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Alien: River of Pain

(Canonical Alien Trilogy #3)

Christopher Golden (Goodreads Author)

3.82 · Rating details · 2,802 ratings · 366 reviews

When Ellen Ripley finally returns to Earth, she learns that the planet LV-426—now called Acheron—has been colonized. But LV-426 is where Ripley and the crew of the Nostromo found the original Xenomorph—the killing machine known as the Alien.

Protected by the Colonial Marines, the colonists seek to terraform the storm-swept planet. Two such residents are Anne and Russell Jor ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Published November 25th 2014 by Titan Publishing Group Ltd.

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Oct 21, 2018 Montzalee Wittmann rated it it was amazing

Alien:River of Pain takes place right before Ripley is found floating in an old ship in space with her cat in a cryogenic unit. It is also before Newt is even born that the story starts. It is the story of the settlers, scientists, and marines that were there at the time. We know from the movie Newt is the only survivor, well, this is that story.
Narration was a full cast and pieces from the movie. Excellent!

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Dec 01, 2019 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-shelf, sci-fi

Let's be real. Novels based on movie franchises (or tv, for that matter,) often feel like a nostalgia trip if not an outright money grab.

So, you like the movie Aliens? The Cameron one? Well, good news! This one adds a lot to the original movie, adding a lot of backstory for the original colonists on Archeron where we get to see Newt and her parents and the ultimate destruction of the colony.

We also get Ripley and a bit more of her story on Earth before all the S**t went down.

Here's the real:

I ...more

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Sep 25, 2014 Kaisersoze rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction, horror, horror-not-so-good

You know a three book series is a little light on for ideas when one has to skip forward hundreds of years and deal with a descendent of the first book's main character, only for the third book to zap back into the past to tell a tale only peripherally related to that same main character. Such is the major flaw with this final novel in the newest ALIEN trilogy sanctioned and promoted as canon by the good executives at 20th Century Fox.

Christoper Golden is this time handed writing duties for Alie You know a three book series is a little light on for ideas when one has to skip forward hundreds of years and deal with a descendent of the first book's main character, only for the third book to zap back into the past to tell a tale only peripherally related to that same main character. Such is the major flaw with this final novel in the newest ALIEN trilogy sanctioned and promoted as canon by the good executives at 20th Century Fox.

Christoper Golden is this time handed writing duties for Alien: River of Pain and its very obvious why. The man is a wordsmith who can construct a hell of a paragraph. But he can only work with what he is given; or, if you prefer, it doesn't matter how much you polish a turd ...

Golden takes the reader back to tell the story of how Newt's family and the rest of the colony at Hadley's Hope, situated on a nasty piece of rock called LV-426 or Acheron (which translates to the titular "River of Pain"), are taken over by the alien infestation Ripley, Hicks, Bishop and co eventually run into during the events of the movie, Aliens.

As you might guess, there isn't a lot of narrative to work with here. Colonists find the derelict space jockey ship, disturb the eggs, get face-huggered, aliens emerge, death and destruction reign supreme. So Golden does his best to flesh this out by giving us more detail about Newt's family (which is fine), shoe-horning in a bunch of colonial marines (which seems odd) and detailing pointless other characters who seem to exist purely to add an extra 100 pages to the novel. Worse, for some reason somebody decided re-creating scenes from the first two films in the series would serve some kind of purpose here. It doesn't. It's just annoying and a waste of time (view spoiler).

It takes more than half the novel before the aliens finally appear, and then everything seems to go into fast-forward mode. Scenes that should have been tense are over in less than a page; characters who were moderately sketched in die with nary a whimper; while others who were barely mentioned last far, far longer. It all seems random and badly planned. Only Newt's mother, Anne, and the new CO for the marines, Captain Brackett, seem to have any kind of arc. The rest are just alien fodder so it's hard to care one whit when they commence dying like flies.

As a huge fan of the Aliens universe, Alien: River of Pain was a major disappointment and by far the worst novel in the series. Had it been the first, not even Golden's pretty way with words would have prompted me to return for the subsequent tales. I guess I should be thankful then, that like a crappy dessert wine, it was saved until last.

2 Face-Fulls of Alien Vomit for Alien: River of Pain. ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Char rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, dark-fiction, creature-feature

This was a free Audible Original and right up my alley, so I hopped on it.

