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The Shadow Saga #2
Alien: Sea of Sorrows
As a deputy commissioner for the ICC, Alan Decker’s job is to make sure the settlements on LV178 follow all the rules, keeping the colonists safe. But the planet known as New Galveston holds secrets, lurking deep beneath the toxic sands dubbed the Sea of Sorrows.
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has secrets of its own, as Decker discovers when he is forced to join a team of mercenaries sent to investigate an ancient excavation. Somewhere in that long-forgotten dig lies the thing the company wants most in the universe—a living Xenomorph.
Decker doesn’t understand why they need him, until his own past comes back to haunt him. Centuries ago, his ancestor fought the Aliens, launching a bloody vendetta that was never satisfied. That was when the creatures swore revenge on the Destroyer� Ellen Ripley .
Alien TM & © 1979, 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has secrets of its own, as Decker discovers when he is forced to join a team of mercenaries sent to investigate an ancient excavation. Somewhere in that long-forgotten dig lies the thing the company wants most in the universe—a living Xenomorph.
Decker doesn’t understand why they need him, until his own past comes back to haunt him. Centuries ago, his ancestor fought the Aliens, launching a bloody vendetta that was never satisfied. That was when the creatures swore revenge on the Destroyer� Ellen Ripley .
Alien TM & © 1979, 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
152 people are currently reading
2,351 people want to read
About the author
James A. Moore
226books753followersJames A. Moore is the award winning author of over forty novels, thrillers, dark fantasy and horror alike, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) and his most recent novels, seven Forges, The Blasted Lands, City of Wonders , The Silent Army and the forthcoming The Gates of The Dead (Book Three in the Tides of War Series) and A Hell Within, co-authored with Charles R. Rutledge.
He currently lives in Massachusetts.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
He currently lives in Massachusetts.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 396 reviews
April 3, 2022
I was expecting to really like this one as the first book was really good but unfortunately this one was long and very boring in my opinion.
I never liked any of the characters and I consider it a terrible addition to the Alien universe.
I'd have preferred a continuation from that first book. 😏
I never liked any of the characters and I consider it a terrible addition to the Alien universe.
I'd have preferred a continuation from that first book. 😏
October 2, 2014
Though this is the second in a new trilogy of novels set in the Aliens universe, Sea of Sorrows only ties in with Tim Lebbon's opening novel insofar as it has a common setting. But the action takes place about 300 years after the events of that novel, ensuring there are no repeat characters to follow along for the ride. Instead, we get Decker, who, as the blurb reveals, is a descendent of Ellen Ripley. This means that the Aliens harbour a particularly impressive grudge against him as they somehow know he is a descendent of Ripley - the human they identify as The Destroyer - and feel an all compelling desire to rend him limb from limb...
So, yeah. This book is basically the futuristic version of Jaws: The Revenge.
If you can manage to make your mind suspend its disbelief past this point, the rest of the novel is pretty darn good. The writing is decent, the set up is good, and the action set pieces are more varied than that of the previous novel. All the Aliens tropes are also in place: Ill-advised effort to capture the aliens by Weland-Yutani? Check. Reluctant guide who knows more than the fighting types he's going to accompany into the lair? Check. Shady bureaucrat who is only concerned with profit and his/her own safety? Check and check (there are two). Mayhem and slaughter with an increasingly small cast trying to get out of said lair alive? Check. It's like Moore took the film Aliens and wrapped it in a slightly varied outer shell of goodness, so if you liked that, you're not going to go far wrong with this.
My issues are small but significant with the primary among them being the cast is simply too large. Only a few of the mercenaries that accompany Decker down the mine shaft are detailed enough to be discernible; some have a single character trait that is meant to define them (eg. Silent Dave); others get introduced and a character point is emphasised only to go nowhere (eg. Piotrowicz and his recording of everything for money). Then there is the ending, which though it wraps up the events on New Galveston in an acceptable way, leaves several plot threads hanging. Given the next book goes back to provide more detail the aliens on LV-426, I was hoping for something a bit more final here. I can't even hope the survivors of Sea of Sorrows might tie into events of Alien: Resurrection since the dates between this book and that film don't match up (the book taking place about a hundred years after the film). Hence, some frustration on my behalf ...
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that ŷ needs an option somewhere between liking a book and really liking it. Too many books like James A Moore's Sea of Sorrows fall between the two ratings for me.
Recommended to anyone who is also a fan of the Aliens universe.
3.5 Malfunctioning Mining Lifts for Sea of Sorrows.
So, yeah. This book is basically the futuristic version of Jaws: The Revenge.
If you can manage to make your mind suspend its disbelief past this point, the rest of the novel is pretty darn good. The writing is decent, the set up is good, and the action set pieces are more varied than that of the previous novel. All the Aliens tropes are also in place: Ill-advised effort to capture the aliens by Weland-Yutani? Check. Reluctant guide who knows more than the fighting types he's going to accompany into the lair? Check. Shady bureaucrat who is only concerned with profit and his/her own safety? Check and check (there are two). Mayhem and slaughter with an increasingly small cast trying to get out of said lair alive? Check. It's like Moore took the film Aliens and wrapped it in a slightly varied outer shell of goodness, so if you liked that, you're not going to go far wrong with this.
My issues are small but significant with the primary among them being the cast is simply too large. Only a few of the mercenaries that accompany Decker down the mine shaft are detailed enough to be discernible; some have a single character trait that is meant to define them (eg. Silent Dave); others get introduced and a character point is emphasised only to go nowhere (eg. Piotrowicz and his recording of everything for money). Then there is the ending, which though it wraps up the events on New Galveston in an acceptable way, leaves several plot threads hanging. Given the next book goes back to provide more detail the aliens on LV-426, I was hoping for something a bit more final here. I can't even hope the survivors of Sea of Sorrows might tie into events of Alien: Resurrection since the dates between this book and that film don't match up (the book taking place about a hundred years after the film). Hence, some frustration on my behalf ...
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that ŷ needs an option somewhere between liking a book and really liking it. Too many books like James A Moore's Sea of Sorrows fall between the two ratings for me.
Recommended to anyone who is also a fan of the Aliens universe.
