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Alien: The Shadow Saga #3
Alien: River of Pain
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 Jorden, seeking a fortune that eluded them on Earth. On Acheron, Anne gives birth to the colony’s first newborn. Rebecca Jordan, also known as Newt.
The wildcatters discover a vast, decaying spaceship. The horseshoe-shaped vessel is of particular interest to Weyland-Yutani, and may be the answer to their dreams. But what Anne and Russ find on board proves to be the stuff, not of dreams, but of nightmares.
Alien TM & © 1979, 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Protected by the Colonial Marines, the colonists seek to terraform the storm-swept planet. Two such residents are Anne and Russell Jorden, seeking a fortune that eluded them on Earth. On Acheron, Anne gives birth to the colony’s first newborn. Rebecca Jordan, also known as Newt.
The wildcatters discover a vast, decaying spaceship. The horseshoe-shaped vessel is of particular interest to Weyland-Yutani, and may be the answer to their dreams. But what Anne and Russ find on board proves to be the stuff, not of dreams, but of nightmares.
Alien TM & © 1979, 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 25, 2014
137 people are currently reading
2199 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
798 books2,959 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 461 reviews
April 13, 2022
I loved the first book in this trilogy, the second one though was trash and this third book is also pretty poor; it's a shame because it started off alright.
It's a prequel to the brilliant second movie "Aliens" but the characters are poorly developed in this book and I don't think this one adds a single thing to the franchise.
The story itself is not well written, it's shallow and has zero sense of suspense, fear or horror.
I recommend to "Alien" completionists only.
It's a prequel to the brilliant second movie "Aliens" but the characters are poorly developed in this book and I don't think this one adds a single thing to the franchise.
The story itself is not well written, it's shallow and has zero sense of suspense, fear or horror.
I recommend to "Alien" completionists only.
December 1, 2019
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 fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
I don't care. I love it. It's like watching an extended version of the film, only a bit MORE extended, with only a few bits here and there from the original re-done in the novel and leaving me wide open to watch the movie all over again with more appreciation.
Guess what DVD I just popped in my player? :) Yippie!!!
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 fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
I don't care. I love it. It's like watching an extended version of the film, only a bit MORE extended, with only a few bits here and there from the original re-done in the novel and leaving me wide open to watch the movie all over again with more appreciation.
Guess what DVD I just popped in my player? :) Yippie!!!
October 22, 2018
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!
Narration was a full cast and pieces from the movie. Excellent!
April 2, 2015
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 .
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.
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 .
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.
August 15, 2020
I can't get enough of Alien and Ripley. Movies or audiobooks. The Xenomorph is so terribly awesome.
December 31, 2022
This is another good listen from Audible. This is the third in the series and my only real complaint is that they are not in chronological order.
This book is set near the beginning of the Alien franchise and slots in well between the first two films. Ripley is on board a ship having been found after the events with the original Aliens aboard the Nostromo. We also have a separate point of view being on the planet where the original aliens were found (LV-426) and where Newt now lives with her family. This is the story of what happens before Ripley turns up and finds Newt herself.
The characters were good, they had some depth to them and the plot was solid. It takes a little while to get to the Alien action but when we do it is well told and described and I could picture it well.
This one was good but perhaps a little too slow for me. I wanted more bloody mayhem sooner.
A good read 3.5/5 but I’m rounding up because I did enjoy it. 4/5
This book is set near the beginning of the Alien franchise and slots in well between the first two films. Ripley is on board a ship having been found after the events with the original Aliens aboard the Nostromo. We also have a separate point of view being on the planet where the original aliens were found (LV-426) and where Newt now lives with her family. This is the story of what happens before Ripley turns up and finds Newt herself.
The characters were good, they had some depth to them and the plot was solid. It takes a little while to get to the Alien action but when we do it is well told and described and I could picture it well.
This one was good but perhaps a little too slow for me. I wanted more bloody mayhem sooner.
A good read 3.5/5 but I’m rounding up because I did enjoy it. 4/5
December 11, 2014
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.
