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Alien: Isolation #0
Alien: Isolation
The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hell-bent on discovering what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She joins a Weyland-Yutani team sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, only to find space station Sevastopol in chaos with a Xenomorph aboard. Flashbacks reveal Amanda’s history and events that forced her mother to take the assignment aboard the Nostromo.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 30, 2019
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1240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
October 3, 2020
I do not like the whole “ lets have a flashback” every chapter to buffer a story you clobbed together from a game that was a lot better. Maybe im too much of a Ellen Ripley fan not to give Amanda a chance.
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July 19, 2020I'm so very excited for this story to get the fleshing out that it deserves but some of the rumors about Zula's involvement worry me a little. The Defiance comic was one of my favorite Alien-verse comic arcs of all time, and I really hope that her character isn't altered from how she appeared there. Her and Davis's characters (and Amanda's personality as well) are getting glossed over with so little detail or care in the current Resistance arc...
And Amanda Ripley is really special to me as a character: for having so little back story and on-screen dialogue in the game, the writers of Isolation's cutscenes managed to create a very real and solid character. Honestly, the whole speaking cast seemed very solid and movie-script ready with clear motives and personalities: Waits as an antagonist who still had in mind "for the greater good," Ricardo who's loyalty to rules ends up turned over in place of interest of survival but never wavering from good intentions, Samuels the android who was willing to lose everything just to give Amanda a sense of closure, Taylor the young and ambitious legal rep from the Company with a secret--they've all been there for four years waiting for a film, or a book and I'm so glad that they're finally getting one.
Plus in Out of Shadows (I think that was the one?) it was established that Ellen Ripley's parents had a house in France? And I know that canon isn't really a concept in the Alien comics and novels but I had really hoped that considering how close together the release dates of all the recent material have been, that there would be SOME continuity...
Fingers crossed that DeCandido will do this justice and the copyright holders that commissioned it (I'm assuming Fox and Creative Studios?) gave him enough free reign to do something great with it.
I'm also likely going to preorder a copy in, or even just request that my store has it short listed so I can get it on the release day.
EDIT: FULL REVIEW TO COME.
And Amanda Ripley is really special to me as a character: for having so little back story and on-screen dialogue in the game, the writers of Isolation's cutscenes managed to create a very real and solid character. Honestly, the whole speaking cast seemed very solid and movie-script ready with clear motives and personalities: Waits as an antagonist who still had in mind "for the greater good," Ricardo who's loyalty to rules ends up turned over in place of interest of survival but never wavering from good intentions, Samuels the android who was willing to lose everything just to give Amanda a sense of closure, Taylor the young and ambitious legal rep from the Company with a secret--they've all been there for four years waiting for a film, or a book and I'm so glad that they're finally getting one.
Plus in Out of Shadows (I think that was the one?) it was established that Ellen Ripley's parents had a house in France? And I know that canon isn't really a concept in the Alien comics and novels but I had really hoped that considering how close together the release dates of all the recent material have been, that there would be SOME continuity...
Fingers crossed that DeCandido will do this justice and the copyright holders that commissioned it (I'm assuming Fox and Creative Studios?) gave him enough free reign to do something great with it.
I'm also likely going to preorder a copy in, or even just request that my store has it short listed so I can get it on the release day.
EDIT: FULL REVIEW TO COME.
March 5, 2021
I was really looking forward to this, an adaptation of an incredible videogame based on one of my favourite franchises of all time. Unfortunately, the book inherits many of the flaws of the game, namely a shallow, unevenly paced story and uninteresting characters.
Personally, I was eager to see how the author would translate the game's impeccable sense of tension and dread into prose form. However, having read the final product, that didn't seem to be much of a priority. There is only the barest sense of atmosphere. Enemies that are formidable and fearsome in the game are severely downplayed in the book. Little details are weirdly off, too: the Working Joes are described as having purple skin, and the brunette Amanda is described as blonde? Might have been understandable if the author was working off of prototypes and concept art, but the game was released nearly 5 years ago.
Speaking of which, the way Amanda was handled was another letdown. The flashbacks detailing her past are repetitive and largely superfluous to the main story. All the flashbacks say the exact same thing: Amanda has been taken advantage of by others and she doesn't trust other people. This is fine once or twice, but it didn't need to be reinstated as often as it did throughout the story, since it only served to interrupt the present narrative and didn't offer anything insightful or new to Amanda's characterization.
I don't envy the task of an author who has to condense a large game into a readable, 300 page novel. But I feel like this was a missed opportunity - it's just not scary or engaging like the game, and it doesn't improve upon the weak story and characters.
Personally, I was eager to see how the author would translate the game's impeccable sense of tension and dread into prose form. However, having read the final product, that didn't seem to be much of a priority. There is only the barest sense of atmosphere. Enemies that are formidable and fearsome in the game are severely downplayed in the book. Little details are weirdly off, too: the Working Joes are described as having purple skin, and the brunette Amanda is described as blonde? Might have been understandable if the author was working off of prototypes and concept art, but the game was released nearly 5 years ago.
Speaking of which, the way Amanda was handled was another letdown. The flashbacks detailing her past are repetitive and largely superfluous to the main story. All the flashbacks say the exact same thing: Amanda has been taken advantage of by others and she doesn't trust other people. This is fine once or twice, but it didn't need to be reinstated as often as it did throughout the story, since it only served to interrupt the present narrative and didn't offer anything insightful or new to Amanda's characterization.
I don't envy the task of an author who has to condense a large game into a readable, 300 page novel. But I feel like this was a missed opportunity - it's just not scary or engaging like the game, and it doesn't improve upon the weak story and characters.
April 29, 2025
"To Sigourney Weaver, who gave us Ellen Ripley, one of the greatest heroes of science fiction"
Audiobook 🎧
We follow Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda, as she travel to Sevastopol space station, hoping to find out what actually happened to her mother.
We also learn about Amanda's tragic childhood, growing up without her mother, having to live with a stepfather that was an alcoholic.
And I guess being a badass Alien slayer runs in the Ripley family, bc Amanda sure knows how to handle herself.
Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen was excellent 😍
Audiobook 🎧
We follow Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda, as she travel to Sevastopol space station, hoping to find out what actually happened to her mother.
We also learn about Amanda's tragic childhood, growing up without her mother, having to live with a stepfather that was an alcoholic.
And I guess being a badass Alien slayer runs in the Ripley family, bc Amanda sure knows how to handle herself.
Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen was excellent 😍
December 22, 2020
3.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this book for what it is: an adaptation of a video game’s story. It zipped along and was fun to read, but was no great piece of literature. It’s plotted like a video game and it doesn’t seem like much work was done to change that, and the ending was particularly bleak. I did enjoy that bit.
If you like Alien, etc. you’ll enjoy this grim re-telling of a great game that I could just never quite finish.
I really enjoyed this book for what it is: an adaptation of a video game’s story. It zipped along and was fun to read, but was no great piece of literature. It’s plotted like a video game and it doesn’t seem like much work was done to change that, and the ending was particularly bleak. I did enjoy that bit.
If you like Alien, etc. you’ll enjoy this grim re-telling of a great game that I could just never quite finish.
July 23, 2024
Alien: Isolation
By Keith R. A. DeCandido
I really enjoyed this Alien novel. It takes place 15 years after Ripley is not heard from again. Her daughter was expecting to see her mom, Ripley, from the movies, on the girl's 11th birthday. Instead of Ripley coming home, the daughter finds out her mom is missing. She manages to get a ride with a team to go look out there. They find the monsters that her mom dealt with and more. Great episode! I liked the daughter, she reminded me of Ripley. Lots of action and suspense!
By Keith R. A. DeCandido
I really enjoyed this Alien novel. It takes place 15 years after Ripley is not heard from again. Her daughter was expecting to see her mom, Ripley, from the movies, on the girl's 11th birthday. Instead of Ripley coming home, the daughter finds out her mom is missing. She manages to get a ride with a team to go look out there. They find the monsters that her mom dealt with and more. Great episode! I liked the daughter, she reminded me of Ripley. Lots of action and suspense!
May 10, 2020
I loved the game, even though I didn't beat it. I got too scared. lol! Maybe one day I'll finish it. But I loved the book too. It had me holding my breath with anxiety on some parts. This was a book I couldn't wait to keep going back to when I had to stop and deal with "life" things.
November 22, 2023
A pretty average story
January 25, 2025
It's easier to read about these monsters than to watch them on screen but this book was a mishmash of trips down memory lane and Amanda's journey from place A to place B to place nowhere in the end.
Messy.
Messy.
April 26, 2023
DNF 60% Depressing.
I wish I had never started listening. Ripley is poor white trash going from drunken loser to drunken loser, leaving her daughter alone with scumbags. Her daughter grows up a victim, taken advantage of over and over again.
It was so depressing.