3.5 Malfunctioning Mining Lifts for Sea of Sorrows.
September 24, 2018
This book was a lot better than the disappointing Alien: River of Pain.
My only real criticism is that we didn‘t learn anything new about the Xenomorphs. The story takes place 300 years in the future and pretty much nothing has changed. Facehuggers impregnating victims can only be an exciting revelation so many times.
I recommend listening to the full-cast audio production instead of reading the novel. The cast delivers a great performance, especially Stockard Channing as Andrea Rollins. I never thought I could enjoy a cruel and cold-hearted character that much.
My only real criticism is that we didn‘t learn anything new about the Xenomorphs. The story takes place 300 years in the future and pretty much nothing has changed. Facehuggers impregnating victims can only be an exciting revelation so many times.
I recommend listening to the full-cast audio production instead of reading the novel. The cast delivers a great performance, especially Stockard Channing as Andrea Rollins. I never thought I could enjoy a cruel and cold-hearted character that much.
March 30, 2015
James A. Moore, best known for his horror novels Blood Red, Deeper, and the Serenity Falls trilogy, tries his hand at writing his share into Alien cannon. Unfortunately, after reading Tim Lebbon's excellent book one in this new trilogy, Alien: Out Of The Shadows, this entry was a substantial letdown and really doesn't add anything we have not already known about the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and very little more about the Alien mythos.
We do learn, however, that the Aliens have a more advanced communication system among them than previously thought along with confirmation of their organic technology regarding space flight. But these few minor details are few and far between in a novel with very little story or plot. With the exception of our main character, Decker, the characters are bland with very little depth. Even the atmosphere Lebbon beautifully set up in the first book is mostly wiped away. This one has no twists, no surprises, and virtually no energy. In fact, although this is nearly 500 years in the future, without the high-tech weapons, this could have taken place during the Civil War. Other than terraforming the planet of LV-178, the book was shockingly void of any futuristic or science fiction concepts.
The story is a basic dungeon crawl in mining tunnels where paid mercs escort an empath to retrieve a live specimen for Weyland-Yutani. They battle here and there and as each one dies in various generic ways, the human numbers dwindle down to the characters we suspected would survive in the first few chapters anyway. Uninspired and not very creative, this book seems like the author just went through the motions in this project for hire and I know from reading a lot of Moore's other books, he can do much better. This one is for diehard Alien fans only. I just wish Tim Lebbon was hired to write all three books himself. Hopefully Christopher Golden's final book in the series, Alien: River Of Pain is better.
We do learn, however, that the Aliens have a more advanced communication system among them than previously thought along with confirmation of their organic technology regarding space flight. But these few minor details are few and far between in a novel with very little story or plot. With the exception of our main character, Decker, the characters are bland with very little depth. Even the atmosphere Lebbon beautifully set up in the first book is mostly wiped away. This one has no twists, no surprises, and virtually no energy. In fact, although this is nearly 500 years in the future, without the high-tech weapons, this could have taken place during the Civil War. Other than terraforming the planet of LV-178, the book was shockingly void of any futuristic or science fiction concepts.
The story is a basic dungeon crawl in mining tunnels where paid mercs escort an empath to retrieve a live specimen for Weyland-Yutani. They battle here and there and as each one dies in various generic ways, the human numbers dwindle down to the characters we suspected would survive in the first few chapters anyway. Uninspired and not very creative, this book seems like the author just went through the motions in this project for hire and I know from reading a lot of Moore's other books, he can do much better. This one is for diehard Alien fans only. I just wish Tim Lebbon was hired to write all three books himself. Hopefully Christopher Golden's final book in the series, Alien: River Of Pain is better.
June 5, 2015
While Tim Lebbon’s Alien: Out of the Shadows was a halfway decent stab at recreating one of the greatest SF horror franchises on the page, James A. Moore’s Alien: Sea of Sorrows is thoroughly disappointing.
Perhaps the keyword lies in the word ‘franchise�: it is clear that all of these authors, despite their credentials as accomplished horror writers in their own right, have produced these novels to some corporate plan (call it the Weyland-Yutani way) rather than being told to follow their writerly instincts and let rip on the Alien multiverse (call that the James Cameron way).
So what we end up with here is a perplexing and by-the-numbers rehash of Lebbon’s novel, only set in a much later timeframe. We also see main protagonist Decker nipping from LV178 to Earth and back again, as if it was a brief drive to the corner shop, with Moore riding as roughshod over the laws of physics, let alone logic, as the aliens do over human flesh.
The novel even has the same narrative hook of grunts-for-hire going in blind to some armpit of a planet and slowly being picked off by the creatures that they wholly underestimate. In this instance we have a direct descendant of Ellen Ripley fulfilling the role of the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
Decker shares a telepathic link with the alien creatures (whose grandeur and horror are sorely diminished by Moore constantly referring to them as ‘bugs� and even ‘cockroaches�, which brings to mind a totally different movie, Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers).
Neither the familial link, let alone the telepathy, are explored in any depth, and are therefore rather unconvincing. The ending sees Weyland-Yutani finally procure the live specimens they crave, which is a good set-up for the third novel. Let us hope that Christopher Golden was allowed enough creative control to take this saga in the new direction it deserves.
Perhaps the keyword lies in the word ‘franchise�: it is clear that all of these authors, despite their credentials as accomplished horror writers in their own right, have produced these novels to some corporate plan (call it the Weyland-Yutani way) rather than being told to follow their writerly instincts and let rip on the Alien multiverse (call that the James Cameron way).
So what we end up with here is a perplexing and by-the-numbers rehash of Lebbon’s novel, only set in a much later timeframe. We also see main protagonist Decker nipping from LV178 to Earth and back again, as if it was a brief drive to the corner shop, with Moore riding as roughshod over the laws of physics, let alone logic, as the aliens do over human flesh.
The novel even has the same narrative hook of grunts-for-hire going in blind to some armpit of a planet and slowly being picked off by the creatures that they wholly underestimate. In this instance we have a direct descendant of Ellen Ripley fulfilling the role of the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
Decker shares a telepathic link with the alien creatures (whose grandeur and horror are sorely diminished by Moore constantly referring to them as ‘bugs� and even ‘cockroaches�, which brings to mind a totally different movie, Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers).
