Book Review // Alien River of Pain by Christopher Golden
Between here and YouTube (Come follow me), I am having a real Aliens/Xenomorph/Predator revival. My plan is to start painting up some minis soon, so expect to see them on the blog in the future. But until then, let us enjoy the next title I got my hands on: Alien: River of Pain. In a comical turn of events, I got the audiobook and novel both simultaneously, so I doubled down on the fun.
Title: Alien: River of Pain
Author: Christopher Golden
Publisher: Titan Books
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 352
Commercial Fluff: When Ellen Ripley finally returns to Earth, she learns that the planet LV-426—now called Acheron—has been colonized. But LV-426 is where Ripley and the crew of the Nostromo found the original Xenomorph—the killing machine known as the Alien.
Protected by the Colonial Marines, the colonists seek to terraform the storm-swept planet. Anne and Russell Jorden are two residents seeking a fortune that eluded them on Earth. On Acheron, Anne gives birth to the colony’s first newborn. Rebecca Jordan, also known as Newt.
The wildcatters discover a vast, decaying spaceship. The horseshoe-shaped vessel is exciting to Weyland-Yutani and may be the answer to their dreams. But what Anne and Russ find on board proves to be the stuff, not of dreams, but of nightmares.
Review
The book picks up between the first film, Alien, and the second film, Aliens. Since watching Ripley enter hypersleep, we find out that a colony called Hadley's Hope has been built on LV-426, or as it is now called, Acheron (which translates to "River of Pain"). To make matters more exciting for the reader is the birth of Newt, the young girl destined to be saved by Ripley.
The problem this story faces is that you know what will ultimately happen (unless you have never seen the films), leaving the author with few options on how to progress the tale. Step One: Colonists find the derelict spaceship. Step Two: They disturb the eggs and get face-hugged (I hope that is the correct term). Step Three: Badass Aliens emerge. Step Four: Death and destruction reign down on the colonists.
The other problem is that it takes the story more than half the novel before the aliens finally appear, and then everything goes into super-fast, gory death mode. Scenes that should have been scary are sadly rushed and left unfulfilling. Characters who you spent time learning the names of die with barely a grand farewell, while others are just forgotten and presumed dead. The only characters worth remembering are Newt, Newt's Mother Anne and the Marine Captain Brackett. The rest, though semi-interesting, are just alien food. And when you are left with only twenty pages, you know it will be rushed.
As a fan of the Aliens universe, Alien: River of Pain was a good read, and it got me watching the films straight after. It's also ignited my drive to seek out more Alien/Xenomorph-themed books. So expect more on that front. I am also left wondering what happened to Captain Brackett. Will he be back?
Thanks for stopping off and reading my review. If you enjoyed it, please comment below.
