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A review by paperbackstash
Aliens: Bug Hunt by Jonathan Maberry, Heather Graham
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.