Neither the familial link, let alone the telepathy, are explored in any depth, and are therefore rather unconvincing. The ending sees Weyland-Yutani finally procure the live specimens they crave, which is a good set-up for the third novel. Let us hope that Christopher Golden was allowed enough creative control to take this saga in the new direction it deserves.
April 17, 2015
To start, I love aliens.I love when a big team goes in to retrieve something and most die. Simple but I love it,
Nothing to surprising however in this book I thought they could have done a little bit more, a little different from the rest of the aliens books.
Plot and Characters-3 Stars. Here is the problem I have, the main character, Decker, is a empath. Thats a pretty cool idea when it comes to aliens, with their hatred you would have a early detection warning basically. With that ability, I would have gone and made Decker into the best Alien hunter since Predator. He could have been pretty bad since he could shoot in their direction since they have very different moods from humans, however he is instead very scared. (Understandable when your talking about Aliens). However, be different from the rest of the movie and books. Finally make a badass to go against the Aliens, heck even make him a Honorary Predator, just make him not so scared. So Decker aside, I think the supporting characters were good, you had your typical mix of macho, rude, nice, smart, big, small etc. Rollins, the female antagonist, is one of the best characters in the book. She is a great bad guy, willing to sacrifice lives, doesn't care about the rest of the group in the least, and to put it bluntly, she's a bitch.
Aliens-4 stars. In typical fashion, the Aliens kicked ass and again looked unstoppable unless a warhead is used. The difference this time is some of the insights into the Aliens mind, which was a little refreshing. However with Aliens, you don't need much to change with them, They are badass, plain and simple.
Overall I would have rated it higher if not for the very scared, pushed around, main character. Other than that not a bad book, not great either.
Nothing to surprising however in this book I thought they could have done a little bit more, a little different from the rest of the aliens books.
Plot and Characters-3 Stars. Here is the problem I have, the main character, Decker, is a empath. Thats a pretty cool idea when it comes to aliens, with their hatred you would have a early detection warning basically. With that ability, I would have gone and made Decker into the best Alien hunter since Predator. He could have been pretty bad since he could shoot in their direction since they have very different moods from humans, however he is instead very scared. (Understandable when your talking about Aliens). However, be different from the rest of the movie and books. Finally make a badass to go against the Aliens, heck even make him a Honorary Predator, just make him not so scared. So Decker aside, I think the supporting characters were good, you had your typical mix of macho, rude, nice, smart, big, small etc. Rollins, the female antagonist, is one of the best characters in the book. She is a great bad guy, willing to sacrifice lives, doesn't care about the rest of the group in the least, and to put it bluntly, she's a bitch.
Aliens-4 stars. In typical fashion, the Aliens kicked ass and again looked unstoppable unless a warhead is used. The difference this time is some of the insights into the Aliens mind, which was a little refreshing. However with Aliens, you don't need much to change with them, They are badass, plain and simple.
Overall I would have rated it higher if not for the very scared, pushed around, main character. Other than that not a bad book, not great either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2014
Liked this so much it got a five star review.
The plot, the pacing, the characters... everything gelled.
This is how military sci-fi/horror should be written.
Highly recommend.
The plot, the pacing, the characters... everything gelled.
This is how military sci-fi/horror should be written.
Highly recommend.
April 8, 2024
Czy kolejne historie o agresywnym i zabójczo niebezpiecznym ksenomorfie mogą nas jeszcze czymś zaskoczyć? Fabuła zwykle opiera się na tak dobrze nam znanej kanwie. Ludzie przybywający na nową planetę zderzają się z obcą formą życia, która postrzega ich jako pokarm i nosicieli dla swoich młodych. Jest mrocznie, krwawo i brutalnie. Niektóre sceny wręcz mogą śnić się po nocach.
Nie inaczej jest w przypadku powieści „Obcy. Morze Boleści� Jamesa Arthura Moore’a, ale pojawia się element zaskakujący, ciekawy i nowy. Jest nim możliwość poznania emocji obcych za sprawą Alana Deckera, empaty i potomka Ellen Ripley. Okazuje się, że kolonia obcych pamięta krzywdy wyrządzone jej przez waleczną Ripley, a krew z jej krwi wzbudza w nich czystą nienawiść.
Alan wyczuwa potwory i zagrożenie, wie, że to on jest zwierzyną i nigdy z własnej woli nie wróciłby na przeklętą planetę, jednak korporacja Weyland-Yutani nie gra czysto. Jej chęć pozyskania i kontrolowania ksenomorfa jest nadrzędna pod każdym względem, a ofiary w ludziach akceptowalne, a nawet oczekiwane, bo im mniej świadków, tym lepiej.
Duszna, klaustrofobiczna atmosfera mrocznych korytarzy starej kopalni i opuszczonego miasta wypełniona ludzkim strachem i zajadłą nienawiścią obcych budzi ciarki sprawiając, że po odłożeniu książki doceniamy możliwość oddychania świeżym powietrzem.
Spojrzenie z boku na gatunek ludzki i obcą formę życia przynosi ciekawe wnioski, a porównanie nie wypada na korzyść tego pierwszego. Ksenomorf pod względem fizycznym jest zdecydowanie lepiej przystosowany do przetrwania i walki, potrafi planować i uczyć się, a co ważniejsze dba o swoich i jest lojalny. I choć może wydawać się monstrum niszczącym inne gatunki, to czyni to, by przetrwać, a człowiek robi to samo z bezmyślności, albo dla własnej korzyści. I kto tu jest potworem?
Nie inaczej jest w przypadku powieści „Obcy. Morze Boleści� Jamesa Arthura Moore’a, ale pojawia się element zaskakujący, ciekawy i nowy. Jest nim możliwość poznania emocji obcych za sprawą Alana Deckera, empaty i potomka Ellen Ripley. Okazuje się, że kolonia obcych pamięta krzywdy wyrządzone jej przez waleczną Ripley, a krew z jej krwi wzbudza w nich czystą nienawiść.