January 10, 2025
Inspirowany krótką wzmianką w filmie o utracie kontaktu ze słynną i skazaną na porażkę LV-426, kolebką najsłynniejszego ksenomorfa, autor stworzył liczącą sobie niemal czterysta stron opowieść, wypełniającą lukę pomiędzy „Ósmym pasażerem Nostromo” a „Decydującym starciem”. Zakończenie powieści łączy się bezpośrednio z początkiem drugiego z wymienionych filmów, więc można powiedzieć, że ta stanowi pomost pomiędzy obiema częściami filmowej sagi.
I choć pojawia się tu Ellen Ripley, to jej obecność jest symboliczna. Głównymi bohaterkami są bowiem jej córka Anna i wnuczka Newt, będące wśród kolonizatorów nieprzyjaznej LV-426, zwanej teraz Acheron. Jej terraformacja od lat wiąże się z problemami, ale korporacja Weyland-Yutani nie zważa na zagrożenia, a życie kolonistów jest wpisane w cenę spodziewanych odkryć.
Burze niosące pył i żwir, awarie sprzętów, nieprzewidywalne warunki atmosferyczne – wszystko to stanowi preludium do koszmaru, który ma nadejść. Dramat osiąga apogeum, gdy na Acheron odkryty zostaje statek obcych. Z pozoru opuszczony kryje w sobie coś o wiele bardziej niebezpiecznego i jednocześnie pożądanego przez korporację – pulsujące jaja, czekające na nowego nosiciela.
Narracja skupia się nie tylko na desperackiej walce o przetrwanie, ale również na relacjach między bohaterami, których spotkanie po latach wprowadza wątek osobisty, kontrastujący z brutalnością wydarzeń. Anna Ripley, dawna ukochana nowego dowódcy marines, Demiana Bracketta, tylko w nim upatruje ratunku dla swojej rodziny, a on zrobi wszystko, by ich ocalić.
Przejmujące portrety bohaterów, których codzienność naznaczona jest walką z siłami natury, technologicznymi awariami, wszechobecną niepewnością i w końcu nierówną walką ze śmiertelnie skutecznym zabójcą, zyskują dodatkowego dramatyzmu w obliczu obojętności ze strony Weyland-Yutani. Kolejny raz korporacja udowadnia, jak bezduszni, nastawieni na zysk manipulatorzy nią zarządzają. Tragedia całych rodzin jest dla nich niczym w porównaniu z perspektywą pozyskania broni, jaką samą w sobie są ksenomorfy.
Autor znakomicie oddał atmosferę grozy, utrzymując dynamikę zdarzeń, dzięki czemu ta opowieść o przetrwaniu, poświęceniu i cenie, jaką trzeba zapłacić za ignorowanie ostrzeżeń natury, czyta się tak dobrze. Można poczuć niemal namacalnie uczucie osaczenia i desperacji, które towarzyszą bohaterom na każdym kroku.
I choć pojawia się tu Ellen Ripley, to jej obecność jest symboliczna. Głównymi bohaterkami są bowiem jej córka Anna i wnuczka Newt, będące wśród kolonizatorów nieprzyjaznej LV-426, zwanej teraz Acheron. Jej terraformacja od lat wiąże się z problemami, ale korporacja Weyland-Yutani nie zważa na zagrożenia, a życie kolonistów jest wpisane w cenę spodziewanych odkryć.
Burze niosące pył i żwir, awarie sprzętów, nieprzewidywalne warunki atmosferyczne – wszystko to stanowi preludium do koszmaru, który ma nadejść. Dramat osiąga apogeum, gdy na Acheron odkryty zostaje statek obcych. Z pozoru opuszczony kryje w sobie coś o wiele bardziej niebezpiecznego i jednocześnie pożądanego przez korporację – pulsujące jaja, czekające na nowego nosiciela.
Narracja skupia się nie tylko na desperackiej walce o przetrwanie, ale również na relacjach między bohaterami, których spotkanie po latach wprowadza wątek osobisty, kontrastujący z brutalnością wydarzeń. Anna Ripley, dawna ukochana nowego dowódcy marines, Demiana Bracketta, tylko w nim upatruje ratunku dla swojej rodziny, a on zrobi wszystko, by ich ocalić.
