Book Review - Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon

 

Books Read in 2025 - No.2

Hey Book Nerds!

I've finally finished the excellent Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon.

I started it all the way on 6th September.  The same day I went to Edge-Lit in Derby and met the author Tim Lebbon.

I'm annoyed it's took so long to read as it's only over 350 pages and fast paced.

I also wish I'd watched Alien before reading as it's set between Alien and Aliens and sees the return of Sigorney Weaver's Ripley.

Luckily I remembered most of it.

This book was also the first in the Alien books I bought way back in 2016.

The novel starts on the mining space station the Marion orbiting  the planet LV-178. Trouble starts in the first couple of pages when miners in shuttle ships speed up from the planet crashing into the station causing catastrophic damage. One of the shuttle ships docks and they see the crew being attacked by Aliens.

Just after this event another ship, the Nostromo arrives and docks. Onboard they find the sleeping Ripley.  Her ship has been taken over by the AI of Ash.  The android who killed some of her old crew and wants to get an Alien to send to his masters at Weyland-Yutani.

With an Alien onboard the station and the station falling out of orbit into the atmosphere below, the only option is to get some emergency fuel cells from the mines below and take Ripley's ship.

But what is waiting for them down there.

Overall - this book is action packed, with scares and gory horror.  Tim Lebbon's writing is excellent and he could easily become one of my favourite authors.

The characters are well developed. This is probably because there is a small cast of characters who have their own personalities. From Lachance, the French pilot who has the wise cracks to the two main characters of engineer Hooper and Ripley herself.

The two points of views were from Hooper and Ripley too.  Hooper at first being out of his depth to take charge, to Ripley being confused and having dreams of the daughter she left on Earth.

There are also report updates from Ash who has planned some of what has gone on, to obtain an Alien embryo.

The book also cleverly ties up how Ripley doesn't remember the adventure and is back on her own in stasis for the Alien sequel Aliens.

Score  -   10/10

Goodreads Score  -  5/5