Alan wyczuwa potwory i zagrożenie, wie, że to on jest zwierzyną i nigdy z własnej woli nie wróciłby na przeklętą planetę, jednak korporacja Weyland-Yutani nie gra czysto. Jej chęć pozyskania i kontrolowania ksenomorfa jest nadrzędna pod każdym względem, a ofiary w ludziach akceptowalne, a nawet oczekiwane, bo im mniej świadków, tym lepiej.
Duszna, klaustrofobiczna atmosfera mrocznych korytarzy starej kopalni i opuszczonego miasta wypełniona ludzkim strachem i zajadłą nienawiścią obcych budzi ciarki sprawiając, że po odłożeniu książki doceniamy możliwość oddychania świeżym powietrzem.
Spojrzenie z boku na gatunek ludzki i obcą formę życia przynosi ciekawe wnioski, a porównanie nie wypada na korzyść tego pierwszego. Ksenomorf pod względem fizycznym jest zdecydowanie lepiej przystosowany do przetrwania i walki, potrafi planować i uczyć się, a co ważniejsze dba o swoich i jest lojalny. I choć może wydawać się monstrum niszczącym inne gatunki, to czyni to, by przetrwać, a człowiek robi to samo z bezmyślności, albo dla własnej korzyści. I kto tu jest potworem?
October 18, 2023
Fairly disappointing it’s why it took so long to finish it
December 21, 2022
This was a good listen (courtesy of Audible). I enjoyed both the story and the telling of it.
We follow Decker who is a distant descendant of Ripley - her from the films! He is an empath who can feel others' emotions, including those of the Aliens when they are close by. The premise is a little ridiculous: the idea that the aliens still have a massive grudge against Ripley all these centuries later! Having said that this is a book about Aliens so I think we have to suspend disbelief here and despite what I said it was good fun. Ripley really did piss them off!
There’s lots of action here, plenty of blood and fight scenes, and it is all very well described. It was like listening to a good Alien film.
If you like Aliens, yes you will like this. I’m off to listen to the next instalment.
A very decent 4*/5
We follow Decker who is a distant descendant of Ripley - her from the films! He is an empath who can feel others' emotions, including those of the Aliens when they are close by. The premise is a little ridiculous: the idea that the aliens still have a massive grudge against Ripley all these centuries later! Having said that this is a book about Aliens so I think we have to suspend disbelief here and despite what I said it was good fun. Ripley really did piss them off!
There’s lots of action here, plenty of blood and fight scenes, and it is all very well described. It was like listening to a good Alien film.
If you like Aliens, yes you will like this. I’m off to listen to the next instalment.
A very decent 4*/5
August 29, 2014
one of the better alien novels i have read, ok at the start messy middle good end.
February 1, 2024
I was unreasonably happy reading this, I should be ashamed. This is a good and proper addition to the series. I loved this from top to bottom. The characters, the different settings and storyline were perfect and very much in keeping with the original Alien, when you have such a great original story, you don't tinker with the support beams. Awesome!
October 29, 2020
This was certainly enjoyable for what it is. If you like the original movies this is a good take and extension on those stories. I enjoyed it.
March 2, 2024
7.5/10
Kolejna papierowa książka w tym roku. Mam nawet mini lampeczkę z klipsem;)
Kolejna bardzo dobra opowieść z uniwersum Obcego, dziejąca się ponad 300 lat po wydarzeniach z pierwszego filmu. Jest to kontynuacja wątku z "Obcy Wyjście z cienia". Jest strasznie, krwawo i wciągająco. Czekam na finał trylogii i polecam
Kolejna papierowa książka w tym roku. Mam nawet mini lampeczkę z klipsem;)
Kolejna bardzo dobra opowieść z uniwersum Obcego, dziejąca się ponad 300 lat po wydarzeniach z pierwszego filmu. Jest to kontynuacja wątku z "Obcy Wyjście z cienia". Jest strasznie, krwawo i wciągająco. Czekam na finał trylogii i polecam
June 22, 2016
Decker, an descendant of the legendary Ellen Ripley, is forcibly recruited to aid a bunch of mercenaries on a quest to capture a live Xenomorph.
All in all I can't say I enjoyed this novel. It started fairly well with quite an interesting character. Including a psychic empath was an interesting idea and it added an extra dimension to the story. The way he was forced to help Weyland-Yutani was very grimdark and it added a lot to the atmosphere of the novel.
Other than that there's not really much good to add.
In to this book I commented how many mistakes or odd decisions there was. The biggest problem with this story is that it doesn't quite fit with it.
All in all it's Aliens: Colonial marines, the novel.
Most of the story reads like this:
Mercenaries enter a new area. Aliens show up. Mercenaries fire and get one or two bursts of, then the aliens are among them. A couple of mercs die while the survivors kicks, shoves or clobbers the xenos out of the way and then either the aliens or mercs retreat. Rinse and repeat.
It has a few interesting bits like the empath, the way the author describe the utter alien way the monsters perceive their surroundings and how cold and inhumane the Weyland-Yutani corporation is.
...but mostly it's just boring, repetitive action with far to many characters you can't hope to sympathize with.
All in all I can't say I enjoyed this novel. It started fairly well with quite an interesting character. Including a psychic empath was an interesting idea and it added an extra dimension to the story. The way he was forced to help Weyland-Yutani was very grimdark and it added a lot to the atmosphere of the novel.
Other than that there's not really much good to add.
In to this book I commented how many mistakes or odd decisions there was. The biggest problem with this story is that it doesn't quite fit with it.
All in all it's Aliens: Colonial marines, the novel.
Most of the story reads like this:
Mercenaries enter a new area. Aliens show up. Mercenaries fire and get one or two bursts of, then the aliens are among them. A couple of mercs die while the survivors kicks, shoves or clobbers the xenos out of the way and then either the aliens or mercs retreat. Rinse and repeat.
It has a few interesting bits like the empath, the way the author describe the utter alien way the monsters perceive their surroundings and how cold and inhumane the Weyland-Yutani corporation is.
...but mostly it's just boring, repetitive action with far to many characters you can't hope to sympathize with.
June 30, 2019
“Alien� is a horror franchise.
“AlienS� is an action franchise.
