A simple, and yet disturbing, play on the notion the Xenomorph embryo will take on the characteristics of the host body it infests, warts and diseases and all. It sounds a bit barfy and by Jingo it actually is. Tim Waggoner manages to recreate the atmosphere of the colonial marines take on the wider Alien universe. Hard men and women trained to deal with the monstrous creatures that live on the fringes of the human comfort zone. Cosmic horrors that barely see us beyond the notion of food or prey..or as incubators for their monstrous offspring.
The main character is Zula Hendricks, a born survivor who dares to beard the dragon in its lair. I believe her to be the creation of the Alien comic writer Brian Woods, who writes these tough survivors really well, becuase he never writes them as super people punching aliens in the face. his characters are always flawed and oh so very human.
This was a fast exciting read and a real treat for those impatient to see the mighty Alien series back up on the big screen. Or small screen for that matter. Perhaps this book will prove to be the prototype for many more tales on the galactic fringe where there are more horrors than pleasing sunsets.
Do check out the Alien comic book series. There are some truly fantastic ones in this great archive of night terrors. From Brian Woods Aliens; Defiance series or magnificent stand alone tales like Aliens; Dust To Dust or Aliens; Dead Orbit.
None intended for the faint hearted.
