List of Alien (franchise) novels

The Alien literary franchise consists of multiple novels and short stories based on the eponymous film franchise, which began in 1979 with the release of Alien.

Alien
The Alien logo was first used for the first film in the franchise and later the novel series.
AuthorReference individual listings
CountryUnited States
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
PublisherWarner Books (1979-1992 & 1997);
Bantam Books (1992-1998);
DH Press (2005–2008);
Titan Books (2014–present);
Imprint (2019)
PublishedMarch 29, 1979 – August 28, 1998;
October 26, 2005 – October 8, 2008;
January 28, 2014 – present
Media typePrint (paperback)
E-book
Audiobook

In the 20th century, all Alien-related novels published were adaptations of pre-existing material. From 1979 up to 1997, Warner Books published novelizations of the first four films in the year of release; 1979, 1986, 1992, and 1997, respectively. With the exception of Alien Resurrection, all film novelizations were written by Alan Dean Foster. Throughout the 1990s, Bantam Books published nine novelizations of Alien comic books published by Dark Horse Comics.

After going on a hiatus, the franchise returned in book form in 2005. DH Press—Dark Horse Comics' novel publishing imprint—published six original novels from 2005 to 2008. This marked the first time in the franchise where novels were original stories, rather than adaptations. DH Press' series took place after the events of the fourth film; Alien: Resurrection (1997), despite the fact that it was based on the second film. Following the release of Aliens: No Exit in 2008, the novel series once more went into hiatus.

In 2014, after six years, Titan Books started publication of Alien novels once more, starting with Alien: Out of the Shadows, written by Tim Lebbon. Out of the Shadows was the first in a trilogy of books, and is canon to the events of the film series.[1] In 2016, Alien: Invasion was published, which is the second book in Lebbon's The Rage Wars trilogy; a crossover between the Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator franchises. The following year, Foster would write both a novelization and prequel to Alien: Covenant (2017).

Film novelizations
Title Author Publisher Date Length Plot Ref.
Alien Alan Dean Foster Warner Books March 29, 1979 270 pp The seven crew members of the commercial space tug Nostromo, which includes Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, detect a transmission from nearby moon on their return trip to Earth. Investigating the signal, they discover a derelict ship containing hundreds of egg-like objects. One of these eggs opens and a creature attaches itself to Executive Officer Kane, which later results in a deadly and aggressive extraterrestrial bursting from his chest. The remaining crew members attempt to survive and kill the alien as it picks them off one by one. [2]
Aliens June 1, 1986 247 pp After having spent 57 years in hypersleep, Ripley is found and awakened by a medical station orbiting Earth. She learns that in her absence, the planet where she encountered the Alien creature—now known as LV-426 or Acheron—is now the home of a terraforming colony. After contact with the colony is lost due to another Alien infestation, Ripley decides to go and help the colonists with the help of space marines and finally put an end to the alien lifeform. [3]
Alien 3 June 11, 1992 218 pp Fury 161 is a wretched planet - a penal colony and an industrial complex manned by violent prisoners. When an escape pod from the USS Sulaco crash-lands there, Ellen Ripley appears to be the only passenger left alive.

Then inmates begin to die, all at the hands of another survivor - a creature which encounters Ripley and spares her life! Desperate to know why, she seeks out an answer - and discovers terror unlike any she's ever known.

[4]
Alien Resurrection A. C. Crispin Aspect Books November 27, 1997 276 pp Ellen Ripley awakens onboard the space station Auriga. Her last memory is of her own fiery death. And yet she is somehow alive.

Ripley discovers that her "resurrection" is a result of an incredible experiment that has altered both her and the creature she has been carrying. To combat the incalculable alien menace, she teams up with a renegade band of space smugglers from Betty.

[5]
Prometheus Joe Spies and Damon Lindelof 泰文堂 August 1, 2012 255 pp Set in the late 21st century, the crew of the spaceship Prometheus follows a star map discovered among the artifacts of several ancient Earth cultures. Seeking the origins of humanity, the crew arrives on a distant world and discovers a threat that could cause the extinction of the human species. [6]
Alien: Covenant Alan Dean Foster Titan Publishing Group May 23, 2017 348pp Year 2104, the crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet Origae-6, on the far side of the galaxy. They pick up a transmission of a human voice from a nearby planet. This discovery makes they think is a new uncharted paradise. But it is actually a dark, dangerous world.