The author doesn’t know that.
The first in these original novels, “Out of the Shadows,� was a phenomenal book that captured the spirit of Alien perfectly. You’ve got the insurmountable titular Alien, and common folk trying to make do. There was your Android, evil corporate figure, and all the rest of the franchise staples, WHICH IS WHY WE READ THESE. It’s a franchise series; we come for what we expect and like, and the first of these books (by a different author, I add) nailed it perfect.
This book though is not “Alien� but “Aliens,� and I was groaning immediately when they introduce in the first 50 pages a team of mercenaries with pulse rifles and Hoo-Ha! bull crap. I’ll list the complaints so:
1) it’s never clear how many humans there are in this book, amongst the mercenaries and scientists. People are used as body-counts, which completely removes the edge of the monster.
2) lots of guns and explosions make for a fun movie, not a fun book. You can hardly tell what is happening and also don’t care; ultimately things stop going pew-pew-pew and then the story continues.
3) the aliens are weak and get punched and kicked� what?! This is not Alien and not even Aliens; this makes the monsters very lame.
4) The evil corporation is predictable, but in this book it is totally flat. Nothing fun is done with the nefarious Weyland-Yutani corporation besides have them be coldly capitalist represented through a cardboard still of an amoral archetype. Not interesting at all.
5) There are no characters in this book; just names attached to wholly bland archetypes.
6) there’s no fun info about anything introduced here, whether that’s other alien species in the universe (which aren’t detailed at all?!), various plagues and problems with alien life forms and diseases are mentioned and never detailed, and there’s nothing fun with the staples of the series neither. No lore, basically.
The only thing of interest is the ending, which isn’t interesting per-se but for long-term and serious fans of this series it doesn’t end the way every other story does. it doesn’t detail what happens next, and I hope the next book, River of Pain, gets into it� which admittedly I’m excited to check out.
But! For disclosure, this book is a pass, and even if River of Pain follows direct then this is still entirely skippable; only the ending was unique, and that ending will be the beginning (hopefully) of the next book: don’t need this one to understand it at all.
Skip! And seriously, whoever is signing off on these books, how this passed got “Alien� and not “AlienS� is baffling.
Stupid and a waste of time.
“AlienS� is an action franchise.
The author doesn’t know that.
The first in these original novels, “Out of the Shadows,� was a phenomenal book that captured the spirit of Alien perfectly. You’ve got the insurmountable titular Alien, and common folk trying to make do. There was your Android, evil corporate figure, and all the rest of the franchise staples, WHICH IS WHY WE READ THESE. It’s a franchise series; we come for what we expect and like, and the first of these books (by a different author, I add) nailed it perfect.
This book though is not “Alien� but “Aliens,� and I was groaning immediately when they introduce in the first 50 pages a team of mercenaries with pulse rifles and Hoo-Ha! bull crap. I’ll list the complaints so:
1) it’s never clear how many humans there are in this book, amongst the mercenaries and scientists. People are used as body-counts, which completely removes the edge of the monster.
2) lots of guns and explosions make for a fun movie, not a fun book. You can hardly tell what is happening and also don’t care; ultimately things stop going pew-pew-pew and then the story continues.
3) the aliens are weak and get punched and kicked� what?! This is not Alien and not even Aliens; this makes the monsters very lame.
4) The evil corporation is predictable, but in this book it is totally flat. Nothing fun is done with the nefarious Weyland-Yutani corporation besides have them be coldly capitalist represented through a cardboard still of an amoral archetype. Not interesting at all.
5) There are no characters in this book; just names attached to wholly bland archetypes.
6) there’s no fun info about anything introduced here, whether that’s other alien species in the universe (which aren’t detailed at all?!), various plagues and problems with alien life forms and diseases are mentioned and never detailed, and there’s nothing fun with the staples of the series neither. No lore, basically.
The only thing of interest is the ending, which isn’t interesting per-se but for long-term and serious fans of this series it doesn’t end the way every other story does. it doesn’t detail what happens next, and I hope the next book, River of Pain, gets into it� which admittedly I’m excited to check out.
But! For disclosure, this book is a pass, and even if River of Pain follows direct then this is still entirely skippable; only the ending was unique, and that ending will be the beginning (hopefully) of the next book: don’t need this one to understand it at all.
Skip! And seriously, whoever is signing off on these books, how this passed got “Alien� and not “AlienS� is baffling.
Stupid and a waste of time.
November 8, 2014
This is my first experience reading a James A. Moore book. I can't imagine how difficult writing, and staying faithful/true to an already established franchise like ALIEN must be. My hat goes off to Mr. Moore for pulling it off rather well.
A quick note, this book stands on its own. You don't need to have read Tim Lebbon's OUT OF THE SHADOWS (although I would recommend you give it a go, especially if you love the ALIEN franchise).
I'm not going to lie, I almost stopped reading this book after slogging through 100 pages. The first fifteen chapters set up the extremely fast pace of the latter 2/3 of the book. I became a bit bored but had faith in the author. I'm happy I did. The last 2/3 of this book will make any fan of action happy as hell. It's fast, visceral, and intelligent.
I also liked the larger cast of characters. Too often authors utilize a small cast and try to whittle it down over longer sections of the story. In a story like this you need 35 mercenaries, a group of miners, and a group of scientists running around from the alien threat. They know next to nothing about what's under the Sea of Sorrows and it felt genuine/refreshing. I thought having a large cast was a great move by the author. It really added to the scope of the story.
Another possible drawback of this story is it does follow a similar ALIEN formula. If you've seen the film ALIENS, you can probably piece most of SEA OF SORROW's plot line together. It's familiar in some places, which is nice, but a bit "been there done that" in other places. I thought it was a mostly good mix, but other readers may disagree.
What's great about OUT OF THE SHADOWS and SEA OF SORROWS is fans of the ALIEN franchise are finally getting great new material to devour. For far too long fans have languished under mediocre attempts at utilizing the potential of this storied franchise. Kudos to Titan Books, Tim Lebbon, James A. Moore, and Christopher Golden for reigniting our fandom. It's been a long time coming.
Pick up a copy of this book. You'll enjoy the hell out of it!