Beyond the story, the audiobook was a wet blanket. There was no background sound to increase fear/tension or sound effects to make the Xenomorphs “leap off the page.”
I wish I had never started listening. Ripley is poor white trash going from drunken loser to drunken loser, leaving her daughter alone with scumbags. Her daughter grows up a victim, taken advantage of over and over again.
It was so depressing.
Beyond the story, the audiobook was a wet blanket. There was no background sound to increase fear/tension or sound effects to make the Xenomorphs “leap off the page.”
September 21, 2019
I have a little confession to make, I've never been able to finish playing Alien Isolation. I've had it since it was released in 2014, and have tried finishing it at least once a year since, but it's just way too scary for me. As such, when it was announced that Titan were releasing a novelisation I was over the moon, as I'd finally get to find out how the story of Amanda Ripley would end.
Whilst this is an adaptation of the game, Keith R.A. Decandido adds a lot more to the story, exploring Amanda's past and filling in a lot of the gaps to her story. Not only do we get to see her having to face off against the killer alien, but we see how the loss of her mother affected her life growing up.
Ripley having a daughter was a major character beat that was cut out of Aliens, and it was a shame as it gave a lot more context to her relationship with Newt. Since the release of the special edition fans have been wanting to know more about Ripley and her daughter, and this novelisation gives us the most insight to date.
We get to see Ripley and Amanda before the events of the original movie, where she's a mother trying her best to support her daughter despite her long distance job that takes her away from home for months at a time. We discover that despite the rocky relationship with Amanda's step-father, Ripley always tries to do the best she can by her daughter, and loves her deeply.
Once Ripley and the Nostromo disappear we learn the affect this had on Amanda. We discover that her whole adolescence was shaped by this disaster, and that the pain of her loss never left her. Whilst this is included to a small degree in the game here it becomes a focal point. It's not just the motivation for Amanda travelling to Sevastopol station, but something that shaped her entire life.
Amanda was left in a less than ideal home situation, living with an alcoholic step-father who can't get his shit together. This leads to her being unable to finish her education and becoming a full engineer, which limited her employment options and effectively left her poor her entire life. Ripley's disappearance began a cascade of events that led Amanda to coming face to face with the same creatures that took her mother away from her.
Decandido doesn't just build this new backstory, but has the difficult job of condensing down the whole game-play scenario into a story that wont leave readers bored. Whilst walking through countless corridors for hours on end worked for the game, thanks in large part to the massive levels of tension the game built, it wasn't going to make an entertaining read. Thankfully, the books narrative is able to capture a lot of this atmosphere, and hits all of the major beats of the game.
This doesn't just include the big story moments, which of course would be included, but little things like the scrawled graffiti players find on the walls, Amanda making smoke-bombs out of scrap materials, and having to collect tools to progress through the station. Sometimes game adaptations can feel like poor novels as the writers work hard to include as much of the game-play experience as they can. I found this to be true in the Resident Evil novel series, where the game adaptations were not quite as good as the stories that the writer was able to craft themselves. Thankfully, this kind of thing didn't happen here, largely thanks to the inclusion of all of the backstory segments.
Whether you're like me, and haven't been able to complete the game, or someone who has experienced the whole thing there's something for everyone in this adaptation. The book takes the source material and doesn't just adapt it, but expands upon it to give an even bigger experience. An ideal read for Alien fans and those that enjoy horror.
Whilst this is an adaptation of the game, Keith R.A. Decandido adds a lot more to the story, exploring Amanda's past and filling in a lot of the gaps to her story. Not only do we get to see her having to face off against the killer alien, but we see how the loss of her mother affected her life growing up.
Ripley having a daughter was a major character beat that was cut out of Aliens, and it was a shame as it gave a lot more context to her relationship with Newt. Since the release of the special edition fans have been wanting to know more about Ripley and her daughter, and this novelisation gives us the most insight to date.
We get to see Ripley and Amanda before the events of the original movie, where she's a mother trying her best to support her daughter despite her long distance job that takes her away from home for months at a time. We discover that despite the rocky relationship with Amanda's step-father, Ripley always tries to do the best she can by her daughter, and loves her deeply.
Once Ripley and the Nostromo disappear we learn the affect this had on Amanda. We discover that her whole adolescence was shaped by this disaster, and that the pain of her loss never left her. Whilst this is included to a small degree in the game here it becomes a focal point. It's not just the motivation for Amanda travelling to Sevastopol station, but something that shaped her entire life.
Amanda was left in a less than ideal home situation, living with an alcoholic step-father who can't get his shit together. This leads to her being unable to finish her education and becoming a full engineer, which limited her employment options and effectively left her poor her entire life. Ripley's disappearance began a cascade of events that led Amanda to coming face to face with the same creatures that took her mother away from her.
Decandido doesn't just build this new backstory, but has the difficult job of condensing down the whole game-play scenario into a story that wont leave readers bored. Whilst walking through countless corridors for hours on end worked for the game, thanks in large part to the massive levels of tension the game built, it wasn't going to make an entertaining read. Thankfully, the books narrative is able to capture a lot of this atmosphere, and hits all of the major beats of the game.
This doesn't just include the big story moments, which of course would be included, but little things like the scrawled graffiti players find on the walls, Amanda making smoke-bombs out of scrap materials, and having to collect tools to progress through the station. Sometimes game adaptations can feel like poor novels as the writers work hard to include as much of the game-play experience as they can. I found this to be true in the Resident Evil novel series, where the game adaptations were not quite as good as the stories that the writer was able to craft themselves. Thankfully, this kind of thing didn't happen here, largely thanks to the inclusion of all of the backstory segments.
Whether you're like me, and haven't been able to complete the game, or someone who has experienced the whole thing there's something for everyone in this adaptation. The book takes the source material and doesn't just adapt it, but expands upon it to give an even bigger experience. An ideal read for Alien fans and those that enjoy horror.
February 14, 2020
Wow this really felt like a sequel to the original story. Don't get me wrong Aliens is great and I love it but it's got a completely different atmosphere than Alien.
Alien Isolation gives us the best of both worlds. You get the tense isolated horror of the Alien stalking Amanda in the beginning and more action-packed race against time twords the end.
I also liked the use of the "Joe's" (semi mindless drones, instead of Androids like Ash or Bishop) and other survivors to keep the tension up between Alien encounters.
The segments between chapters where they talk about Amanda's past where okay, not super exciting or really insightful towards the universe itself. They're more of a look at her life specifically which was really depressing because I know a lot of people that were basically Amanda growing up (minus the whole xenomorph thing).
Alien Isolation gives us the best of both worlds. You get the tense isolated horror of the Alien stalking Amanda in the beginning and more action-packed race against time twords the end.
I also liked the use of the "Joe's" (semi mindless drones, instead of Androids like Ash or Bishop) and other survivors to keep the tension up between Alien encounters.
The segments between chapters where they talk about Amanda's past where okay, not super exciting or really insightful towards the universe itself. They're more of a look at her life specifically which was really depressing because I know a lot of people that were basically Amanda growing up (minus the whole xenomorph thing).
August 31, 2021
It works well in the first half as it sets the stage and establishes Amanda Ripley’s backstory. I actually didn’t mind the flashbacks. In fact, I think I would have preferred a novel just about Amanda doing… well, not this. The second half is a bit of a slog, moving from “level to level” with very little atmosphere or sense of dramatic rhythm. It feels like a summary of a video game… without any of the tension one gets from playing a video game.
March 3, 2022
No espaço, ninguém te ouve gritar, nem a ler…
Desde miúdo que sempre gostei da franquia ALIEN e, assim que tive a oportunidade de meter as minhas mãos nesta novelização incrível, aproveitei logo e comprei o eBook! Foi uma leitura rápida e bastante agradável, no entanto, também foi uma leitura com pausas muito longa, o que contribuiu para a demora em concluir esta review que espero que seja do vosso agrado. Sem mais demoras, deixo-vos agora com a minha review de Alien: Isolation!
Vamos começar pelo Resumo: Aproximadamente 15 anos após o desaparecimento do cargueiro espacial Nostromo, Amanda Ripley é encontrada por um representante da Weyland-Yutani Corporation que a informa que a caixa-preta da nave desaparecida está a bordo de Sevastopol, uma remota estação espacial da Seegson Corporation, na órbita do gigante gasoso KG348. Disposta a saber mais sobre o paradeiro da mãe, a tenente Ellen Ripley, Amanda decide viajar até Sevastopol juntamente com o representante da Weyland-Yutani Corporation e outros tripulantes para embarcar numa jornada letal que viria a tornar-se no seu pior pesadelo.
