Technically, there was no Alien novel, but there was a novelization of the movie (which, yes, LabKitty owns). Therefore, it's fair game for LabKitty Reads
Alien by Allen Dean Foster, from a screenplay by Dan O'Bannon. Original publication date 1979.
Here is my review.
Plot Summary
Spoilers Ahoy
Unspecified future. The space tug Nostromo is headed for Earth, dragging home a load of mineral ore, which must be some pretty bitchin' stuff if it justifies sending a ginormous ship so far into space that the crew has to go into freezy sleep (the going rate for payload on the Space Shuttle was like $5000/lb, and that only went to low orbit).
The crew wakes and stumbles to their workstations after getting a cuppa joe thinking the trip's over. Alas not, as the Nostromo's OnStar has gone rogue and got them up even though the ship is still 10 months from anywhere. Or almost anywhere, as the ship's computer explains to Captain Dallas they have encountered a distress signal from nearby uncharted planet LV-426. According to Space Law, the crew is required to investigate. Ergo the early wake up call.
They park the space ore in orbit then head down to the surface in the flying-around part of the Nostromo. In a refreshing departure from the pristine climes Star Trek always seems to visit, the environment of LV-426 is crazy hostile. You can't leave the ship without a space suit and when you do you can't see your hand in front of your face for the raging dust storms. But out they go, intrepid Captain Dallas, redshirt Cain, and the already-freaking-the-hell-out Lambert, the latter apparently included because she is the ship's navigator.
Back on the Nostromo, ship mechanics Parker and Brett are patching up the damage caused by flying a precision instrument down to the the dust ball that is LV-426 (much like Station OW-9 could not survive a trip through the atmosphere chain linking Posita and Nagato). Science officer Ash keeps an eye on things from the bridge. First officer Ripley begins to decode the distress signal and susses the message is a warning and not a call for help. She and Ash argue about going out to inform the away team, who are now out of range and incommunicado.
Meanwhile, Dallas et al. have happened upon the source of the transmission: a ship of alien design, and alien gynecologists from the look of things. They find but one crew member, a big fossilized dead dude who will feature prominently in the prequel but now simply provides foreshadowing vis-a-vis a blown out ribcage. There is also a hold full of big egg thingys. Cain ropes down to investigate. One of the eggs hatches into Cain's face, and before no one can hear him scream, they're back at the Nostromo trying to explain to Ripley why she should let them in even though there is now a hideous alien freakozoid making love to Cain's noggin.
It's off to the infirmary with Cain, where Dallas instructs Ash to cut off the alien, consequences be damned. Alas, as soon as Ash cuts into the alien with his space scalpel, it squirts out acid blood which sets to eating through the decks. Dallas reconsiders his decision, big holes in the ship not being one of the consequences he had anticipated being damned. Instead, they'll stick Cain in freezy sleep and let the docs back on Earth deal with things. They take off and hook up with their space ore.
Then, sploit!, the alien falls off and dies, and Cain is up and about like nothing happened. Now they can all go back to bed. Alas, during the pre-sleep celebratory meal, Cain goes into convulsions, and something inside Cain's chest hatches. A new, improved alien bursts out, hisses at the horrified crew, and makes a beeline out of the break room and disappears.
After giving Cain's carcass a burial at space, the crew gathers up nets and goes in search of the alien. Mechanic Brett is the first to run into the little bugger. Except the little bugger has gone through some serious power-molting. Now about 7 feet tall and toothy as all get-out, the alien munches Brett.
The remaining crew trade nets for flame throwers, and figures to scare the alien into an airlock and blow it into space. The alien doesn't want to be scared into an airlock and blown into space. Captain Dallas gets munched.
The remaining crew decide to try the airlock thing again. Before they can mount up, Ash is exposed as an evil robot who has been protecting the alien because their parent company wants it for developing bio-weapons or something. Fisticuffs ensue. The humans gang up and whomp on Ash until his head pops off.
The remaining crew decide to call it even and bug out in the escape shuttle. As a going away present, they're going to blow up the ship. Ripley goes off to start the self-destruct sequence, and Lambert and Parker go off to prep the shuttle. Lambert and Parker get munched.
The remaining crew makes for the shuttle, taking ship's mascot/cat Jones with her. They zoom off and the Nostromo blows up. "I got you," Ripley quips. "Not so fast," the alien replies, who, alas, has hidden away in the cramped shuttle (the alien doesn't really talk -- I'm writing figuratively here. I can do that; I'm a trained academic).
Ripley slinks into a space suit, gooses the alien from its hidey-hole, and almost gets munched but manages to blow the alien into space. Safe at last, Ripley strips to her epically tiny underpants and her and Jones bed down for the sequel. Roll credits.
VERDICT
Alien was a magical confluence of creative talent: the Dan O' Bannon story, H.R. Giger's otherworldly alien design, Ridley Scott's directing and aesthetic sensibilities, a superb cast, and Jerry Goldsmith's ethereal score. The 1979 special effects hold up to this day, including the interiors and miniature work of the Nostromo, and the puppetry and stunt work of the creatures. Giger's alien was just so, well, alien (albeit rather tame by Giger's standards if you're familiar with his oeuvre). The design has been ripped-off in scores of lesser films, and parodies of it have shown up in everything from Mystery Science Theater to The Simpsons. The chest-burster scene alone has become an icon of science fiction. The movie generated a slew of sequels, not to mention video games, graphic novels, toys, and a mountain of fan fiction.
That being said, a few troubling plot problems emerge when you step back from the spectacle. If the company can make robots advanced enough to serve as a science officer, why have humans on ships at all? What exactly did the alien eat to bulk up after busting outta Cain? Why does a commercial towing vessel have a self-destruct mechanism? Isn't Ripley decoding the meaning of the alien transmission a violation of Shannon's Theorem? And why is LV-426 10 months from Earth in Alien but only 17 days in the sequel?
Fair questions all. But let's face it, they don't really spoil the ride. It's hard to impress upon the jaded youth of today, what with their hoola-hoops and tentacle porn, just how scary Alien was when it came out. As a LabKitten, I can remember being afraid to watch the sequel after being traumatized by the first installment. Perhaps the only movie that created more public shell shock was The Exorcist. And it must have been glorious to see Alien in first run. Remember: in 1979, the movie-going public equated "space movie" with Star Wars. One can't help but wonder how many times Marge and Norm Moviegoer, facing a sold-out 9 PM showing of The Empire Strikes Back noticed Alien on the board and said ...how 'bout dat dere Alien movie, then? Yah, I heard dats about spacemen, dontchaknow. Well, then. Two, please. Cue therapy.
As critics have pointed out, Alien is really just a haunted house story.
But what a house.
Grade: A
Promotional poster of Alien claimed as fair use under provisions of United States copyright law as these image(s) illustrate an article discussing the work in question and do not in a reasonable person's mind constitute an infringement of the owner's rights to receive compensation for the copyrighted work.
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