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Based on the screenplay by Dan O'Bannon. The crew of the spaceship Nostromo wake from cryogenic sleep to distress signals from an unknown planet. One is attacked when they investigate a derelict alien craft. Safely on their way back to Sol, none foresee the real horror about to begin.
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
517 books1,893 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 807 reviews
July 9, 2013
Greatest book in the whole frickin' universe!!! (of course, having read it over 30 years ago this won't be a highly detailed review...)
Now,I was 11 years old when Alien came out. My mom wouldn't let me see R-rated flicks at the time and most older friends & cousins were afraid of my mother so they wouldn't take me either. I couldn't fathom such a cruel existence - a Monster-Movie junkie being denied access to the latest, and possibly greatest, creature flick of all time. Torture. When some hair-lipped usher nabbed me trying to sneak into a matinee showing at the Lincoln Mall I still refused to accept defeat. But I had to take a new tack.
Not too far down the hall from the cinemas was Walden Books, one of my favorite loitering spots; even got locked in the store one night while sitting on my ass reading stuff. Walden's had the next best thing to a 16mm reel of Alien: a whole section devoted to print paraphernalia of Alien.* They had one hell of a licensing juggernaut for a movie kids weren't supposed to see on their own. Action figures, trading cards, playing cards, comic books, posters, pop-up books, place mats, picture books and one novel (written after the fact). Those last two got me as close as I ever was going to get to the movie until it came out on VHS (which would be contingent on ma getting us a VCR...)
I gorged on the novel in a weekend and I pawed through the picture book in the store so many times I had a pretty good visual of Alien in my head when I decided to start lying to my sixth grade classmates and claim to have seen the movie. Of course, the book was a fleshed out, literary realization of Dan O'Bannon's, et al, screenplay. Which meant that it had events and dialog which didn't actually occur in the film. Which also meant I referenced "scenes" which kids who had actually seen the movie didn't remember.
Naturally this all led to puzzled looks and accusations that I hadn't seen Alien at all. Backed into a corner, I defended my falsehoods by accusing them of covering their eyes cause they were chicken; or that they were in the bathroom barfing during the scenes in question. Then I took a bus back to the Lincoln Mall cinemas, bought a ticket to some lame "Benji" sequel and took another stab at sneaking into Alien. Success this time - I was in!!! Forgot to pee, however, but there was no way I was going out to the restroom and risk not getting back in. When it was all over I felt like things were going to rupture out of me too. But I was going back to school on Monday with a rock solid impersonation of John Hurt hatching that space bug out of his chest.
As for the book itself - best literary experience I'd had at that point in life; even better than "How to Eat Fried Worms" or The Hardy Boys stuff.
*Walden Books was also where I first experienced the Rocky Horror Picture Show...
For a current feel of claustrophobia, dread and creatures trying to kill people (all in a funny way) check out
Jackass on a Camel
Now,I was 11 years old when Alien came out. My mom wouldn't let me see R-rated flicks at the time and most older friends & cousins were afraid of my mother so they wouldn't take me either. I couldn't fathom such a cruel existence - a Monster-Movie junkie being denied access to the latest, and possibly greatest, creature flick of all time. Torture. When some hair-lipped usher nabbed me trying to sneak into a matinee showing at the Lincoln Mall I still refused to accept defeat. But I had to take a new tack.
Not too far down the hall from the cinemas was Walden Books, one of my favorite loitering spots; even got locked in the store one night while sitting on my ass reading stuff. Walden's had the next best thing to a 16mm reel of Alien: a whole section devoted to print paraphernalia of Alien.* They had one hell of a licensing juggernaut for a movie kids weren't supposed to see on their own. Action figures, trading cards, playing cards, comic books, posters, pop-up books, place mats, picture books and one novel (written after the fact). Those last two got me as close as I ever was going to get to the movie until it came out on VHS (which would be contingent on ma getting us a VCR...)
I gorged on the novel in a weekend and I pawed through the picture book in the store so many times I had a pretty good visual of Alien in my head when I decided to start lying to my sixth grade classmates and claim to have seen the movie. Of course, the book was a fleshed out, literary realization of Dan O'Bannon's, et al, screenplay. Which meant that it had events and dialog which didn't actually occur in the film. Which also meant I referenced "scenes" which kids who had actually seen the movie didn't remember.
Naturally this all led to puzzled looks and accusations that I hadn't seen Alien at all. Backed into a corner, I defended my falsehoods by accusing them of covering their eyes cause they were chicken; or that they were in the bathroom barfing during the scenes in question. Then I took a bus back to the Lincoln Mall cinemas, bought a ticket to some lame "Benji" sequel and took another stab at sneaking into Alien. Success this time - I was in!!! Forgot to pee, however, but there was no way I was going out to the restroom and risk not getting back in. When it was all over I felt like things were going to rupture out of me too. But I was going back to school on Monday with a rock solid impersonation of John Hurt hatching that space bug out of his chest.
As for the book itself - best literary experience I'd had at that point in life; even better than "How to Eat Fried Worms" or The Hardy Boys stuff.
*Walden Books was also where I first experienced the Rocky Horror Picture Show...
For a current feel of claustrophobia, dread and creatures trying to kill people (all in a funny way) check out
Jackass on a Camel
February 4, 2021
"Eran siete. Siete apasibles soñadores en busca de una pesadilla.
Aunque tenía una especie de conciencia propia, el
Nostromo no soñaba. No lo necesitaba, así como no necesitaba el efecto de conservación de los congeladores. Si soñaba, tales reflexiones sin duda eran breves y pasajeras, ya que nunca dormía. Trabajaba y se mantenía, y lograba que su complemento humano en hibernación siempre estuviese un paso adelante de la muerte acechante que seguía al dormir frío, como un tiburón gris sigue a un barco en el mar."