When they uncover a threat beyond their most terrifying imaginations, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

 [7]
[8]
Alien: Covenant - Origins Titan Publishing Group September 26, 2017 346pp [9]
[10]

First novel series (1992–1998)
Title Author Publisher Date Length Plot Ref.
Aliens: Earth Hive Steve Perry Bantam Books September 1, 1992 278 pp Wilks was a space marine with a near-fatal flaw:  he had a heart.  Billie was a child, the only survivor of a far-flung colony outpost.  Thrown together in the last hellish night of an alien invasion, Billie and Wilks helped each other get out alive.  Thirteen years later Wilks is in prison, and Billie lives in a mental institution, the nightmare memories of the massacre at Rim seared into her mind.  Now the government has tapped Wilks to lead an expedition to the aliens' home planet to bring back a live alien.  But the competition on Earth to develop the aliens as a new weapons system is brutal.  When Wilks's team departs on their mission, a trained assassin trails them.  And what follows is no less than guerrilla warfare on the aliens' planet—and alien conquest on Earth! [11]
Aliens: Nightmare Asylum April 1, 1993 277 pp Wilks, Billie, and Bueller were the last survivors of a devastating assault on the aliens' home planet.  But once their retum to the solar system made them refugees once more, fleeing Earth and its alien infestation in a desperate attempt to stay alive.  Now, in an otherwise unmanned military transport, they hurtle through space.  Destination: unknown.

Little do they know that the cargo they carry with them is a legacy of death that they will ultimately have to face. Nor do they know that they head toward a remote colony and military outpost.  This pocket of humanity at the very edges of space is at the mercy of a general names Spears with an agenda all his own.  Now Billie, Wilks, and Bueller face a new nightmare, and it is nothing they could ever have imagined: a gift of madness from an alien world, unbalanced mind, and the experiences of a mysterious pilot named Lieutenant Ellen Ripley.

 [12]
Aliens: The Female War Steve Perry and Stephani Perry July 1, 1993 293 pp Lieutenant Ellen Ripley awoke from her long journey in space with a hole in her memory and an overwhelming drive to survive.  When she meets Wilks and Billie, two battered veterans in the war against the aliens she realizes she's found two comrades in arms—and she's ready to take up the fight.  Only then does she discover the devastating secret that lurks behind her long sleep.  When she, Wilks, and Billie prepare to meet the aliens head-on to turn a powerful alien queen against her spawn in a battle intended to save Earth, that secret becomes her greatest weapon—and her greatest liability.  As the fate of Earth hangs in the balance, Ripley and Billie must come to terms with what it means to be an alien . . . and what it means to be human. [13]
Aliens: Genocide David Bischoff December 1, 1993 181 pp [14]
Aliens: Alien Harvest Robert Sheckley Bantam Spectra August 1, 1995 296 pp [15]
Aliens: Rogue Sandy Schofield November 1, 1995 288 pp Welcome to the former penal colony of Charon, where a labyrinth of tunnels offer shelter to an Alien hive. Professor Ernst Kleist rules—a paranoid tyrant whose speciality is making humans disappear. Captain Joyce Palmer is bound for Charon. Only she and a few hand-picked Marines can stop Kleist in his tracks. Only they can stop the professor’s most insane creation—the Rogue. [16]
Aliens: Labyrinth S. D. Perry March 1, 1996 243 pp On the space station *Innominata *the infamous Dr Paul Church has built a maze of tunnels. Church is hiding the results of his latest experiments. His aim: to bring human and Alien together as one being. Colonel Dr Tony Crespi has one ambition—to work with Church. But one by one the men on *Innominata *have been dying in the attempt to meld Alien and man. When Crespi finds his way to the heart of the labyrinth he discovers a chamber of horrors—will he ever be able to find a way out? [17]
Aliens: Music of the Spears Yvonne Navarro September 1, 1996 275 pp [18]
Aliens: Berserker S. D. Perry Bantam Spectra August 28, 1998 227 pp [19]

Second novel series (2005–2008)
Title Author Publisher Date Length Plot Ref.
Aliens: Original Sin Michael Jan Friedman DH Press October 26, 2005 252 pp Aliens: Original Sin expands further on this classic story, bringing back characters like Ripley 8, the clone of Lt. Ellen Ripley, and android Call. It also sorts out unanswered questions from the movies and raises entirely new ones. Was it just coincidence that the Nostromo happened to pass by the desolate planet? Why was the alien on the crashed ship in the first place? [20]
[21]
Aliens: DNA War Diane Carey May 17, 2006 269 pp [22]
[23]
Aliens: Cauldron June 13, 2006 284 pp [24]
[25]
Aliens: Steel Egg John Shirley October 3, 2007 270 pp [26]
[27]
Aliens: Criminal Enterprise Stephani Perry January 16, 2008 222 pp [28]
[29]
Aliens: No Exit B. K. Evenson October 8, 2008 283 pp [30]
[31]

