aliens-bug-huntWhat happens when Titan Books wants to give us a slew of compelling new tales set in the ‘Alien’ world? They hire Jonathan Maberry to put together an anthology of eighteen fun-filled stories from various writers with a focus on pitting mankind against the Xenomorphs. Specifically, as ‘Aliens’ is in the title, we’re seeing space marines taking on the biggest threat humanity has ever faced! We’re given a slew of settings that are perfect for long-term fans of the franchise and newcomers alike!

The lineup includes Paul Kupperberg, Dan Abnett, Rachel Caine, Yvonne Navarro, Christopher Golden, Matt Forbeck, Ray Garton, Weston Ochse, David Farland, Larry Correia, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Brian Keene, Heather Graham, a joint effort by Mike Resnick and Marina J. Lostetter, Jonathan Maberry, James A. Moore, Scott Sigler, and Tim Lebbon.

Fans of genre work are going to going to recognize quite a few of these names and while some of these stories shine you need to listen to the warning that says that these are not canon. If you think of this as fan fiction from known authors, it will help swallow down a story which has Hicks encountering Xenomorphs before the events of ‘Aliens’ in Navarro’s story about Hicks, “Reclamation.” Farlan’s “Dark Mother” was also a painful read as Burke’s tale wasn’t told that well.

That being said, you can, of course, expect a good time while reading through Keene’s “Empty Nest,” Graham’s “Darkness Falls” which has a new Alien hybrid, and Maberry’s “Deep Black.” “Deep Background” and “Dangerous Prey” are closer runner ups.

With the Maberry in charge, I was pretty surprised as I was expecting a bit more. The hits are going to draw you in, but the misses are going to make it hard coming back for more.

Still, fans of Xenomorphs will likely snap this up as quickly as I did!

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Aliens: Bug Hunt
Edited By: Jonathan Maberry
Titan Books
April 18th, 2017

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Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!