I especially liked the last one I listened to Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon, so I thought I would enjoy this one just as much. I didn't.

I felt that during the first half, not much happened, other than us meeting everyone, which seemed like a bit of a waste, since (view spoiler)

Also, when the action finally started, it was a bit difficult to fathom what was going ...more

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May 12, 2017 Emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not quite as good as the last Alien dramatisation by Audible, Alien: Out of the Shadows: An Audible Original Drama, which I loved. This is set just before the arrival of marines in Aliens and while there's a certain delicious tingle you get as a listener knowing everyone is going to die save one little Newt, none of the characters were vivid enough for me to really enjoy their horrible deaths. Not only that, nobody stared dying until at least half way through. Come on producers, all we really wa ...more

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Aug 24, 2017 Sinisa Mikasinovic rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of Aliens franchise, good thrillers and horrors

Oh... My... Gods... PERFECT!

I'm sitting here for 10 minutes now not knowing how to start this review. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions.

At first I didn't even want to try it, as ignore is my default reaction when ad bombardment starts. Audible aggresively promoted the book everywhere and it was very hard to ignore. Which was pissing me off.

But as somewhat of a fan of this universe, it would have been irresponsible of me not to give it a fair try. At least that's my rationalization for su ...more

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May 02, 2019 Richard rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, horror

5/10

The previous audiobook was fun and had me wanting to listen more and more. This one forgot the fun element and was a bit of a bore. It's a lot of scene setting for an end result of lots of machine gun noises and people you don't care about dying.

The production was top notch, can't fault that. The story was boring. I doubt I'll listen to any more unless they pop up as a freebie. ...more

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Apr 27, 2018 Lena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, science-fiction, horror

This full cast audible drama was amazing! 5 stars for the audible and 3 stars for the overall story.

We do learn some interesting things such as why Burke went along with the marines and all about Newts family.

The voice actors were a good match to known characters and the MC marine sounded just like Ron Perlman. But no one can scream like Newt.

(view spoiler)

Solid read to celebrate ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Sabrina Grafenberger rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

This book is ridiculous.

I'm a sucker for happy endings and always want the best for all the characters. So it's not a good sign when I read something and hope for everyone to die at the end. The team was just so stupid, I was rooting for the Aliens the whole time (who were a lot more intelligent and better organized by the way).

The humans made so many dumb decisions. They kept saying things like "For crying out loud, it's some kind of snake, not the boogeyman" even after five Aliens were on th ...more

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Dec 15, 2017 Diane rated it really liked it

I can't get enough of Alien and Ripley. Movies or audiobooks. The Xenomorph is so terribly awesome. ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Neil rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Aliens is one of my top 5 all time favourite movies, and I always wanted to know the back story of Hadley's hope and this novel delivered that. However a very lacklustre ending spoiled what was a pretty decent attempt at a alien novel. The pace really picked up halfway though but just fell kind of flat....shame. ...more

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Mar 14, 2018 AndrewP rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, science-fiction, read-in-2018

This is an Audible exclusive radio drama, with a full cast, sound effects and music. A bit different to your average audio book, and for me the quality of the voice acting and production were outstanding. I got totally immersed in the story even though I pretty much knew where it was going. (It's an Alien story and they all pretty much have the same pattern.)

The drama fills in a part of the story not covered in the movies. It's about the fate of the colony on LV-426, then know as Acheron. The st ...more

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Dec 06, 2018 Nick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

While the previous two novels in this new Alien series have been good this one is excellently done. Whilst not 100% new like the others this expands upon and fills in many gaps about what happened on LV426 prior to Aliens.

The characters are good, the action gripping and well written and the story is very good despite knowing how it eventually turns out.

For any fans of the books or the films this would definitely be recommended, its like Aliens : Special Editions - The prequel.

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May 18, 2018 Nick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'll leave my review of the story to my read of the actual book, this is purely looking at the Audible drama version.

It was fun.

The acting generally was good with nothing detracting from the action and story except for Newts scream. Seriously this was just bad.

The sound effects and dialogue was fitting to the story and authentic to the series and it was an enjoyable romp as it dipped in and out of the films scenes. What was Dr Bashir doing in it though? I know he's an actor doing other stuff but ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Irene Quicksword rated it liked it

River of Pain is the sort of a prequel to Aliens taking place on Hadley's Hope (the story takes place during the whole, Newts parents find the Alien eggs and before Ripley arrives with the Marines).