A quick note, this book stands on its own. You don't need to have read Tim Lebbon's OUT OF THE SHADOWS (although I would recommend you give it a go, especially if you love the ALIEN franchise).
I'm not going to lie, I almost stopped reading this book after slogging through 100 pages. The first fifteen chapters set up the extremely fast pace of the latter 2/3 of the book. I became a bit bored but had faith in the author. I'm happy I did. The last 2/3 of this book will make any fan of action happy as hell. It's fast, visceral, and intelligent.
I also liked the larger cast of characters. Too often authors utilize a small cast and try to whittle it down over longer sections of the story. In a story like this you need 35 mercenaries, a group of miners, and a group of scientists running around from the alien threat. They know next to nothing about what's under the Sea of Sorrows and it felt genuine/refreshing. I thought having a large cast was a great move by the author. It really added to the scope of the story.
Another possible drawback of this story is it does follow a similar ALIEN formula. If you've seen the film ALIENS, you can probably piece most of SEA OF SORROW's plot line together. It's familiar in some places, which is nice, but a bit "been there done that" in other places. I thought it was a mostly good mix, but other readers may disagree.
What's great about OUT OF THE SHADOWS and SEA OF SORROWS is fans of the ALIEN franchise are finally getting great new material to devour. For far too long fans have languished under mediocre attempts at utilizing the potential of this storied franchise. Kudos to Titan Books, Tim Lebbon, James A. Moore, and Christopher Golden for reigniting our fandom. It's been a long time coming.
Pick up a copy of this book. You'll enjoy the hell out of it!
November 20, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book. It's about a man named Decker who is an ancestor to Ellen Ripley. He also has empathic powers, and is tortured by nightmares of big black creatures that want to kill him. The aliens know somehow that he is related to "the Destroyer" as they call Ellen Ripley, and a lot of their hatred is geared towards him, with a need to wipe him out before he can them.
They end up on New Galveston which is a mining place for Weyland-Yutani, and the soldiers use Decker and his power to escape the aliens, since he can sense them. Also of course, the Company wants samples of the creatures, so you got that going on as well.
I particularly liked the chapters from the "aliens" point of view. How they think and what they think. This was a pretty action packed book! But the ending left you wondering, what the heck?! hehe! Does Decker manage to wipe out most of their race like Ripley? You gotta find out for yourself!
They end up on New Galveston which is a mining place for Weyland-Yutani, and the soldiers use Decker and his power to escape the aliens, since he can sense them. Also of course, the Company wants samples of the creatures, so you got that going on as well.
I particularly liked the chapters from the "aliens" point of view. How they think and what they think. This was a pretty action packed book! But the ending left you wondering, what the heck?! hehe! Does Decker manage to wipe out most of their race like Ripley? You gotta find out for yourself!
September 17, 2022
“Hemos dormido tanto, estamos débiles, pero el aire cambia , derriba, el aire se refresca, nos movemos, despertamos con el olor de la sangre, la sangre de la vieja enemiga.�
Honestamente la historia no se siente igual. Quizá se deba a que el autor no es el mismo, pero no se siente la misma esencia ni siquiera en los personajes, a diferencia del primer volumen, estos personajes se sienten un tanto más planos.
“Ella me ve y el calor de su odio se abre, imágenes, sentimientos me bañan, enviadas por esta cosa extraterrestre que se acerca, el rostro de Ellen Ripley pasa por mi mente distorsionando por sentidos no humanos, sin filtro, crudos y dolorosos. Ahora veo un poco, entiendo un poco más. Estas criaturas están conectadas de maneras que los humanos no podríamos. Son una colonia, una colmena, comparten pensamientos a niveles que nosotros no podemos y soy parte de eso ahora, me han marcado por mi sangre, así como Ellen Ripley fue marcada como la destructora. Ahora yo soy el destructor y mis hijos después de mi, no puedo detener a esta hermosa criatura, debo fusionarme con ella, someterme a su venganza.�
El que Ash apareciera nuevamente me agrado, porque aún a pesar de que hayan osado ya siglos desde el primer volumen, sigue teniendo su objetivo como IA bien planteado, los humanos solo son daños colaterales, irrelevantes, el verdadero objetivo es capturar a esa otra especie.
Me resultó un tanto forzado el cómo decidieron unir la trama por medio de un descendiente de Ripley, y considere innecesario que un wey tuviera prácticamente superpoderes telequinéticos, después lo tratan bien al ver cómo lo usa, pero si se me hizo algo innecesario.
Me gusto el cómo le dieron continuidad a ciertas cosas, al volver aún más grotesco el cómo esos monstruos usaban los cuerpos tibios humanos como incubadoras para sus crías, era fascinante y asqueroso a la ves. Pero más que nada el cómo profundizaron más en los alienígenas, en su inteligencia que más que instintiva es probablemente mejor, al apreciar ciudades edificadas aparentemente por ellos.
“Estás no son criaturas salvajes, están motivadas y planean sus movimientos, desde hace mucho han esperado su momento y ahora está cerca…�
Aún así no lo considero una historia memorable, así que me seguiré quedando al menos provisionalmente con el primero como autoconclusivo.
Los personajes que más me gustaron fueron Bridgets y Muller, pero no le llegan a los talones a Vakster y Lachance. Y el final fue bueno, aunque con un cierre aparentemente abierto, pero como en este volumen, ya no cometeré el error de tener la expectativa de que sea una continuación directa.
Honestamente la historia no se siente igual. Quizá se deba a que el autor no es el mismo, pero no se siente la misma esencia ni siquiera en los personajes, a diferencia del primer volumen, estos personajes se sienten un tanto más planos.
“Ella me ve y el calor de su odio se abre, imágenes, sentimientos me bañan, enviadas por esta cosa extraterrestre que se acerca, el rostro de Ellen Ripley pasa por mi mente distorsionando por sentidos no humanos, sin filtro, crudos y dolorosos. Ahora veo un poco, entiendo un poco más. Estas criaturas están conectadas de maneras que los humanos no podríamos. Son una colonia, una colmena, comparten pensamientos a niveles que nosotros no podemos y soy parte de eso ahora, me han marcado por mi sangre, así como Ellen Ripley fue marcada como la destructora. Ahora yo soy el destructor y mis hijos después de mi, no puedo detener a esta hermosa criatura, debo fusionarme con ella, someterme a su venganza.�
El que Ash apareciera nuevamente me agrado, porque aún a pesar de que hayan osado ya siglos desde el primer volumen, sigue teniendo su objetivo como IA bien planteado, los humanos solo son daños colaterales, irrelevantes, el verdadero objetivo es capturar a esa otra especie.