Przejmujące portrety bohaterów, których codzienność naznaczona jest walką z siłami natury, technologicznymi awariami, wszechobecną niepewnością i w końcu nierówną walką ze śmiertelnie skutecznym zabójcą, zyskują dodatkowego dramatyzmu w obliczu obojętności ze strony Weyland-Yutani. Kolejny raz korporacja udowadnia, jak bezduszni, nastawieni na zysk manipulatorzy nią zarządzają. Tragedia całych rodzin jest dla nich niczym w porównaniu z perspektywą pozyskania broni, jaką samą w sobie są ksenomorfy.
Autor znakomicie oddał atmosferę grozy, utrzymując dynamikę zdarzeń, dzięki czemu ta opowieść o przetrwaniu, poświęceniu i cenie, jaką trzeba zapłacić za ignorowanie ostrzeżeń natury, czyta się tak dobrze. Można poczuć niemal namacalnie uczucie osaczenia i desperacji, które towarzyszą bohaterom na każdym kroku.
December 6, 2018
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.
May 2, 2018
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.
January 19, 2020
Entertaining and kinda heartbreaking.
January 4, 2020
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.
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.
February 12, 2019
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 "reader's theater" type audio performance I found myself lost many times listening to a lot of noise, screaming, and sound effects with little or no idea what was going on. Another reviewer described it as listening to a movie with the picture off and that hits it right on the head. I needed to see what was going on to understand the action. I didn't have this problem with Out of the Shadows.
Production quality was high and I still had fun so I gave it 3 stars. Maybe 2 1/2.
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 "reader's theater" type audio performance I found myself lost many times listening to a lot of noise, screaming, and sound effects with little or no idea what was going on. Another reviewer described it as listening to a movie with the picture off and that hits it right on the head. I needed to see what was going on to understand the action. I didn't have this problem with Out of the Shadows.
Production quality was high and I still had fun so I gave it 3 stars. Maybe 2 1/2.
February 5, 2015
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.
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.
June 22, 2016
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.
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 :)
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.
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 :)
September 19, 2017
great prequel to aliens. liked that character and world building. now I want to watch aliens again!
February 11, 2022
Another solid production and story in the Canonical Alien trilogy. This one starts out with the birth of my favorite, Newt, and gives us a look at the planet LV-426—now called Acheron—which has been colonized. Aliens is my favorite movie in the entire franchise so I love anything related to it. This one is close to my heart in the trilogy as it brings me Newt again, and it's pretty nihilistic since you definitely know how it's going to end. I need more!
April 25, 2018
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!
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!
August 23, 2022
I really enjoyed the first audio dramatisation of this trilogy Out of Shadows and this follow up was quite lackluster.
Pretty much nothing happens for the first half and then its just characters going through the motions until they're all dead.
Pretty much nothing happens for the first half and then its just characters going through the motions until they're all dead.
January 18, 2025
The book is quite slow and not much is happening for the first 2/3. Then it does speed up and is really entertaining, but not enough to fully make up for the first 200 pages.
December 20, 2017
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 the colonists but Newt survive, but ha - not so!
For optimal atmospherics, best listened to in the dark - preferably a dark sewer tunnel.
For optimal atmospherics, best listened to in the dark - preferably a dark sewer tunnel.
August 3, 2016
Oh boy. A half-hearted retelling/sidestory of an event that was partially covered in an underwhelming comic series from the 90s, with a paperback cover repurposed from the most critically-panned tie-in game in the franchise (Aliens: Colonial Marines) and a plot that turns minor characters into ultra-badasses and reframes the entire infestation of Hadley's Hope as some weird "race against time" story. What could go wrong?
In a word, nearly everything.
Did you ever want to know how Lv-426 was terraformed in the first place? Maybe you wanted to know that Newt Jorden was such a special snowflake that the entire population cheered when she was born. Or maybe you wanted to know about the heretofore-unmentioned squad of Colonial Marines that just randomly happened to be stationed at Hadley's Hope when the xenomorphs began appearing, and that their commander is an ultra-awesome soldier who's the very personification of "I'm doing what's right"?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you probably have good taste and thus should skip reading this book, because it doesn't get much better from here.
It wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world to do a pseudo-retelling of Aliens: Newt's Tale, the underwhelming and maligned adaptation of Aliens that came out in 1992 and focused on the leadup to the infestation and kidnapping of the colonists in Hadley's Hope. The only thing this book (the third and final in the much-criticized "Out of the Shadows" trilogy) has going for it is that it actually goes a bit more indepth into the horror aspects of the xenomorphs, as there are multiple scenes of colonists being kidnapped and the Marines fighting them - all with disastrous results.
Just like the first book, this story is a foregone conclusion. Since Newt is the only survivor, there's isn't really any tension in trying to figure out if anyone survives or not, though at least there's a small curveball there with the group that escapes at the end. The attempts to reframe the massacre of the colonists as some sort of weird bittersweet/heroic ending (Brackett is so guilty over not saving Newt that he rescues a girl just like her, and the colonists have a magic escape shuttle they can use to escape the colony!) is really off-putting. When you're forced to crib ideas even James Cameron found too ridiculous -- namely, the concept of Ripley and the others using a magic escape shuttle to escape the colony in early drafts of Aliens -- you know you've hit rock-bottom.
The writing is technically proficient, and there's a few nice nods to the film itself, but most of the material comes off as pointless fanservice at best and plodding monotony at worst. Not helping the story is Captain Demian Brackett, the commander of the Marines who is so infallible and experienced that it honestly feels a bit boring reading about him. He has no flaws, everyone seems to love him and he continually survives situations. The whole concept of a Marine detachment stationed at Hadley's Hope is ridiculous in the first place.
All in all, the only people who should bother reading this are Aliens ultra-fans who just want a bit more history on part of the universe. It's a safe skip for everyone else.
But hey, at least it's not as bad as Sea of Sorrows!
In a word, nearly everything.
Did you ever want to know how Lv-426 was terraformed in the first place? Maybe you wanted to know that Newt Jorden was such a special snowflake that the entire population cheered when she was born. Or maybe you wanted to know about the heretofore-unmentioned squad of Colonial Marines that just randomly happened to be stationed at Hadley's Hope when the xenomorphs began appearing, and that their commander is an ultra-awesome soldier who's the very personification of "I'm doing what's right"?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you probably have good taste and thus should skip reading this book, because it doesn't get much better from here.
It wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world to do a pseudo-retelling of Aliens: Newt's Tale, the underwhelming and maligned adaptation of Aliens that came out in 1992 and focused on the leadup to the infestation and kidnapping of the colonists in Hadley's Hope. The only thing this book (the third and final in the much-criticized "Out of the Shadows" trilogy) has going for it is that it actually goes a bit more indepth into the horror aspects of the xenomorphs, as there are multiple scenes of colonists being kidnapped and the Marines fighting them - all with disastrous results.
Just like the first book, this story is a foregone conclusion. Since Newt is the only survivor, there's isn't really any tension in trying to figure out if anyone survives or not, though at least there's a small curveball there with the group that escapes at the end. The attempts to reframe the massacre of the colonists as some sort of weird bittersweet/heroic ending (Brackett is so guilty over not saving Newt that he rescues a girl just like her, and the colonists have a magic escape shuttle they can use to escape the colony!) is really off-putting. When you're forced to crib ideas even James Cameron found too ridiculous -- namely, the concept of Ripley and the others using a magic escape shuttle to escape the colony in early drafts of Aliens -- you know you've hit rock-bottom.
The writing is technically proficient, and there's a few nice nods to the film itself, but most of the material comes off as pointless fanservice at best and plodding monotony at worst. Not helping the story is Captain Demian Brackett, the commander of the Marines who is so infallible and experienced that it honestly feels a bit boring reading about him. He has no flaws, everyone seems to love him and he continually survives situations. The whole concept of a Marine detachment stationed at Hadley's Hope is ridiculous in the first place.
