Alien: Out of the Shadows

An Audible Original Drama

By: Tim Lebbon, Dirk Maggs

Narrated by: Rutger Hauer, Corey Johnson, Matthew Lewis, Kathryn Drysdale, Laurel Lefkow, Andrea Deck, Mac McDonald

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner, 2017 APA Audie Awards - Excellence in Production

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 than 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 a 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.

©2016 20th Century Fox (P)2016 Audible, Ltd.

Good story and character performances

Where does Alien: Out of the Shadows rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and theatrical style. the sound effects really added to the experience, keeping up suspense and giving the sense of watching a full feature film.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought it was cool how the story took place between the first and second original movies without causing any questions to the timeline and answering why Ripley was drifting around for so long before being found in the second movie.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where they were opening the bulkhead doors to the ship trying to capture the Xenos in the cargo net was particularly memorable

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Ash forced Ripley's memory to be wiped in the med pod and couldnt remember Hoop when she woke up :'(

Any additional comments?

If they made it into a movie, I'd watch

Excellent

Excellent story. It follows the storyline of the movie as well. The voice actor playing Ellen Ripley sounds almost exactly like Sigourney Weaver. If you're a fan of the Alien movies, this is a great listen!

Out of the Shadows and into the spotlight!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this audio drama to friends, if they are fans of the Alien movie franchise. I read this book when it first came out, and I admit I was initially skeptical at the author's use of Ripley in this story. However, he did a brilliant job of maintaining continuity with the movies while still treating the audience to a thrilling new Alien adventure. Frankly, I would like to see this story made into a movie.

What did you like best about this story?

The story moved along at a good pace, without getting overly caught up in irrelevant details. From the moment you click 'play', you are swept into the world set up by the original Ridley Scott movie, while also seeing precedents for James Cameron's sequel.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Since this is an audio drama, not just a regular audio book, the term narrators doesn't really apply. I prefer the term cast. In this case, they all did a brilliant job bringing their characters to life. Of particularly interesting note is the performance of Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies, as Baxter). The actress who played Ripley also sounded a fair deal like Sigourney Weaver.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

In space, no can still hear you scream

Any additional comments?

I would advise caution to listeners. If you have a problem with strong language, you may want to reconsider. Like the Alien movies, there is plenty of "sailor talk" in this audio drama. As far as I'm concerned, it only added to the authenticity, but there are some people who can be rather thin-skinned when it comes to that particular issue.

Decent Prequel to Aliens 2

Where does Alien: Out of the Shadows rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

PREFACE: This is Melissa's Husband writing the review to this story.

This was a decent audiobook and one that I did enjoy listening to, although I felt that some of the voice acting could have been better. Some of character dialogue felt overly forced, which I realize is needed for an audio-only production, but it detracted from the story. With that said, I would rate this in the top 30 of books I've read so far.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ripley will always be my favorite character in the Aliens franchise and this story didn't differ from that opinion. With that said, I felt that Ripley held a bit too heavy of a "Just go with it" attitude throughout the story, especially when it came to stopping Ash. All of that aside, Ripley's character didn't disappoint and I was able to enjoy the story.

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrators?

It really depends. Given that this was a full cast production and only the first of such that I have listened to, it is hard to tell. I would have to hear each actor in their own story before I could adequately make such a call.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"When bad androids get worse"

Any additional comments?

This was a decent production overall, but I felt that some of the story dialogue was forced, as noted above. Some of the pieces seemed to come together entirely too quickly near the end in order to bring about a timely conclusion to the story. Items from other films were brought into this story which, again in my opinion, really start to mix the different timelines (med pods from Prometheus, despite this taking place between Alien and Aliens).

Please do more

The voice acting was outstanding. The voice actress for Ripley sounded identical to Weaver. This truly was an incredible audio program. This in my eyes was true in spirit and in lore to the Alien Series and should be considered cannon. Truly gripping and heart pounding from beginning to end.

Excellent entry into the Xenoverse

This is more "radio play" than traditional narrated "audio book." thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been a huge fan of the Xenoverse since first seeing Alien in 1981. Out of the Shadows is an excellent moment in time between Alien and Aliens without much discontinuity. Excellent vocal performances all around, but Laurel Lefkow was a dead ringer for Ripley! I actually had Aliens dreams after the first day of listening. Well done! Hoping Sea of Sorrows and River of Pain get similar treatments

Really good love story

I was so pleasantly surprised this book is entirely a love story. There is Ruppel aka Ripley aka STFU AUTO CORRECT, one alien, and a bottle of bourbon. Initially at odds due to being different species the alien comes to tenderly love Rip. They merely talk for the entire duration of the book. They finally mate at the end and the alien is beset when his tail kills rio on accident in the mating process. (Bursts through her cervix and collapses her rectal cavity.) I listened to this book with my nine and eight year old children. I suggest you do the same. Amazing that it is a true story. Good morning!

Made for prequel story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Forced story that seems more like it was made simply to sell a book by cramming it between two solid novels.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The narrating was very good and made up for a lot of the forced nature of the plot.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I probably wouldn't have read the book past the first third, but listening to the narrator kept me going.

Was Alien: Out of the Shadows worth the listening time?

I am ambivalent. The plot is forced and hard to stay with, but the narration is good and compelling.

Excellent!

the movie in my head along with this docudrama narration created an exciting and thrilling experience. the acting was superb Miss lefkow sounds very much like Sigourney Weaver so much so that I kept hoping for a happy ending. I love the alien series and hope to hear more. highly recommend this docudrama.

Good performance. derivative story

Woman playing Ripley nailed Sigourney Weaver s voice. Story borrowed liberally from Aliens & Prometheus. Ending did not compromise the timeline of the films. Interesting listening to what was essentially a movie.