"El Nostromo no era humano. No jugaba bromas a su tripulación, y no la habría despertado del hipersueño con una luz amarilla de advertencia si no hubiese tenido una razón perfectamente válida.
Cualquier cosa que pudiese obligar una nave a cambiar de ruta en un mundo extraño podía tratarlos a ellos de manera igualmente desconsiderada. No tenían ninguna prueba de que aquella llamada desconocida fuese para ellos; pero siendo un realista en un universo cruel, se inclinaba al pesimismo."
"Sintió lástima de todo lo que pudiera vivir allí. Pese a la falta de pruebas en algún sentido, tenía la sensación de que nada vivía por entonces en aquel mundo.
Quizás no tuviese razón. Quizás aquel fuese el concepto del paraíso que pudiera tener alguna criatura desconocida. Si tal resultaba el caso, pensó que no le gustaría mucho la compañía de semejante criatura.
No había que pensar siquiera en haber llegado hasta allí y no explorar las entrañas de la nave desconocida.
Después de todo, la curiosidad era la que había movido a la humanidad desde aquel mundo aislado poco importante, y entre los golfos que separaban a las estrellas. Y también recordó que la curiosidad mató al supuesto gato."
Hace un tiempo, y luego de leer algunas novelizaciones en particular mi preconcepto inicial cambio abismalmente. Pueden aportar diferentes perspectivas, enfoques y generar muy buenas experiencias.
En este caso esta aun a otro nivel. la disfrute de principio a fin, desde el primer par de paginas introductorias con descripciones psicológicas y filosóficas sobre el criosueño / hipersueño, contrastando el estado de la tripulación como soñadores con su estado de vigilia.
Me sumergí totalmente en la narración y viví la experiencia a bordo de la Nostromo y de ese planeta gris y hostil.
Si bien es muy fiel a la película, tiene pequeñas diferencias. Es un poco mas apegada al guion original.
Son mas marcadas las jerarquias dentro de la nave. Principalmente como los miembros de ingeniería están bastante relegados(Parker y Brett), a pesar de ser fundamentales.
También son mas evidentes las rispideces entre los tripulantes, lo cual hace aumentar la tensión y la sensación de agobio. También es mas notorio como todo el tiempo Ash maneja los hilos desde las sombras.Y también hay un desencadenante en particular en pro de la historia que funciona muy bien para finalmente desvelar su naturaleza e intenciones.
Una de las cosas que me daba mucho curiosidad como estarían descriptos los xenomorfos en sus diferentes estados. Y debo decir que son un poco escasas pero muy acordes.
Yo personalmente no considero que Ripley sea una heroína en la primera película ( si en la segunda). Si bien en un personaje fuerte, que va creciendo a medida que transcurre la película y que obviamente es la superviviente. Aquí es mas marcado que sobrevive simplemente por azar ( a algunos les resultara mejor y a otros peor este aspecto)
En definitiva muy recomendable para cualquier asiduo Ciencia Ficción y el Terror. Sea o no fanático de Alien. Y también para vivir una buena experiencia con una novelizacion o quitarse algún preconcepto al respecto.
Aunque tenía una especie de conciencia propia, el
Nostromo no soñaba. No lo necesitaba, así como no necesitaba el efecto de conservación de los congeladores. Si soñaba, tales reflexiones sin duda eran breves y pasajeras, ya que nunca dormía. Trabajaba y se mantenía, y lograba que su complemento humano en hibernación siempre estuviese un paso adelante de la muerte acechante que seguía al dormir frío, como un tiburón gris sigue a un barco en el mar."
"El Nostromo no era humano. No jugaba bromas a su tripulación, y no la habría despertado del hipersueño con una luz amarilla de advertencia si no hubiese tenido una razón perfectamente válida.
Cualquier cosa que pudiese obligar una nave a cambiar de ruta en un mundo extraño podía tratarlos a ellos de manera igualmente desconsiderada. No tenían ninguna prueba de que aquella llamada desconocida fuese para ellos; pero siendo un realista en un universo cruel, se inclinaba al pesimismo."
"Sintió lástima de todo lo que pudiera vivir allí. Pese a la falta de pruebas en algún sentido, tenía la sensación de que nada vivía por entonces en aquel mundo.
Quizás no tuviese razón. Quizás aquel fuese el concepto del paraíso que pudiera tener alguna criatura desconocida. Si tal resultaba el caso, pensó que no le gustaría mucho la compañía de semejante criatura.
No había que pensar siquiera en haber llegado hasta allí y no explorar las entrañas de la nave desconocida.
Después de todo, la curiosidad era la que había movido a la humanidad desde aquel mundo aislado poco importante, y entre los golfos que separaban a las estrellas. Y también recordó que la curiosidad mató al supuesto gato."
Hace un tiempo, y luego de leer algunas novelizaciones en particular mi preconcepto inicial cambio abismalmente. Pueden aportar diferentes perspectivas, enfoques y generar muy buenas experiencias.
En este caso esta aun a otro nivel. la disfrute de principio a fin, desde el primer par de paginas introductorias con descripciones psicológicas y filosóficas sobre el criosueño / hipersueño, contrastando el estado de la tripulación como soñadores con su estado de vigilia.
Me sumergí totalmente en la narración y viví la experiencia a bordo de la Nostromo y de ese planeta gris y hostil.
Si bien es muy fiel a la película, tiene pequeñas diferencias. Es un poco mas apegada al guion original.
