Being a big fan and critic of all things Aliens (the second movie was my favorite), I feel happy with this latest tale of Aliens putting humans and "advance" technology in their place. That being said, this wasn't a perfect fit into either of the seperate canons of the Aliens films or the comics/novels, but that's easy to overlook for the good entertainment value here. Well-written, the story flows smoothly and unfolds in a way consistent with the genre. I enjoyed the book and was happy to add it to my Aliens collection. That being said, there were a few things I noted as being a little, well, "off" for those who are as picky as me.
The author acknowledges in his intro that he tries to add some new elements to the Aliens, such as detailing their eating and growth cycle a little more. Generally, making changes or additions is difficult to do without harming what originally made these "monsters" so scary, but Shirley does an admirable job of it. While these variations don't destroy what makes the creatures as great as they are, I kind of like some things not being so explained so that these terrifying killers actually remain "alien". The new things the author adds are often not portayed as definite, but could just be the perception of the characters, which is a great way to do such things.
The politics and social messages of the time of the story seem to reflect the predictable trends we see now, which is as goos sci-fi should be, and I felt drawn into the reality created by the book. Attempts at "future slang" and characters speaking with "quaint" old slang terms don't seem to go over well, but it's not over-used so that doesn't matter much.
My only real complaint is one that is common with prequels, the technology often seems better in the "past" than it does in the "future". Most notably, the control consoles on the humans' ship float around and are described as being pretty advanced. That kind of fanciness certainly wasn't on the Nostromo in the first Alien film. I think one of the things that made the first films so great was their gritty "real-ness" of the surroundings. This tale was less of a "truckers in space" and more of a fantastic sci-fi telling with "amazing" new alien technology. The only error I noticed is that the spelling of one of the Chinese characters names changed mid-page and stayed that way until their explosive death.
Overall, though, a great read and welcome addition to the genre. I look forward to more Aliens books by John Shirley.
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Aliens: Steel Egg (Aliens (Dark Horse)) Mass Market Paperback – November 13, 2007
by
John Shirley
(Author)
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Someone on Earth knew about the aliens. Someone battled them, and survived. Before Ripley, there was a first encounter. Aliens and humans have fought before! When a human spaceship discovers a vast egg-shaped vessel in Saturn's orbit, the crew powers in to investigate. Thinking the ship might contain usable metal for Earth, they force their way aboard. Three teams split up to explore the ship. Already the aliens have awoken. The first of all the battles unfolds.
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Print length250 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherDark Horse
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Publication dateNovember 13, 2007
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Dimensions4.25 x 1 x 6.75 inches
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ISBN-101595821147
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ISBN-13978-1595821140
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Product details
- Publisher : Dark Horse (November 13, 2007)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 250 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1595821147
- ISBN-13 : 978-1595821140
- Item Weight : 4.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.25 x 1 x 6.75 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#2,153,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,548 in Dark Horse Comics & Graphic Novels
- #9,023 in Science Fiction Graphic Novels (Books)
- #9,219 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
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Customer reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
40 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2007
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Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2008
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I thought the story was great, definitely as good as some of the old Dark Horse comics. The character development was good for the most part (except the CANC crew seemed to just be faceless thugs).
I would have given this 4 stars, but the ineptitude of the military personnel had me saying "oh come on!" many times. Despite the fact that most of the characters in this book were military and were packing missile launchers, flame throwers, and automatic rifles, only one guy in the book could hit the broad side of a barn. Everyone would either panic and never fire their weapon, try to fire but forgot to turn off the safety, or actually would fire but miss by a mile. I've seen better marksmanship in episodes of GI Joe. Seriously, how can a queen alien (the size of a T. Rex) sidestep three soldiers with missile launchers in close quarters? Her host must have been the Flash or something. Needless to say, this became a bit comical after awhile and spoiled what could have been a great book.