Sobre o Autor: Cá está, mais uma vez, um autor que eu não conhecia e que, por acaso, tem um currículo cheio de obras de ficção-científica. Keith R.A. DeCandido é um escritor e músico norte-americano nascido em Abril de 1969 que escreveu novelizações e banda-desenhada para gigantes da ficção-científica como Star Trek, Doctor Who, Supernatural e para a própria Marvel, trabalhando em bandas-desenhadas do Homem-Aranha e dos X-Men. Além de escritor e músico, Keith R.A. DeCandido também é conhecido por usar um pouco do seu tempo livre para escrever reviews de séries de ficção-científica.
Sobre a História: Alien: Isolation é a novelização do fantástico jogo com o mesmo nome (ALIEN Isolation, disponível para todas as plataformas) que narra a jornada da destemida Amanda Ripley dentro da estação espacial Sevastopol, uma estação espacial que é propriedade da Seegson Corporation e que está a orbitar o gigante gasoso KG348, longe da Terra. Inicialmente com o objetivo de descobrir o paradeiro da mãe, a tenente Ellen Ripley do cargueiro espacial Nostromo que desapareceu há 15 anos atrás, Amanda, esperançosa em obter qualquer tipo de informação possível na caixa-preta sobre o paradeiro da mãe, é agora obrigada a sobreviver dentro de uma estação espacial isolada de tudo. Nesta obra temos um pouco de tudo, desde dilemas éticos de sobrevivência, muito stress e até traições, muitas mortes de personagens e claro, o suspense e terror que podemos encontrar na franquia ALIEN.
Keith R.A. DeCandido fez um trabalho incrível com toda a informação e detalhes que entregou ao leitor, criando uma novelização de leitura leve e capaz de prender o leitor (e gerar algum medo). Por outro lado, vejo-me na necessidade de dizer que a narrativa, por vezes, pode parecer sintética por ser a novelização de um jogo (algumas decisões de Amanda baseiam-se em ir do ponto A para o ponto B para falar com uma pessoa em específico ou para obter uma ferramenta que lhe dará jeito para a Área X e Y). Toda a jornada da Amanda é arrepiante e, através dos flashbacks que surgem após cada capítulo de história corrente, conseguimos perceber o quão desafiante e complexa foi a infância desta jovem adulta que, tragicamente, viveu com um pai adotivo que não tinha um pingo de responsabilidade no sangue e cujas amizades sempre a traíram, explorando a carência maternal da personagem para meios próprios (burlas e chantagem emocional), criando nela uma descrença com pessoas que se demonstram dispostas a “ajudar” (um tópico também explorado na sua jornada dentro da estação espacial). No decorrer da obra conhecemos algumas personagens que acabam por ser importantes não só para o desenvolvimento da personagem da Amanda, como também para a crítica que a franquia ALIEN faz às grandes organizações industriais e megacorporações comerciais, refiro-me há gigante Weyland-Yutani Corp. que anseia meter as mãos gananciosas num exemplar de Xenomorph, enviando a executiva Nina Taylor na missão de recuperar a caixa-preta com o verdadeiro objectivo de capturar um Xenomorph e há ignorante Seegson Corporation, cuja administração ignorou os protocolos de segurança e, assim acabou por desencadear todo o estado de calamidade da estação espacial. Mas nem tudo são rosas, já que existem algumas diferenças entre o livro e jogo que podem causar confusão a alguns leitores mais exigentes como, por exemplo, o facto dos Working Joe's serem roxos ao invés de serem mais cinzentos e o cabelo de Amanda ser loiro, já que no jogo ela tem o cabelo castanho (o que me leva a pensar que esta novelização possa ter sido escrita durante o desenvolvimento do jogo e não após o lançamento do mesmo). Também existem algumas diferenças na personalidade de alguns personagens e um ou outro detalhe que pode ser necessário para uns e desnecessário para outros.
É um facto que há muito para se falar sobre esta obra que, para muitos fãs, é uma autêntica jóia de valor imensurável, contudo, revelar todos os detalhes sobre a narrativa, personagens e momentos de maior suspense acabaria por estragar toda a experiência de leitura.
Sobre as Personagens: Escusado será dizer que, no decorrer da obra, são muitas as personagens que interagem com a Amanda Ripley. Umas com intenções nobres e outras más, cujo único objetivo, assim como o de Amanda, é sobreviverem numa estação espacial sem saída. Não tenciono entrar em grandes detalhes para não estragar a vossa experiência literária, porém, acho que é merecido mencionarmos personagens como o Alex (), que foi a primeira grande ajuda de Amanda, o Dr. Kuhlman () e o Samuels, cuja presença inicialmente duvidosa acaba por gerar um plot-twist interessante (). Todas as personagens são cuidadosamente trabalhadas e desenvolvidas no decorrer dos capítulos e, de uma forma ou outra, acabam por ter algum tipo de ligação com outros filmes da franquia (estou a referir-me às referências das personagens do primeiro filme de ALIEN).
Sobre Amanda Ripley: Antes do jogo e desta novelização maravilhosa, tudo aquilo que sabíamos sobre a personagem da Amanda Ripley era o facto de nunca ter tido a chance de ver a mãe, Ellen Ripley, devido aos eventos dos filmes. Felizmente, o jogo apresentou-nos uma personagem jovem adulta tão forte e incrível quanto a própria Ellen Ripley e a novel explora a fundo, através de flashbacks surpreendentes, a infância e adolescência problemática de Amanda. Uma personagem que nunca teve, de certa forma, paz, amor nem a oportunidade de confiar alguém em toda a vida, cujo único desejo era voltar a ver a mãe, custe o que custar. São poucas as personagens de ficção, com este estilo de passado, que se tornam "heróis" ao invés de "vilões".
E a minha Conclusão Final é: Alien: Isolation, de Keith R.A. DeCandido é uma leitura obrigatória para todos os fãs da franquia ALIEN (e também recomendo muito o jogo). As peripécias de Amanda são de cortar a respiração e a brutalidade dos medonhos ALIENS pode ser sentida a cada página. Estamos a falar de uma obra detalhada, contudo, com os seus defeitos, maioritariamente a quantidade exagerada de flashbacks, que nos são apresentados, por vezes, nos momentos menos oportunos de forma a cortar um pouco do clima que a história transmite. De resto, a única coisa que me resta dizer é uma leitura firme e que poderá vir a ser do vosso agrado!
Desde miúdo que sempre gostei da franquia ALIEN e, assim que tive a oportunidade de meter as minhas mãos nesta novelização incrível, aproveitei logo e comprei o eBook! Foi uma leitura rápida e bastante agradável, no entanto, também foi uma leitura com pausas muito longa, o que contribuiu para a demora em concluir esta review que espero que seja do vosso agrado. Sem mais demoras, deixo-vos agora com a minha review de Alien: Isolation!
Vamos começar pelo Resumo: Aproximadamente 15 anos após o desaparecimento do cargueiro espacial Nostromo, Amanda Ripley é encontrada por um representante da Weyland-Yutani Corporation que a informa que a caixa-preta da nave desaparecida está a bordo de Sevastopol, uma remota estação espacial da Seegson Corporation, na órbita do gigante gasoso KG348. Disposta a saber mais sobre o paradeiro da mãe, a tenente Ellen Ripley, Amanda decide viajar até Sevastopol juntamente com o representante da Weyland-Yutani Corporation e outros tripulantes para embarcar numa jornada letal que viria a tornar-se no seu pior pesadelo.
Sobre o Autor: Cá está, mais uma vez, um autor que eu não conhecia e que, por acaso, tem um currículo cheio de obras de ficção-científica. Keith R.A. DeCandido é um escritor e músico norte-americano nascido em Abril de 1969 que escreveu novelizações e banda-desenhada para gigantes da ficção-científica como Star Trek, Doctor Who, Supernatural e para a própria Marvel, trabalhando em bandas-desenhadas do Homem-Aranha e dos X-Men. Além de escritor e músico, Keith R.A. DeCandido também é conhecido por usar um pouco do seu tempo livre para escrever reviews de séries de ficção-científica.
Sobre a História: Alien: Isolation é a novelização do fantástico jogo com o mesmo nome (ALIEN Isolation, disponível para todas as plataformas) que narra a jornada da destemida Amanda Ripley dentro da estação espacial Sevastopol, uma estação espacial que é propriedade da Seegson Corporation e que está a orbitar o gigante gasoso KG348, longe da Terra. Inicialmente com o objetivo de descobrir o paradeiro da mãe, a tenente Ellen Ripley do cargueiro espacial Nostromo que desapareceu há 15 anos atrás, Amanda, esperançosa em obter qualquer tipo de informação possível na caixa-preta sobre o paradeiro da mãe, é agora obrigada a sobreviver dentro de uma estação espacial isolada de tudo. Nesta obra temos um pouco de tudo, desde dilemas éticos de sobrevivência, muito stress e até traições, muitas mortes de personagens e claro, o suspense e terror que podemos encontrar na franquia ALIEN.