Me resultó un tanto forzado el cómo decidieron unir la trama por medio de un descendiente de Ripley, y considere innecesario que un wey tuviera prácticamente superpoderes telequinéticos, después lo tratan bien al ver cómo lo usa, pero si se me hizo algo innecesario.
Me gusto el cómo le dieron continuidad a ciertas cosas, al volver aún más grotesco el cómo esos monstruos usaban los cuerpos tibios humanos como incubadoras para sus crías, era fascinante y asqueroso a la ves. Pero más que nada el cómo profundizaron más en los alienígenas, en su inteligencia que más que instintiva es probablemente mejor, al apreciar ciudades edificadas aparentemente por ellos.
“Estás no son criaturas salvajes, están motivadas y planean sus movimientos, desde hace mucho han esperado su momento y ahora está cerca…�
Aún así no lo considero una historia memorable, así que me seguiré quedando al menos provisionalmente con el primero como autoconclusivo.
Los personajes que más me gustaron fueron Bridgets y Muller, pero no le llegan a los talones a Vakster y Lachance. Y el final fue bueno, aunque con un cierre aparentemente abierto, pero como en este volumen, ya no cometeré el error de tener la expectativa de que sea una continuación directa.
April 6, 2023
Um livro divertido, que expande o universo de Alien, mas fica por ai mesmo.
Alan Decker é um engenheiro que recebe uma missão importante em um planeta com uma equipe de mercenários onde, pasmem: um xenomorfo foi identificado. Mas seu passado está relacionado diretamente com o das criaturas e isso vem a tona durante a leitura.
Livro divertido, diversos ataques, mortes e tudo o que tornou essa franquia tão comercial, principalmente após o primeiro filme do Ridlye Scott (possivelmente a única apresentação desse universo que guarda seu próprio diferencial visto os outros). A consciência que foi integrada aos aliens me incomodou um pouco como uma forma para se comunicar com o leitor, mas nada que afete a leitura. Pra quem é fã da franquia, vale dar uma olhada. Pra quem não é, vale passar direto.
Alan Decker é um engenheiro que recebe uma missão importante em um planeta com uma equipe de mercenários onde, pasmem: um xenomorfo foi identificado. Mas seu passado está relacionado diretamente com o das criaturas e isso vem a tona durante a leitura.
Livro divertido, diversos ataques, mortes e tudo o que tornou essa franquia tão comercial, principalmente após o primeiro filme do Ridlye Scott (possivelmente a única apresentação desse universo que guarda seu próprio diferencial visto os outros). A consciência que foi integrada aos aliens me incomodou um pouco como uma forma para se comunicar com o leitor, mas nada que afete a leitura. Pra quem é fã da franquia, vale dar uma olhada. Pra quem não é, vale passar direto.
January 9, 2024
This was good but not as fun as the previous two audiobooks! I found it hard to follow all the names and different teams. And the world building is difficult to follow I found. There's descriptions of mines and caves etc and I had a hard time keeping up with where everyone was at each time. It also doesn't help that we don't have a main character like Ripley to anchor us to a certain group. Although Decker is interesting and you can follow him, it's hard to remember what group he's at and at what time. Still enjoyed it though! Just be prepared for alot of names being thrown about and no way to keep up with them all!
February 7, 2022
SEA OF SORROWS, Book 2 in the Canonical Alien Trilogy, went a different yet familiar path with a long-off descendant of Ellen Ripley by the name of Decker. His life and circumstances are intricately connected to her as well as the company and he has this mental connection power that sort of evolves as the story does. It was a pretty fun time and I think this is a 3-star story, but the Audible Original full cast performance of it all totally upped my experience. Stockard Channing slays in this and is such an impressive addition to the cast. I had a lot of fun watching this "new generation" of pawns start to face off with similar problems and mission orders and riding along with them for how they chose to handle it all.
On to the next!
On to the next!
September 6, 2021
If the last one was Alien 3 but worse, this one starts out looking like Aliens but worse, but then it surprises by instead being about how there was an alien city that was destroyed by the capital-A Aliens hundreds or thousands of years ago on this planet and Weyland-Yutani send in a bunch of mercenaries (not Colonial Marines) to recover artifacts accompanied by the protagonist, who is a bad-ass cool tough guy who is psychic and also a descendant of Ellen Ripley (Amanda Ripley died childless according to Aliens, but as these novels are now canon as well apparently, that's a retcon, not a plot hole), which the Aliens know and it causes them to hate and fear him especially. It's the sort of story you could see being played out over recess, if elementary school students watched the Alien movies (except that the purple Powerpuff Girl OC protagonist also has casual sex with one of the lady mercenaries on the day he meets them, because why wouldn't he?).
Moore has definitely seen at least some of the movies, since he shamelessly mines them for scenes he thinks are cool—I'm not sure how he managed to miss the tone of the series so badly. The writing itself is fractionally better than Lebbon's in the first one, but it's hard to even see this as an Alien novel.
(The most irritating thing about this book is that the narrator calls the aliens Xenomorphs (capital letter, no qualifiers) at one point, so I guess that's their fucking name officially now.)
Moore has definitely seen at least some of the movies, since he shamelessly mines them for scenes he thinks are cool—I'm not sure how he managed to miss the tone of the series so badly. The writing itself is fractionally better than Lebbon's in the first one, but it's hard to even see this as an Alien novel.
(The most irritating thing about this book is that the narrator calls the aliens Xenomorphs (capital letter, no qualifiers) at one point, so I guess that's their fucking name officially now.)
May 8, 2020
Normalmente no me gusta el audio de reparto completo, pero estos son perfectos para escuchar en español.