Son mas marcadas las jerarquias dentro de la nave. Principalmente como los miembros de ingeniería están bastante relegados(Parker y Brett), a pesar de ser fundamentales.
También son mas evidentes las rispideces entre los tripulantes, lo cual hace aumentar la tensión y la sensación de agobio. También es mas notorio como todo el tiempo Ash maneja los hilos desde las sombras.Y también hay un desencadenante en particular en pro de la historia que funciona muy bien para finalmente desvelar su naturaleza e intenciones.
Una de las cosas que me daba mucho curiosidad como estarían descriptos los xenomorfos en sus diferentes estados. Y debo decir que son un poco escasas pero muy acordes.
Yo personalmente no considero que Ripley sea una heroína en la primera película ( si en la segunda). Si bien en un personaje fuerte, que va creciendo a medida que transcurre la película y que obviamente es la superviviente. Aquí es mas marcado que sobrevive simplemente por azar ( a algunos les resultara mejor y a otros peor este aspecto)
En definitiva muy recomendable para cualquier asiduo Ciencia Ficción y el Terror. Sea o no fanático de Alien. Y también para vivir una buena experiencia con una novelizacion o quitarse algún preconcepto al respecto.
May 15, 2024
This is exactly what happens when no one listens to a smart woman with a cat
May 2, 2023
I distinctly remember going to the movies as part of attending a graduation party in June of 1979. We had graduated Junior High School and one of my friends' mom had decided to throw the party, but had wanted to initiate the party with a collective watch of the movie Alien at the theater. I remember thinking even back then that the creature itself was a thing of horrifying beauty. I did not yet understand aesthetic beauty, and the alien itself had not yet captivated the zeitgeist, but I knew enough to realize that what we were watching was a premiere horror movie, a special movie akin to a haunted house narrative situated in outer space. Recently, I got an opportunity to listen to the movie novelization of Alien written by Alan Dean Foster, and I was taken back to that first time I was captivated. Since that time, I have watched that movie a dozen times. Of course the sequels have followed the original, but rather than rehash the same story, each creative team of the subsequent sequel has adapted, and changed the story. This one has the makings of classic, but it is too soon to call. Amid my criteria for a classic is longevity, and IMHO I say 50 years would fulfill that item on my list and it still requires 7 years to get there. Still, I believe that my other two criteria of exceptionalism and paradigm creation are already fulfilled.
November 4, 2017
Most of us know what Alien is about. If you don't, shame on you. The 1979 movie is a classic, and you should watch it.
I've known about the novelization for a few years now, so I said it was finally time to give it a try. It didn't disappoint, even if the beginning was a bit rough. Once the action starts, everything runs smoothly.
As with all novelizations, we get a lot more details and nuances. And the facehuggers are described in great detail. A bit too great if you ask me, but that's a matter of taste. They are the most horrifying thing in the movies, too.
I've known about the novelization for a few years now, so I said it was finally time to give it a try. It didn't disappoint, even if the beginning was a bit rough. Once the action starts, everything runs smoothly.
As with all novelizations, we get a lot more details and nuances. And the facehuggers are described in great detail. A bit too great if you ask me, but that's a matter of taste. They are the most horrifying thing in the movies, too.
June 21, 2021
Imposible no amarlo: es un ícono del sci-fi horror, y una de mis películas favoritas de todos los tiempos. Esta fue una lectura que me debía hace muchísimo, y finalmente pude leerlo con mi club de lectura en Patreon. Fue una experiencia hermosa, sin duda vale la pena leer esta novelización del clásico de 1979.
May 20, 2022
Alien…a classic, epic movie. Created from a screenplay, they turned around and made the movie, then made the book off the movie/screenplay – one rarely thinks of this book offspring when they hear the word “Alien.” The movie is better too, but for fans of the series, especially completionists, this spawned book is a good addition to the shelves.
I won’t go into the details of the story – what’s the point? If you don’t know the story of Alien, rent it immediately or miss out. The book stays pretty faithful to the film. This didn’t work for the beginning, though, as reading about drug out technical aspects of landing, planning the course, and positioning lasted far too long and bored me. After page forty or so, my interest finally shipped off.
The scene where Lambert, Dallas, and Kane explore the alien vessel and find the chamber is especially eerie and great. In written form, I was able to appreciate the impressiveness and uniqueness of the ship much more than when staring at it on the screen. I think this was due in part to the author taking such time to detail the structure and how truly alien it was, emphasizing this fact further than the movie did. Creepiness was laid on thick as Kane explores the chambers; in written form that daunting climb down seemed longer in length, it’s suspense richer.
After the first half, the book starts changing small things from the movie, which is fine. Overall the deaths in the book were lackluster to the movie though. There wasn’t as much suspense and impact. There is even more kitty emphasis. Mother plays a smaller part, especially at the end. The chase scenes were great and made sense (in other words, they weren’t in trouble because they were acting stupid like some stories rely on, they were acting with intelligence but happened to be up against something stronger than they.)
And of course, there was no underwear showdown!
Character wise, Ridley was less likeable. She is flatter, bitchier, and her arrogance irritated me as well as the crew. Dallas is as likeable in written form as the flick. I cared more about Parker and Brent reading about them. Ash was well done and further fleshed out.
Oddly the alien’s appearance isn’t discussed hardly at all. Weird, right? The author goes into detail about the egg, the facehugger alive and dead. Ash eagerly dishes out revelations and theories about the being’s abilities and superiority, but when it comes to the adult’s alien appearance, it’s ridiculously vague. Was it because the author struggled with the right wording on describing the unique creature right? Writing error and accidentally leaving that description out despite the many chances to include it? Did they want to leave that particular surprise for the movie buffs, what? It bugs me.
