Aliens Book 2: Nightmare Asylum (1993)

Sex :
Violence :
Author Steve Perry Reviewer :
Publisher Bantam Books
Length 277 pages
Genre SciFi
Blurb In space there's nowhere left to hide ....
Country

Review

"The general has given us the run of the base. You want to open the door?" - Wilks

After escaping a corporate plan and an Earth overrun by Aliens Wilks, Billie, and Bueller are onboard a cargo ship hurtling towards destination unknown in the Cosmos. Naturally its one of those situations where our trio are jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, the cargo the ship is carrying is Alien drones destined for an isolated military outpost and one of the more insane plans yet conceived in a Universe where sanity is a fleeting idea at best.

General Spears runs a personal fiefdom that is dedicated to raising an Alien army for the future re-conquest of Earth. The General is hoping to use his personal Queen Alien to control her drones and unleash them on the scourge still ravaging the few survivors hiding out on the planet. Random broadcasts from Earth shows a planet facing the most nightmarish apocalypse imaginable. Naturally Spears isn't allowing humanity to intrude on his regimented regime with anyone breaking the rules finding out the punishment far outweighs the crime. Spears has no time for civilians or military personal that aren't helping his grandiose plans. Naturally a rebellion breaks out, then the Aliens break out, then it just gets insane.

Okay so we have a novelisation of a comic, or a comic of a novel, or something else, hell I'm as confused as a baby in a topless bar. Anyways Dark Horse have been humping their scripts for all their worth, scoring every possible dollar via narrative and comic releases of the same stories. While that's possible grounds for me going on a mega rant about commercialisation of movie properties, this is Aliens I'll take anything I can get that is half decent. And yes folks for the record I'm going to say that Nightmare Asylum is worth a read, if you don't mind pulp fiction and novelizations that aren't making comment on the human condition. This is one for Alien fans, if you don't dig the big insects, then no use opening the page yo!

So the novel delivers what everyone is dialling in for, honking big Alien drones going on a rampage, chest bursting mayhem, and of course some manic that believes they can exploit the Alien menace for their own agenda. Hey it's why we're here, don't deliver on that and well be sending Vasquez around your place for some attitude adjustment. Steve Perry knows what we want and layers it on, the dude realises what he is working on, but hold onto your linen kids Perry delivers slightly more than we expect.

I was digging the broadcasts from planet Earth by the last remnants of humanity who are holding on by their fingernails. Without giving anything away, the Aliens aren't the only threat hunting on the devastated streets. We also get insight into the lead characters, okay we might be talking chick moments here, but by hell for an apparently pulp novel Perry is showing more character development than a butt load of mainstream fiction achieves. Perry's characters aren't static, their views and actions are dictated by what they experience, I'm going to flat out say it friends and neighbours, Perry is writing some solid fiction here without devolving into "how many angels can dance on the head of pin" schlock.

While I'm saying Nightmare Asylum isn't going to appear on University reading lists anytime soon, far too much pop in the popular for that, what I am saying is that Perry raises this one above what we could reasonable expect from a pulp novel that is being pumped out for the fanbase. Quite the achievement for mine, and I'm up for reading some more Steve Perry.

So if after a well crafted journeyman book then you have arrived at the right place. The trilogy of novels served by books 1 through 3 of the Aliens saga is well served by this middle entry, that takes the leads further in their quest for self realisation in the context of an Alien apocalypse. Besides which it re-introduces Ellen Ripley toward the end of the book, now that's just kick arse for mine. Come on down Ripley, this time its war!

Guess I don't have much more to say really. For fans of the series the Perry books work in a sort of alternative timeline to events in the second and third Alien movies. Newt and Hicks aren't in this timeline; we have Billie and Wilks who survived the clash with the aliens on Rim. Guess the books might go some way to mollifying the fans that were pissed off at the summary execution of the two characters in Alien 3, was necessary for the integrity of that vision but still unexpected for the non-horror folk dialling in. Sorry kids, horror don't rest on its laurels and has zero regard for the survivors, it's all about what might be in the darkness, get with the program.

So I rocked out to Nightmare Asylum, a pulp read that delivers slightly more than one would expect from a Dark Horse novel. While the book is definitely going to appeal to franchise fans it's probably not on the motion tracker of non Alien fans. So if into the whole Xenomorph thing then dial in, if not then don't bother lock and loading on it. A well written bit of popular fiction that will have some readers rushing to get onboard the drop ship, but which will leave most readers waiting for another ride.

If after a copy then Amazon is your friend. $7.19 plus P&H will have the book winging it's way to your place. Set aside a good night to tuck into the book, you'll want to read this novel in one setting.

Beyond Scary Rates this read as ...

  Solid bit of franchise writing that delivers far more than expected.