Keith R.A. DeCandido fez um trabalho incrível com toda a informação e detalhes que entregou ao leitor, criando uma novelização de leitura leve e capaz de prender o leitor (e gerar algum medo). Por outro lado, vejo-me na necessidade de dizer que a narrativa, por vezes, pode parecer sintética por ser a novelização de um jogo (algumas decisões de Amanda baseiam-se em ir do ponto A para o ponto B para falar com uma pessoa em específico ou para obter uma ferramenta que lhe dará jeito para a Área X e Y). Toda a jornada da Amanda é arrepiante e, através dos flashbacks que surgem após cada capítulo de história corrente, conseguimos perceber o quão desafiante e complexa foi a infância desta jovem adulta que, tragicamente, viveu com um pai adotivo que não tinha um pingo de responsabilidade no sangue e cujas amizades sempre a traíram, explorando a carência maternal da personagem para meios próprios (burlas e chantagem emocional), criando nela uma descrença com pessoas que se demonstram dispostas a “ajudar” (um tópico também explorado na sua jornada dentro da estação espacial). No decorrer da obra conhecemos algumas personagens que acabam por ser importantes não só para o desenvolvimento da personagem da Amanda, como também para a crítica que a franquia ALIEN faz às grandes organizações industriais e megacorporações comerciais, refiro-me há gigante Weyland-Yutani Corp. que anseia meter as mãos gananciosas num exemplar de Xenomorph, enviando a executiva Nina Taylor na missão de recuperar a caixa-preta com o verdadeiro objectivo de capturar um Xenomorph e há ignorante Seegson Corporation, cuja administração ignorou os protocolos de segurança e, assim acabou por desencadear todo o estado de calamidade da estação espacial. Mas nem tudo são rosas, já que existem algumas diferenças entre o livro e jogo que podem causar confusão a alguns leitores mais exigentes como, por exemplo, o facto dos Working Joe's serem roxos ao invés de serem mais cinzentos e o cabelo de Amanda ser loiro, já que no jogo ela tem o cabelo castanho (
É um facto que há muito para se falar sobre esta obra que, para muitos fãs, é uma autêntica jóia de valor imensurável, contudo, revelar todos os detalhes sobre a narrativa, personagens e momentos de maior suspense acabaria por estragar toda a experiência de leitura.
Sobre as Personagens: Escusado será dizer que, no decorrer da obra, são muitas as personagens que interagem com a Amanda Ripley. Umas com intenções nobres e outras más, cujo único objetivo, assim como o de Amanda, é sobreviverem numa estação espacial sem saída. Não tenciono entrar em grandes detalhes para não estragar a vossa experiência literária, porém, acho que é merecido mencionarmos personagens como o Alex (), que foi a primeira grande ajuda de Amanda, o Dr. Kuhlman () e o Samuels, cuja presença inicialmente duvidosa acaba por gerar um plot-twist interessante (). Todas as personagens são cuidadosamente trabalhadas e desenvolvidas no decorrer dos capítulos e, de uma forma ou outra, acabam por ter algum tipo de ligação com outros filmes da franquia (estou a referir-me às referências das personagens do primeiro filme de ALIEN).
Sobre Amanda Ripley: Antes do jogo e desta novelização maravilhosa, tudo aquilo que sabíamos sobre a personagem da Amanda Ripley era o facto de nunca ter tido a chance de ver a mãe, Ellen Ripley, devido aos eventos dos filmes. Felizmente, o jogo apresentou-nos uma personagem jovem adulta tão forte e incrível quanto a própria Ellen Ripley e a novel explora a fundo, através de flashbacks surpreendentes, a infância e adolescência problemática de Amanda. Uma personagem que nunca teve, de certa forma, paz, amor nem a oportunidade de confiar alguém em toda a vida, cujo único desejo era voltar a ver a mãe, custe o que custar. São poucas as personagens de ficção, com este estilo de passado, que se tornam "heróis" ao invés de "vilões".
E a minha Conclusão Final é: Alien: Isolation, de Keith R.A. DeCandido é uma leitura obrigatória para todos os fãs da franquia ALIEN (e também recomendo muito o jogo). As peripécias de Amanda são de cortar a respiração e a brutalidade dos medonhos ALIENS pode ser sentida a cada página. Estamos a falar de uma obra detalhada, contudo, com os seus defeitos, maioritariamente a quantidade exagerada de flashbacks, que nos são apresentados, por vezes, nos momentos menos oportunos de forma a cortar um pouco do clima que a história transmite. De resto, a única coisa que me resta dizer é uma leitura firme e que poderá vir a ser do vosso agrado!
May 6, 2022
I tried playing the Alien: Isolation video game a few years back and made it a few hours into the adventure before a corrupted save broke my will to continue. For whatever reason, the file froze a pop-up screen in the center of the display, obstructing action items and new messages, making the game unplayable. I never did muster up the will to start over all the way back to the start of the game, but I sank into Keith R.A. DeCandido's adaptation eager to see how things would finally resolve. I even recognized a few story segments from my own limited play-through before the plot really heated up and grew unfamiliar.
Amanda Ripley, daughter of the ill-fated Nostromo's warrant officer, Ellen Ripley, has been searching for any clue she can find to locate her missing mother. When she's offered the chance to help recover a flight data recorder from the Nostromo, discovered by another ship responding to a distress call on LV-426, she jumps at the chance. When she arrives at Sevastopol Station, though, she finds way more than she bargained for. An insectile alien creature is rampaging through the station, leaving a large body count in its wake, and - if that wasn't bad enough - every Working Joe android is malfunctioning and have turned awfully homicidal. As Amanda notes at one point, it's "Just another fun day at Apocalypse Station."
I wasn't too far into Alien: Isolation before I began wondering (aside from the Fox-Disney merger) why the hell we haven't gotten any Amanda Ripley movies starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ellen's daughter, because that feels like a no-brainer Hollywood goldmine. Which probably also explains why it hasn't been done...it just makes too much damn sense. That aside, the Amanda Ripley presented here is a terrific heroine, and she truly carries on the legacy of her absent mother. Alien fans will know that at this point in the timeline, Ripley is floating through space in cyrosleep aboard one of Nostromo's lifeboats and it'll be another 57 years before she's recovered. Plenty of time, then, for Amanda to do her own thing and encounter her fair share of Xenomorphs while she searches for dear ol' Mom.
What makes Amanda's adventures through Sevastopol so engaging is DeCandido's focus on what makes her tick as a human being. We get plenty of flashbacks to Amanda's childhood and her time with Ellen, as well as with her useless drunk of a stepfather, and the years following her eleventh birthday - and Ellen's disappearance - as she attempts to make her way through the universe on her own. Amanda's a nicely complicated character, distrusting of virtually everyone around her thanks to her stepfather's failures and people who have used her mother's disappearance and subsequent search for answers to swindle her. She's a hardbitten women who has been repeatedly screwed over by the universe, and I found her to be highly sympathetic, familiar, and engaging. She's easy to root for, not just because she's a Ripley, but because DeCandido takes the time to step away from the video game plotline to build her up as a well-rounded woman who has been thrust into a ridiculously insane situation.
However, knowing Alien: Isolation is an adaptation, and having played a little bit of the game it's based on, makes some of the scenarios and situations Amanda is confronted with feel a little bit forced. DeCandido never quite overcomes the video game logic of the story, and certain elements carry a little too much of that video game contrivance. Several moments, like Amanda's discovery of a discarded smoke bomb recipe and a tool to open locked doors, feel a bit shoehorned into the narrative, reminding you repeatedly that this book is indeed based on a video game. It reads too much like a tutorial session in print, and where these "coincidental" discoveries are familiar hallmarks of a video game training you on how to play your way through the narrative and get you acquainted with the game's mechanics and tools, it feels clumsy in prose. Ditto the introduction of various side-characters, who exist in the single-player video game to assign missions that push the plot forward, feel rather flat with their "go here, do this" assignments for Amanda, who has to tackle every issue aboard the station all on her own while various men sit around on their useless asses.
While Isolation never manages to fully escape the limits of being a video game adaptation, DeCandido does offer up enough compelling character moments in Amanda's flashbacks, and suitably explores the familiar relationships that have shaped her. It's a solid introduction to this character and her place in the franchise, and one that immediately had me searching for other stories involving her. Aside from some Dark Horse Comics and a mobile game sequel to Isolation, though, there's sadly little tie-in lit. It's an oversight I hope to see corrected as Titan Books continues to develop their line of original stories in the Alien universe. After all, Ellen is still floating out there somewhere, and now, too, so is Amanda - and who knows what she'll find in a universe of Xenomorphs, Engineers, and Yautja...
