Alien: Out of the Shadows (An Unnecessary Midquel)

So I decided to pick up both versions of “Alien: Out of the Shadows” which Audible couldn’t help but recommend to me on “Alien Day”. On that note, do we really even need an Alien Day?  I mean that May the Forth shit with “Star Wars” is embarrassing enough, I don’t think the “Alien” franchise really needs its own mini-holiday.

Anyway, on to the novel/audiobook itself. The actual novel is surprisingly well written, especially considering the author appears to have done nothing but work on “Alien” and “Predator” spin-off stories.  Generally, whenever you come across writers who only work on spin-offs/adaptations of previously existing material, they’re usually not very good. The writing still isn’t top notch, but it’s descriptive enough and decent enough to not be a pain to get through like some of the early S.D. Perry novels in the same franchise. However, while Tim Lebbon is a pretty solid writer and can write some strong dialogue, he’s not exactly an excellent storyteller. He’s very descriptive and can set a scene, but his characters are very one-dimensional and the story itself, while ripe with cool ideas, is pretty standard “Alien” fare.

It's not that the story or characters are inherently bad, it's actually quite good in some parts and could serve as a strong addition to the franchise, but the problem isn't so much the weak story or characters, but the overall premise. The issues start when Ripley shows up on the scene and becomes a major player in this story, despite this taking place between “Alien” and “Aliens”, about twenty-years prior to the latter film. In essence, this kills any possible tension the story could have had, because we know the eventual outcome before the story even gets us there. We know these characters have to die and Ripley has to have her mind conveniently wiped, so as to avoid contradicting the sequel films.  Sure, it’s about the journey and all that and there’s some good moments throughout, but it’s ultimately just unnecessary.

Ripley's inclusion also means that the events of the story are pretty much rendered meaningless. The story ultimately has no bearing on Ripley's story or the rest of the franchise. We can't invest ourselves in the characters or Ripley's plight, because it's all conveniently closed off from the major franchise, perfectly sitting as its own little standalone “what if” story. The saddest part about this fact, is that there is a great deal here that could potentially add to the lore. There’s some bits, especially down on the planet and it’s all pretty unique stuff. Not just that, but Lebbon has a strong grasp of the Ripley character, every line of dialogue he writes for her and his development of the character all fits with Ripley. It's not some half-assed interpretation of the character, he gets her. Still, despite understanding Ripley, had the author not felt the need to include her, there might have actually been something going for the novel and character deaths might have felt more natural to the plot, rather than the forced malarkey we got.

We often feel the author dictating the events of the narrative, killing off characters, not because it’s natural to the plot or because it creates drama or tension, but because we have to get to the end of the book with no survivors.

*MILD SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT* The character Kasyanov for instance, (who, in the audio drama, is voiced by the same actress who played Amanda Ripley funny enough) remains alive to practically the very end and it’s only in convenience of the plot. Being the medical officer, she needs to stay alive to ensure any and all wounds Ripley sustains throughout the story, are all patched up before she gets to her stasis pod. We also need her to wipe Ripley’s mind so we won’t contradict the whole “57-years” thing in “Aliens”. However, once Kasyanov’s worn out her use, she's immediately killed off by Ash. This further reminds us that this narrative is entirely artificial and at the dictates of the writer, which is exactly the last thing a writer should do. We're supposed to believe this is a thing that is happening, we’re supposed to suspend disbelief and get lost in the story. When the writer exposes themselves as the god of the narrative, it ruins suspension of disbelief as we see the linear narrative for what it is; an artificial construct. It's not that I care about the death of her character or any other, it's that the deaths often feel cheap and artificial, which just further detaches us from the story.

Oh and you read that correctly, yes, Ash is also back. Apparently at some point in the original “Alien”, Ash had the time to partially transmit his intelligence into Ripley’s shuttle. While there are interesting bits to his character, especially his apparent evolution from synthetic to a potential being with a consciousness, his inclusion, like Ripley’s, is just unnecessary and hurts the story. While Ash seems to have developed some kind of strange emotional connection with Ripley and discusses how he’s begun to feel loneliness, these developments never really go anywhere, it’s just kind of a thing that happens. The biggest problem with Ash’s inclusion as an invasive AI, is that Ash ultimately just plays a very literal deus ex machina. Ash pretty much ensures that everything goes his way and can manipulate the narrative and characters on a whim, which again, just exposes the writer. It becomes especially apparent when plot conveniences need to occur, to ensure that the near omnipotent Ash is also conveniently dead by the novel’s end.

Ultimately, if you decide to give this a peak, I’d recommend the audio drama over reading the actual novel. The novel’s alright, but it doesn’t have enough going for it to warrant recommendation, even to hardcore “Alien” fans. The audio drama, however, gets my recommendation for the strong production values and the stellar performances from the voice cast. It suffers the same issues as the novel and loses some of the novel’s more descriptive bits as this adaptation is not an audio book, but an audio drama. Still if you’ve got a long drive ahead of your or you’ve got a shit daily commute, it’s a solid and exciting little audio drama that oughta help lessen the tedium of a long commute.

In short, it's not a bad story, but its inclusion of Ripley and Ash and its convenient and predictable wrap-up, makes this nothing more than a well-polished fanfiction.