Overall fans should read it if they own it or stumble across a copy. The book doesn’t add in any missing pieces or further insight but it’s still an enjoyable read. The characters, even the alien, are flatter – but the action segments work and it’s a fascinating story. It also has made me in the mood to watch the movie again.
I won’t go into the details of the story – what’s the point? If you don’t know the story of Alien, rent it immediately or miss out. The book stays pretty faithful to the film. This didn’t work for the beginning, though, as reading about drug out technical aspects of landing, planning the course, and positioning lasted far too long and bored me. After page forty or so, my interest finally shipped off.
The scene where Lambert, Dallas, and Kane explore the alien vessel and find the chamber is especially eerie and great. In written form, I was able to appreciate the impressiveness and uniqueness of the ship much more than when staring at it on the screen. I think this was due in part to the author taking such time to detail the structure and how truly alien it was, emphasizing this fact further than the movie did. Creepiness was laid on thick as Kane explores the chambers; in written form that daunting climb down seemed longer in length, it’s suspense richer.
After the first half, the book starts changing small things from the movie, which is fine. Overall the deaths in the book were lackluster to the movie though. There wasn’t as much suspense and impact. There is even more kitty emphasis. Mother plays a smaller part, especially at the end. The chase scenes were great and made sense (in other words, they weren’t in trouble because they were acting stupid like some stories rely on, they were acting with intelligence but happened to be up against something stronger than they.)
And of course, there was no underwear showdown!
Character wise, Ridley was less likeable. She is flatter, bitchier, and her arrogance irritated me as well as the crew. Dallas is as likeable in written form as the flick. I cared more about Parker and Brent reading about them. Ash was well done and further fleshed out.
Oddly the alien’s appearance isn’t discussed hardly at all. Weird, right? The author goes into detail about the egg, the facehugger alive and dead. Ash eagerly dishes out revelations and theories about the being’s abilities and superiority, but when it comes to the adult’s alien appearance, it’s ridiculously vague. Was it because the author struggled with the right wording on describing the unique creature right? Writing error and accidentally leaving that description out despite the many chances to include it? Did they want to leave that particular surprise for the movie buffs, what? It bugs me.
Overall fans should read it if they own it or stumble across a copy. The book doesn’t add in any missing pieces or further insight but it’s still an enjoyable read. The characters, even the alien, are flatter – but the action segments work and it’s a fascinating story. It also has made me in the mood to watch the movie again.
September 21, 2021
Alien is one of Foster's most successful novelizations (which is really saying something when you read the list of his titles) not only financially, but also artistically. He did an excellent job of embracing the tropes of a horror movie and folding them into a science fiction book, and vice versa. We even get the point of view of the cat, an alien creature if there ever was one. There's a bit more detail and background on the creatures, which is really especially helpful for the many people who had their eyes squeezed shut when watching the film for the first time. Remember there were no DVDs or an easy way to watch films when you wanted to when this first one came out, and Foster captured the feel quite well. It was the ultimate space horror of the time.
May 25, 2022
SINOPSIS: ¿Dónde estaba la Tierra? Esta no era su galaxia. Un sol extraño iluminaba el cielo con rayos anaranjados. En su sueño frío, los siete viajeros del espacio habían dejado atrás su propio universo y ahora su radio receptor les decía que sobre el planeta que giraba debajo de ellos, alguien transmitía señales pidiendo auxilio. Las leyes del espacio ordenaban que debían descender, explorar y prestar ayuda. Pero llevarían armas, pues no sabían por qué, o qué era lo que los llamaba. Todo lo que sabían era que parecía ser un Alien… un ser extraño.
Bueno no hay mucho mas que decir, al ser una novelización a la película pues es muy fiel a la misma, pero tengo que decir que la película me gustó más, el suspense la banda sonora los efectos especiales nuestro querido bichito... en fina todo ,para mí de las mejores películas de cifi-terror.
No le doy 5 estrellas ya que el principio me ha parecido algo lento y luego la resolución final algo rápida. Lo bueno de leer una novelización es que te van viniendo recuerdos de la peli, en mi caso había partes que ni me acordaba... ,pero que lindo gatito era JONES, JAJAJAJA.
8/10
Bueno no hay mucho mas que decir, al ser una novelización a la película pues es muy fiel a la misma, pero tengo que decir que la película me gustó más, el suspense la banda sonora los efectos especiales nuestro querido bichito... en fina todo ,para mí de las mejores películas de cifi-terror.
No le doy 5 estrellas ya que el principio me ha parecido algo lento y luego la resolución final algo rápida. Lo bueno de leer una novelización es que te van viniendo recuerdos de la peli, en mi caso había partes que ni me acordaba... ,pero que lindo gatito era JONES, JAJAJAJA.
8/10
April 9, 2022
Alien is one of my favourite films, not just in sci-fi, but in general. It's always fun to read a novelisation, to see if bits are different, and you get a lot more room for characterisation. I'm guessing Foster based his book on an earlier script, and probably before or while the film was being filmed, because there quite a few differences.
I'm not going to go to deep into the differences - they are never better than what ended up in the film, and in most cases are uninteresting.
I think the most baffling aspect of this novel that Foster never actually describes the fullgrown xenomorph - we get descriptions of the eggs (different from the film, actually interesting - they are completely smooth and the gutters of the flaps only appear when Kane touches one), of the facehugger (who here has one big eye on its back, which is never mentioned again later on) and the chestburster. For the actual alien it is identified as bulky, and having claws. I think there is one mention of eyes..? No snappy inner mouth to be seen, or horrible stingy tail, pipes on its back, or even the weird elongated head.
