Hello everyone, welcome back to BlazinBlue's Review. Here we are at Alien Day. Now some of you may be asking what Alien Day is? Alien Day is a celebration of the Alien franchise. Kind of like how May the Fourth is typically Star Wars Day. So, every year we get to find something to just deep dive into about the Alien franchise and celebrate it.
When this whole pandemic lockdown began, I found myself with a whole lot of time on my hands. It was something that was terrible because found myself questioning who I was. For the past few years, if you would have asked me I'd answer "a worker.". I had been supporting my family for so long. Now, that was kind of out the window. Yeah, I could still support my family by helping out with the house and everything. But it's different than going to work every day.
Thankfully my partner and lockdown allowed me to take the time to reflect. I was still wondering what I would do if I had lost my job. At that point, there was a question of when would I return to my job. Then time passed and a whole lot of life happened...I mean we continued lockdown and this pandemic. But we also found ourselves facing a flood. There was a flood that happened near us and we found ourselves staying at my Mother In Laws for about two weeks. During that time, we didn't know what we'd be returning to. Each day we kept seeing the news coverage and it was just a bad two weeks. Thankfully, we were able to come out of it a little better than most. Our home was still there. All the flood had done was reach into our yard a little bit. So at that point, the decision was made to move. We spent our time fixing up our home to sell it and began looking at homes.
During this time, I had begun collecting novels. My partner was so amazing that they were able to track down a first edition 1974 novelization of Night of the Living Dead. That was the beginning of that collection. From there, I decided to dive into Alien and Predator novels. These were something that I had always seen and been interested in. Especially the ones from Titan as I had kept hearing fantastic things about them. I just wasn't sure where to begin. By this point, they were roughly 12 novels deep.
However, I noticed one title that kept popping up. The Cold Forge. You can ask anybody that has read the books what would be a good introduction to the books? There's a high chance that they'd recommend The Cold Forge.
Now for those that are looking for what The Cold Forge is about, here's the synopsis:
With the failure of Hadley's Hope, Weyland-Yutani has suffered a devastating setback--the loss of the Aliens they aggressively sought to exploit. Yet there's a reason the Company has risen to the top of the food chain. True to form, they have a redundancy already in place... the facility known as The Cold Forge.
Remote station RB-232 has become their greatest asset in weaponizing the Xenomorphs. However, when Dorian Sudler is sent to RB-232 to assess their progress, he discovers that there's a spy aboard--someone who doesn't necessarily act in the company's best interests. For Dorian, this is the most unforgivable of sins. When found, the perpetrator will be eliminated with extreme prejudice. If unmasked, though, this person may be forced to destroy the entire station... and everyone on board. That is, if the Xenomorphs don't do the job first...
When I first started reading The Cold Forge, I wasn't exactly sure who I should be rooting for. Dorian Sudler is a character that is just so damn good to hate. He's an asshole corporate suit that's looking out for one and one person alone, himself. He's always trying to figure out how to make a situation look good for himself. Pretty damn cutthroat.
And then we are introduced to Doctor Blue Marsalis. This is a character that I found myself gravitating towards. Blue isn't a character that I would find myself characterizing as a hero. It's more of a survivor than anything. But then again, isn't that what makes the Alien franchise so amazing? No one is really trying to be a hero. They are all survivor stories in the end. But the thing that makes Blue unique is the fact that she's also dealing with a degenerative tissue disease. So she is able to link her mind to an android to get around her surroundings. This is a whole layer that was so wonderfully original and unlike anything we have ever seen before in this franchise. It also helps lead to some amazing scenes of dread and tension.
The way the story plays out is something I never could have predicted. White is able to stay several steps ahead. And the way, they are able to make us care about other characters is fantastic. It does start off a little slow. However, this was brilliantly done to allow us to get familiar with this world they were working with and building. Cold Forge is a brilliant addition to the franchise that I would highly put alongside the original three Alien films.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
After the success of The Cold Forge, it was safe to say that White was a solid go-to for the franchise. They understood the world so perfectly. And the fans were clamoring for more. Well, safe to say the call was answered when White returned to the Alien franchise with Into Charybdis.
When it was first announced, I was excited for Charybdis. I had just finished The Cold Forge. Immediately, I ordered the novel. But I ordered it from a local bookstore that White had been working with. So I was able to snag an autographed hardcover. Absolutely worth it. I almost bought a hardcover of Cold Forge to match. Probably will another time.
Now, I could dive deeply into the story of Charybdis. However, that would be a massive disservice to the fantastic story within. Just be prepared for a story that is on par or just as good as The Cold Forge. For me, it is just as good.
White once again delivers captivating characters. This time, we are treated to a whole space crew of characters. The interesting thing is it had a small Firefly feel to them. The whole space truckers in space vibe. It brilliantly captured that Nostromo feel but was uniquely different. However, they all managed to be interesting. We are also treated to another group with the scientists and workers of Charybdis. Each and every one of them was memorable. And then later into the story, we get a more rogue-ish take on Colonial Marines. All three aspects work together to create an unforgettable story.
Some people will be wondering if this is a sequel to Cold Forge. I can say that in a way, it is. There are some fantastic ties to not only Cold Forge, but the franchise as a whole. There are a lot of fantastic easter eggs that breathes so much life into the world.
And the story of Charybdis is fast paced and unrelenting. I never once questioned how much longer I had left. There are many directions the story goes that I never saw coming. There is also death within. Some of them are equally unrelenting. But the story is a mighty fine addition to the franchise that I would say surpasses Aliens for me.
I listened to the audiobook for portions of this as well. Shiromi Arserio delivers a fantastic performance. Each character is given a unique voice that stands apart from one another. It breathed even more life into this wonderful story. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Follow BlazinBlue's Review on
No comments:
Post a Comment