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X-COM: UFO Defense
Commander Jonelle Barrett is determined to win. Having moved from Morocco to a new base in Switzerland, she is well-placed to build a fortified base and defend Europe from the marauding aliens who harvest humans as lab animals for breeding stock . . . and for their dinner tables!
Barrett soon finds that her new territory is already riddled with alien invaders. Her handpicked garrison is all she has—until she learns that one of her most trusted people may be a traitor. Her task is twofold: keep the aliens at bay and keep her own sanity in the face of despair. She doesn?t know which will prove more difficult.
About the Author
Diane Duane is the bestselling author of numerous science fiction novels, including The Door Into Fire, Star Trek: The Wounded Sky, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She lives in Ireland.
Barrett soon finds that her new territory is already riddled with alien invaders. Her handpicked garrison is all she has—until she learns that one of her most trusted people may be a traitor. Her task is twofold: keep the aliens at bay and keep her own sanity in the face of despair. She doesn?t know which will prove more difficult.
About the Author
Diane Duane is the bestselling author of numerous science fiction novels, including The Door Into Fire, Star Trek: The Wounded Sky, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She lives in Ireland.
264 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 1995
1 person is currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Diane Duane
168 books2,418 followersDiane Duane has been a writer of science fiction, fantasy, TV and film for more than forty years.
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 15, 2015
The game-based novel from “will write for food” author. Sounds bad and, well, it is. Official X-COM: UFO Defense (also known as UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe) video game novelization is your typical example of poor novel that relies only on the popularity of the original game, without being able to provide anything about the reading itself. As you can easily guess, Diane Duane didn’t even try to create a proper novel and decided that for people, who care about video games it’ll be enough to just mention some terms from there.
And that’s the worst thing about this novel - there’s no plot. Literally. The whole narrative structure here is so forced that it feels like a mess. The part, in which author is supposed to describe characters to us is a failure. In this novel we have only two characters who were properly introduced - the main heroine, in whom you can clearly see the author, who wants to become some sort of ideal woman in this novel (yeah, it’s your typical fanfiction level of text), and her boyfriend. The ideal man, of course. Because, you know, ideal woman needs the ideal man, who’s brave, beautiful and always ready for some sex when asked to. The fact that we should suffer through somebody’s cheap sexual fantasies is bad enough, but what’s even worse is that all others in this novel are just names. Shallow and dim. Like there’s strong woman in the center of all events, there’s her boyfriend to be cool when needed, and there are “all others”, who aren’t described at all.
Setting isn’t described too. So, if you didn’t play the original game and just picked this novel to get some Sci-Fi experience, you’re in trouble. Author will throw a lot of terms from the original game on us without even trying to make it feel like a proper novel. It’s like Diane Duane had a list with things that she was supposed to mention and just did so without thinking much about it. And if author will describe something here, it’ll be the most boring parts. Building the base in the original game was fun. Buying this, selling that… It used to make you think about money, about incomes, stuff like that. That was part of the fun and pain in the neck at the same time. But I’ll tell you what, reading about how base commander buying and selling stuff may be much stronger than any long-acting hypnotic. Especially since author wasted a lot of pages just to describe that. I mean, come on! Who in the right mind will want to read about how commander is buying and selling stuff! It’s a joke!! And it’s not like there was nothing else to describe in the game, it’s just author wasted too many time on something that can quickly make you sleepy.
And there’s also nothing to make you keep reading. No mystery, no interesting turns of events, nothing to make you turn pages in anticipation. The whole thing flows slowly and pathetic like the old socks through the sewers. There’s literally nothing to keep you interested in reading. Or at least wake up. The part that should lead to the most interesting events was supposed to save the day, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a really, really bad joke too.
And, of course, villains. Villains here are another huge failure. The thing is, in this novel we won’t have the whole thing from the original game. So, if you expect to read about the whole 1998 X-COM legacy, from early fights to Cydonia operation, you’ll be disappointed. This novel just follows some daily X-COM routine and ends without providing anything to remember. We’ll learn about how X-COM built a new base, we’ll read about one terror site battle, we’ll read about some interceptions and, finally, about the attack on alien base, but that’s all. There’s nothing more in it. It’s just that - daily routine in X-COM: UFO Defense. “The force behind aliens” was mentioned a lot, but it was never explained, while local bad guy that was made up just for this novel, was mentioned just to quickly disappear without a trace.