The action scenes are bad - I've said it before in other reviews, just because someone is a sci-fi writer doesn't make them good at writing horror. The chestburster scene whiffs it bigly, it never has the pure visceral horror of the film. The xenomorph grabs people and abducts them, there is no tension to these attacks, they just sort of.. happen.
What you do get, is endless discussions that in the film take a couple of minutes at most. When Ripley wants to keep a facehugged Kane out of the ship, and Ash opens the inner airlock door anyway, this leads to pages and pages of circular arguments. It's just plain boring.
I didn't like it. The film is better than the book.
I'm not going to go to deep into the differences - they are never better than what ended up in the film, and in most cases are uninteresting.
I think the most baffling aspect of this novel that Foster never actually describes the fullgrown xenomorph - we get descriptions of the eggs (different from the film, actually interesting - they are completely smooth and the gutters of the flaps only appear when Kane touches one), of the facehugger (who here has one big eye on its back, which is never mentioned again later on) and the chestburster. For the actual alien it is identified as bulky, and having claws. I think there is one mention of eyes..? No snappy inner mouth to be seen, or horrible stingy tail, pipes on its back, or even the weird elongated head.
The action scenes are bad - I've said it before in other reviews, just because someone is a sci-fi writer doesn't make them good at writing horror. The chestburster scene whiffs it bigly, it never has the pure visceral horror of the film. The xenomorph grabs people and abducts them, there is no tension to these attacks, they just sort of.. happen.
What you do get, is endless discussions that in the film take a couple of minutes at most. When Ripley wants to keep a facehugged Kane out of the ship, and Ash opens the inner airlock door anyway, this leads to pages and pages of circular arguments. It's just plain boring.
I didn't like it. The film is better than the book.
February 5, 2021
Cuando empecé el libro recién me di cuenta de que era una novelización de la película, por lo que desde el principio sentí algo de recelo, ya que la creatividad de la historia realmente no pertenece al autor, sino al escritor del guion. A pesar de no haberme visto nunca la película, se puede notar que el autor lo que hace es relatarla como si fuera una película de acción, es decir, no se genera un buen buen ambiente de misterio, suspenso y/o terror, que por lo poco que sé, la película pudiera dar para eso. De igual manera, la novela te entretiene, siempre y cuando no hayas visto la película (como fue mi caso).
Nunca llegué a verme esta saga, sin embargo, sabía que había un libro y quise empezar por él, porque pensé que revelaría algún dato de interés particular para entender mejor la saga, pero estoy casi seguro de que no es así, debo suponer que lo que aparecerá en la peli será idéntico al 100% de lo que ya leí.
Nunca llegué a verme esta saga, sin embargo, sabía que había un libro y quise empezar por él, porque pensé que revelaría algún dato de interés particular para entender mejor la saga, pero estoy casi seguro de que no es así, debo suponer que lo que aparecerá en la peli será idéntico al 100% de lo que ya leí.
May 18, 2022
You can’t really go wrong with the novelisation of Alien, because it’s such a strong, tight little tale to begin with, making this an easy and quick read once you get past the appalling first chapter. It does lack the suspense and atmosphere of the film, trading that in for extended expository sequences and a mind-numbing moment near the end where Ripley forgets her password.
March 10, 2022
A novelsisation of the movie that scared the living daylights out of me, and that after I read this book. I did read the book before since there was no chance in a snowballs' hell my mother was allowing me to see the actual movie in cinema. So as a good kid I found a 2nd hand copy and read the book before I ever saw the movie, and when I did on VHS I did not tell anybody at home, my sisters being snitches and such.
Alien the brilliant visual conception of GIGER and it does fall short in the book as it never can prepare you for Ridley Scotts strong visuals. The book is more like the monster of the week in space even if it did do little more than any of the Doctor WHo novelsiatsions I did read in thsoe days and the monsters there were far more scary.
The book delivers the story and not untill you see the movie you recognise its visual strengths and how brilliant this average monster in space book has been portrayed.
Nonetheless a fun read to tie yourself over if you have not seen the movie or are not yet allowed to do so.
Alien the brilliant visual conception of GIGER and it does fall short in the book as it never can prepare you for Ridley Scotts strong visuals. The book is more like the monster of the week in space even if it did do little more than any of the Doctor WHo novelsiatsions I did read in thsoe days and the monsters there were far more scary.
The book delivers the story and not untill you see the movie you recognise its visual strengths and how brilliant this average monster in space book has been portrayed.
Nonetheless a fun read to tie yourself over if you have not seen the movie or are not yet allowed to do so.
April 3, 2016
I think this is the first film novelization I've ever read. The idea never appealed to me before but this was pretty damn good. It successfully captures the suspense and subtle terror of the film which I am now anxious to watch again. This Foster dude can write and I already bought his sequel, Aliens, even though I'm not a huge fan of the film version on that one. Amazon currently has it for $2 though so I figure it's worth checking out.
Recommended space horror.
Recommended space horror.
July 17, 2022
So this was fun.
And I found book III now with a little help as it didn't appear to be on audible! Panic!! lol
I can't wait to hear how the "big boys" will be dealing with the toothy monsters... my guess is that they'll go down the hatch. I must re-watch the movies next... such a busy schedule reading this whole series in a row lol! Running onto to read the next book.
And I found book III now with a little help as it didn't appear to be on audible! Panic!! lol
I can't wait to hear how the "big boys" will be dealing with the toothy monsters... my guess is that they'll go down the hatch. I must re-watch the movies next... such a busy schedule reading this whole series in a row lol! Running onto to read the next book.