December 28, 2023
Very nice second book of this trilogy, although in my opinion not as good as the first one. It felt more like Aliens (with more action and shooting scenes), while the first book more like Alien. Perhaps on purpose? Shall we expect the third and last book to be more like Alien 3? We will see...
October 9, 2020
IN ONE SITTING, BOYS.
Review to be written.
Review to be written.
January 20, 2024
Some inconsistency in regards to the previous book, but ok plot wise. The characters really sucked, though I can’t tell if that’s due to poor development or them being downright unlikable. Perhaps both. (I am once again reminded that “married with kids� protagonists repel me in every possible way) Decent writing, but the atmosphere was warped from its predecessor’s stark dread and deep green horror into a sequel of jumbled oranger chaos. Having said that, I still enjoyed witnessing a new spin on old elegance.
March 6, 2020
The best Alien book I've read so far. I dig that James A. Moore does the underused technique of ending every chapter with an epic line or moment, but in a mature and well-done way. The story is different and action filled while mixing in somber, genuinely creepy moments. The ending isn't cliche either and I'm curious if the sequel after this may follow some of the ending lines of what happens. Full review to come.
September 27, 2018
A master class in action-oriented SciFi from
It is often easy to overlook these types of books as genre fiction or books for hardcore fans only.
What people forget is that when franchises anoint a novelist to write these things, they often go for Bram Stoker-award winning writers like James A. Moore.
I am reminded of by - Disney had a franchise, they went for the best in Crispin, and the book is beyond incredible.
I'm also reminded of , who collaborates with people like Snooki and makes surprisingly good books - but that is for another tale.
What James A. Moore has done is made a book that is just as good as any Alien tale
It starts out like a cannon, and every chapter leads to the next. Every sentence is either character development or plot-pushing, and usually the latter.
The one minor critique I had with action-oriented tales, like the great by , is that each chapter predictably takes out the lesser characters and bad guys, and you kind of know where it is going.
Not so with this tale - some survive, and many do not. You don't know what is going to happen.
Finally - a great character in Decker, and a great exploration of Weyland-Yutani
James A. Moore introduces many Alien-type characters, Manning the tough Colonial Marine, Rollins the person who pushes the plot along by holding up the Weyland-Yutani corporation's end of the bargain.
Decker is the main character - and very interesting. He deals with Weyland-Yutani, a corporation that puts the East India Company to shame with its power and its ability to change the world, or in this case solar system.
But Decker is great.
You don't need to read the others of this Canonical trilogy to understand this - it seems to fit in well with them, but it also stands by itself.
Great tale!
It is often easy to overlook these types of books as genre fiction or books for hardcore fans only.
What people forget is that when franchises anoint a novelist to write these things, they often go for Bram Stoker-award winning writers like James A. Moore.
I am reminded of by - Disney had a franchise, they went for the best in Crispin, and the book is beyond incredible.
I'm also reminded of , who collaborates with people like Snooki and makes surprisingly good books - but that is for another tale.
What James A. Moore has done is made a book that is just as good as any Alien tale
It starts out like a cannon, and every chapter leads to the next. Every sentence is either character development or plot-pushing, and usually the latter.
The one minor critique I had with action-oriented tales, like the great by , is that each chapter predictably takes out the lesser characters and bad guys, and you kind of know where it is going.
Not so with this tale - some survive, and many do not. You don't know what is going to happen.
Finally - a great character in Decker, and a great exploration of Weyland-Yutani
James A. Moore introduces many Alien-type characters, Manning the tough Colonial Marine, Rollins the person who pushes the plot along by holding up the Weyland-Yutani corporation's end of the bargain.
Decker is the main character - and very interesting. He deals with Weyland-Yutani, a corporation that puts the East India Company to shame with its power and its ability to change the world, or in this case solar system.
But Decker is great.
You don't need to read the others of this Canonical trilogy to understand this - it seems to fit in well with them, but it also stands by itself.
Great tale!
December 2, 2014
Sea of Sorrows gave me nightmares and temporary paranoia. You know when you've watched or read something scary and your imagination goes into overdrive. Every sound and a flicker of a light makes your heart beat a bit more faster. Moore succeeded on creating an immersive story that was suspenseful, terrifying and which made you feel alone and hopeless. Even after finishing few chapters and putting down the book, the feeling of utter hopelessness didn't go away for awhile.
The book is mentally exhausting. The time they spend in the mines made me feel claustrophobic and anxious. I couldn't keep reading the book just before bed time as the story crept into my dreams. So I had to read it in the mornings.
In the first part of the book, the chapters after Decker has hurt himself and awaken the hive, and before Decker and the Freelancers decent to the mines, are forgettable. I realize the goal for those chapters is to make Decker identifiable. To make you feel bad for him, to root for him, and give him a motive to keep going when the shit hits the fan in the mines. But I just couldn't relate to him. Those chapters felt forced and Decker felt even more like a blank canvas that you used to paint yourself onto. Decker's character felt more like it's only reason was to serve as a device to move the plot forward and he's abilities were a bit deus ex machina.
I felt more for Manning, Adams and for rest of the grunts. I truly despised, and loved the characters of Rollins and Willis. But the reason I kept reading the book wasn't Decker. It was the aliens that kept me immersed. And the terror.
The book is mentally exhausting. The time they spend in the mines made me feel claustrophobic and anxious. I couldn't keep reading the book just before bed time as the story crept into my dreams. So I had to read it in the mornings.
In the first part of the book, the chapters after Decker has hurt himself and awaken the hive, and before Decker and the Freelancers decent to the mines, are forgettable. I realize the goal for those chapters is to make Decker identifiable. To make you feel bad for him, to root for him, and give him a motive to keep going when the shit hits the fan in the mines. But I just couldn't relate to him. Those chapters felt forced and Decker felt even more like a blank canvas that you used to paint yourself onto. Decker's character felt more like it's only reason was to serve as a device to move the plot forward and he's abilities were a bit deus ex machina.
I felt more for Manning, Adams and for rest of the grunts. I truly despised, and loved the characters of Rollins and Willis. But the reason I kept reading the book wasn't Decker. It was the aliens that kept me immersed. And the terror.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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