Amanda Ripley, daughter of the ill-fated Nostromo's warrant officer, Ellen Ripley, has been searching for any clue she can find to locate her missing mother. When she's offered the chance to help recover a flight data recorder from the Nostromo, discovered by another ship responding to a distress call on LV-426, she jumps at the chance. When she arrives at Sevastopol Station, though, she finds way more than she bargained for. An insectile alien creature is rampaging through the station, leaving a large body count in its wake, and - if that wasn't bad enough - every Working Joe android is malfunctioning and have turned awfully homicidal. As Amanda notes at one point, it's "Just another fun day at Apocalypse Station."
I wasn't too far into Alien: Isolation before I began wondering (aside from the Fox-Disney merger) why the hell we haven't gotten any Amanda Ripley movies starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ellen's daughter, because that feels like a no-brainer Hollywood goldmine. Which probably also explains why it hasn't been done...it just makes too much damn sense. That aside, the Amanda Ripley presented here is a terrific heroine, and she truly carries on the legacy of her absent mother. Alien fans will know that at this point in the timeline, Ripley is floating through space in cyrosleep aboard one of Nostromo's lifeboats and it'll be another 57 years before she's recovered. Plenty of time, then, for Amanda to do her own thing and encounter her fair share of Xenomorphs while she searches for dear ol' Mom.
What makes Amanda's adventures through Sevastopol so engaging is DeCandido's focus on what makes her tick as a human being. We get plenty of flashbacks to Amanda's childhood and her time with Ellen, as well as with her useless drunk of a stepfather, and the years following her eleventh birthday - and Ellen's disappearance - as she attempts to make her way through the universe on her own. Amanda's a nicely complicated character, distrusting of virtually everyone around her thanks to her stepfather's failures and people who have used her mother's disappearance and subsequent search for answers to swindle her. She's a hardbitten women who has been repeatedly screwed over by the universe, and I found her to be highly sympathetic, familiar, and engaging. She's easy to root for, not just because she's a Ripley, but because DeCandido takes the time to step away from the video game plotline to build her up as a well-rounded woman who has been thrust into a ridiculously insane situation.
However, knowing Alien: Isolation is an adaptation, and having played a little bit of the game it's based on, makes some of the scenarios and situations Amanda is confronted with feel a little bit forced. DeCandido never quite overcomes the video game logic of the story, and certain elements carry a little too much of that video game contrivance. Several moments, like Amanda's discovery of a discarded smoke bomb recipe and a tool to open locked doors, feel a bit shoehorned into the narrative, reminding you repeatedly that this book is indeed based on a video game. It reads too much like a tutorial session in print, and where these "coincidental" discoveries are familiar hallmarks of a video game training you on how to play your way through the narrative and get you acquainted with the game's mechanics and tools, it feels clumsy in prose. Ditto the introduction of various side-characters, who exist in the single-player video game to assign missions that push the plot forward, feel rather flat with their "go here, do this" assignments for Amanda, who has to tackle every issue aboard the station all on her own while various men sit around on their useless asses.
While Isolation never manages to fully escape the limits of being a video game adaptation, DeCandido does offer up enough compelling character moments in Amanda's flashbacks, and suitably explores the familiar relationships that have shaped her. It's a solid introduction to this character and her place in the franchise, and one that immediately had me searching for other stories involving her. Aside from some Dark Horse Comics and a mobile game sequel to Isolation, though, there's sadly little tie-in lit. It's an oversight I hope to see corrected as Titan Books continues to develop their line of original stories in the Alien universe. After all, Ellen is still floating out there somewhere, and now, too, so is Amanda - and who knows what she'll find in a universe of Xenomorphs, Engineers, and Yautja...
July 14, 2025
4.0 (audiobook)
August 21, 2019
Alien book publishing has gone through a sort of renaissance in the past few years, due in large part to the solid effort of the people at Titan Publishing. Authors like Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, Alex White, Alan Dean Foster and now Keith R.A. DeCandido have been publishing some real powerhouse novels that are fun to read and add to Alien lore in exciting ways. Now, enter Alien Isolation, the 2014 videogame. Taking a cue from a most interesting deleted scene from the film "Aliens," Isolation tells the story of Ripley's daughter, and her search for her missing mother following the events of the first Alien film. While well-received, the game did not sell extremely well, and interest in developing sequels ground to a halt. But surprise! Five years later--out of nowhere-- we get a novelization of the game. It's curious, and I ask "why now?" Better late than never, I suppose.
NOTE: If you haven't played the videogame, fear not! The novelization works very well on its own, and you will still have a great reading experience.
The plot of the novel follows the story beats from the game quite closely. However, there is a lot of added content to the book, and some of this new content is actually the most interesting. The novel begins by relaying the story of the Anesidora and how it comes to pick up the flight recorder and alien creature. I was glad this story was told in one cohesive section at the beginning of the novel, rather than being broken up, as it was in the game. There is also a substantial amount of story content with Amanda Ripley that takes place before she is recruited to tag along on the journey to Sevastopol Station. This extra content has some really interesting info about Ellen and Amanda Ripley's personal lives that was heretofore unknown to me. The extra scenes really help the reader understand the psyche of Amanda in particular, what makes her tick, and why she is so jaded.
The novel is well-written and moves a good clip. Author DeCandido does a good of following the plot of the game while also truncating exploration as needed, so you won't have to read extended sequences of people hiding in lockers, reading emails on computers, etc. The game exuded a strong sense of mood, and the author emulates this very well in the book. He is also quite faithful to Alien source material at large, and obviously has a strong grasp on the universe. I was delighted with the novel's characterization, particularly that of the protagonist, Amanda. DeCandido really turns the two-dimensional character from the game into a compelling specimen. Amanda's caustic sense of humor is priceless. I also appreciated the author re-working the ending, which in the game was underwhelming.
While the flashback scenes were entertaining and informative, I found they did slow the action, perhaps intentionally? I would've preferred more fleshing out of the main storyline over the flashback scenes, which occasionally felt shoehorned in. Other than that, my complaints were few.
Alien fan? Looking for a dynamite read? Stop reading this stupidly long review and go pick up the novel, already! Kudos to Keith R.A. DeCandido for writing a novel that succeeds on many fronts: as great novelization, great Alien tie-in, and great science fiction. The Alien: Isolation novelization is a wonderful expansion of the lore we love, and hope to see more coming soon!
NOTE: NOTE: You'll be hungry for a sequel after reading the novel. The sequel is told in the form of a comic--Aliens: Resistance, which is available in one volume or four separate shorter volumes. There is also another comic about Zula Hendricks, which is called Aliens: Defiance. It is available in two volumes or as eight shorter volumes. Confusing, I know!
NOTE: If you haven't played the videogame, fear not! The novelization works very well on its own, and you will still have a great reading experience.
The plot of the novel follows the story beats from the game quite closely. However, there is a lot of added content to the book, and some of this new content is actually the most interesting. The novel begins by relaying the story of the Anesidora and how it comes to pick up the flight recorder and alien creature. I was glad this story was told in one cohesive section at the beginning of the novel, rather than being broken up, as it was in the game. There is also a substantial amount of story content with Amanda Ripley that takes place before she is recruited to tag along on the journey to Sevastopol Station. This extra content has some really interesting info about Ellen and Amanda Ripley's personal lives that was heretofore unknown to me. The extra scenes really help the reader understand the psyche of Amanda in particular, what makes her tick, and why she is so jaded.
The novel is well-written and moves a good clip. Author DeCandido does a good of following the plot of the game while also truncating exploration as needed, so you won't have to read extended sequences of people hiding in lockers, reading emails on computers, etc. The game exuded a strong sense of mood, and the author emulates this very well in the book. He is also quite faithful to Alien source material at large, and obviously has a strong grasp on the universe. I was delighted with the novel's characterization, particularly that of the protagonist, Amanda. DeCandido really turns the two-dimensional character from the game into a compelling specimen. Amanda's caustic sense of humor is priceless. I also appreciated the author re-working the ending, which in the game was underwhelming.
While the flashback scenes were entertaining and informative, I found they did slow the action, perhaps intentionally? I would've preferred more fleshing out of the main storyline over the flashback scenes, which occasionally felt shoehorned in. Other than that, my complaints were few.
Alien fan? Looking for a dynamite read? Stop reading this stupidly long review and go pick up the novel, already! Kudos to Keith R.A. DeCandido for writing a novel that succeeds on many fronts: as great novelization, great Alien tie-in, and great science fiction. The Alien: Isolation novelization is a wonderful expansion of the lore we love, and hope to see more coming soon!
NOTE: NOTE: You'll be hungry for a sequel after reading the novel. The sequel is told in the form of a comic--Aliens: Resistance, which is available in one volume or four separate shorter volumes. There is also another comic about Zula Hendricks, which is called Aliens: Defiance. It is available in two volumes or as eight shorter volumes. Confusing, I know!
June 8, 2025
May appeal to fans of the game, but to a general Aliens like me, this was a disappointment. Lots of padding to get to know Ellen Ripley's daughter's development after she disappeared, but told in such a way as to interrupt the flow of what was going on in the present.
Worse, every character beyond Ellen is a barely sketched in thumb-nail, so when they are in peril or do something nefarious, it's hard to care.
Plus, I don't know this one works in the Aliens Universe canon. I'm sure we're told Amanda Ripley passed away of natural causes in the Special Edition of Aliens, yet here she is running around battling the Xenomorphs. If that's the case, how come no one knows about LV-426 and the Xenomorphs when Ripley's shuttle is found 57 years after the events of Alien, with this book taking place some 15 years after that film.
Meh, it doesn't really matter, I suppose. But then "meh" is pretty much how I felt when reading Alien: Isolation.
2 Casual Synthetic Reveals for Alien: Isolation.
Worse, every character beyond Ellen is a barely sketched in thumb-nail, so when they are in peril or do something nefarious, it's hard to care.
Plus, I don't know this one works in the Aliens Universe canon. I'm sure we're told Amanda Ripley passed away of natural causes in the Special Edition of Aliens, yet here she is running around battling the Xenomorphs. If that's the case, how come no one knows about LV-426 and the Xenomorphs when Ripley's shuttle is found 57 years after the events of Alien, with this book taking place some 15 years after that film.
Meh, it doesn't really matter, I suppose. But then "meh" is pretty much how I felt when reading Alien: Isolation.
2 Casual Synthetic Reveals for Alien: Isolation.
July 16, 2021
Just OK. Should have been better written.
This book was a bit of a disappointment even though it was a little entertaining. The fact that it was based on the hugely popular video games raised the bar high. I'm surprised that the editors and the publisher didn't tackle the issue of the book's lackluster writing. Some of it was so bad, I almost stopped reading it a couple of times.
The storyline was scattered and the plot was ambiguous. The characters were not very believable, especially Rippley's daughter. I just felt it needed something extra. Like making a sauce for a dish and not using the right ingredients and spices.
This is disappointing considering that most of the Alien books have been phenomenal.
This book was a bit of a disappointment even though it was a little entertaining. The fact that it was based on the hugely popular video games raised the bar high. I'm surprised that the editors and the publisher didn't tackle the issue of the book's lackluster writing. Some of it was so bad, I almost stopped reading it a couple of times.
The storyline was scattered and the plot was ambiguous. The characters were not very believable, especially Rippley's daughter. I just felt it needed something extra. Like making a sauce for a dish and not using the right ingredients and spices.
This is disappointing considering that most of the Alien books have been phenomenal.
July 12, 2022
Got the book since I suck at videogames, but really wanted to know what happened here.
The concept is good (clearly, as it made for a fantastic game), but the execution is cluncky. The style really didn't do much for me, it reads like a not-so good fanfiction.
The concept is good (clearly, as it made for a fantastic game), but the execution is cluncky. The style really didn't do much for me, it reads like a not-so good fanfiction.
August 16, 2024
Based off the atmospheric video game of the same name, the novel feels more like a series of events stated rather than fully described. The same atmosphere and dread felt by the xenomorph in the game is lacking in this novel and the tension never really amounts to much. There are definitely better reads set in this universe and I would only recommend this for the most ardent of fans.
August 27, 2024
Quick read and did well not to feel like it's just trudging through the motions of a game. Some interesting stuff looking at Amanda's life before the station but at times felt like it was distracting from the main story to much.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
August 12, 2025
In space no one can hear you scream ...
... Pero en tu casa sí. Hace unos años emprendí el proyecto, un poco a largo plazo, de jugar uno de los títulos clasificados entre los mejores. Un juego tan complejo y excelentemente ambientado, que uno necesita hacerse de un espacio y un tiempo dedicados para vivir la experiencia completa. No tengo reparo en admitir que me tomó más de año y medio terminar el juego, ni que grité muchas más veces de las que creí que lo haría. Total, pues, que hace unos días me dispuse a leer la novelización que lleva el mismo título: Alien: Isolation (Sega, 2014).
Esta adaptación fue realizada por el escritor Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (n. NYC, 1969), quien tiene una larga y fructífera carrera escribiendo relatos en los universos de franquicias tales como Star Strek, Doctor Who, y Resident Evil, entre otras.
La trama principal tanto del juego como de la novela se desarrolla en diciembre del año 2137, quince años después de los sucesos ocurridos a bordo del Nostromo —Alien, (Ridley Scott, 1979). La historia de Isolation, por su parte, tiene como telón de fondo la estación espacial Sevastopol, un puerto comercial y centro de extracción mineral orbitando el planeta KG-348, ubicado a 12 pc de la Tierra. La estación, otrora propiedad de la empresa Seegson, la cual también produce equipos electrónicos y androides de mala calidad, ha sido decomisada debido a su declive económico, por lo que las cosas funcionan tan bien como si se tratara de México: fuerzas de seguridad ineficientes y autoridades incompetentes incluidas, por supuesto.
La historia sigue a Amanda, hija de la Teniente Ellen Ripley: "la última sobreviviente del Nostromo", quien, en calidad de consultora, acompaña a Christopher Samuels y Nina Taylor de Weyland-Yutani a Sevastopol para recuperar la grabadora de vuelo del Nostromo. La nave de carga, desaparecida tres lustros atrás, y su suerte son de gran importancia para Weyland-Yutani, pero Ripley se embarca en el USCSS Torrens con el único objetivo de averiguar el paradero de su madre. Sin embargo, al llegar a su destino, la tripulación del Torrens se encuentra con una estación incomunicada y con severos daños que evitan un desembarco adecuado. Y es debido a la forma alternativa que Samuels, Taylor, y Ripley utilizan para ingresar a Sevastopol, que un percance en la estación separa a nuestra protagonista de sus compañeros de misión. Una vez dentro de la estación, Ripley comienza a vivir una pesadilla que le resulta al mismo tiempo inesperada y predecible: toda su vida, piensa ella, ha sido una situación trágica tras otra.
El texto sigue en general los eventos del juego, pero existen diferencias un tanto notorias. La mayoría de ellas realmente no me representaron un problema pero algunas fueron algo más difíciles de digerir. Por ejemplo, hacia el final de la historia, hay una secuencia que en el juego es muy estresante por todas las cosas que pueden salir mal, pero en la novelización, Ripley se da el lujo de disparar una escopeta sin temor a dios. Y es una situación que contradice la mecánica básica del juego y que, aunque uno podría argumentar que en la novelización no se ha puesto demasiado énfasis en ello, sí contrasta un poco con respecto a ciertos antecedentes que también se infieren del texto mismo.
Otro aspecto distinto entre ambas versiones es el comportamiento de los androides que habitan la estación. Conocidos como "Working Joes", estos androides fueron diseñados por Seegson para ser inmediatamente reconocidos como tales, en comparación con las personas artificiales —coloquialmente conocidas como "sintéticos"— producidos por las empresas Hyperdyne Systems y la misma Weyland-Yutani: mucho más sofisticados y prácticamente indistinguibles de los humanos. Los Joes son controlados por un sistema de inteligencia artificial central llamado APOLLO que, por razones que deberán leer —o jugar—, comienzan a comportarse letalmente hostiles hacia los humanos, pero la diferencia se encuentra en lo que detona tal violencia y lo que ocurre con los androides tras interferir con el sistema principal.
La diferencia mayor es una con la que tengo sentimientos encontrados: intercalados a lo largo de la historia, hay pasajes que narran la niñez y la adolescencia de Amanda Ripley. Por un lado, da cuenta de las experiencias de vida de nuestra protagonista de manera que logramos entender mejor al personaje. Además, también se nos da bastante información biográfica sobre su madre que, aparentemente, está basada en notas que Ridley Scott había elaborado como antecedentes para el personaje que inmortalizaría Sigourney Weaver. Y es un arma de dos filos porque se sigue recurriendo a la figura principal de la franquicia pero en este caso haciendo un poco de trampa: se nos ofrece en dosis pequeñas pero significativas que nos informan sobre el carácter de ambas mujeres y que entretejen sus historias de vida dándoles dimensionalidad múltiple. Entonces, si bien sigue explotándose a la Ripley original, por lo menos aquí es de una manera diferente.
Por otro lado, estos flashbacks se sienten por momentos intrusivos y por momentos "ominosos". O más bien: el autor cae en un patrón que encontré irritante en el que termina un capítulo en el que Ripley recuerda el nombre de alguien de su pasado que contribuyó a su percepción de la vida como una interminable sucesión de decepciones. Ahora bien, realmente no es el caso que haya un exceso de flashbacks sino que esta manera de introducir un capítulo que va a narrar una parte del pasado de Ripley me pareció un tanto estúpida: "Just like Vanini ...", "Just like Okeke" ... O formulaciones para tal efecto. De verdad que, aunque resultaba interesante enterarse de lo que había sucedido, sí era exasperante encontrarse con esas frases y saber que el siguiente capítulo iba a tratar sobre alguien que le hizo alguna mala jugada a la protagonista.