January 8, 2015
If you ever want to see how much movie novelizations have changed in the last forty years, you can't go wrong with Alan Dean Foster's work. Pick up his adaptations of the most recent Star Trek movies and you'll find what is essentially just the script reformatted to prose form -- and not just any script, but the final draft continuity script. No deleted scenes, no character development based upon production notes, and certainly no original input from the author.
But go back to the novelizations he did in the '70s -- Star Wars, Alien, Star Trek the Animated Series and (allegedly) Star Trek: The Motion Picture: A Novel -- and you'll find something completely different. Alien is a perfect case in point. Working with what's obviously an early draft of the script (he includes deleted scenes, like Dallas and Brett being turned into eggs) and only having access to concept art by Giger and Cobb, the result is vastly different from the finished film. The facehugger has eyes and suckers, Ash has circuit boards and wires instead of milk and spaghetti, and Kane acts like Scrooge McDuck expecting to find rich stuff inside the derelict. Some of the material is obviously original to Foster, particularly the opening passage, in which he discusses a form of future entertainment, pre-fab dreams.
The book's nothing special, though it's certainly competent, and any fan of the franchise should pick it up just for the alternate take on everything (which is ultimately more like the non-director's cut Scott put out for the 25th anniversary).
But go back to the novelizations he did in the '70s -- Star Wars, Alien, Star Trek the Animated Series and (allegedly) Star Trek: The Motion Picture: A Novel -- and you'll find something completely different. Alien is a perfect case in point. Working with what's obviously an early draft of the script (he includes deleted scenes, like Dallas and Brett being turned into eggs) and only having access to concept art by Giger and Cobb, the result is vastly different from the finished film. The facehugger has eyes and suckers, Ash has circuit boards and wires instead of milk and spaghetti, and Kane acts like Scrooge McDuck expecting to find rich stuff inside the derelict. Some of the material is obviously original to Foster, particularly the opening passage, in which he discusses a form of future entertainment, pre-fab dreams.
The book's nothing special, though it's certainly competent, and any fan of the franchise should pick it up just for the alternate take on everything (which is ultimately more like the non-director's cut Scott put out for the 25th anniversary).
September 20, 2019
This adaptation of the original screenplay for the first Alien film; tries hard to capture the terror and pacing of the movie. It succeeds to a degree. Some of my favorite movies are based on novels. Official movie novelization is not really as successful in my opinion. So I've reserved a Blu-ray of the film at my local library to give it another view as it's been years since I've seen it.
July 14, 2019
It literally only got interesting on page 171...
Tragic considering how great the movie is.
Tragic considering how great the movie is.
June 28, 2015
I don't normally read novelizations, but when I do, I read Alan Dean Foster's novelizations. (Okay, that sounded like a beer commercial…)
Part of the reason is that Foster seems to single-handedly write ALL movie novelizations, especially those in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre. So, if you're going to read a novelization, more than likely, it's been written by Foster.
Ridley Scott's "Alien" is, in my opinion, one of the best horror movies ever made. It's so creepy and horrifying, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, and I've seen in at least a dozen times. The first time I saw the film was when I was probably nine or ten. It was on TV, so it was probably edited, but even edited, it scarred me for life. The chest-bursting scene gave me nightmares for months. And I still have a thing about face-huggers, which are, hands-down, the creepiest alien life forms ever devised on-screen, second only to the H.R. Giger-designed humanoid aliens of the film, which are the face-huggers brood. Everything about the creature is creepy, from its acidic blood, to its extruding jaws, to its clearly intentionally phallus-shaped skull shape.
Foster's novel is not bad. It's not great, of course, and it gives one just a taste of the creepiness and horror of the movie, but it's a decent novelization nonetheless.
Part of the reason is that Foster seems to single-handedly write ALL movie novelizations, especially those in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre. So, if you're going to read a novelization, more than likely, it's been written by Foster.
Ridley Scott's "Alien" is, in my opinion, one of the best horror movies ever made. It's so creepy and horrifying, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, and I've seen in at least a dozen times. The first time I saw the film was when I was probably nine or ten. It was on TV, so it was probably edited, but even edited, it scarred me for life. The chest-bursting scene gave me nightmares for months. And I still have a thing about face-huggers, which are, hands-down, the creepiest alien life forms ever devised on-screen, second only to the H.R. Giger-designed humanoid aliens of the film, which are the face-huggers brood. Everything about the creature is creepy, from its acidic blood, to its extruding jaws, to its clearly intentionally phallus-shaped skull shape.
Foster's novel is not bad. It's not great, of course, and it gives one just a taste of the creepiness and horror of the movie, but it's a decent novelization nonetheless.
May 14, 2018
One of the least pretentious and most effective SF books I've ever read, and probably the best film novelization I'm aware of. Follows the Ridley Scott movie quite closely, bit gives the "truckers in space" spin of the characters much greater depth, albeit Ripley is less likeable than in the film. The first part of the story (including the planetoid landing and the alien relic exploration) is given much more space than in the movie, while the second part is more compressed. A nice page turner!
December 14, 2021
Perfecta novelización. Cojonuda. Amplia los personajes y aporta alguna escena nueva (¿quizá descartada o no rodada del guión?). Un must para los fans de la peli/saga.
October 17, 2020
I’ve now seen the Director’s Cut of this movie – and when I finished watching it I knew I wanted to revise this.
To watch the movie again, wow!! phenomenal does not cover it – the sets, especially the intricate detail (the kind that requires a labour of love), reminded me of how visual impact matters to Ridley Scott. I could watch this movie frame by frame, the mise-en-scene is stunning in its brooding dark palette.