All in all, the only people who should bother reading this are Aliens ultra-fans who just want a bit more history on part of the universe. It's a safe skip for everyone else.
But hey, at least it's not as bad as Sea of Sorrows!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2016
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...)
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...)
November 27, 2014
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 mention of the ship near the end of this book. I suppose this series and the additional novels in the Predator and AVP canon mentioned near the end are a symptom of the wider lack of creativity being experienced recently. Resurrecting old series and throwing new stuff in to make a bit more money off it. That said, this was an enjoyable book and series, and for fans of the Alien books or movies I'd recommend it.
June 22, 2016
Meh.
Remember Aliens? Remember when Ripley tells her story of the Nostromo and mentions that they found thousands of eggs on LV-426, and the company says "meh, we've got people living there and they haven't complained." Then Burke calls down to LV-426 and tells them to look for the ship Ripley mentioned. Which, Newts family goes after. Whoops - Newts dad gets a face-hugged and then the whole colony is wiped out, and then Ripley and the marines go down there to kick ass..
Someone thought it'd be interesting to write a story where you know exactly how it starts and how it ends, and yet you'd still care to find out all the dull details that happened in the middle.
No creativity here whatsoever, and has no real tie to the other 2 books in the "series"..
A big ol MEH from me.
Remember Aliens? Remember when Ripley tells her story of the Nostromo and mentions that they found thousands of eggs on LV-426, and the company says "meh, we've got people living there and they haven't complained." Then Burke calls down to LV-426 and tells them to look for the ship Ripley mentioned. Which, Newts family goes after. Whoops - Newts dad gets a face-hugged and then the whole colony is wiped out, and then Ripley and the marines go down there to kick ass..
Someone thought it'd be interesting to write a story where you know exactly how it starts and how it ends, and yet you'd still care to find out all the dull details that happened in the middle.
No creativity here whatsoever, and has no real tie to the other 2 books in the "series"..
A big ol MEH from me.
May 20, 2017
If you're a fan of the Alien franchise and like me have seen the movies countless times then I don't think this book will bring you anything new. It tells the events that happened on LV-426, which led to the second movie Aliens.
It's hard to imagine, but this next bit, might contain a SPOILER for some people ;)
Although the concept sounded interesting to me at first, it kind of kept me from caring about the characters. It's like Titanic... in that you know the ship is gonna sink. In this case, you know everyone is going to die - well, except for Newt. Besides that, the book has a really slow build and it takes a while for the first Alien to make an appearance. But still, it's Alien and fun to read.
It's hard to imagine, but this next bit, might contain a SPOILER for some people ;)
Although the concept sounded interesting to me at first, it kind of kept me from caring about the characters. It's like Titanic... in that you know the ship is gonna sink. In this case, you know everyone is going to die - well, except for Newt. Besides that, the book has a really slow build and it takes a while for the first Alien to make an appearance. But still, it's Alien and fun to read.
January 7, 2015
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!
November 9, 2017
Ich weiß, ich weiß. Meine Vorliebe für das ALIEN-Universum ist bekannt. Aber diese Geschichten haben es echt wieder in sich und lassen den Geist der ursprünglichen Filme wieder in unsere Gedanken. Grauenvoll, oder? :D
October 22, 2023
I really liked the idea of this story and thought it was executed rather well.
April 3, 2021
[Warning: Spoilers Ahead]
I’ll preface this review by stating that I’ve been an Alien fan for a long time. I first watched the movie when I was eight years old and it immediately left a lasting impression on me, leading to a life-long passion for the science fiction genre.
“Alien: River of Pain” was the first book based on a movie that I’ve ever read and I must admit that I went into it without high expectations; after all, it would be hard to match the vivid imagination of the Alien universe created by Ridley Scott and later expanded upon by James Cameron.
I’m glad to say that the author, Christopher Golden, proved me wrong. Not only was he able to add depth to the Alien series, but he greatly enriched the franchise by providing a fascinating backstory to the doomed colony of Hadley’s Hope on the desolate planet LV-426, or as we come to know it, Acheron.
