Michael Leask

By Brendan Deneen

Book Review

I am a big Alien fan and enjoy reading original stories in this universe. Unless a novel is canon, I don’t like reading stories based on characters established in films like Ripley, Bishop, Newt, etc.—it reads as fan fiction. If it’s not canon, I’m cheated from engaging my time and imagination in the universe.

Alien: Uncivil War fit the idea of an original story set after the events of Alien Resurrection (Alien 4). It’s about a single dad (Chris Temple) who wants to leave Earth for a better life for his family, but a Xenomorph gets on board their spaceship and wreaks havoc. Chris and his family escape on a shuttle to a seemingly utopia moon: LV-1213, Mining Colony Omega Seven Tango (OST). The residents on the planet are civilized until the reader finds they are in a cult to the ideas of the human Peter Weyland and not the corporation Weyland-Yutani.

Getting into this book, I found it an easy read but not exciting enough to tell people about, just enthusiasts. There are a few things that I liked about the book. The story focused on a single dad, Chris Temple, trying to do what he could for his two daughters. I don’t hear much about those stories or how complex life can be from that parent’s perspective. The protagonist is ex-military, so it gives a more straightforward explanation of how he can be a fighter. That aspect is a little unoriginal, considering the xenomorphs in written stories usually rely on someone with that training to escape them.

I also like the idea of explaining the pro-humanity, human development ideals of Peter Weyland and how people could be swayed to join it, given that the mega-corporations treat people as disposable numbers on a spreadsheet for the bottom line and greater profits. Peter Weyland’s ideals were opposite to that.

The other interesting perspective that stayed with me after I read it was a chapter from the xenomorph’s perspective. How it perceived the world on this planet. Even how it interacted with its sibling, using he and she pronouns. I’m unsure if I agree with this approach because I’ve never considered narratives from the xenomorph’s perspective. It’s not wrong; I’m unsure how I feel about thinking of the xeno-drones as male and female instead of a Queen and drones. I think the author wrote the xenos as male and female to better distinguish between the two characters, and I give the author props for doing it.

Something I didn’t care for in the story was the idyllic world of OST. The peaceful place, though great to have, didn’t do much to move the story. There was a small build-up that all is not as it seems, but perhaps more could have been shown with the environment outside and the chaoticness of terraforming a planet. It would be interesting to provide some environmental conflict to the idea of the OST’s life and how a wrong move could wreck it.

The other thing that made me snicker was the title. I don’t know about other readers, but it seems war, by its definition, is uncivil. So, the title was a little silly to me.

I recommend this book for enthusiasts and fans like myself. It will be a good read and worth the time. However, non-fans would pass on this book.