Earth Hive (Aliens, Book 1)

Basically this is a must-read for anyone who loved the 'Aliens' movie. The same themes of dystopian corporate future in contrast to plucky protagonists are here, as well as (most importantly) lots of grotesque alien-based mayhem. Let's get the negatives out of the way first: The author's grasp of characterisation is pretty weak, with the main players being little more than caricatures (the...more

Basically this is a must-read for anyone who loved the 'Aliens' movie. The same themes of dystopian corporate future in contrast to plucky protagonists are here, as well as (most importantly) lots of grotesque alien-based mayhem. Let's get the negatives out of the way first: The author's grasp of characterisation is pretty weak, with the main players being little more than caricatures (the plucky young girl: check. The grizzled cynical marine who finds redemption in protecting her: check. Corporate greaseballs: check. Sociopathic arch-nemesis: check, etc, etc) and this results in some truly awful writing in places (the love scene midway through is straight out of a Mills and Boon novel and I'm embarassed just thinking about it). A few of the metaphors are a little cringe-worthy too from time to time. Fortunately the aliens save the day, eventually running amok on Earth, eating people and being their usual badass evil selves. Actually, there's a degree of genuine pathos towards the end: it seems that when Perry gets to writing this part, he really shines and this makes up for his other failings earlier in the book: there's some palpable, infectious enthusiasm on the part of the author as the alien infestation of Earth spirals out of control. That final apocalyptic third of the book alone gets it 3 stars from me. Ultimately this is good quality pulp fiction (a contradiction in terms, I know, but you get the idea). Don't come to it expecting any great literary accomplishment, but as a wonderfully (acid) blood soaked bit of noir-ish fun this is an enjoyable read.   hide