Aliens being easily one of(if not the best) Sci Fi horror film of all time I was looking forward to this to fill in some of the events that happened and what the residents of Hadleys Hope went through before Ripley turned up. Obviously if you have seen Aliens you know what happens so its not going to River of Pain is the sort of a prequel to Aliens taking place on Hadley's Hope (the story takes place during the whole, Newts parents find the Alien eggs and before Ripley arrives with the Marines).

Aliens being easily one of(if not the best) Sci Fi horror film of all time I was looking forward to this to fill in some of the events that happened and what the residents of Hadleys Hope went through before Ripley turned up. Obviously if you have seen Aliens you know what happens so its not going to be pretty.

It does take a while to get going as they do introduce new characters to add more substance to the story but as soon as it kicks off it does so big time. There are a few questionable choices though such as the Weyland Yutani science offers some of the things they do seem silly and the lead Marine was very generic. Unfortunately strong characters is something that this book significantly lacks and none of them were particularly memorable, there really is no Ripley type character(although you do get intermissions with her in recovery at the space station after she was found in stasis) and this could have done with a Hicks character as none of the marines had any personality to them.

Although this was good for a fan and did do a decent job at making me think back to scenes in Aliens it just lacking to make it something great, this might be again that I watched Aliens so many times I lost count so am fully aware of the story and that meant there was no real shock factor already knowing the outcome but it was just lacking a great plot and did come across as a tie-in for a film that was out for decades before this book was written.

Hadley's Hope is for me my favorite Sci-Fi Horror setting and to me the idea of tying together what happened between Newts Dad getting hugged and Ripleys arrival should really be made into a film and this story to me dosent live up to the potential of the source material at the disposal. But it might also have been that I did have too many expectations for this being a huge Aliens nerd and really enjoying Out of the Shadows. ...more

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Feb 06, 2019 Chris rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, horror, 2019-reads

I really enjoyed Alien: Out of the Shadows. So much in fact that I bought the next two in the series,including this one. While I realize that I am "reading" them out of publication order, I opted for chronological order. I doubt that changed my opinion.

This installment was really nothing more than a set up or prequel for the second in the Alien movie series although Mr. Golden tried very hard to make this a compelling story despite the fact that we already know the outcome if we saw Aliens.

As a ...more

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Jan 13, 2015 Mark rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-read

Originally published at SFFWorld.

Alien: River of Pain by Christopher Golden is the final novel in the new Alien trilogy release last year by Titan Books. The first two books, Alien: Out of the Shadows and Alien: Sea of Sorrows, focused on the planet LV-178 and told two semi-connected stories set a couple of hundred year apart. Alien: River of Pain, meanwhile, returns us to very familiar surroundings: LV-426. Acheron. Hadley’s Hope.

From the publisher:
Concluding the all-new, official trilogy set i Originally published at SFFWorld.

Alien: River of Pain by Christopher Golden is the final novel in the new Alien trilogy release last year by Titan Books. The first two books, Alien: Out of the Shadows and Alien: Sea of Sorrows, focused on the planet LV-178 and told two semi-connected stories set a couple of hundred year apart. Alien: River of Pain, meanwhile, returns us to very familiar surroundings: LV-426. Acheron. Hadley’s Hope.

From the publisher:
Concluding the all-new, official trilogy set in the Alien Universe!
A new adventure featuring the Colonial Marines and leading directly into the second movie, Aliens.
The massively acclaimed Alien franchise is one of the most successful of all time, beginning with the first film in 1979. When Ellen Ripley finally returned to Earth, she learned that the planet LV-426–the planet from Alien–has been colonized. This novel will reveal for the first time the fate of the colonists, of the Colonial Marines who accompanied them, and how there came to be one survivor: the girl known as Newt.

Alien: River of Pain sits firmly between the first two Alien films, with the majority of the story set in Hadley’s Hope on Acheron, the planet we know as LV-426. Early passages in the novel are simply scenes from the films (one from Alien, more from Aliens) in order to set the scene of the events Ripley went through during Alien and the effects the aftermath of those events had on her. From there we alternate with scenes from Hadley’s Hope in its early days, to the events during the early part of Aliens where Ripley is on the space station orbiting Earth. After this scene-setting, and Carter Burke’s message to the colony to investigate the coordinates the Nostromo landed at, we switch entirely to Acheron, finding out just what happened to Hadley’s Hope before the arrival of the Sulaco in Aliens.

