresh air from the usual Alien plots we get.
This story was a lot more focused on world-building, and the quasi-primitive society created here, as well as their relationship to the Xenomorphs (or "Demons", as they refer to them). It really was quite unique and I enjoyed that element a lot.
Scott Sigler clearly did a lot of research for this book. The armour, weapons, flora and raw materials all felt balanced and believable for the world we were inhabiting.
On the topic of "inhabiting", I'll briefly mention my feelings regarding the characters; I didn't care much for them, which was a real shame, but that's where this story fell short for me.
All of them felt like shallow YA protagonists - acting either super-childishly or perfectly mature, whichever suited the needs of the story best, regardless of how the character had been set-up and shown to us previously. There was very little consistency and it robbed me of any connection I should have felt toward them.
As for the connections to the bulk of the franchise - almost all of it happens in the last 50 pages or so, which was fine with me.
It doesn't use the films as a crutch, it felt happy to be it's own, self-contained thing, and for the most part it worked.
I'd recommend it for Alien fans, and for those who like to see sci-fi and fantasy merge a bit.
Also, the whole way through, the setting and the world and the aesthetic all reminded me of Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, so if you are a fan of those games, I'd also say this is worth a read.
3.5 stars, rounded down for the pretty naff characterisations.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Audible free, way too much gratuitous cursing that does nothing for the story, story itself is not bad, was not a big fan of the alien series, nonetheless decent story. Minus the cursing
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Scott Sigler is one of my favourite sci fi and horror authors, so he was the perfect fit to tell this story. And I LOVED IT. Everything you could ever want from an Alien story was in here. Sigler's clear love for the series shows, and the new world he creates adds a unique twist to the franchise.
Every character was spectacular. Aliyah is one of the most powerful and motivated female characters in the franchise, a resourceful warrior who refuses to give up despite impossible circumstances. It took me a while to warm up to Creen, but Brandun was by far my favourite with his big, honest heart.
There was plenty of action and adventure and tense moments, and nearly every creature and entity from the Alien series made an appearance. Plenty of scenes filled me with dread, particularly when the facehuggers arrived. I got literal chills and truly felt grossed out.
I had high expectations, and Sigler knocked it out of the park. Anyone who is a fan of the Aliens franchise will enjoy this fresh take on the lore, and if sci fi horror is something you enjoy, this is an absolute must have. I was addicted to it!
Every character was spectacular. Aliyah is one of the most powerful and motivated female characters in the franchise, a resourceful warrior who refuses to give up despite impossible circumstances. It took me a while to warm up to Creen, but Brandun was by far my favourite with his big, honest heart.
There was plenty of action and adventure and tense moments, and nearly every creature and entity from the Alien series made an appearance. Plenty of scenes filled me with dread, particularly when the facehuggers arrived. I got literal chills and truly felt grossed out.
I had high expectations, and Sigler knocked it out of the park. Anyone who is a fan of the Aliens franchise will enjoy this fresh take on the lore, and if sci fi horror is something you enjoy, this is an absolute must have. I was addicted to it!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was really good. I enjoyed seeing how a world would be if aliens were introduced 300 years earlier. The world building was neat.
The worst part of the book was the narrator, it might have been the worst narrator I've listened to. There were so many points in the book where I had no idea how the narrator would've went that direction. He was very quiet with the main character's voice so I'd have to crank the volume up to hear her then the other characters were done normally and I had to turn the volume back down. One of my favorite characters would've been Creen if I didn't have to put up with the horrendous voice and inflection the narrator gave him.
The writing wasn't the best, especially at the end but the setting and concept made up for that weakness.
The worst part of the book was the narrator, it might have been the worst narrator I've listened to. There were so many points in the book where I had no idea how the narrator would've went that direction. He was very quiet with the main character's voice so I'd have to crank the volume up to hear her then the other characters were done normally and I had to turn the volume back down. One of my favorite characters would've been Creen if I didn't have to put up with the horrendous voice and inflection the narrator gave him.
The writing wasn't the best, especially at the end but the setting and concept made up for that weakness.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes