Alien: Echo - Review

Title:  Alien: Echo

Author: Mira Grant

Series: “An original young adult novel of the Alien universe”

Synopsis:  “Olivia and her twin sister Viola have been dragged around the universe for as long as they can remember.  Their parents, both xenobiologists, are always in high demand for their research into obscure alien biology.

     “Just settled on a new colony world, they discover an alien threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen.  And suddenly the sisters’ world is ripped apart.

     “On the run from terrifying aliens, Olivia’s knowledge of xenobiology and determination to protect her sister are her only weapons as the colony collapses into chaos.  But then a shocking family secret bursts open – one that’s as horrifying to Olivia as the aliens surrounding them.

     “The creatures infiltrate the rich wildlife on this virgin colony world – and quickly start adapting.  Olivia’s going to have to adapt, too, if she’s going to survive.”

Coming from Titan books 10/29/19

Coming from Titan books 7/30/19.

Review:  I’ve spoken before about how much I love the Alien franchise.  I was very excited to find out that there are several new Alien books being released this year.  Alien: Echo by Mira Grant is the first this year, Alien: Isolation by Keith DeCandido releases on July 30 and Alien: Prototype by Tim Waggoner releases on October 29. 

     I accidentally bought both a digital copy (Kindle) and a hardcover copy of Alien: Echo because I got so excited when I saw it at Barnes & Noble I forgot I had preordered it for my Kindle.  (This actually happens to me a lot.  Don’t judge.  I like books more than I like people.)  I read it in 3 hours when I got home from the bookstore.  I just plopped down on the couch, started reading, and didn’t move until I finished.  I mean it.  I didn’t get a drink.  I didn’t have any reading snacks.  I didn’t even go to the bathroom.  I’m pretty sure my husband tried to talk to me and I didn’t even pause to give him the death glare. That’s how good it is.

     Mira Grant is one of my favorite authors, and Alien is one of my favorite series.  (I’ll read anything written by Mira Grant, no questions asked.)  Put the two of these together and it’s a match made in heaven.  The world building and character development that went into this novel is amazing.  Olivia is an awesome character.  Even without the chest bursting aliens, they don’t show up until about halfway through the book, I would have loved a book about her.  She’s the new girl, and her parents are weird.  She has a mysterious twin sister that nobody has ever met; and a crush on one of the popular girls at school.  She even breaks the rules to impress the girl she has a crush on.  She is definitely a well written teenager!  The world is awesome.  It’s Mira Grant, so of course the xenobiology is well thought out and well written.  Also, there are chest bursting aliens.  You don’t want to miss this one!  If you’re like me you may even get so excited you accidentally buy two copies!

Publisher:  Imprint

If you like this book you may want to read:

Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant

Harmony by Lilith Saintcrow

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (read BookGirlR’s review here)

The 5th Wave - Review

Title:   The 5^th Wave

Author:   Rick Yancey

Series:  The 5^th Wave #1

Synopsis:     “After the 1^st wave, only darkness remains.  After the 2^nd, only the lucky escape.  And after the 3^rd, only the unlucky survive.  After the 4^th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

     “Now, it’s the dawn of the 5^th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them.  The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see.  Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors.  To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.  Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother – or even saving herself.  But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death.  To give up or to get up.”

Review:  I grabbed this novel on a whim.  When I bought it the movie was coming out soon.  Well, I brought it home and added it to my TBR pile.  I haven’t seen the movie yet because I wanted to read the book first, but never seemed to get around to reading it.  Well now I’ve read it, and I’m very sorry that I didn’t read it sooner.  I still haven’t seen the movie, but you guys know that I would rather read than watch tv or movies most of the time.

     The 5th Wave is a fun alien invasion YA novel.  There’s a little bit of teenage angst, but you have to expect that in any YA novel, and honestly this one is not as bad as some others I’ve read.  I like Cassie, and I found myself getting emotionally involved in her search for her brother, and her struggle over whom to trust.  This novel made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me chew on my lips (a disgusting nervous habit I know).  I love novels about alien invasion, and if you love them too you should check out The 5th Wave. 

Publisher:  G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

If you like this book you may want to read:

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1) by Emmy Laybourne

Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1) by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Check out BookGirlR’s review here)

The Silver Ships - Review

Title: The Silver Ships

Author: S. H. Jucha

Series:  Silver Ships #1

Synopsis:  "An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine detects a damaged alien craft drifting into the system.  Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to the derelict.

     "Alex discovers the ship was attacked by an unknown craft, the first of its kind ever encountered.  The mysterious silver ship's attack was both instant and deadly.

     "What enfolds is a story of the descendants of two Earth colony ships, with very different histories, meeting 700 years after their founding and uniting to defend humanity from the silver ships."

Review:  I would like to start out by saying that I absolutely loved The Silver Ships.  In my opinion this is one of the best books of the year.  The characters are well developed; the back story is thought out well and scarily realistic; and the story sucked me in and refused to let go.  I stayed up almost all night because once I started reading The Silver Ships I could not stop.  Even the ending was perfect, providing closure but leaving the story wide open for a sequel (and the sequel, Libre, is also available now).  I was pleasantly surprised by the Méridiens and the New Terrans and the depth of their culture.  I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of the sequel soon, and will be purchasing the entire series in paperback for my personal collection. 

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review via NetGalley.**

Publisher:  S.M. Jucha

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Species Imperative Series by Julie E. Czerneda

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (read BookGirlR's review here)

Alien™: Sea of Sorrows - Review

Title: Alien™: Sea of Sorrows
Author: James A. Moore
Series: Alien™ Trilogy #2

Synopsis: “As a deputy commissioner for the ICC, Alan Decker’s job is to make sure the settlements on LV178 follow all the rules, keeping the colonists safe. But the planet known as New Galveston holds secrets, lurking deep beneath the toxic sands dubbed the Sea of Sorrows.
      “The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has secrets of its own, as Decker discovers when he is forced to join a team of mercenaries sent to investigate an ancient excavation. Somwhere in that long-forgotten dig lies the thing the company wants most in the universe – a living Xenomorph.
      “Decker doesn’t understand why they need him, until his own past comes back to haunt him. Centuries ago, his ancestor fought the Aliens, launching a bloody vendetta that was never satisfied. That was when the creatures swore revenge on the Destroyer… Ellen Ripley.”

 Review: I did not like this second installment in the new Alien™ series as much as I did the first (read BookGirlR’s review of Alien™: Out of the Shadows here) because my favorite thing about the entire Alien™ franchise is Ellen Ripley. Without Ripley it’s not a part of the Alien™ fanchise, in my opinion. Women today need more strong female role models. Ellen Ripley kicks some serious ass and doesn’t need a man to swoop in and rescue her. The author, James A. Moore, has made his main character Alan Decker a distant relation to Ellen Ripley, but it’s not enough. He’s taken a strong female character and replaced her with a mediocre male character. Not cool Moore, not cool.
      If you read Alien™: Sea of Shadows as if it is not a new installment in the Alien™ franchise it’s not so bad. The setting is creepy; the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is more evil than the Aliens; and there is enough gory action to keep you on the edge of your seat. So, pretend that this is merely a science fiction action thriller, don’t expect it to live up the Alien™ franchise reputation, and you’ll like it fine.

Publisher: Titan Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

 Species Imperative Series by Julie E. Czerneda

Alien: River of Pain (Alien™ Trilogy #3) by Christopher Golden
**Release Date November 25, 2014**

Alien™: Out of the Shadows - Review

Title: Alien™: Out of the Shadows

Author: Tim Lebbon

Series: Alien™ Trilogy #1

Synopsis:  “As a child, Chris Hooper dreamed of monsters.  But in deep space, he found only darkness and isolation.  Then on planet LV178, he and his fellow miners discovered a storm-scoured, sand-blasted hell – and trimonite, the hardest material known to man.

     “When a shuttle crashes into the mining ship Marion, the miners learn that there was more then trimonite deep in the caverns.  There was evil, hibernating – and waiting for suitable prey.

     “Hoop and his associates uncover a nest of Xenomorphs, and hell takes on new meaning.  Quickly they discover that their only hope lies with the unlikeliest of saviors…

     “Ellen Ripley, the last human survivor of the salvage ship Nostromo.”

Review:  I love the Alien™ movies.  Ellen Ripley is one of my heroes.  I’ve talked about my love for science fiction and strong female characters in this space before, so I won’t go into it all over again.  But, that is why I picked this novel up during my birthday trip to Barnes and Noble (I go every year on my birthday, see my birthday post from last year here).  I had all of my books picked out, and was heading to the register to check out when this small book caught my eye and I picked it up and added it to my pile.  I had planned on reading the whole book in one day, but I got distracted by the television show my fiancé was watching (Worst Cooks in America is hilarious by the way) so I didn’t quite finish in one day.  While I did like Alien™: Out of the Shadows, I was a bit disappointed as well.