Que no se me malentienda. En general, se trata de un trabajo muy entretenido, especialmente si uno es fan de la franquicia. Hay muchos elementos en el juego que se tratan de manera completamente distinta, especialmente largas secuencias en las que uno tiene que completar objetivos para lograr acceder a algún lugar y que estén llenas de suspenso y adrenalina. Mucho de esto está recortado o incluso ausente de la novelización.
Es un poco lamentable que, mientras que el mayor atractivo del juego es la inmersión en una atmósfera tensa que pone al jugador en un estado de alerta continua, la novelización la minimiza considerablemente. Es un libro relativamente corto (~340 pp.), y si bien no creo que los flashbacks estén de más, el autor definitivamente pudo haberle dedicado más a la descripción de la atmósfera y a construir esa sensación opresiva de aislamiento y temor de muerte inminente. Realmente hay pocos elementos de terror, no es un libro particularmente gráfico, y si bien las descripciones de los elementos que ya conocemos de la franquicia no dan este hecho por sentado, tampoco parece haber mucho énfasis en describir la amenaza que representa el xenomorfo de una manera "experiencial". Ahora bien, es muy poco probable que alguien que no conozca y guste de la franquicia de antemano llegue a leer este volumen, así que casi seguramente el autor se ahorró el presentar como novedad algo que el público objetivo no necesita redescubrir como si fuera la primera vez.
Todo considerado, y esto podría ser relativamente obvio, no existe una comparación justa entre la novelización y el juego que la precedió. El equipo de Creative Assembly logró un triunfo absoluto con este título, y sería un improcedente esperar que una adaptación narrativa pudiera situarse a su nivel. De cualquier manera, y para los fans, es un muy buen trabajo. Personalmente, sí me emocionaba al recordar pasajes del juego conforme iba leyendo nombres de personas y lugares. Me quedé con ganas de más tensión generada por el bicho y más terror inducido por los Joes, pero me doy por bien servido habiéndome sorprendido mediante la experiencia del juego, y recordando mediante la lectura lo grandioso que es.
DeCandido, K. R. A. (2019). Alien: Isolation [edición eBook]. Titan Books.
... Pero en tu casa sí. Hace unos años emprendí el proyecto, un poco a largo plazo, de jugar uno de los títulos clasificados entre los mejores. Un juego tan complejo y excelentemente ambientado, que uno necesita hacerse de un espacio y un tiempo dedicados para vivir la experiencia completa. No tengo reparo en admitir que me tomó más de año y medio terminar el juego, ni que grité muchas más veces de las que creí que lo haría. Total, pues, que hace unos días me dispuse a leer la novelización que lleva el mismo título: Alien: Isolation (Sega, 2014).
Esta adaptación fue realizada por el escritor Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (n. NYC, 1969), quien tiene una larga y fructífera carrera escribiendo relatos en los universos de franquicias tales como Star Strek, Doctor Who, y Resident Evil, entre otras.
La trama principal tanto del juego como de la novela se desarrolla en diciembre del año 2137, quince años después de los sucesos ocurridos a bordo del Nostromo —Alien, (Ridley Scott, 1979). La historia de Isolation, por su parte, tiene como telón de fondo la estación espacial Sevastopol, un puerto comercial y centro de extracción mineral orbitando el planeta KG-348, ubicado a 12 pc de la Tierra. La estación, otrora propiedad de la empresa Seegson, la cual también produce equipos electrónicos y androides de mala calidad, ha sido decomisada debido a su declive económico, por lo que las cosas funcionan tan bien como si se tratara de México: fuerzas de seguridad ineficientes y autoridades incompetentes incluidas, por supuesto.
La historia sigue a Amanda, hija de la Teniente Ellen Ripley: "la última sobreviviente del Nostromo", quien, en calidad de consultora, acompaña a Christopher Samuels y Nina Taylor de Weyland-Yutani a Sevastopol para recuperar la grabadora de vuelo del Nostromo. La nave de carga, desaparecida tres lustros atrás, y su suerte son de gran importancia para Weyland-Yutani, pero Ripley se embarca en el USCSS Torrens con el único objetivo de averiguar el paradero de su madre. Sin embargo, al llegar a su destino, la tripulación del Torrens se encuentra con una estación incomunicada y con severos daños que evitan un desembarco adecuado. Y es debido a la forma alternativa que Samuels, Taylor, y Ripley utilizan para ingresar a Sevastopol, que un percance en la estación separa a nuestra protagonista de sus compañeros de misión. Una vez dentro de la estación, Ripley comienza a vivir una pesadilla que le resulta al mismo tiempo inesperada y predecible: toda su vida, piensa ella, ha sido una situación trágica tras otra.
El texto sigue en general los eventos del juego, pero existen diferencias un tanto notorias. La mayoría de ellas realmente no me representaron un problema pero algunas fueron algo más difíciles de digerir. Por ejemplo, hacia el final de la historia, hay una secuencia que en el juego es muy estresante por todas las cosas que pueden salir mal, pero en la novelización, Ripley se da el lujo de disparar una escopeta sin temor a dios. Y es una situación que contradice la mecánica básica del juego y que, aunque uno podría argumentar que en la novelización no se ha puesto demasiado énfasis en ello, sí contrasta un poco con respecto a ciertos antecedentes que también se infieren del texto mismo.
Otro aspecto distinto entre ambas versiones es el comportamiento de los androides que habitan la estación. Conocidos como "Working Joes", estos androides fueron diseñados por Seegson para ser inmediatamente reconocidos como tales, en comparación con las personas artificiales —coloquialmente conocidas como "sintéticos"— producidos por las empresas Hyperdyne Systems y la misma Weyland-Yutani: mucho más sofisticados y prácticamente indistinguibles de los humanos. Los Joes son controlados por un sistema de inteligencia artificial central llamado APOLLO que, por razones que deberán leer —o jugar—, comienzan a comportarse letalmente hostiles hacia los humanos, pero la diferencia se encuentra en lo que detona tal violencia y lo que ocurre con los androides tras interferir con el sistema principal.
La diferencia mayor es una con la que tengo sentimientos encontrados: intercalados a lo largo de la historia, hay pasajes que narran la niñez y la adolescencia de Amanda Ripley. Por un lado, da cuenta de las experiencias de vida de nuestra protagonista de manera que logramos entender mejor al personaje. Además, también se nos da bastante información biográfica sobre su madre que, aparentemente, está basada en notas que Ridley Scott había elaborado como antecedentes para el personaje que inmortalizaría Sigourney Weaver. Y es un arma de dos filos porque se sigue recurriendo a la figura principal de la franquicia pero en este caso haciendo un poco de trampa: se nos ofrece en dosis pequeñas pero significativas que nos informan sobre el carácter de ambas mujeres y que entretejen sus historias de vida dándoles dimensionalidad múltiple. Entonces, si bien sigue explotándose a la Ripley original, por lo menos aquí es de una manera diferente.
Por otro lado, estos flashbacks se sienten por momentos intrusivos y por momentos "ominosos". O más bien: el autor cae en un patrón que encontré irritante en el que termina un capítulo en el que Ripley recuerda el nombre de alguien de su pasado que contribuyó a su percepción de la vida como una interminable sucesión de decepciones. Ahora bien, realmente no es el caso que haya un exceso de flashbacks sino que esta manera de introducir un capítulo que va a narrar una parte del pasado de Ripley me pareció un tanto estúpida: "Just like Vanini ...", "Just like Okeke" ... O formulaciones para tal efecto. De verdad que, aunque resultaba interesante enterarse de lo que había sucedido, sí era exasperante encontrarse con esas frases y saber que el siguiente capítulo iba a tratar sobre alguien que le hizo alguna mala jugada a la protagonista.
Que no se me malentienda. En general, se trata de un trabajo muy entretenido, especialmente si uno es fan de la franquicia. Hay muchos elementos en el juego que se tratan de manera completamente distinta, especialmente largas secuencias en las que uno tiene que completar objetivos para lograr acceder a algún lugar y que estén llenas de suspenso y adrenalina. Mucho de esto está recortado o incluso ausente de la novelización.
Es un poco lamentable que, mientras que el mayor atractivo del juego es la inmersión en una atmósfera tensa que pone al jugador en un estado de alerta continua, la novelización la minimiza considerablemente. Es un libro relativamente corto (~340 pp.), y si bien no creo que los flashbacks estén de más, el autor definitivamente pudo haberle dedicado más a la descripción de la atmósfera y a construir esa sensación opresiva de aislamiento y temor de muerte inminente. Realmente hay pocos elementos de terror, no es un libro particularmente gráfico, y si bien las descripciones de los elementos que ya conocemos de la franquicia no dan este hecho por sentado, tampoco parece haber mucho énfasis en describir la amenaza que representa el xenomorfo de una manera "experiencial". Ahora bien, es muy poco probable que alguien que no conozca y guste de la franquicia de antemano llegue a leer este volumen, así que casi seguramente el autor se ahorró el presentar como novedad algo que el público objetivo no necesita redescubrir como si fuera la primera vez.