I would have given this 4 stars, but the ineptitude of the military personnel had me saying "oh come on!" many times. Despite the fact that most of the characters in this book were military and were packing missile launchers, flame throwers, and automatic rifles, only one guy in the book could hit the broad side of a barn. Everyone would either panic and never fire their weapon, try to fire but forgot to turn off the safety, or actually would fire but miss by a mile. I've seen better marksmanship in episodes of GI Joe. Seriously, how can a queen alien (the size of a T. Rex) sidestep three soldiers with missile launchers in close quarters? Her host must have been the Flash or something. Needless to say, this became a bit comical after awhile and spoiled what could have been a great book.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2008
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IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE READ ANY OF THESE ALIENS BOOKS. BACK IN THE MID TO LATE 1990'S THESE BOOKS WERE QUITE POPULAR. THEN THEY DISAPPEARED AND JUST RECENTLY THEY HAVE COME OUT OF THE WOODWORK. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS ONE. AUTHOR JOHN SHIRLEY DOES A NICE JOB OF TELLING US ABOUT THE ALIENS BEFORE RIPLEY AND THE NOSTROMO. I WON'T GIVE AWAY A BIG PART OF THE PLOT BUT IT DOES CONCERN A NEWLY DISCOVERED GIANT SHIP IN ORBIT AROUND SATURN. ALSO INVOLVED ARE A CREW WHO HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO CHECK OUT THIS SHIP AND REPORT THEIR FINDINGS. THERE IS ALSO A GROUP FROM ASIA WHO WANT THIS DISCOVERY TO USE IT'S TECHNOLOGY AS A WEAPON. AND LAST BUT MORE IMPORTANT ARE THE ALIENS WHO HAVE BEEN DORMANT FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS AND THE QUEEN WHO IS GUARDING THE NEW BATCH OF EGGS. THIS BOOK IS SCARY, INTERESTING, ENTERTAINING AND IS ANOTHER NICE READ IN THE ALIEN COLLECTION. VERY RECOMMENDED.
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017
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Easily one of my favorite Alien books so far. I have read nine of them. I liked the story and I liked the main characters as well. My only real gripe with it was that the CNAC (the human antagonists) were stupid enough to use missile launchers to battle the aliens inside of their own ship which was drifting in outer space. A decision which would lead to their ultimate demise. Other than that, it was very well written and it had some really cool descriptions of the alien spacecraft where the xeno eggs were discovered. Very good ending too.
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2013
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After reading a number of Aliens book (all Steve Perry, David Bischoff, etc.) this is by far the best outing.
The Aliens aren't complete fodder.
Actually?
They're dangerous as all hell. Having one in proximity means death, which is how Aliens are supposed to be and not just target practice for a bunch of soldiers.
It's well written, with good character development and a solid story line.
This book is recommended before any other in the Aliens series.
The Aliens aren't complete fodder.
Actually?
They're dangerous as all hell. Having one in proximity means death, which is how Aliens are supposed to be and not just target practice for a bunch of soldiers.
It's well written, with good character development and a solid story line.
This book is recommended before any other in the Aliens series.
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book really surprised me, I have read everything I can get my hands on about the "Alien" universe and this book was just off the chain. John Shirley smacked this one right out of the park. Most likely the best Alien related book I have ever read. A definite must read for any Alien fan.
Top reviews from other countries
iain russell
4.0 out of 5 stars
First Encounter
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2018Verified Purchase
Quite a rare entry in the Aliens franchise with regards to the fact that this story concerns the very first encounter with the Xenomorphs. Set in the late 21st century, Earth is divided into two spheres of influence, the U.N. and China who co exist in an uneasy truce. When a massive alien space derelict is discovered near Saturn the race is on to board it with neither side realising what the seemingly deserted ship contains.
I found this book original, action packed and well worth a read.
I found this book original, action packed and well worth a read.
B. J. Crossley
4.0 out of 5 stars
good comic-book esque Novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2008Verified Purchase
good characters
good descriptive language
lots of imagination
some of the thought narration and dialouge is bad ( But hey, goes with the territory)
good descriptive language
lots of imagination
some of the thought narration and dialouge is bad ( But hey, goes with the territory)
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Miss Troke
5.0 out of 5 stars
its very good. :)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2015Verified Purchase
very good quality. it arrived on time. no problems. great value for money! highly recommend it.
Niall Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2014Verified Purchase
Love the Alien franchise.
Shortburst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alien Fan Bias
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2014Verified Purchase
Enjoyed this but could we have more books about colonial marines please, good story, just adds to the alien universe
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