By Katie Ralbusky, Online Editor
Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon is part of a trilogy set in the Alien universe between the first and second movies. Without giving much away it aids in creating an eerie setting and answers some questions fans of the films might have had. Although one does not necessarily have to know the movies to enjoy this book. It encompasses what any horror novel fan takes pleasure in, suspense and a sense of dread that leads to carnage.
Ellen Ripley returns and faces her nightmares once more aboard a mining ship with its crew. She may be the crew’s only hope, if she can keep herself from losing her mind. Not to mention, a familiar enemy outside the alien lifeforms surfaces that could very well destroy everything.
Without giving much away the mining crew, captained by Chris Hooper, search for a hard to find mineral but uncover monsters waiting for prey. They have to deal with a weather torn planet and soon discover their transmissions were damaged and they can only get out a localized distressed signal. Who else would hear this than Ripley’s own ship she is hibernating on?
Instead of the rescue Ripley was hoping for she is the one that must lead the charge against the alien menace once more. Only this time she has learned she has been asleep for over thirty years and suffers from horrifying visions of her lost daughter. The book is rather unique in that when it follows Ripley she goes in and out of these visions. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is reality and what is fact adding to the horror the novel portrays.
You do not have to be an avid Alien fan to follow the book and take pleasure in it. The book does not take long to get right into the action and keep you interested. It also switches perspectives to give you a grander view of what is going on. The implications this book makes are not just for the characters it has created but the universe within they dwell as well. Allowing for endless possibilities and horrific encounters that will keep you screaming.