I’m a big Alien fan. I love the films, with Aliens being my favourite of them all (and in my top 3 movies of all time), so being able to read the story of Hadley’s Hope appealed massively to me. I’m not sure what newcomers will think, but there is enough background given in the early parts of the novel to bring them up to speed enough to immerse in the story. For those that have seen the films it’s a great premise, but one that doesn’t entirely work, unfortunately.

Firstly, what does work is the way Golden tells the story, building characters and examining the psyche of both Ripley and those on Acheron, particularly the Jordan family – Anne, Russ, Time and Newt – and Demian Brackett, the new CO for the marine detachment based in Hadley’s Hope. We see more of the alien ship as Anne and Russ investigate it prior to his facehugger attachment, and also the way that this is dealt with by both those in the employ of Weyland-Yutani, and of Brackett and the marines.

Characters are a clear strength throughout the novel, with Golden particularly gifted at examining the issues being part of a frontier colony has, as well as the psychological effects it has on its inhabitants. Other, more interpersonal, relationships also work very well, with the history between Anne Jordan and Demian Brackett adding another layer to the events as they unfold.

Golden also balances the build-up and pay-off well, with roughly the first half of the novel giving depth to both characters and setting before the shit hits the fan. When it goes wrong, it really goes wrong, and there was no point I didn’t feel that the xenomorphs weren’t truly dangerous and deadly.

However, not all runs smoothly in Alien: River of Pain. The biggest issue I had with the novel was the inclusion of the marine detachment in Hadley’s Hope. Within the context of the story it does work, but when looked at as a prequel to Aliens, it just doesn’t. Including something that was never mentioned, or even hinted at, during that film really grated on me, and I’ve found it very difficult to get past this glaring issue. There are also other, smaller aspects that, as a fan of the director’s cut of Aliens, stood out like a sore thumb. Events portrayed in that cut of the film were changed slightly on the page and, while this shouldn’t be much of a problem, I came away annoyed that they weren’t addressed and amended to reflect what was seen on screen. This isn’t a completely brand-new story, and as such those parts that were recycled from the film should have been kept as they were.

There is also the issue of how the scientists deal with the emergence of the chestbusters. It’s a given that they first time it happens and the xenomorph swiftly runs into the ducts would come as a surprise, but once they know what to expect restrictions and controls should be put in place, but they weren’t. It’s a shame that small points like this take away from what could have been a solid story.

Taken at face value, Alien: River of Pain is the best novel out of the new trilogy. The story of Hadley’s Hope and its inhabitants is strong and gripping, but minor issues that could of (and should of) been addressed take away from this strength. However, the major issue of marines present in the colony is one that I simply can’t ignore or overlook, and it’s a damned shame. Despite this I’d recommend the novel to Alien fans and newcomers alike, perhaps others can look past the issues that I had. ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Stephan rated it did not like it

Shelves: aliens, sci-fi, horror

An Aliens-story set on LV-426 just before Ripley and her company of merry marines arrive in Aliens.
We are introduced to the everyday activities of the colonists especially the Jordens, Newts family, and of the discovery of the xenomorphs which leads to the fall of the colony.

It's not a good novel.
(view spoiler) An Aliens-story set on LV-426 just before Ripley and her company of merry marines arrive in Aliens.
We are introduced to the everyday activities of the colonists especially the Jordens, Newts family, and of the discovery of the xenomorphs which leads to the fall of the colony.

It's not a good novel.
(view spoiler)[So, about half of the book goes by without a single, live, xenomorph making an appearance. During this time we are introduced to quite a lot of characters. Colonists, colonial marines, prospectors as well as some well know characters from James Camerons Aliens. Even though most of these characters are well described with clear motivations I find it very hard to actually care for what's going to happen to them. Simply because most of them are complete assholes. About half of the marines stationed at Hadleys Hope are introduced and described as nothing more than school bullies. Seriously, Draco Malfoy wouldn't feel out of place among them. The science team is as humane as you'd expect from an alien-novel, so no surprise there. I could almost say the same regarding the administration if it wasn't for a couple of characters informing the reader of their good qualities... qualities the reader hardly ever get to see for him or herself.

