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  • Alien

  • The Official Movie Novelization
  • By: Alan Dean Foster
  • Narrated by: Peter Guinness
  • Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,347 ratings)
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Alien cover art

Alien

By: Alan Dean Foster
Narrated by: Peter Guinness
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Summary

Alan Dean Foster is the acclaimed author of movie tie-ins for Star Wars, Alien and Transformers. He was awarded the IAMTW Grand Master Scribe Award in 2008. He is also a best-selling science fiction and fantasy author in his own right, including the popular Pip & Flinx novels and the Founding of the Commonwealth series.

©2014 Alan Dean Foster (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about Alien

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic story, crummy narrator

Alien is one of the few novelisations that is as good as the source, delivering the story faithfully while fleshing out the characters just a little more. No unnecessary backstories or side plots, it complements the Scott film admirably, and is a cracking good read in its own right.

So why this particular narrator? I haven't the foggiest. A few chapters in and I'm regretting the purchase. The tempo is more appropriate to an uplifting comedy, the characters distinguished only by a half-remembered change in volume. Some narrators like the excellent Simon Vance affect a decent falsetto if needed or with Frank Muller, subtle accent and pitch changes to distinguish female and male characters. No such luck. If I didn't know better I'd venture the narrator is reading the book for the first time and not really getting the hang of the mood.

Overall I feel deflated. The narrator sounds very much like Sean Pertwee, who under any circumstances would be an ideal choice for the tale of the doomed crew. Yet instead of using that great voice to good effect it's as enticing as a shopping list of things that happened at school the other day, told in no particular order by a breathless twelve year old. Buyer beware

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Old friend

I very much enjoyed this.. A much loved film now an audio book ... I listened through in one sitting. Not a terrifying as the movie but the added ability to hear the characters thoughts added a new dimension .. Would listen again

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Total transportation

I was totally transported into the story through vivid prose and so could you be - just so long as you've seen the movie once or twice. My imagination had to make one or two adjustments when the narrative departed from the screenplay but I was sucked in and thoroughly entertained.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

V GOOD, BUT NOVEL DIFFERS FROM FILM SOMEWHAT

Would you consider the audio edition of Alien to be better than the print version?

Yes, actually. There are some timely atmospheric sound effects in the background here and there, which I usually find annoying. But they work well here.

What did you like best about this story?

It's a great, creepy sci-fi tale in itself, but the novelisation differs somewhat from the movie. Alan Dean Foster was obviously asked to write it half-way through the 1979 film's production, and it is based on an early version of the movie script, as he seemingly has no idea what the movie's 'alien' is supposed to look like - he's very, very vague when he comes to describing it's appearance. There are also several scenes that differ a great deal from the movie version - there's no 'Space Jockey' in this, for example. Would be great to see an updated version of the tale, that ties in closer with the visuals of the movie and the final script. Hint, hint.

Which character – as performed by Peter Guinness – was your favourite?

it serves as a well written intro to the Alien Universe but I wouldn’t class it as ‘canon’ due to the differences between it and the movie. Also, the actor’s narration is very good (and he was one of the characters in Alien 3).

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

When the pace quickens in the last third, it all gets quite creepy and I had to put the bedroom light on.

Any additional comments?

Still very good, despite the above points I mentioned. Any chance of a 'Prometheus' audiobook, to complete the 'Alien saga' set?

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic movie and classic novel

The movie is a classic in the sci-fi horror genre. The novel is well written and quite faithfully recreates the movie with many subtle differences. If you loved the movie, you'll love this. Peter Guinness is a great choice for the reader and does a great job of pacing the story nicely as well as being clear and comfortable on the ear.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

new to alien and I loved it

I had not watched the alien films going into this book and i loved it

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

The story is absolute fantastic, true to the film, as I believe they were made at the same time.

The narration is terrific, except that the narrator doesn't do great voices for different characters.

Overall, the audiobook is exceptional. I would highly recommend it to any Alien franchise fans.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

High Literature This Ain't...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narrator should have watched the film first. His characterization is too light hearted.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Everyone knows the ending! The ending in the book is a little diferent to the ending in the film.

Would you be willing to try another one of Peter Guinness’s performances?

No, but unfortunately I had already bought Aliens (the sequel to this book), so I'm going to have to.

What character would you cut from Alien?

The stupid cat.

Any additional comments?

The book is one of the worst written pieces of fiction in the history of the English language while the film is one of the best pieces of horror fiction in the history of Hollywood. The book almost reads like an abridged version of an already abridged book and the narrator jauntily skips along like he is reading Little Women.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • D
  • 20-01-16

Not quite as good as the movie

Any additional comments?

Whilst it can't hold a candle to the movie, this is still a decent effort. I think the main problem is the distinct lack of alien description. Nothing regards how it looks, moves or kills. Most of us have a clear mental vision of the alien, but if you don't, I'm not convinced the book leads the listener in the right direction.

Peter's accents are almost comical too, and you cant help but compare his phrasing to the movie and think to yourself, 'Ripley wouldn't say it like that'.

So, coming from someone who loves the alien series, a decent effort but didn't really get my pulse racing.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not too bad

The film is so iconic and had such an impact for those of us of a certain age that the book was always going to struggle. Probably more enjoyable or scary for those who can enjoy the book as a stand alone project. I know this is heresy, particularly me being a Brit, but the the British narration was just too polite sounding. I think a good old common Yankee voice is required.

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2 people found this helpful