Tragedy plays a central role in this book and Golden capitalizes on it, telling a tale of missed opportunities and fatal decisions that lead to a series of sorrowful events.
Among them, the tragic reencounter between captain Brackett and Anne Jorden, long-lost lovers from Earth who reunite on LV-426 just before catastrophy strikes; the tragic decision by Brackett for marines to not accompany explorers into the wild, only to find out that the Jorden family was sent out to explore the derelyct spacecraft; and the tragic abandonment of little Newt in the ducts of the colony as the lucky few survivors take the last evacuation ship far away from the inhospitable planet.
But perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is—for those of us who watched the movie ‘Aliens’ prior to reading this book—the knowledge that despite the colony’s best efforts to eradicate the growing and increasingly lethal legion of xenomorphs, nothing and nobody can save them.
While Golden paints a vivid picture of the colony—providing the reader with detailed insight into the character’s lives, hopes and fears—there is a growing sense of unease and anxiety, knowing that Ripley will encounter nothing but remnants of a once-thriving community by the time she arrives to Hadley’s Hope in 'Aliens.'
Golden explores themes of ethics, power, and good vs. evil, all of which are omnipresent throughout the Alien series. Even on a planet 39 light years away and 150 years in the future, acts of treason, corporate greed and lack of remorse make the reader question how mankind is conducting itself back home on Earth in the present day.
“Alien: River of Pain” is an excellent companion book and perhaps even an essential extension to the movie ‘Aliens’ and to the Alien series as a whole. Golden spares no detail in his writing. Each scene, whether it be romantic, gruesome, joyous or sorrowful, makes you invested in the fate of the characters, all of whom are destined for tragedy.
I’ll preface this review by stating that I’ve been an Alien fan for a long time. I first watched the movie when I was eight years old and it immediately left a lasting impression on me, leading to a life-long passion for the science fiction genre.
“Alien: River of Pain” was the first book based on a movie that I’ve ever read and I must admit that I went into it without high expectations; after all, it would be hard to match the vivid imagination of the Alien universe created by Ridley Scott and later expanded upon by James Cameron.
I’m glad to say that the author, Christopher Golden, proved me wrong. Not only was he able to add depth to the Alien series, but he greatly enriched the franchise by providing a fascinating backstory to the doomed colony of Hadley’s Hope on the desolate planet LV-426, or as we come to know it, Acheron.
Tragedy plays a central role in this book and Golden capitalizes on it, telling a tale of missed opportunities and fatal decisions that lead to a series of sorrowful events.
Among them, the tragic reencounter between captain Brackett and Anne Jorden, long-lost lovers from Earth who reunite on LV-426 just before catastrophy strikes; the tragic decision by Brackett for marines to not accompany explorers into the wild, only to find out that the Jorden family was sent out to explore the derelyct spacecraft; and the tragic abandonment of little Newt in the ducts of the colony as the lucky few survivors take the last evacuation ship far away from the inhospitable planet.
But perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is—for those of us who watched the movie ‘Aliens’ prior to reading this book—the knowledge that despite the colony’s best efforts to eradicate the growing and increasingly lethal legion of xenomorphs, nothing and nobody can save them.
While Golden paints a vivid picture of the colony—providing the reader with detailed insight into the character’s lives, hopes and fears—there is a growing sense of unease and anxiety, knowing that Ripley will encounter nothing but remnants of a once-thriving community by the time she arrives to Hadley’s Hope in 'Aliens.'
Golden explores themes of ethics, power, and good vs. evil, all of which are omnipresent throughout the Alien series. Even on a planet 39 light years away and 150 years in the future, acts of treason, corporate greed and lack of remorse make the reader question how mankind is conducting itself back home on Earth in the present day.
“Alien: River of Pain” is an excellent companion book and perhaps even an essential extension to the movie ‘Aliens’ and to the Alien series as a whole. Golden spares no detail in his writing. Each scene, whether it be romantic, gruesome, joyous or sorrowful, makes you invested in the fate of the characters, all of whom are destined for tragedy.
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