Todo considerado, y esto podría ser relativamente obvio, no existe una comparación justa entre la novelización y el juego que la precedió. El equipo de Creative Assembly logró un triunfo absoluto con este título, y sería un improcedente esperar que una adaptación narrativa pudiera situarse a su nivel. De cualquier manera, y para los fans, es un muy buen trabajo. Personalmente, sí me emocionaba al recordar pasajes del juego conforme iba leyendo nombres de personas y lugares. Me quedé con ganas de más tensión generada por el bicho y más terror inducido por los Joes, pero me doy por bien servido habiéndome sorprendido mediante la experiencia del juego, y recordando mediante la lectura lo grandioso que es.
DeCandido, K. R. A. (2019). Alien: Isolation [edición eBook]. Titan Books.
October 31, 2020
I was really looking forward to this, an adaptation of an incredible videogame based on one of my favourite franchises of all time. Unfortunately, the book inherits many of the flaws of the game, namely a shallow, unevenly paced story and uninteresting characters.
Personally, I was eager to see how the author would translate the game's impeccable sense of tension and dread into prose form. However, having read the final product, that didn't seem to be much of a priority. There is only the barest sense of atmosphere. Enemies that are formidable and fearsome in the game are severely downplayed in the book. Little details are weirdly off, too: the Working Joes are described as having purple skin, and the brunette Amanda is described as blonde? Might have been understandable if the author was working off of prototypes and concept art, but the game was released nearly 5 years ago.
Speaking of which, the way Amanda was handled was another letdown. The flashbacks detailing her past are repetitive and largely superfluous to the main story. Someone takes advantage of Amanda, Amanda finds out, Amanda grows increasingly distrustful of others. We only needed to be shown this once, really, but instead we're treated to flashback after flashback saying the same thing.
I don't envy the task of an author who has to condense a large game into a readable, 300 page novel. But I feel like this was a missed opportunity - it's just not scary or engaging like the game, and it doesn't improve upon the weak story and characters.
Personally, I was eager to see how the author would translate the game's impeccable sense of tension and dread into prose form. However, having read the final product, that didn't seem to be much of a priority. There is only the barest sense of atmosphere. Enemies that are formidable and fearsome in the game are severely downplayed in the book. Little details are weirdly off, too: the Working Joes are described as having purple skin, and the brunette Amanda is described as blonde? Might have been understandable if the author was working off of prototypes and concept art, but the game was released nearly 5 years ago.
Speaking of which, the way Amanda was handled was another letdown. The flashbacks detailing her past are repetitive and largely superfluous to the main story. Someone takes advantage of Amanda, Amanda finds out, Amanda grows increasingly distrustful of others. We only needed to be shown this once, really, but instead we're treated to flashback after flashback saying the same thing.
I don't envy the task of an author who has to condense a large game into a readable, 300 page novel. But I feel like this was a missed opportunity - it's just not scary or engaging like the game, and it doesn't improve upon the weak story and characters.
August 18, 2019
Not as Good as the Original Alien Trilogy Books
I am a fan of the Alien series, especially the books, audiobooks and audio dramas. I am not a gamer and am not familiar with the Isolation story. I'm coming to this particular story as a newbie.
Amanda shares many traits with her mother and I enjoy the the fact that she is an engineer in all but name. Parts of the backstory were interesting, but became tedious after a while. Part of this were implausible as well. Lots of moving through vents of the crazy infected station. Little food or rest and constantly having to keep going. This just didn't hold my interest the way Alien books normally do. The encrypted transmission communications between didn't really pick up until nearly the end of the book. There were so many different things happening, it got difficult to follow. The machinations of the company are some of my favorite parts of the Alien books. Little of that is here. I also don't feel the immersion in a future world like I normally do. The Alien Covenant prequel book was a great book that really gave a sense of how the company operates. The book didn't so much as end, but stop, leaving the possibility of another book. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book. The narrator was ok, I would've preferred the excellent Tom Taylorson who did both Covenant books. This book was just meh for me.
I am a fan of the Alien series, especially the books, audiobooks and audio dramas. I am not a gamer and am not familiar with the Isolation story. I'm coming to this particular story as a newbie.
Amanda shares many traits with her mother and I enjoy the the fact that she is an engineer in all but name. Parts of the backstory were interesting, but became tedious after a while. Part of this were implausible as well. Lots of moving through vents of the crazy infected station. Little food or rest and constantly having to keep going. This just didn't hold my interest the way Alien books normally do. The encrypted transmission communications between didn't really pick up until nearly the end of the book. There were so many different things happening, it got difficult to follow. The machinations of the company are some of my favorite parts of the Alien books. Little of that is here. I also don't feel the immersion in a future world like I normally do. The Alien Covenant prequel book was a great book that really gave a sense of how the company operates. The book didn't so much as end, but stop, leaving the possibility of another book. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book. The narrator was ok, I would've preferred the excellent Tom Taylorson who did both Covenant books. This book was just meh for me.
January 23, 2021
Felt like it was written by two people.
Ah I really enjoyed the start of this book, I was glued for the first 100 pages. Nice details of what Ripleys daughter was doing and the build up to the alien.
However, it just seemed to be written by someone else as the story progressed. The awe and horror of the alien was gone, no build up or tense. It become more of "you know what the alien is, so I won't discribe it and just skip past it so can carry on the adventure".
I understand the flash backs but it should at the start of a story not halfway during a intense scene. It kills all forward momentum.
I'll just end saying that if you love Aliens it's interesting to read what happend to Ripleys daughter but you'll find her an annoying, huffy teenager and the story has No horror element.
It's told more as if a idea being written instead of building a story with excitement and thrill. Like a mate telling you what happens in a horror film then going to watch and experiencing it yourself.
Ah I really enjoyed the start of this book, I was glued for the first 100 pages. Nice details of what Ripleys daughter was doing and the build up to the alien.
However, it just seemed to be written by someone else as the story progressed. The awe and horror of the alien was gone, no build up or tense. It become more of "you know what the alien is, so I won't discribe it and just skip past it so can carry on the adventure".
I understand the flash backs but it should at the start of a story not halfway during a intense scene. It kills all forward momentum.
I'll just end saying that if you love Aliens it's interesting to read what happend to Ripleys daughter but you'll find her an annoying, huffy teenager and the story has No horror element.
It's told more as if a idea being written instead of building a story with excitement and thrill. Like a mate telling you what happens in a horror film then going to watch and experiencing it yourself.
March 26, 2020
Every so often I have to get my Alien fix! This was a well written book with nonstop action as well as a great storyline surrounding the main character Amanda Ripley who hasn’t seen her mom since she left on her mission on the Nostromo 15 years earlier. And we know what happened then! She is a great character, strong and intelligent like her mom and kicks some Alien ass. Enjoyed the background storyline about Amanda and her growing up without her mom or really anyone else to take care of her except her alcoholic stepdad. This book is based on a video game but I don’t play those much anymore. I have heard it is super scary though! Very fast read which I could not put down. Glad these crazy books still are so enjoyable to me.
September 1, 2024
I wasn’t too sure what to expect of this- only other video game tie in novels I’ve read turned out to be basically walk through guides of the game- this wasn’t quite like that.
Big fan of the background into young Amanda Ripley and life with everyone’s favourite sci fi heroine, however the parts that addressed the horrifying survival horror of the game fell a bit flat, the antagonist is mentioned in passing a few times (at least compared to how often it hunted and killed me in the game- which I’ve never managed to get past level 5: the med bay mission).
Worth a read since I beleive it’s become canon now.
Big fan of the background into young Amanda Ripley and life with everyone’s favourite sci fi heroine, however the parts that addressed the horrifying survival horror of the game fell a bit flat, the antagonist is mentioned in passing a few times (at least compared to how often it hunted and killed me in the game- which I’ve never managed to get past level 5: the med bay mission).
Worth a read since I beleive it’s become canon now.
October 20, 2019
I had tried to play the game a few years ago but couldn't quite get through it. The book however is just as amazing and still full of suspense. In the films the backstory is pretty brief about Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda and I think this book did an amazing storyline for her. It is still pretty upsetting to know just how determined Amanda is at the end to find her Mum and we all know that she will never find her. This book really is amazing and Keith has done an amazing job! If you love Alien then you MUST read this.
October 8, 2019
Mainly a backstory of Ripley’s daughter Amanda and what she went through when Ripley disappeared after the events of the first Alien film. It’s nice to have a new story in the Alien universe but it definitely could have used more xenomorph action. The ending leaves it open for more adventures with Amanda and the Alien threat...
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