     What I loved:  Tim Lebbon is a wonderful author.  The suspense in this novel had me grinding my teeth and holding my breath as Ripley and her companions rounded corners and boarded elevators.  I found myself shouting at the book, “No!  Don’t go in there!  He’s dead for sure!”  The story idea itself fits well into the Alien™ franchise and was wonderful, fairly original, and at times had me wondering how they were going to pull it off.

     What I didn’t love: Ripley was not the strong female character who does not need a man to rescue her that is represented in the Alien™ movies.  She leans on Hoop too much and, while still strong willed, it seems as if without him she would not have made it.  I was disappointed.  I’m sick of the female characters in my novels needing a man to rescue them.  This is a stereotype that needs to stop.  Had Hoop been another female character I would not have minded nearly as much. 

     I am looking forward to the next one, even though it’s not by Lebbon, and reading this book made me want to watch the Alien™ movies again.  I ordered the boxed set from Amazon because of this book.

 

    

Publisher:   Titan Books

ISBN:  978-1781162682

If you like this book you may want to read:

Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S.A. Corey (ISBN: 978-0316129084)

Alien™: Sea of Sorrows (Alien ™ Trilogy #2) by James A. Moore (978-1781162705) **Release Date July 29, 2014**

Kéthani - Review

Title: Kéthani

Author: Eric Brown

Synopsis: “When a mysterious alien race known as the Kéthani make contact with the people of Earth they bring with them the dubious gift of eternal life. These enigmatic aliens will change the course of the human race forever but also touch people’s live on a personal level, not least in a small town in the English countryside. But do the Kéthani have a hidden agenda and will the human race choose to evolve or turn in on itself in the face of this momentous revelation?”

Review: **Spoiler Alert** Science Fiction is my favorite genre. It’s also the genre about which I’m the pickiest. I really enjoyed Brown’s previous novel Helix. I was disappointed with Kéthani. Part of this is my fault. I thought that it was going to be an aliens-take-over-the-Earth horror/science fiction novel. It’s not. This novel is about everyone learning to live in peace and harmony and the implications of immortality. Can you say boring? The second cause of disappointment (this is the one that is not my fault) is the constantly switching points of view. Similar to the horrible book I read yesterday, Ex-heroes, Kéthani is written in part first person and part third person points of view, and the first person sections are not always in the head of the same person. It’s head-hopping and I hate it! If an author is going to write in first person they need to pick a character’s head to be in and stay there! This is another book to avoid if you can.

Publisher: Solaris
ISBN: 978-1844167128

Skip this book and read one of these instead:



Helix by Eric Brown (ISBN: 978-1844164721)



Beholder’s Eye by Julie E. Czerneda (ISBN: 978-0886778187)

Touched by an Alien Review

Title: Touched by an Alien
Author: Gini Koch
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Series: Alien Novels #1

Synopsis: Katherine “Kitty” Katt thought she was witnessing a domestic disturbance as she left the Pueblo Caliente courthouse after her day of jury duty. However then the man she thought was about to get violent with his wife sprouts wings and turns into a superbeing hell-bent upon destruction. Instead of running away Kitty kills the monster with a pen. She is then whisked away by impossibly handsome Armani wearing men (one of whom has already proposed marriage five minutes after their first meeting) and is invited to join a secret, alien run, agency that attempts to eliminate these superbeings.

Review: I found Touched by an Alien to be a fairly entertaining story, although I did get tired of the clichés that popped up on every single page. The reader needs to be familiar with comic book characters. For example, if you don’t know who Daredevil is, or what cerebro does, you will probably be a bit lost at times. Most of the aliens were too perfect, making it hard to get lost in the story because their characters were not very believable. I loved Jeff’s character though and found it sweet that he wasn’t afraid to tell everyone he met, including her parents, that he wanted to marry Kitty and have lots of kids. The story was full of exciting action that kept me interested even when the clichés and flat characters were grinding on my last nerve. I will be reading the sequel when it’s released and I do recommend this novel for anyone looking for a light read.

Publisher: DAW Books
ISBN: 978-0756406004

If you like this book you may want to read:
Those Who Walk in Darkness by John Ridley (ISBN 978-0446612029)
The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson (ISBN 978-0060898915)