And that’s where the novel lefts you. Confused, wondering about why in the world you wasted a part of your life to read through more than 250 pages, while in the end you learned exactly nothing. There are nice games-based novels. There are terrible ones too. There are more terrible ones than nice ones. But you know, most of them, even the worst ones, include at least something to read. This one is not. There’s literally no reading here, just wasting of time. So, unless you’re hardcore X-COM fan, who wants to make it through the whole history of the franchise, do yourself a favor and pretend that this novel doesn’t exist. Trust me, it’s better this way.
And that’s the worst thing about this novel - there’s no plot. Literally. The whole narrative structure here is so forced that it feels like a mess. The part, in which author is supposed to describe characters to us is a failure. In this novel we have only two characters who were properly introduced - the main heroine, in whom you can clearly see the author, who wants to become some sort of ideal woman in this novel (yeah, it’s your typical fanfiction level of text), and her boyfriend. The ideal man, of course. Because, you know, ideal woman needs the ideal man, who’s brave, beautiful and always ready for some sex when asked to. The fact that we should suffer through somebody’s cheap sexual fantasies is bad enough, but what’s even worse is that all others in this novel are just names. Shallow and dim. Like there’s strong woman in the center of all events, there’s her boyfriend to be cool when needed, and there are “all others”, who aren’t described at all.
Setting isn’t described too. So, if you didn’t play the original game and just picked this novel to get some Sci-Fi experience, you’re in trouble. Author will throw a lot of terms from the original game on us without even trying to make it feel like a proper novel. It’s like Diane Duane had a list with things that she was supposed to mention and just did so without thinking much about it. And if author will describe something here, it’ll be the most boring parts. Building the base in the original game was fun. Buying this, selling that… It used to make you think about money, about incomes, stuff like that. That was part of the fun and pain in the neck at the same time. But I’ll tell you what, reading about how base commander buying and selling stuff may be much stronger than any long-acting hypnotic. Especially since author wasted a lot of pages just to describe that. I mean, come on! Who in the right mind will want to read about how commander is buying and selling stuff! It’s a joke!! And it’s not like there was nothing else to describe in the game, it’s just author wasted too many time on something that can quickly make you sleepy.
And there’s also nothing to make you keep reading. No mystery, no interesting turns of events, nothing to make you turn pages in anticipation. The whole thing flows slowly and pathetic like the old socks through the sewers. There’s literally nothing to keep you interested in reading. Or at least wake up. The part that should lead to the most interesting events was supposed to save the day, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a really, really bad joke too.
And, of course, villains. Villains here are another huge failure. The thing is, in this novel we won’t have the whole thing from the original game. So, if you expect to read about the whole 1998 X-COM legacy, from early fights to Cydonia operation, you’ll be disappointed. This novel just follows some daily X-COM routine and ends without providing anything to remember. We’ll learn about how X-COM built a new base, we’ll read about one terror site battle, we’ll read about some interceptions and, finally, about the attack on alien base, but that’s all. There’s nothing more in it. It’s just that - daily routine in X-COM: UFO Defense. “The force behind aliens” was mentioned a lot, but it was never explained, while local bad guy that was made up just for this novel, was mentioned just to quickly disappear without a trace.
And that’s where the novel lefts you. Confused, wondering about why in the world you wasted a part of your life to read through more than 250 pages, while in the end you learned exactly nothing. There are nice games-based novels. There are terrible ones too. There are more terrible ones than nice ones. But you know, most of them, even the worst ones, include at least something to read. This one is not. There’s literally no reading here, just wasting of time. So, unless you’re hardcore X-COM fan, who wants to make it through the whole history of the franchise, do yourself a favor and pretend that this novel doesn’t exist. Trust me, it’s better this way.
July 8, 2013
I have a bit of an addiction to X-Com. I used to play the original and Terror from the Deep (TFTD) as a kid when they were new. I always preferred TFTD as it was creepier under the water and has flying brain monsters that can control you. Freaky! Then, I found the game again as an adult on Steam and played it way more than I should. And what went and happened? They made a modern version - Enemy Unknown that just eats up all my time.
I suppose it's only natural that a successful video game franchise should try to expand to other media. However, this appears to be the only x-com novel in existence. There are also no tv shows or movies that I know of. Not even a board game or official RPG. It's probably good for me since I would just spend all my time and money on them.
I first read UFO Defense years ago in high school I think. I barely remember it from then so reading it now was pretty much reading it new. Usually plots or characters will seem familiar when I pick up a book a second time and eventually my poor foggy memory will kick in. That didn't happen this time. I think it's because the book is pretty simplistic. Not much leaps off the page at you. The characters are kinda flat, the story a touch predictable and simple. I didn't quite guess who the mole was, but not because they hid it so well, but because no one really stood out to me to point a finger at.