Though, watching this with surround sound could have completely distracted me to note how the narrative structure does not follow the mainstream Hollywood rules. I’m not sure if this was common in the 70’s, just looking through the list of films for that decade on Wikipedia, it’s a possibility as there’s a real mix of movies with mainstream and indie story structure.
What made this viewing experience interesting this time is watching it after reading this novella. It’s published 35 years after the movie (and I’m guessing based on the theatrical release) but it still manages to recreate the tension and suspense, as I noted in my original review here:
This novella has the same opener but with wonderful extra details; whilst the crew sleep in their individual pods, what they dream about is explored. To the last page, there are these little interesting character details, like Dallas who avoids trying to make decisions, and how sharp Ripley is; leaving me wonder if things would have been different if she was in charge.
Then there is all the techy stuff, I was completely blown away by the detail and the description of it, showing how much work Alan Dean Foster had put into this. He didn’t stop at just retelling the movie’s story, his novelisation, page after page matched the cinematic experience, not just visually but in tension too. It’s the little touches, like the banter between Parker and Breet being the calm to the storm that builds up and the terror to come. Or how I'm made to believe that Ripley, now in her shuttle, is safe to be shocked by what’s to come.
However, as far as the fear factor is concerned, this novella cannot complete with the movie’s sound and visual experience, but what it does do beautifully is act as a movie companion (filling in the gaps between those jump-cuts) for viewers who are not used to reading the story when watching an indie story structure.
To watch the movie again, wow!! phenomenal does not cover it – the sets, especially the intricate detail (the kind that requires a labour of love), reminded me of how visual impact matters to Ridley Scott. I could watch this movie frame by frame, the mise-en-scene is stunning in its brooding dark palette.
Though, watching this with surround sound could have completely distracted me to note how the narrative structure does not follow the mainstream Hollywood rules. I’m not sure if this was common in the 70’s, just looking through the list of films for that decade on Wikipedia, it’s a possibility as there’s a real mix of movies with mainstream and indie story structure.
What made this viewing experience interesting this time is watching it after reading this novella. It’s published 35 years after the movie (and I’m guessing based on the theatrical release) but it still manages to recreate the tension and suspense, as I noted in my original review here:
This novella has the same opener but with wonderful extra details; whilst the crew sleep in their individual pods, what they dream about is explored. To the last page, there are these little interesting character details, like Dallas who avoids trying to make decisions, and how sharp Ripley is; leaving me wonder if things would have been different if she was in charge.
Then there is all the techy stuff, I was completely blown away by the detail and the description of it, showing how much work Alan Dean Foster had put into this. He didn’t stop at just retelling the movie’s story, his novelisation, page after page matched the cinematic experience, not just visually but in tension too. It’s the little touches, like the banter between Parker and Breet being the calm to the storm that builds up and the terror to come. Or how I'm made to believe that Ripley, now in her shuttle, is safe to be shocked by what’s to come.
However, as far as the fear factor is concerned, this novella cannot complete with the movie’s sound and visual experience, but what it does do beautifully is act as a movie companion (filling in the gaps between those jump-cuts) for viewers who are not used to reading the story when watching an indie story structure.
March 25, 2024
Youtube
May 16, 2023
Serię "Obcego" kojarzy chyba każdy. Statek "Nostromo", tajemniczy sygnał, nieznana planeta, mordercza bestia...
Książka jest dobrym uzupełnieniem filmu, chociaż jako część pierwsza przeciętna. Głównie dlatego, że ponad połowa książki to wprowadzenie, jak najbardziej ważne, ale dla mnie zbyt długie i nudne. Poznajemy w nim bohaterów, ich charaktery, motywację, trochę przeszłości oraz oczywiście cele wyprawy. Generalnie czyta się o tym przyjemnie, ale nic więcej. Nie ma większych sensacji, zaskoczeń. Dopiero na ok. 80 stron przez końcem następuje prawdziwa konfrontacja z Obcym. Wtedy wszystko leci na łeb na szyję. Bardzo nie lubię nierównego tempa w fabule...
Najlepiej oddany został klimat. Ciemno, zimno i do domu daleko. Zamknięcie na statku, widywanie ciągle tych samych osób, z daleka od innych cywilizacji, z ograniczonymi możliwościami wzbudzają poczucie lęku i strachu. Jednak gdy pojawia się Obcy wszystko to jeszcze bardziej się nasila. Zaczyna wkradać się bezradność i pogodzenie ze straszną śmiercią. Pojawią się nadzieja, ale tylko dla jednej osoby...
Jak wspominałam wcześniej, książka nie jest zła, ale urywa tego co powinna i nie zachęca do sięgnięcia po dalsze części (przynajmniej w moim przypadku). Jest po prostu przeci��tna.
Książka jest dobrym uzupełnieniem filmu, chociaż jako część pierwsza przeciętna. Głównie dlatego, że ponad połowa książki to wprowadzenie, jak najbardziej ważne, ale dla mnie zbyt długie i nudne. Poznajemy w nim bohaterów, ich charaktery, motywację, trochę przeszłości oraz oczywiście cele wyprawy. Generalnie czyta się o tym przyjemnie, ale nic więcej. Nie ma większych sensacji, zaskoczeń. Dopiero na ok. 80 stron przez końcem następuje prawdziwa konfrontacja z Obcym. Wtedy wszystko leci na łeb na szyję. Bardzo nie lubię nierównego tempa w fabule...
Najlepiej oddany został klimat. Ciemno, zimno i do domu daleko. Zamknięcie na statku, widywanie ciągle tych samych osób, z daleka od innych cywilizacji, z ograniczonymi możliwościami wzbudzają poczucie lęku i strachu. Jednak gdy pojawia się Obcy wszystko to jeszcze bardziej się nasila. Zaczyna wkradać się bezradność i pogodzenie ze straszną śmiercią. Pojawią się nadzieja, ale tylko dla jednej osoby...