Third novel series (2014–present)
Title Author Publisher Date Length Plot Ref.
Alien: Out of the Shadows Tim Lebbon Titan Books January 28, 2014 344 pp Set between the events of Alien and Aliens. The novel tells the story of a group of miners harvesting trimonite, the hardest material known to man, on the planet LV-178. Deep within the mines, they uncover the ruins of an ancient civilization infested with Xenomorphs, which infiltrate the miners' spaceship, the Marion. Ellen Ripley's shuttle, the Narcissus, picks up a distress call from the Marion and docks with it, and she is left to help the miners survive the Xenomorphs as well as uncover why the shuttle seemed to dock on its own accord. [1]
[32]
[33]
Alien: Sea of Sorrows James A. Moore July 25, 2014 351 pp A follow-up to Out of the Shadows, set many years after Alien Resurrection. LV-178 is now colonized and renamed New Galveston, with Alan Decker, a deputy commissioner for the ICC, charged with making sure the settlements on the planet follow all the rules. While investigating region of the planet with incredibly toxic sands, dubbed the Sea of Sorrows, Decker's previously latent empathic abilities cause him to briefly connect with the Xenomorphs still lying dormant beneath the planet. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation sees this as another opportunity to capture one of the creatures, forcibly recruiting Decker onto a team of mercenaries to accomplish this. Decker is unable to refuse, as cnturies ago, his ancestor fought the Xenomorphs, launching a bloody vendetta that was never satisfied. That was when the creatures swore revenge on the Destroyer… Ellen Ripley. [34]
[35]
Alien: River of Pain Christopher Golden November 25, 2014 341 pp In this novel, the Xenomorph infestation of Hadley's Hope on Acheron (LV-426), which occurred off-screen in Aliens, is depicted. It notably incorporates several sequences previously seen in the comic Aliens: Newt's Tale. [36]
[37]
Alien: Invasion Tim Lebbon April 26, 2016 313 pp This book is the second chapter in the Rage War trilogy, following up after the events of the novel Predator: Incursion. The trilogy tells the story of a rogue human faction known as the Rage, who launch an invasion against the primary human sphere of influence using an army of Xenomorph shock troopers, with the Yautja caught in the crossfire. It was succeeded by Alien vs. Predator: Armageddon. [38]
[39]
Alien: The Cold Forge Alex White April 24, 2018 332 pp The Weyland-Yutani Corporation breeds Xenomorphs from eggs acquired through unknown means aboard the Cold Forge, a secret deep space research station on which the company is hoping to develop the creatures as biological weapons. Dr. Blue Marsalis, the physically handicapped scientist heading the experiments, secretly seeks to harvest a sample of a virulent mutagen produced by the Xenomorphs to cure her terminal degenerative illness. Her research is put in jeopardy when Dorian Sudler, a malicious auditor from Weyland-Yutani, is sent to review the station's work. Things are only further complicated when an unknown saboteur unleashes the Xenomorph specimens from containment, setting them loose aboard the station. [40]
[41]
Alien: Echo Mira Grant Imprint April 9, 2019 304 pp The first young adult novel in the Alien franchise, Echo is set on the planet Zegreus, home to a human agricultural colony that becomes the site of a Xenomorph outbreak. The protagonist, a young woman named Olivia Shipp, relies on knowledge of xenobiology taught to her by her parents to get her and her twin sister Viola offworld alive. [42]
[43]
Alien: Isolation Keith DeCandido Titan Books July 30, 2019 A novelization of the video game of the same name, Alien: Isolation centers around Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley, as she journeys to the free port space station Sevastopol to uncover the mystery of her mother's disappearance. As well as retelling the plot of the game, the novel also features a series of non-linear flashbacks detailing Amanda's life before and after the events of Alien. [44]
Alien: Prototype Tim Waggoner October 29, 2019 A sequel to Alien: Isolation, Prototype is a completely original story starring Zula Hendricks, a character from the comic books. A member of the United States Colonial Marine Corps, Hendricks is assigned with training a group of security recruits on the colony of Jericho 3, where a Xenomorph egg is unknowingly being studied by a rival corporation of Weyland-Yutani. The resulting Xenomorph inherits a genetic mutation from its host that gives it the ability to release a deadly pathogen, putting everyone in the colony at risk. [44]
Aliens: Phalanx Scott Sigler February 25, 2020 340 pp Ataegina is an isolated world of medieval castles, varied cultures, and conquests, vibrant until a massive infestation of Xenomorphs arises and spreads relentless destruction, killing ninety percent of the planet's population. Terrified survivors flee to hidden mountain keeps where they eke out a meager existence. When a trio of young warriors discovers a new weapon, they see a chance to end the infestation. To save humanity, the trio must fight their way to the tunnels of Black Smoke Mountain—the lair of an Alien Queen, the mythical Demon Mother. [45]