Also there's quite a few references to Aliens. Some scenes from the film are included but, whether it's a mistake from the author or due to executive meddling, the lines are wrong. We are also treated to a better look at the derelict spacecraft on LV-426, the one introduced in Ridley Scotts Alien. It's really interesting to expand on it and to see some parts that's not been seen before. Unfortunately it feels like too much was added. We have lot's of dead Xenomorphs, even a queen and some dead engineers from Prometheus. The main problem here is that these images doesn't fit with what we've seen in the films. There where no dead aliens littering half the ship and there where no eggs in the chamber where they found the space jockey. It doesn't sit right with me that the engineers would've left the dead pilot just sitting there in the control cradle after its death. Also why didn't any of the crew from the Nostromo encounter these dead aliens?

But these are far from the only plot holes... If the company knew there had been a discovery involving aliens on LV-426, why then didn't they send any other representative than Burke on the mission to investigate the sudden radio silence? Why didn't the marines in Aliens look for the stashed weapons and ammunition the local marines would have had? Why are there even marines there? Aliens never gives the impression of there being any local marines present. The damages they report in the film comes from small arms fire and improvised explosives. Not plasma burns or assault rifle shots. Why do the author jump between plasma weapons and solid slug pulse rifles at the drop of a hat for that matter? Why didn't any one of the marines, officers, colonists, prospectors, administrators or scientists think of using the personal data transmitters every colonist had in order to find the missing people? Wouldn't that be the first thing to go to when someone disappeared? How did the scientists manage to keep a space worthy ship hidden INSIDE the colony? shouldn't it be visible from the outside? why didn't any one notice it? Why do the aliens cocoon their victims on site and not later where the eggs are?
WHY, WHY, WHY?

Plot holes aside, not even the ending is any good. Ever read Aliens: Original Sin? We are treated to an ending which feels quite like that one with a crew who've just survived an alien infestation, together with a young girl they've rescued heading of into space vowing to take revenge on a group of people for what they've done. It didn't work in that story, it sure didn't work here either. (hide spoiler)]

So, don't I have anything good to say about this novel? Oh, yes I have. The author has a very good way with words. The setting is brilliantly described and it's easy to imagine the places, the people and the horror. Even though I can't bother to care for most of the characters I'm still hooked as their defences are falling apart and people begin to disappear, so it's not all negatives that it took half the novel to introduce the setting and characters. I'm also glad to finally read a novel where the danger of the xenomorphs acidic blood isn't understated and where the incubation time of the chestburster fit with the films!

All in all though this is the weakest of the trilogy. It doesn't fit with the other novels. There are far too many mistakes in it. The story of Newt has already been told in Aliens: Newt's Tale. It, among with the other three novels, retcons far too much established material.
I wouldn't recommend it to a die hard Alien-fan. They would probably be too upset, like me :) ...more

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Jan 19, 2020 Estevam (Impish Reviews) rated it really liked it

Entertaining and kinda heartbreaking.

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Sep 19, 2017 William Aicher rated it really liked it

great prequel to aliens. liked that character and world building. now I want to watch aliens again!

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May 01, 2018 Wendy rated it liked it

Interesting, but ultimately, I was not all the curious about what happened in the few minutes before the movie takes place. Just check the deleted scenes.

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Apr 24, 2018 Suzanne rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, science-fiction, action

You know, I think I admire the aliens more than I admire the humans in this one - the humans made poor decision after poor decision.

I didn't realize until after reading that this was the setup for the Alien 2 movie - I kind of feel like I should go watch that again, since it has been forever.

Anyway - this was total brain candy, but I was entertained. A couple books I've read this week could have used the addition of some aliens - they might have cut down on the endless angst.

Go Aliens! ...more

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Oct 07, 2020 Will Wilson rated it liked it

This was very well written . The Author does a superb job in making you care about a cast of characters that you already know know the fate of. This book is touted as a original novel but very little of this story is. If you have seen the directors extended cut of Aliens or read the comic book “ Newts tale” then you know just about every plot point in this book.