None of this means it's a bad book. If you're looking for some just simple sci-fi where aliens die and humans are the heroes, then pick this one up. It's a solid nod to the game and there are even a few moments where I think it seeks to mock the game a bit - saving the world and you have to count pennies? It is a bit ridiculous. Esp. when countries join up with the aliens.
Silly traitors.
I suppose it's only natural that a successful video game franchise should try to expand to other media. However, this appears to be the only x-com novel in existence. There are also no tv shows or movies that I know of. Not even a board game or official RPG. It's probably good for me since I would just spend all my time and money on them.
I first read UFO Defense years ago in high school I think. I barely remember it from then so reading it now was pretty much reading it new. Usually plots or characters will seem familiar when I pick up a book a second time and eventually my poor foggy memory will kick in. That didn't happen this time. I think it's because the book is pretty simplistic. Not much leaps off the page at you. The characters are kinda flat, the story a touch predictable and simple. I didn't quite guess who the mole was, but not because they hid it so well, but because no one really stood out to me to point a finger at.
None of this means it's a bad book. If you're looking for some just simple sci-fi where aliens die and humans are the heroes, then pick this one up. It's a solid nod to the game and there are even a few moments where I think it seeks to mock the game a bit - saving the world and you have to count pennies? It is a bit ridiculous. Esp. when countries join up with the aliens.
Silly traitors.
September 6, 2022
Remarkably poorly written even for the genre, especially considering Duane had something like twenty other novels published prior to this one (even if they were all fantasy and Star Trek). Some of the purpleness of the prose is surely a deliberate attempt to create a certain vibe, but not, I feel, the vibe of the original X-COM. What does capture that vibe quite well is Duane's propensity for dumping large amounts of pointless information on you, though that information is mostly just the contents of some tourist guides for Italy and Switzerland that constitute her research.
Obviously the plot is pretty thin and the pacing is hampered by the need to demonstrate aspects of the game mechanics—that's to be expected. The general artlessness of the execution above and beyond that is what makes this a pretty disappointing nostalgia piece.
Obviously the plot is pretty thin and the pacing is hampered by the need to demonstrate aspects of the game mechanics—that's to be expected. The general artlessness of the execution above and beyond that is what makes this a pretty disappointing nostalgia piece.
April 19, 2021
There’s nothing really wrong about the writing here but the story is basically watching someone play the game with little explanation what anything is. If you’ve played it all makes sense but I could definitely see someone being lost. There’s no real description of anything and the game mechanics come across a little hokey when put into a story. There’s no exploration of the larger world , just a commander eye view of the game process. Short and meh.
June 28, 2021
Bad, but not so bad that I didn't finish.
Assumes familiarity with things from the original X-COM game, but then isn't very similar to the game. Has a lot of random trivia about Switzerland. Doesn't have much of a narrative arc.
Whatever drew you to this book, for me it was nostalgia for the original game, I would not recommend it.
Assumes familiarity with things from the original X-COM game, but then isn't very similar to the game. Has a lot of random trivia about Switzerland. Doesn't have much of a narrative arc.
Whatever drew you to this book, for me it was nostalgia for the original game, I would not recommend it.
August 30, 2025
A bad adaptation that does not give context for the world (even with some knowledge of the games). Shockingly this is also missing a coherent plot, character development, and any compelling action scenes. But there will be cow abductions...
November 8, 2025
The beginning was not bad, the end was not that bad, in the middle of the book was just a side quest about cows, and a quest for construction with no stakes. I could have been way better but no. Wasted potential on display.
January 16, 2019
For this review and others like it, please visit my blog at https://bluedecemberblog.wordpress.com
March 21, 2021
Not a genre I care for normally, but the usual Duane excellence throughout, so I had a good time.
March 17, 2024
It was pretty good, but my dog chewed up my copy before I could finish it.
July 13, 2013
I pulled this off my shelf when the X-COM remake appeared last year. The book is from 1996, when the original X-COM games were hot. I guess Microprose wanted to buy some legitimacy because they went and got a novel off Diane Duane. Diane Duane, it turns out, really wanted to write a book about Switzerland. (If you trawl her web site you'll find a lotta love of Switzerland.) So we have this rather delightful confection about alien monsters invading the Swiss Alps.