Jak wspominałam wcześniej, książka nie jest zła, ale urywa tego co powinna i nie zachęca do sięgnięcia po dalsze części (przynajmniej w moim przypadku). Jest po prostu przeci��tna.
Shelved as 'nieprzeczytane'
March 21, 20242024.03.21
Kończę na 35 stronie.
Książki pisane NA PODSTAWIE FILMÓW to jest jakieś srogie nieporozumienie. Po kilku stronach miałam flashbacki z czytania "Coś" Campbella. Tak samo toporny i suchy język. Od pierwszej strony jest jakoś ciężko i nieciekawie, a znajomość tego co będzie dalej nie pomaga w wytrwaniu w lekturze. Dużo przeciętnych ocen tej książki tylko utwierdziło mnie w przekonaniu, że nie warto. Zostaje przy filmie.
Kończę na 35 stronie.
Książki pisane NA PODSTAWIE FILMÓW to jest jakieś srogie nieporozumienie. Po kilku stronach miałam flashbacki z czytania "Coś" Campbella. Tak samo toporny i suchy język. Od pierwszej strony jest jakoś ciężko i nieciekawie, a znajomość tego co będzie dalej nie pomaga w wytrwaniu w lekturze. Dużo przeciętnych ocen tej książki tylko utwierdziło mnie w przekonaniu, że nie warto. Zostaje przy filmie.
October 8, 2023
Not a bad novelisation as they go but not a patch on the film. ALIEN is the first of a trilogy by Alan Dean Foster, in which he based his novelisations on the screenplays rather than the finished movies. As H. R. Giger came up with the look of the alien after the screenplay was finished, we're left with little to no description of the adult alien here; just a bogeyman's hand reaching down to catch its unsuspecting victims.
Given that Ridley Scott's film is a widely acknowledged sci-fi/horror masterpiece, Foster has his work cut out and the result is only partially successful. The book starts off pretty poorly, with way too long spent on technical detail and having the crew landing their craft. Things pick up with the visit to the alien planet, a setting which allows for plenty of eerie vistas, and once we get back on board the Nostromo it really kicks off.
The novel as a whole is a mixed bag. Some parts work better than the movie, but as a whole the movie's better. Characterisation is thinly sketched here, and people like Parker and Brett end up being more likeable than Ripley. The horror is very diluted, lacking the visceral edge the film possesses. There are various changes and differences along the way, including the extra scenes of Ripley stumbling upon Dallas, scenes which movie-goers were denied for many years until the director's cut finally came out. ALIEN isn't a bad book but the movie is so, so much better.
Given that Ridley Scott's film is a widely acknowledged sci-fi/horror masterpiece, Foster has his work cut out and the result is only partially successful. The book starts off pretty poorly, with way too long spent on technical detail and having the crew landing their craft. Things pick up with the visit to the alien planet, a setting which allows for plenty of eerie vistas, and once we get back on board the Nostromo it really kicks off.
The novel as a whole is a mixed bag. Some parts work better than the movie, but as a whole the movie's better. Characterisation is thinly sketched here, and people like Parker and Brett end up being more likeable than Ripley. The horror is very diluted, lacking the visceral edge the film possesses. There are various changes and differences along the way, including the extra scenes of Ripley stumbling upon Dallas, scenes which movie-goers were denied for many years until the director's cut finally came out. ALIEN isn't a bad book but the movie is so, so much better.
March 30, 2020
Worth a read, well, the first part at least. Out of 270 pages, the first half comprises of the first twenty minutes of the movie. And, to be honest, this is the best part of the book! Overall, the characters are far better developed in the movie and the alien itself isn't described at all (plus, we all know the plot), but the exploration of the alien ship is fantastic; it's intriguing and suspenseful. These scenes are almost from another story - there is a mystery and danger that I never felt when watching the movie (simply because exploring the ship at the start is so short in the movie) and which isn't present in the rest of the novel. I started reading this book on a whim and I'm not annoyed that I read it - but if you've already seen the movie, there is no point in reading the book (unless you want to experience a couple of scenes in the cat's point of view), and if you haven't read the book, well, the movie is awesome so watch that instead.
February 9, 2022
It's "Alien"...I can't give it less than 5-Stars!
It's pretty much the movie, in book form. There really isn't anything here that wasn't there, or anything there that wasn't here. The description of the xenomorph was rather lacking, but I feel like if you are reading this novel, you are already familiar with the subject and don't really need much in the way of elaboration.
Would I recommend one over the other? Yes, the movie...which it pains me to say because books are usually always better. However, there really wasn't much in the way of exposition or inner dialogue that would be missed in visual media. Even the characters lacked physical descriptions, because I'm guessing you are reading this because you watched the movie.
It's pretty much the movie, in book form. There really isn't anything here that wasn't there, or anything there that wasn't here. The description of the xenomorph was rather lacking, but I feel like if you are reading this novel, you are already familiar with the subject and don't really need much in the way of elaboration.
Would I recommend one over the other? Yes, the movie...which it pains me to say because books are usually always better. However, there really wasn't much in the way of exposition or inner dialogue that would be missed in visual media. Even the characters lacked physical descriptions, because I'm guessing you are reading this because you watched the movie.
December 23, 2019
it is pretty good, the acess to the characters thoughts really enhance the experience, and the scene with the chest burster is very agonizing, i would say this one is for people who liked the movie and would want to have a more intimate relation with the characters.
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