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Dec 16, 2017 Jeff Bottrell rated it really liked it

These Audible studio productions of the Alien stories are total brain candy - really high-quality productions. I marvel, too, at how they found voice actors who sound so similar to the film actors - particularly the voice actress in the part of Ripley, who sounds so much like Sigourney Weaver that it's a bit creepy. The plot to this one involves giving the colony backstory to show what happens in the Aliens film right before Ripley and the marines arrive (second movie). You might think none of t ...more

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Mar 01, 2015 John rated it it was ok

Shelves: alien-predator

Admittedly, two stars seems uncharitable. But RIVER OF PAIN never grabbed me...and we're talking about a prequel to one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.
Of course, prequels have a lot working against them. If a prequel to ALIENS was really such a hot idea, James Cameron would've just made that movie instead of picking things up later in the narrative. Writing a prequel means that the readers already know the ending (more or less), and the story must work within the confines of what has Admittedly, two stars seems uncharitable. But RIVER OF PAIN never grabbed me...and we're talking about a prequel to one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.
Of course, prequels have a lot working against them. If a prequel to ALIENS was really such a hot idea, James Cameron would've just made that movie instead of picking things up later in the narrative. Writing a prequel means that the readers already know the ending (more or less), and the story must work within the confines of what has already been established. Author Christopher Golden also makes the questionable decision to include several key scenes taken right out of James Cameron's ALIENS itself. These chapters are boring (because readers are already familiar with them) as well as off-putting, because Golden reworked the dialog to make it inconsistent with the film (probably to avoid stepping on the screenwriters' toes).
RIVER OF PAIN is a collection of scenes in search of a story. Nothing in the first half of the book greatly affects the events of the second half. This novel is filled with subplots that never really go anywhere. The only thing these subplots accomplish is to make the characters less likeable (more on that later).
It takes an awfully long time before the Aliens finally show up. When they do, things play out along the same lines as what we've already seen in countless other ALIEN comic books, novels, video games, and movies. There is nothing new, different, or unexpected that happens--just another repackaging of the same 'ol, same 'ol. It's like eating leftover lasagna that's been reheated twenty times.
I, for one, am tired of reading about the Aliens being "discovered" over and over again, from book to book. Again and again, we have to wait patiently as characters ascertain the threat and bring themselves up to speed on Alien physiology. Let's move forward already! (Hopefully, Tim Lebbon's upcoming trilogy of ALIEN novels will finally explore some new territory.)
I wouldn't complain so much if the characters were interesting, but they're not. For some reason, my reaction to Golden's characters was the opposite of what he seemingly intended. For example, the hero of the story--who I can only assume was meant to come across as a super-cool badass--struck me as a total douche who gave bad orders, behaved like a stalker, and acted unprofessionally whenever it suited him. The character of Newt struck me as annoying rather than cute. And don't get me started on her parents.
The book ends right when things start to get interesting. Like the other two novels in this loosely connected trilogy, it opens itself up for a sequel that promises to be more intriguing than the story we actually got. Not that any sequels to these books will ever get written...which makes the situation all the more frustrating.
Seldom did I find myself caring about what happened in RIVER OF PAIN. It's a professionally written book, and nothing about it stands out as being terrible, but everything is just so generic and flat. Talk about missing out on a "Golden" opportunity! (OK, I deserve to be punched in the face for that...) ...more

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Nov 27, 2014 Brandon rated it liked it

I did enjoy this, but I think it could have been tied together better. Brief scenes from the movies/novelizations interspersed with an original story. My expectations were different for this, but it still tells the story of the colony. I'm interested to see if the novelizations Titan has put out are any different to the original version to integrate the new bits, although everything from Out of the Shadows has been completely shoved aside in this novel, except a brief and I think accidental ment ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 Greig Beck rated it really liked it

I loved the Alien books and the movies. And this book fills in the gap, exploring what happened to the colony on LV426. Remember in ALIENS (II) where we saw the big melt hole in the floor, where they had 'bagged one of Ripley's bad guys'? Or where the colonists barricaded themselves in for a 'last stand.' it's all here, and done with style, tension, and great continuity with the other aspects of the franchise. Loved it! ...more

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May 02, 2017 Michael Hicks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bought, audiobook, horror, media-tie-in, sci-fi-fantasy

