So over the years, I’ve dipped into the comic books and novels that make up the “expanded universe” of the Alien/Aliens franchise. While I wasn’t “on the ground” with issue #1 of the first Dark Horse series, I did buy one of the issues (#5, I think) off the stands and have an early edition of the trade paperback. I kept up with those comics for a short time but eventually dropped them for the usual financial reasons that a 14-year-old has for dropping a $2.50 comic when the Batman books are still $1.00 apiece. The idea of novels, though, never crossed my mind, so it wasn’t until a couple of years ago when I discovered that there are a number of books in this particular universe. I own a 3-in-1 book that I have yet to read and have also read Aliens: Vasquez, which was pretty solid though uneven (and which I gave away only to spot it on the table at the Friends of the Library sale back in the fall). So when this was solicited in Previews, I pre-ordered it.

Bishop takes place after Alien 3, keeping that movie in canon. As we open, Michael Bishop has taken the remains of the Bishop android, rescued the CPU, and given him a new body so that he can gain the knowledge he wants about the xenomorph. Meanwhile, Apone’s brother is on a mission involving his Colonial Marines taking on a Chinese spaceship. The Chinese want a xenomorph that they can weaponize for leaverage against Weyland-Yutani, Apone wants to make up for his brother’s death, and the re-activated Bishop wants a sense of belonging.

There are a lot of moving parts in the book that converge at the end when as expected, the xenomorphs overrun the book’s setting. But the added conflict of politics and humans fighting one another in addition to the aliens is a nice touch that we haven’t gotten a ton of in these movies (at least the ones I’ve seen–I can’t attest to the AvP movies). It’s also interesting to hear about some of the interstellar politics between countries and companies, which is hinted at throughout the Alien movies but never fully delved into.

Things stretch thin at times but the original characters in the novel are comelling and the action is well handled even if parts of the ending left a little to be desired. If you’re into the movies, give it a read.

Keep, Sell, Donate, or Trash?

Donate (which I did … to Stella).