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A review by sambora
Aliens: Phalanx by Scott Sigler
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
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.