My original ALIEN: RIVER OF PAIN audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Alien: River of Pain, the latest Audible Original Drama to commemorate Alien Day (4/26, as in the planetary vacation hot-spot LV-426), picks up right on the heels of the film, Alien, and last year’s audiodrama, Alien: Out of the Shadows. Here, a group of colonists have begun settling and terraforming the inhospitable rock cataloged as LV-426, now renamed Acheron. Fans of the movie Aliens know exa My original ALIEN: RIVER OF PAIN audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Alien: River of Pain, the latest Audible Original Drama to commemorate Alien Day (4/26, as in the planetary vacation hot-spot LV-426), picks up right on the heels of the film, Alien, and last year’s audiodrama, Alien: Out of the Shadows. Here, a group of colonists have begun settling and terraforming the inhospitable rock cataloged as LV-426, now renamed Acheron. Fans of the movie Aliens know exactly where things are headed, though, and this story serves as a direct prequel and side-story to that film, as author Christopher Golden takes us through the xenomorphic siege of the lost colony.

Much of this production’s first half is a slow burn, as listeners are introduced to the various factions and individuals within the colony. There’s the colony administrator, the various teams of surveyors, including Russ and Anne Jorden and their children (one of whom is the first human born on Acheron and goes by the nickname Newt), scientists from the Weyland-Yutani mega-corporation, and a team of marines, led by their new commander Damien Brackett. Interspersed between the story of Acheron’s development are snippets of Ellen Ripley’s recovery, much of which is lifted straight out of Aliens and provides a timeline of continuity between the two stories. Fans of Laurel Lefkow will be pleased to know the actress returns from Out of the Shadows to once again voice Ripley, delivering a pitch-perfect performance that eerily and uncannily resembles Sigourney Weaver’s original performance.

It’s not until the mid-way point of the production that things kick into high gear after the Jorden’s receive orders from Weyland-Yutani to survey a set of very specific coordinates, which lead them to a very familiar derelict ship, and a very familiar discovery. From that point on, the production gets it Alien freakshow going good.

While River of Pain is an entertaining listen, due largely to Dirk Maggs’ intense production values and fully immersive soundscape, and solid performances across the board from the drama’s large cast, this does come with a caveat. This is an enjoyable listen, but nothing about the story is particularly surprising. Anybody who has seen Aliens knows exactly what this story is about and how it will unravel right from the very start (although the very last moments do provide an interesting twist and potential for future exploration). The cast and crew are certainly game for it all, though, and I’m certainly happy to listen to an Audible Original, particularly when it involves one of my favorite sci-fi horror franchises. From a production standpoint, this book is certainly a success and is chock-full of atmosphere, gunfire, screams, and alien threats lurking right behind you.

With this latest release, Audible has now produced two dramas based on novels originally published as part of Titan Books’ 2014 trilogy. Alien: Sea of Sorrows, written by James A. Moore, has yet to be adapted, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an Alien Day 2018 release. ...more

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Jan 02, 2019 Jonathan Maas rated it it was amazing

A Fitting Conclusion to a Great Trilogy

The Canonical Alien Trilogy was officially allowed by those who made Alien -

* Book 1 - Alien: Out of the Shadows
* Book 2 - Alien: Sea of Sorrows
* Book 3 - Alien: River of Pain

3 different authors, 3 different tales, all connected - though just barely.

Book 1 finds a way to sneak in the middle between Alien the movie and Aliens. The way they do this is a bit contrived, but it's worth it.

Book 2 goes to the future and connects to this series, and is the most ...more

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Sep 05, 2017 Brady rated it really liked it

This was my second favorite book out of the newer three Alien books, Out of the Shadows being my favorite and Sea of Sorrows my least favorite. It was intense, atmospheric, and the Aliens are written well, as opposed to Sea of Sorrows where they just seem too easy to kill, and thus not scary at all. The first half is rather slow moving, but the pay off is great. Christopher Golden is also a better character writer than Lebbon or Moore and the characters were more relatable and better written in ...more

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About Christopher Golden

Christopher Golden

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Christopher Golden is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) Mind the Gap. Golden co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola, which they are currently scripting as a feature film ...more

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His Favorite Stormy Books: Grab some hot chocolate and a warm blanket before reading his new horror novel, Snowblind, and these five tempestuous recs.

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“He had learned that sometimes there was no safe path, no decision from which one could emerge unscathed. In those cases, he had been taught to take the path of honor, even if it led to pain or death” — 2 likes

“Whoever had given LV-426 its new name had” — 1 likes

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(Canonical Alien Trilogy #3)

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