Book Review 207 // Halloween Kills: The Official Movie Novelization by Tim Waggoner

Hot on the heels of Halloween comes Halloween Kills, and then next week, we have the release of Halloween Ends. So expect at least one more review in October on this series!

Title: Halloween Kills: The Official Movie Novelization

Author: Tim Waggoner

Buy via Kindle on Amazon.ca

Format: Kindle

Blurb: The official novelization of the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s Halloween, starring Jamie Lee Curtis.

Minutes after Laurie Strode, her daughter Karen, and granddaughter Allyson left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor.

But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. But as a group of other survivors of Michael’s first rampage decide to take matters into their own hands, a vigilante mob forms that sets out to hunt Michael down. Evil dies tonight.

Review

I seem to be reading a lot of Tim Waggoner's works, and I have to say I am enjoying them. When it came to this title, it is, of course, based on a film, so Waggoner didn't have a lot to work with. It takes under 2 hours of film to make into a novel.

I am a fan of the Halloween franchise, including the comical mask film of the third. You know what is coming, but like a slow-motion car crash, you just can't look away. It is an actual slasher title that has you screaming at the characters as they make error after error. I like to believe I would survive an encounter, but to be honest, I most likely wouldn't. I also love that this giant of a man is quite possibly the faster walker and stealthiest man to ever exist!

What I enjoyed about the book was that Waggoner gets to expand the characters; we get more depth to them in the book than we ever see on the screen. We learn more about the victims and their lives, and it aids the reader in understanding why they keep making bad choices. This is also true of Myers as we once more climb inside his head to go along on the ride, giving him purpose and reason whilst not creating a cliche killer.

It is, for sure, a quick read but hugely enjoyable at this time of year and has me excited for the third title Halloween Ends. Due to the way it is being released, the chances are I will finish the book before seeing the film, so I am intrigued by how they compare to each other.

Who else here loves some Halloween movie goodness?

Comic Review 181 // Alien Vol. 1 Bloodlines by Philp Phillip Kennedy Johnson

I just can't stay away from the Alien franchise. This time we get to enjoy Marvels' first outing with the series. Will this be a success or suffer a lot like Dark Horse did over the years.

Title: Alien, Vol. 1: Bloodlines

Author: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: Salvador Larroca

Commercial Fluff: The iconic cinematic terror makes its Marvel debut! Gabriel Cruz gave his life to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation — almost literally, thanks to an alien attack that he barely survived! Recently retired, Cruz is trying to patch things up with his abandoned son with the help of his friend, a Bishop-model android. But his re-entry into civilian life is not going smoothly…, and his encounters with the deadly Xenomorphs are far from over! Now, Cruz has only one chance to save his son from the horrific fate he barely escaped. The clock toward total collapse is ticking. The aliens are loose! Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Salvador Larroca team up for an all-new tale of the sci-fi/horror titan that has terrified audiences for decades. No one is safe. No one is innocent. And no one can hear you scream.

Format: 144 pages, Paperback

Buy Now: Amazon Link

Review

Going, to be honest, and straight-up say it wasn't that bad! Yes, it has issues, but it is not worse than Dark Horse Comic versions. Like most Alien tales, the story is generic; of course, we have the "evil" company, Androids and loose Xenos. There are also a few good plot twists that better people will realize before I did. But ultimately, there is nothing new, and to be truthful, I didn't care.

I found it interesting that they added an Apex alien instead of using the Praetorian class alien? But the real standout piece was showcasing new hybrids; the goat-style one was cool and extreme Headbanger metal of them. But like many people, I don't truly understand the idea of this humanoid xenomorph; I am hoping it will all be explained, but it seems forced in when a classic Queen Mother could have the same effect. The design seemed wrong to me, but I am willing to see what they do with it.

The human and Android characters were pretty throw-away for me and, for the most part, flat apart from Bishop, who always makes me smile. I'm not really sure where volume two will take us?

So, where do I sit on this title? Above average, worth reading and wasting a lazy Sunday on but not a go-to must recommend. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

Audio Review 64 // Alien: The Cold Forge by Alex White

My audible listening schedule has been knocked off course of late. But I did just finish this new to me Alien title. The Cold Forge. So let's not waste time filling up on incinerator fluid and head straight in.

Title: Alien: The Cold Forge (Aliens / Predator / Prometheus)

Author: Alex White

Narrator: Michael Braun

Commercial Fluff: A dramatic new Alien novel, as Weyland-Yutani seeks to recover from the failure of Hadley's Hope and successfully weaponize the Xenomorphs.

With the failure of the Hadley's Hope, Weyland-Yutani has suffered a devastating defeat--the loss of the Aliens. Yet there's a reason the company rose to the top, and they have a redundancy already in place. Remote station RB-323 abruptly becomes their greatest hope for weaponizing the Xenomorph, but there's a spy aboard--someone who doesn't necessarily act in the company's best interests. If discovered, this person may have no choice but to destroy RB-323... and everyone on board. That is if the Xenomorphs don't do the job first.

Review

This new generation of Alien books is killing it. I am really enjoying the series's direction since Prometheus, and this book definitely adds to the series. It reads exactly how I imagine Aliens would be written for a modern-day audience.

The main characters are worthy of remembering and fulfilling the classic archtypes. Then in classic Alienverse style, they are all given the piece of shit character trait and spend too much energy undermining each other rather than attempting to survive. The author does a great job capturing these very human traits that make us scarier than the xenomorphs. The two key characters are focused more on greed and selfish acts than helping others survive. This type of villainy is what I enjoy about the alien franchise and Weyland Yutani in general; it just brings back Burke-style persona.

The story has everything an alien fan needs. We have a secret Weyland Yutani Project; we have Xenomorphs, a ragtag team of expendable crew, synthetics and, of course, facehuggers! It is everything this franchise represents, and I love it.

Highly recommend reading/listening to this story. If you are interested in this, please use this link to purchase off Amazon, as I will get a kickback! Link to Amazon