Short stories

Collections
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 1 – collects Earth Hive, Nightmare Asylum and The Female War (Titan Books, January 2016, ISBN 1-78329-901-0)
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 2 – collects Genocide and Alien Harvest (Titan Books, June 2016, ISBN 1-78329-903-7)
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 3 – collects Rogue and Labyrinth (Titan Books, December 2016, ISBN 1-78329-905-3)
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 4 – collects Music of the Spears and Berserker (Titan Books, June 2017, ISBN 1-78329-907-X)
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 5 – collects Original Sin and DNA War (Titan Books, December 2017, ISBN 1-78329-909-6)
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 6 – collects Cauldron and Steel Egg (Titan Books, June 2018, ISBN 1-78329-912-6)
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 7 – collects Criminal Enterprise and No Exit (Titan Books, December 2018, ISBN 1-78329-913-4)
  • Aliens: Bug Hunt (Titan Books, April 18, 2017, ISBN 978-1785654442)

See also

Notes

    References
    1. Lussier, Germain (January 27, 2014). "Read an Exclusive Excerpt From Official New Book 'Alien: Out of the Shadows'". /Film. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    2. "Alien". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
    3. "Aliens : novelization". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
    4. "Alien 3". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
    5. "Alien resurrection : novelization". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
    6. https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language/product/4803003483/ref=dp_change_lang?ie=UTF8&language=en_JP
    7. "Alien: Covenant - The Official Movie Novelization". Titan Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    8. "Alien covenant". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
    9. Squires, John (May 23, 2017). "Novel 'Alien: Covenant – Origins' Will Tell Story Between 'Prometheus' and 'Covenant'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    10. Origins. WorldCat. OCLC 1004677769.
    11. "Earth hive". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    12. "Aliens". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    13. "The female war". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    14. "Aliens : genocide". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    15. "Alien harvest". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    16. "Aliens. Rogue". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    17. "Labyrinth". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    18. "Aliens : music of the spears". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    19. "Berserker". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    20. "Aliens: Original Sin (Novel)". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    21. "Aliens : original sin". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    22. "Aliens: DNA War (Novel)". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    23. "DNA war". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    24. "Aliens: Cauldron (Novel)". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    25. "Cauldron". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    26. "Aliens: Steel Egg (Novel)". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    27. "Steel egg". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    28. "Aliens: Criminal Enterprise". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    29. "Criminal enterprise". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    30. "Aliens: No Exit (Novel)". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    31. "No exit". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    32. Cummins, Chris (January 28, 2014). "Alien: Out of the Shadows Book Review". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    33. "Out of the shadows". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    34. "Alien - Sea of Sorrows (Book 2)". Titan Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    35. "Sea of Sorrows". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    36. "Alien - River of Pain (Book 3)". Titan Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    37. "Alien : river of pain". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    38. "Alien: Invasion (The Rage War #2)". Titan Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    39. "Alien invasion". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    40. "Alien: The Cold Forge". Titan Publishing Group. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    41. The cold forge : a novel. WorldCat. OCLC 1037064221.
    42. Grant, Mira (2019-04-09). Alien: Echo: An Original Young Adult Novel of the Alien Universe. ISBN 978-1250306296.
    43. Alien: Echo. WorldCat. OCLC 1085635714.
    44. Webster, Chris (April 26, 2019). "Titan Celebrates 'Alien' Day with Three New Books in 2019! [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    45. Squires, John (July 15, 2019). "Scott Sigler Announces New Novel 'Alien: Phalanx' for 2020!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
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