Alien: Isolation Novel Review

Titan Books has published a paperback book titled Alien: Isolation available from numerous online retailers and high street book stores. Alien: Isolation is a novel based upon the hugely successful and critically acclaimed videogame that released in 2014 on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux, alongside a long awaited Nintendo Switch port released in 2019. Does the Alien: Isolation novel produce an imaginative adaptation of the smash hit videogame?

Alien: Isolation is the half a dozenth officially licensed original Alien novel published by Titan Books. Alien: Isolation is in seriously experienced hands as writer Keith R. A. DeCandido has previously written original novels within the subject matter of such established franchises including Cars, Serenity, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Supernatural, Thor, World of Warcraft and more besides over the course of a career spanning a quarter of a century. Keith R. A. DeCandido earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 from the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.

The story revolves around Ellen Ripley’s daughter named Amanda Ripley who has had a negative upbringing in her youth. When Amanda is old enough; she joins the crew of a Weyland-Yutani team whose mission it is to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder, albeit upon finding the Sevastopol space station in a disastrous scenario of a Xenomorph on deck. However, Amanda’s personal motivation for her own mission is to find an understanding as to why her mother Ellen Ripley took the job onboard the Nostromo that is gradually revealed via a series of flashbacks in parallel to depicting Amanda’s troubled youth.

The quality of writing is sensational as it captures the tone of the classic horror tension of an Alien film or the claustrophobic atmosphere of the videogame that the novel is based upon.

Alien: Isolation is amazingly presented with brilliant front cover artwork and a title logo inspired by the videogame as Amanda Ripley looks on in horror as a Xenomorph peeks its head from the opposite side of the wall, while the back cover provides an interesting synopsis of the story. A nice gesture situated prior to the start of the novel is a special dedication to Sigourney Weaver. Meanwhile, despite there being no artwork within the book; there is stylised text in order to present neon or handwritten signs and futuristic transmissions.

Alien: Isolation’s value is the original novel encompassing Ellen Ripley’s daughter Amanda Ripley looking for answers within the Alien universe with a long yet continuously engrossing story of 336 pages including a prologue and 31 chapters, alongside the author’s acknowledgements and his history as a writer.

Alien fans should also look at other Alien books from Titan Books including The Making of Alien that released on July 23rd 2019 and various other Alien novels in volumes containing multiple novels per volume of The Complete Aliens Omnibus:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7

Analysis
• Title: Alien: Isolation
• Writer: Keith R. A. DeCandido
• Publisher: Titan Books
• Length: 336 pages
• Cover: Paperback

Alien: Isolation can be purchased in the UK from Amazon and Forbidden Planet, while Alien: Isolation can be purchased in America and Canada from Amazon. You can also find Titan Books’ official website including a back catalogue of captivating books and product details regarding Alien: Isolation.