Duane does what she likes to do, which is take a cheesy SF setting and put honest-to-serious human beings in it. (See also, her Trek novels.) Cmdr Jonelle Barrett runs an X-COM defense base -- she runs it well. This means paying attention to logistics and budgeting. (True to the game mechanics!) Then trouble arrives, and the book alternates between air assaults, ground assaults, and tourism in Swiss villages. The tourism is the best part, and *yes*, it is relevant to the plot. I'd say this was intensively researched, except that the research obviously consisted of going on Swiss vacations as often as humanly possible, and I suspect Duane was doing that anyhow. (According to her blog, as I write this, she's wandering around the Breisgau.)
There are Swiss cattle farmers. You know how aliens like to abduct and mutilate cattle? The author has fun with this.
It doesn't add up to much -- it feels like a pilot episode to a series that never materialized -- but if you're a Duane completist it's worth grabbing. Except you probably can't find it; the rights are owned by Microprose and I'm sure they're buried in a box somewhere. Sigh.
Duane does what she likes to do, which is take a cheesy SF setting and put honest-to-serious human beings in it. (See also, her Trek novels.) Cmdr Jonelle Barrett runs an X-COM defense base -- she runs it well. This means paying attention to logistics and budgeting. (True to the game mechanics!) Then trouble arrives, and the book alternates between air assaults, ground assaults, and tourism in Swiss villages. The tourism is the best part, and *yes*, it is relevant to the plot. I'd say this was intensively researched, except that the research obviously consisted of going on Swiss vacations as often as humanly possible, and I suspect Duane was doing that anyhow. (According to her blog, as I write this, she's wandering around the Breisgau.)
There are Swiss cattle farmers. You know how aliens like to abduct and mutilate cattle? The author has fun with this.
It doesn't add up to much -- it feels like a pilot episode to a series that never materialized -- but if you're a Duane completist it's worth grabbing. Except you probably can't find it; the rights are owned by Microprose and I'm sure they're buried in a box somewhere. Sigh.
March 12, 2014
Book was meh! Personally I wish there was more depth to the story. I was able to understand many parts of the book since I have played the original game many times over. This is where fans like the book (like myself) but we are demanding more details about everything in this book. The game was amazing and it provided so much information that could have been a part of this book and all it did was scratch the surface.
If you have not played the game I would pass on the book. For x-com fans this can give you a small feeling of nostalgia remembering when you played one of the best turned based games in history.
Good luck finding this book as well it's a hard title due to age and low production. (Guessing here) when found you will have to drop some cash for a decent taken care of book. Spent 40 bucks on mine.
If you have not played the game I would pass on the book. For x-com fans this can give you a small feeling of nostalgia remembering when you played one of the best turned based games in history.
Good luck finding this book as well it's a hard title due to age and low production. (Guessing here) when found you will have to drop some cash for a decent taken care of book. Spent 40 bucks on mine.
June 27, 2013
El libro es bastante justillo y me ha decepcionado. XCOM es un juego mezcla de estrategia/ciencia ficcion/ terror. Donde lo mas importante, es el apego que el jugador desarrolla a lo largo del juego a sus hombres, ya que en cualquier momento estos pueden morir (y es permanente) a manos de los extraterrestres o de los propios miembros del escuadron. Pues de todo esto no vemos mucho en el libro.
Los personajes, 2 son los principales, son planos sin carisma o aptitudes especiales, la comandante y un subalterno.
La trama es inexistente o irrelevante, mas que seguir los pasos de la comandante en su destino de una nueva base a otra, los combates dos lugares del terror y un asalto a una base alienigena no muestran el dramatismo mas allá de un par de muertes irrelevantes de soldados anónimos...
Espero que algún escritor se anime a escribir algo mas interesante sobre el tema :D
Los personajes, 2 son los principales, son planos sin carisma o aptitudes especiales, la comandante y un subalterno.
La trama es inexistente o irrelevante, mas que seguir los pasos de la comandante en su destino de una nueva base a otra, los combates dos lugares del terror y un asalto a una base alienigena no muestran el dramatismo mas allá de un par de muertes irrelevantes de soldados anónimos...
Espero que algún escritor se anime a escribir algo mas interesante sobre el tema :D
Read
June 14, 2024I loved this game, and the book is a pretty entertaining short read that supplements it. Mostly I was just looking for the most random book I could think of to see if it was on here - and it was.
December 28, 2011
Probably as faithful an adaptation of X-Com as we are ever likely to see. I really enjoyed it though I'm not sure how much of a re-read it is.
March 25, 2016
A surprisingly good adaptation of a now ancient video game.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews