What do you think?
Rate this book
Aliens / Predator / Prometheus Universe
Alien: Into Charybdis
The critically acclaimed author of Alien: The Cold Forge takes readers to a rogue colony where terror lurks in the tunnels of an abandoned Weyland-Yutani complex.
"Shy" Hunt and the tech team from McAllen Integrations thought they'd have an easy job - set up environmental systems for the brand new Hasanova Data Solutions colony, built on the abandoned ruins of a complex known as 'Charybdis'. There are just two problems: the colony belongs to the Iranian state, so diplomacy is strained at best, and the complex is located above a series of hidden caves that contain deadly secrets. When a bizarre ship lands on a nearby island, one of the workers is attacked by a taloned creature, and trust evaporates between the Iranians and Americans. The McAllen Integrations crew are imprisoned, accused as spies, but manage to send out a distress signal... to the Colonial Marines.
"Shy" Hunt and the tech team from McAllen Integrations thought they'd have an easy job - set up environmental systems for the brand new Hasanova Data Solutions colony, built on the abandoned ruins of a complex known as 'Charybdis'. There are just two problems: the colony belongs to the Iranian state, so diplomacy is strained at best, and the complex is located above a series of hidden caves that contain deadly secrets. When a bizarre ship lands on a nearby island, one of the workers is attacked by a taloned creature, and trust evaporates between the Iranians and Americans. The McAllen Integrations crew are imprisoned, accused as spies, but manage to send out a distress signal... to the Colonial Marines.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2021
154 people are currently reading
1135 people want to read
About the author
Alex White
111 books528 followersAlex White was born and raised in the American south. He takes photos, writes music and spends hours on YouTube watching other people blacksmith. He values challenging and subversive writing, but will settle for a good time.
In the shadow of rockets in Huntsville, Alabama, Alex lives and works as an experience designer with his spouse, son, two dogs and a cat named Grim. Favored past times include Legos and racecars. He takes his whiskey neat and his espresso black.
Alex is the author of THE SALVAGERS book series (Orbit, 2018), a magical space opera treasure hunt, ALIEN: THE COLD FORGE (Titan, 2018)(yes, THAT Alien), and EVERY MOUNTAIN MADE LOW (Solaris, 2016), a dystopian Southern American yarn.
In the shadow of rockets in Huntsville, Alabama, Alex lives and works as an experience designer with his spouse, son, two dogs and a cat named Grim. Favored past times include Legos and racecars. He takes his whiskey neat and his espresso black.
Alex is the author of THE SALVAGERS book series (Orbit, 2018), a magical space opera treasure hunt, ALIEN: THE COLD FORGE (Titan, 2018)(yes, THAT Alien), and EVERY MOUNTAIN MADE LOW (Solaris, 2016), a dystopian Southern American yarn.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
July 4, 2023
"Dark flesh pulls back, revealing a mouth of jagged obsidian teeth— a child’s drawing of a nightmare."
What do you want from an Alien novel? You want xenomorphs, of course, and you want the human world, which consists of huge, impersonal corporations riding roughshod over their employees (maybe even some called Weyland-Yutani and Seegson), you want huge industrial complexes on other planets, structures that are so huge and self-regulating, it's scary how tiny and insignificant human lives turn out to be. And you want synths, of course. And perhaps some Colonial Marines.
Into Charybdis has them all. In the first twenty or so pages we're in a huge datacenter placed on a stormy planet, and we have an industrial accident. That's the stuff!
"At almost two weeks into the job, a message arrives in Shy’s inbox that’s enough to scare the shit out of her. It’s an undeliverable item, sent from her own email address to “adsfasdef@ mcallenint.com.” DON’T TRUST NOT SAFE DON’T TRUST NOT SAFE DON’T TRUST NOT SAFE DON’T TRUST"
Worldbuilding is very important in an Alien novel, but we also need characters, so when people start dying, we actually feel it. And the characters work - some are really likeable, some less so - as you'd expect from a piece of Alien media. And people do die in this novel. It is quite Game of Thrones-y in its determination to regularly bump off main characters. I despise cruelty, even in art, but it's essential to an Alien novel. The author has to be mean; that is the world of the xenomorph.
I'm not a huge fan of Colonial Marines, but they do play a good part in the book, I have to admit. And the black goo from Prometheus returns - if you're like me, that will give you pause, but it's handled pretty well, actually being scary for once.
If I have one complaint about the book, it is that the natural water maelstrom the facility is built around (the titular Charybdis) doesn't play that much of a role in the climax. It feels like a wasted story element.
"The little maw slides out between the monster’s jaws. Mucosal strands wet his lips. When he locks his mouth shut and shakes his head, the animal strikes him like a snake. It’s like taking a stun baton to the face. Pain whites out half of Kamran’s upper lip and sets his gums tingling . Its teeth scrape off of his. When salty, coppery blood mixes with foul alien saliva, Kamran throws up directly in its face."
The writing is detailed in its worldbuilding, but reads smoothly. The harsh planet conditions are regularly mentioned, not just something that is mentioned at the start and then forgotten about. The xenomorphs are described quite poetically which is an interesting approach, and quite a good idea - we all know what they look like. There is plenty gore, and here the descriptions are grounded, and as disgusting as you'd expect.
An excellent addition to the Alien universe.
(Thanks to Titan Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
What do you want from an Alien novel? You want xenomorphs, of course, and you want the human world, which consists of huge, impersonal corporations riding roughshod over their employees (maybe even some called Weyland-Yutani and Seegson), you want huge industrial complexes on other planets, structures that are so huge and self-regulating, it's scary how tiny and insignificant human lives turn out to be. And you want synths, of course. And perhaps some Colonial Marines.
Into Charybdis has them all. In the first twenty or so pages we're in a huge datacenter placed on a stormy planet, and we have an industrial accident. That's the stuff!
"At almost two weeks into the job, a message arrives in Shy’s inbox that’s enough to scare the shit out of her. It’s an undeliverable item, sent from her own email address to “adsfasdef@ mcallenint.com.” DON’T TRUST NOT SAFE DON’T TRUST NOT SAFE DON’T TRUST NOT SAFE DON’T TRUST"
Worldbuilding is very important in an Alien novel, but we also need characters, so when people start dying, we actually feel it. And the characters work - some are really likeable, some less so - as you'd expect from a piece of Alien media. And people do die in this novel. It is quite Game of Thrones-y in its determination to regularly bump off main characters. I despise cruelty, even in art, but it's essential to an Alien novel. The author has to be mean; that is the world of the xenomorph.
I'm not a huge fan of Colonial Marines, but they do play a good part in the book, I have to admit. And the black goo from Prometheus returns - if you're like me, that will give you pause, but it's handled pretty well, actually being scary for once.
If I have one complaint about the book, it is that the natural water maelstrom the facility is built around (the titular Charybdis) doesn't play that much of a role in the climax. It feels like a wasted story element.
"The little maw slides out between the monster’s jaws. Mucosal strands wet his lips. When he locks his mouth shut and shakes his head, the animal strikes him like a snake. It’s like taking a stun baton to the face. Pain whites out half of Kamran’s upper lip and sets his gums tingling . Its teeth scrape off of his. When salty, coppery blood mixes with foul alien saliva, Kamran throws up directly in its face."
The writing is detailed in its worldbuilding, but reads smoothly. The harsh planet conditions are regularly mentioned, not just something that is mentioned at the start and then forgotten about. The xenomorphs are described quite poetically which is an interesting approach, and quite a good idea - we all know what they look like. There is plenty gore, and here the descriptions are grounded, and as disgusting as you'd expect.
An excellent addition to the Alien universe.
(Thanks to Titan Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)
July 10, 2022
Xenoarchaeologists call someone’s first exposure to alien cultures the “depersonalization effect,” the sudden recognition that the universe isn’t human, or for humans.
I am frequently amazed at how good the Alien books are. This is quite unusual if you consider the basic lifecycle (facehugger, chestburster, xenomorph) and the Weyland-Yutani vs. USCM political set-up. What more is there to be said beyond that? Ridley Scott attempted an answer with ‘Covenant’ and ‘Promotheus’, but these later movies only muddied the narrative waters. No, there is something pure about the books, as elemental as the creature itself.
Part of this is due to the fact that the creature functions best as an imaginative construct barely glimpsed. There is a spectacular central premise at the heart of ‘Into Charybdis’, taking the evolution of the creature in an unexpected, if inevitable, direction that would simply fall flat if an attempt was made to translate it to the big screen. But Marsalis comes alive in these pages in a truly terrifying and heart-stopping fashion, simply because she is so alien.
That theme of ‘otherness’ has always been at the heart of the movies. It might seem unsubtle for author Alex White to make Charybdis on the planet Hasanova an Iranian-run installation. However, this makes for a fascinating contrast with the gun-toting, God-fearing Colonial Marines’ special Midnighters unit, whose fanaticism is as single-minded and as chilling as the creature itself.
The best movies of the franchise have always thrived on a solid combination of a spectacular setting and thoughtful characterisation. White knows his technical chops as a writer, and paints a vivid cast of diverse characters that the reader soon becomes emotionally invested in. In addition, Hasanova is a truly frightening alien world.
This latest Alien book by White is quite different to his earlier ‘The Cold Forge’, but equally as good. If you are a fan of the franchise, the books are far superior to some of the movie duds that have been foisted on us over the years. Highly recommend. And you’ll be reading this with all of the lights on.
I am frequently amazed at how good the Alien books are. This is quite unusual if you consider the basic lifecycle (facehugger, chestburster, xenomorph) and the Weyland-Yutani vs. USCM political set-up. What more is there to be said beyond that? Ridley Scott attempted an answer with ‘Covenant’ and ‘Promotheus’, but these later movies only muddied the narrative waters. No, there is something pure about the books, as elemental as the creature itself.
Part of this is due to the fact that the creature functions best as an imaginative construct barely glimpsed. There is a spectacular central premise at the heart of ‘Into Charybdis’, taking the evolution of the creature in an unexpected, if inevitable, direction that would simply fall flat if an attempt was made to translate it to the big screen. But Marsalis comes alive in these pages in a truly terrifying and heart-stopping fashion, simply because she is so alien.
That theme of ‘otherness’ has always been at the heart of the movies. It might seem unsubtle for author Alex White to make Charybdis on the planet Hasanova an Iranian-run installation. However, this makes for a fascinating contrast with the gun-toting, God-fearing Colonial Marines’ special Midnighters unit, whose fanaticism is as single-minded and as chilling as the creature itself.
The best movies of the franchise have always thrived on a solid combination of a spectacular setting and thoughtful characterisation. White knows his technical chops as a writer, and paints a vivid cast of diverse characters that the reader soon becomes emotionally invested in. In addition, Hasanova is a truly frightening alien world.
This latest Alien book by White is quite different to his earlier ‘The Cold Forge’, but equally as good. If you are a fan of the franchise, the books are far superior to some of the movie duds that have been foisted on us over the years. Highly recommend. And you’ll be reading this with all of the lights on.
February 28, 2021
Upon finishing Alien: The Cold Forge back in 2018, my most pressing concern was when Alex White's next Alien book would be released. Well, that time has finally come with Into Charybdis hitting shelves earlier this week, and I couldn't be happier. While markedly different than The Cold Forge, Into Charybdis is, in nearly all respects, bigger, better, and bolder.
Moving from the space station-based setting of the previous book, White moves the action planet-side, to a sparsely populated atoll in the middle of a highly violate, churning, and very stormy sea. A group of Iranian colonists are attempting to bring a data hub online and have contracted a group of Americans to help with the install. Unfortunately, when things go sideways the Americans are taken hostage, but are able to send out a distress call to the United States Colonial Marine Corps.
White does an excellent job presenting an interstellar riff on the Iran hostage crisis, and this concept could have been neat enough sci-fi fodder on its own. But, putting this highly volatile situation into the politics of the Alien universe makes for a real home-run, giving us various layers of intrigue with the usual Weyland-Yutani shenanigans and the conflicts between United Americas and the Independent Core System Colonies, a group of secessionists of which Iran is a member.
And then there's the Colonial Marines themselves, as led by Captain Kylie Duncan, a hard-edge officer with a penchant for violence. Most often, the Colonial Marines are presented as front-line heroes, but White gives us a very different spin on these soldiers and their end-goals as they enter what is deemed by United Americas to be an enemy state. Whatever 80s-era romanticism James Cameron's Aliens and subsequent media tie-ins might have imbued the Colonial Marines with, White swiftly removes as they are positioned into becoming an invading and occupying force more familiar to 21st Century readers, particularly those who have grown up under the shadow of a perpetual forever war in the Middle East following 9/11. In 1961, Present Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us of the threat the military-industrial complex presents to democracy, and the in-universe alliance between the US military and Weyland-Yutani is a welcome reminder of this threat (not to mention a number of real-life examples, including the militarization of police forces all across America).
Unlike The Cold Forge, White sets up a few characters in Charybdis that are actually pretty damn sympathetic. The sexism graphics designer Shy faces in her job, which is threatened by a disgruntled creep, is all too recognizable, and Iranian researcher Dr. Afghanzadeh is caught between conflicting loyalties as he tries to do the right thing but also can't afford to be fired should he disobey his employer's orders. Given the various factions competing for survival on this violent atoll, Into Charybdis has a large cast of characters by necessity -- but, since this is an Alien book, don't count on all of them making it off-world alive! White does a fantastic job delivering multiple brutal -- and incredibly shocking -- deaths that hit super-hard thanks to their focus on character work. Once the action kicks in, this sucker gets intense fast.
Alien: Into Charybdis is a remarkably fast read that belies it's 560 pages. Packed full of memorable action sequences and more than its fair share of conflict, this sucker just moves and moves and moves. What makes it all the more remarkable, though, is its thoughtful commentary on patriotism versus nationalism, particularly given the highly jingoistic Colonial Marines, which is pretty much the last thing I would have expected in an Alien book. It's a wonderful, and wholly welcome, bit of subversion and I will damn well take it! I dug the hell out of the commentary and political philosophies presented here, and the way White used these perspectives to shift this story into some unique places - and set up some intriguing angles for where subsequent Alien books, either by them or by the other authors playing in this universe, could possibly go. However, I find myself in a familiar position upon finishing this book as I was with The Cold Forge: I'm already eager and impatient for White's next Alien book!
Moving from the space station-based setting of the previous book, White moves the action planet-side, to a sparsely populated atoll in the middle of a highly violate, churning, and very stormy sea. A group of Iranian colonists are attempting to bring a data hub online and have contracted a group of Americans to help with the install. Unfortunately, when things go sideways the Americans are taken hostage, but are able to send out a distress call to the United States Colonial Marine Corps.
White does an excellent job presenting an interstellar riff on the Iran hostage crisis, and this concept could have been neat enough sci-fi fodder on its own. But, putting this highly volatile situation into the politics of the Alien universe makes for a real home-run, giving us various layers of intrigue with the usual Weyland-Yutani shenanigans and the conflicts between United Americas and the Independent Core System Colonies, a group of secessionists of which Iran is a member.
And then there's the Colonial Marines themselves, as led by Captain Kylie Duncan, a hard-edge officer with a penchant for violence. Most often, the Colonial Marines are presented as front-line heroes, but White gives us a very different spin on these soldiers and their end-goals as they enter what is deemed by United Americas to be an enemy state. Whatever 80s-era romanticism James Cameron's Aliens and subsequent media tie-ins might have imbued the Colonial Marines with, White swiftly removes as they are positioned into becoming an invading and occupying force more familiar to 21st Century readers, particularly those who have grown up under the shadow of a perpetual forever war in the Middle East following 9/11. In 1961, Present Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us of the threat the military-industrial complex presents to democracy, and the in-universe alliance between the US military and Weyland-Yutani is a welcome reminder of this threat (not to mention a number of real-life examples, including the militarization of police forces all across America).
Unlike The Cold Forge, White sets up a few characters in Charybdis that are actually pretty damn sympathetic. The sexism graphics designer Shy faces in her job, which is threatened by a disgruntled creep, is all too recognizable, and Iranian researcher Dr. Afghanzadeh is caught between conflicting loyalties as he tries to do the right thing but also can't afford to be fired should he disobey his employer's orders. Given the various factions competing for survival on this violent atoll, Into Charybdis has a large cast of characters by necessity -- but, since this is an Alien book, don't count on all of them making it off-world alive! White does a fantastic job delivering multiple brutal -- and incredibly shocking -- deaths that hit super-hard thanks to their focus on character work. Once the action kicks in, this sucker gets intense fast.
Alien: Into Charybdis is a remarkably fast read that belies it's 560 pages. Packed full of memorable action sequences and more than its fair share of conflict, this sucker just moves and moves and moves. What makes it all the more remarkable, though, is its thoughtful commentary on patriotism versus nationalism, particularly given the highly jingoistic Colonial Marines, which is pretty much the last thing I would have expected in an Alien book. It's a wonderful, and wholly welcome, bit of subversion and I will damn well take it! I dug the hell out of the commentary and political philosophies presented here, and the way White used these perspectives to shift this story into some unique places - and set up some intriguing angles for where subsequent Alien books, either by them or by the other authors playing in this universe, could possibly go. However, I find myself in a familiar position upon finishing this book as I was with The Cold Forge: I'm already eager and impatient for White's next Alien book!
April 29, 2024
This Alien novel is certainly worthy being read, it is well written and does something different being a story after Prometheus and Alien Covenant, using aspects of those stories as a continuation for this particular story.
The first 20% of the story takes its time to explore the scenery and the personel on duty both Iranian, colonial marines and the token crew. That said this Alien story makes you like and dislike characters who then are going to die a most horrible death. Of course they die it is after everything goes expectedly wrong with a wrath. Bloody mayhem galore as it should be.
I enjoyed it a lot and now feel the need to seek out the previous Alien novel by this writer. And sure do hope there Will be a sequal.
Great baddies, excellent horror, great characters created. Well written and those 500+ pages are an easy read with a lot of bloody mayhem, what else do you want reading or watching an Alien episode. No nice Phone home kind of Alien but the kind that mutilates the living daylights out of their prey.
Excellent entertainment.
The first 20% of the story takes its time to explore the scenery and the personel on duty both Iranian, colonial marines and the token crew. That said this Alien story makes you like and dislike characters who then are going to die a most horrible death. Of course they die it is after everything goes expectedly wrong with a wrath. Bloody mayhem galore as it should be.
I enjoyed it a lot and now feel the need to seek out the previous Alien novel by this writer. And sure do hope there Will be a sequal.
Great baddies, excellent horror, great characters created. Well written and those 500+ pages are an easy read with a lot of bloody mayhem, what else do you want reading or watching an Alien episode. No nice Phone home kind of Alien but the kind that mutilates the living daylights out of their prey.
Excellent entertainment.
March 14, 2021
For anyone interested in reading this book I highly recommend reading “Alien : The Cold Forge” first. The author does say this is not necessary but I think to really appreciate this book and to understand why I rated it a four instead of a three Cold Forge needs to have been read. This one overall is a great story . Alex is able to take tropes that seem old and worn out to subvert the direction you think the story is going. There were a few times in this where I thought I was predicting the way he was taking the story and he would up and surprise me and take it in a completely different direction. One of the better “Alien” Tie-in novels I’ve read in a long time I look forward to more of his work.
July 30, 2022
White knows how to write an Alien story. Brutal, shocking violence, along with the fear and dread of the unknown keep keeps readers on their toes and quickly turning pages to follow along with a cast of sympathetic characters. Looking forward to more from this author.
December 2, 2021
About a quarter of the way in I didn't really like the way things were headed. It seemed sort of corny and not congruent with other Alien stuff. But Prometheus was referenced a few times in the beginning so I went back and re-watched that movie and Alien Covenant back to back. I liked Prometheus when I saw it in the theaters but had mainly forgotten what had happened and after watching that especially I had a new perspective on Into Charybdis. Things made much more sense and it now seemed like an organic continuation of the story. I ended up liking Into Charybdis as much as Cold Forge by the same author and hope there's a third book in the series.
August 31, 2021
The first half was phenomenal. Could have been a 4 star for me but for the absurdity of "Marsalis" the goodguy alien with a text-to-speach talkbox which I can only imagine in a Stephen Hawking voice. To be fair the book states Marsalis has a slightly feminine computer voice. But seriously?
This nearly ruins the book despite the great setup in the first half and all the tight action that follows. The author does a very good job of always framing Marsalis as a scary and somewhat unpredictable thing but I think the idea is just too stupid to save. I gather that Marsalis's origins are from a previous novel but I'm not sure anything can justify it because it reeks of the "Black Goo" mystery and something-something-engineers? from the newer movies. It's so deflating if you stop reading long enough to think, so I pushed past it at warp speed to the story's end. As I started this review I had 3 stars for it.
Main characters die horrific deaths, xenomorphs do their thing, and gee-golly wouldn't you know it those pesky colonial marines are the true badguys--that part grinds on me also, though its thematically not out of place for the franchise, if a little tired and definitely uninspired with the super heavy-handed Captain Duncan, America's future space Hitler. I'm a little undecided on how nuanced the other characters are--all of the most likeable/developed ones get killed. I'm not against killing off main characters but please do not leave us with the two least interesting people on the planet and their Microsoft Cortana alien buddy. Just, no.
Over all though I cannot help but feel this franchise as a whole is fucked despite the strong positives of this book. The mysterious black goo and what little batshit crazy lore 20th Century Fox is pushing from the new movies is just so out of place that this novel is all the better for having a bare minimum of it. The black goo is just too stupid, too random and too plot-serving to take seriously. In one of the movies, single air-borne spores of the stuff can infect people through ear canals and nasal cavities, yet in this novel it appears to be inert unless it has skin contact, and even then only at the author's discretion, since our protagonists slog through a cave of the stuff in gun fights and survive. And of course the black goo can make monstrous grub things of acid blood explode nearly instantly from people but how any of that translates into the xenomorphs from the classic films beats me.
I need to stop here before I take away another star.
It was a fast, mildly fun read though.
This nearly ruins the book despite the great setup in the first half and all the tight action that follows. The author does a very good job of always framing Marsalis as a scary and somewhat unpredictable thing but I think the idea is just too stupid to save. I gather that Marsalis's origins are from a previous novel but I'm not sure anything can justify it because it reeks of the "Black Goo" mystery and something-something-engineers? from the newer movies. It's so deflating if you stop reading long enough to think, so I pushed past it at warp speed to the story's end. As I started this review I had 3 stars for it.
Main characters die horrific deaths, xenomorphs do their thing, and gee-golly wouldn't you know it those pesky colonial marines are the true badguys--that part grinds on me also, though its thematically not out of place for the franchise, if a little tired and definitely uninspired with the super heavy-handed Captain Duncan, America's future space Hitler. I'm a little undecided on how nuanced the other characters are--all of the most likeable/developed ones get killed. I'm not against killing off main characters but please do not leave us with the two least interesting people on the planet and their Microsoft Cortana alien buddy. Just, no.
Over all though I cannot help but feel this franchise as a whole is fucked despite the strong positives of this book. The mysterious black goo and what little batshit crazy lore 20th Century Fox is pushing from the new movies is just so out of place that this novel is all the better for having a bare minimum of it. The black goo is just too stupid, too random and too plot-serving to take seriously. In one of the movies, single air-borne spores of the stuff can infect people through ear canals and nasal cavities, yet in this novel it appears to be inert unless it has skin contact, and even then only at the author's discretion, since our protagonists slog through a cave of the stuff in gun fights and survive. And of course the black goo can make monstrous grub things of acid blood explode nearly instantly from people but how any of that translates into the xenomorphs from the classic films beats me.
I need to stop here before I take away another star.
It was a fast, mildly fun read though.
October 15, 2021
Hated it.
I had this as an audiobook and I think if I had read it maybe it would be a 2/3 stars story because the narration was so bad it just made me hate the story.
I was completely lost at the start and didn't care about any of the characters and then after 30% of the book a xeno turned up. Maybe it was the narration but the description was so bad and they seemed to use the same ways to detail scenes again and again.
Also, I HATE the nickname for the Xenomorphs was X-Rays, makes no sense and just made me instantly turn off the book.
I had this as an audiobook and I think if I had read it maybe it would be a 2/3 stars story because the narration was so bad it just made me hate the story.
I was completely lost at the start and didn't care about any of the characters and then after 30% of the book a xeno turned up. Maybe it was the narration but the description was so bad and they seemed to use the same ways to detail scenes again and again.
Also, I HATE the nickname for the Xenomorphs was X-Rays, makes no sense and just made me instantly turn off the book.
June 8, 2025
This is the best Alien series novel I'm read since the original Steve Perry trilogy in the early to mid-90s. Had it not taken its considerable time in setting the scene and occasionally become bogged down in techno-babble, it would have been straight up the best.
Because the last two-thirds of this novel are flat out stellar. As a long time fan of the films and the associated novels/graphic novels/etc (even if Ridley Scott tried his level best to run it into the ground through the 2010s), this was the first time I can recall being genuinely surprised by plot developments. Likewise, White has a fantastic knack for pulling the rug out from under you regarding a character's fate. Just when you think you know what's going to happen to someone, bam! Left field comes a-calling in emphatic fashion.
Into Charybdis serves as a sequel to White's earlier novel, The Cold Forge, though it takes a very long time for that to become apparent. Patience is required. But believe me when I say the wait is worth it. In some ways, Into Charbydis even makes The Cold Forge a retrospectively better book, but to say how would be too much of a spoiler ...
I'm also very keen for White to return to this Universe with a third novel. What they have set up in this one is intriguing to say the least.
Long story short: If you haven't read this novel and you're an Alien Universe fan, take a leaf out of Gwen Stefani's playbook and ask yourself: what you waiting for?
4 "Good Boy" Mobile Gun Turrets for Alien: Into Charybdis.
Because the last two-thirds of this novel are flat out stellar. As a long time fan of the films and the associated novels/graphic novels/etc (even if Ridley Scott tried his level best to run it into the ground through the 2010s), this was the first time I can recall being genuinely surprised by plot developments. Likewise, White has a fantastic knack for pulling the rug out from under you regarding a character's fate. Just when you think you know what's going to happen to someone, bam! Left field comes a-calling in emphatic fashion.
Into Charybdis serves as a sequel to White's earlier novel, The Cold Forge, though it takes a very long time for that to become apparent. Patience is required. But believe me when I say the wait is worth it. In some ways, Into Charbydis even makes The Cold Forge a retrospectively better book, but to say how would be too much of a spoiler ...
I'm also very keen for White to return to this Universe with a third novel. What they have set up in this one is intriguing to say the least.
Long story short: If you haven't read this novel and you're an Alien Universe fan, take a leaf out of Gwen Stefani's playbook and ask yourself: what you waiting for?
4 "Good Boy" Mobile Gun Turrets for Alien: Into Charybdis.
September 12, 2022
I enjoyed parts of it and some of it kind of dragged along
February 24, 2021
It's been quite some time since I finished this amazing novel, but so much of it still sits in my brain.
I read Cold Forge before I became friends with Alex, and I read it solely because of how much I loved The Salvagers series. I'm pretty much on auto buy for Alex's books, I still have some to catch up with.
You would think that would make me incredibly biased towards their books, but considering how I read it, it goes without saying that I read this more critically than any ARC I've ever been lucky enough to get my hands on.
The characters absolutely made this book. Our main character, Shy, is exactly what I want from a sci fi novel. Strong, no nonsense, completely left out of the crowd and only grudgingly accepted. Kamran, our main character from the other side, who has such an amazing soul and spirit and who I was rooting for SO HARD.
One thing that made this an impossible read is the large number of people I wanted to be the Last Human Standing. And knowing Alex White, being really concerned I might end up with no one as the Last Human Standing.
Then again, I also wanted there to be a Last Android Standing and a Last Alien Standing, so....poo.
So good. SO satisfying, on so many levels. And if you're like me, and you have the disadvantage of anthropomorphizing murder kill death babies, you're REALLY going to like our main Alien.
And despise our villains.
Seriously, I can't say enough how good this trip into the Alien-verse is.
And really, it's not just because there's a badass lawyer who would like to speak to your manager who may or may not be named after me.
I read Cold Forge before I became friends with Alex, and I read it solely because of how much I loved The Salvagers series. I'm pretty much on auto buy for Alex's books, I still have some to catch up with.
You would think that would make me incredibly biased towards their books, but considering how I read it, it goes without saying that I read this more critically than any ARC I've ever been lucky enough to get my hands on.
The characters absolutely made this book. Our main character, Shy, is exactly what I want from a sci fi novel. Strong, no nonsense, completely left out of the crowd and only grudgingly accepted. Kamran, our main character from the other side, who has such an amazing soul and spirit and who I was rooting for SO HARD.
One thing that made this an impossible read is the large number of people I wanted to be the Last Human Standing. And knowing Alex White, being really concerned I might end up with no one as the Last Human Standing.
Then again, I also wanted there to be a Last Android Standing and a Last Alien Standing, so....poo.
So good. SO satisfying, on so many levels. And if you're like me, and you have the disadvantage of anthropomorphizing murder kill death babies, you're REALLY going to like our main Alien.
And despise our villains.
Seriously, I can't say enough how good this trip into the Alien-verse is.
And really, it's not just because there's a badass lawyer who would like to speak to your manager who may or may not be named after me.
August 10, 2021
Is all the Prometheus bullcrap canon now? Is it going to be there in all future Alien books? Am I going to have to give up on my favorite franchise in the whole dark, disinterested, chitinous universe after decades of pushing through even such amateur fare as the Perry novelizations? I mean, as far as these things go, Into Charybdis is pretty high on the ratings scale (although Sigler set a really high standard with Phalanx). It touches on many all-to-familiar tropes in the universe (research labs, remote outpost, WY remnants, Japanese company scientist, the obligatory android, USMC troopers, oodles of vict- err, civilians, and even ties into an earlier novelization) but it manages to handle them all pretty well despite treading familiar waters. But then the Prometheus stuff just pokes out like a nasty eyesore slash deus ex all over the place. I will choose not to blame the author for this, guessing that he was nudged to include it by management, so the rating gets a star more than I would give it outright.
March 9, 2023
Boy, oh boy. I’m loving these books so much. I’ve only read a couple so far, but I’ve added a whole bunch to my list, I love the Alien universe.
This one. Wow. Bloody, violent, interesting storyline and a dash of war crimes thrown in there. Lots of death, very few survivors, all in typical Alien fashion.
The setting of this one was so unique, I loved the setup for this little corner of the universe.
I definitely want to read the other Alien novel White wrote, along with some others because it helps flesh out the universe and what humans are doing, or not doing, in regards to the xenomorphs.
This one. Wow. Bloody, violent, interesting storyline and a dash of war crimes thrown in there. Lots of death, very few survivors, all in typical Alien fashion.
The setting of this one was so unique, I loved the setup for this little corner of the universe.
I definitely want to read the other Alien novel White wrote, along with some others because it helps flesh out the universe and what humans are doing, or not doing, in regards to the xenomorphs.
March 10, 2024
I would have given this a 4 because I really enjoyed the story, but the author spent way too much time on the “America is bad and they hate Iran” subplot which felt like an unnecessary distraction at best. Also, it was very hard to get attached to a main character because there wasn’t a consistent main character throughout the story.
It had potential, but it fell flat in too many areas for me.
It had potential, but it fell flat in too many areas for me.
June 30, 2022
The Cold Forge was brilliant and is the best Alien novel outside the original Alien adaption but i could not get in to this and I really tried to. The Aliens are background characters which is fine but the humans and politics at the forefront just aren't very interesting.
November 4, 2024
This book was so amazingly intense. It was just like the movies, I pick a character I like, they die, I’m sad so I pick another and then they die ect. The Marsayliss character/creature was amazing.
March 12, 2021
This was almost like two separate books, the first part was some vaguely menacing tale of software engineers in space colonisation then when the alien story kicked off it was Cold forge part two.
The disjointed plotlines aside this was great reading when it got going, the cold forge story being continued was a surprise to me despite the author as i thought that story was pretty much done and forgotten. The way they used the prometheus plots alongside the alien one worked much better here i thought and although it sort of fizzled at the end it still leaves things slightly open for more.
The disjointed plotlines aside this was great reading when it got going, the cold forge story being continued was a surprise to me despite the author as i thought that story was pretty much done and forgotten. The way they used the prometheus plots alongside the alien one worked much better here i thought and although it sort of fizzled at the end it still leaves things slightly open for more.
May 19, 2021
This might be my favorite of the new Aliens novels to have come out. There are a handful of characters to root for, corporate chicanery, and an interesting cliffhanger that I hope any future novels play off.
September 6, 2021
This is a difficult review to write. As a story, this book was incredible. What it all means in regards to the canon/lore of the Alien Franchise I'm not quite so fond of.
I will start with the story itself, as that is the main thing I want to review. It is a powerful sci-fi tale, with engaging characters and a plot that keeps the twists coming whilst forming a strong, coherent story. Compared to White's previous entry into the Alien Universe, characters are more likeable (and those that aren't are definitely interesting - I'd rather have interesting but spiteful characters than likeable but bland ones). There is good diversity to the characters, that I feel was explored sensitively.
The story is all centred around a data repository (I believe is the right term) on a planetoid owned by an Iranian corporation. There is, though, shady stuff going on that proves Weyland-Yutani aren't the only despicable conglomerates of this universe - they're all corrupt at the core. Some American contractors are thrown into the mix to add to the tension, as the corporation don't want them uncovering anything untoward.
Things soon escalate, of course, and get even worse when the USCM (Colonial Marines) get involved.
The plot does a great job of being a socio-political commentary whilst also involving Xenomorph-XX121 to devastating effect. It was a truly tense tale, confronting the reader with questions on morality and unchecked power. It was a constant mystery whether a character was going to make it out of a situation, and although the situations remained chaotic there were enough moments of respite to allow losses and setbacks to sink in.
Overall, a story I very much enjoyed.
However, it would have been stronger if it wasn't tied so strongly to the Alien Franchise. Whilst it does a better job of sticking to what came before than Alien: Covenant did, certain decisions regarding the Accelerant/Pathogen and its connection to the Xenomorph just did not work for me. Whilst the ideas explored were fun and interesting, they just did not seem consistent with what has been established elsewhere in the franchise. I found myself wishing it was a different McGuffin being used for those elements of the story, and again I feel that these elements would have worked better in a standalone story set in a different universe.
At points, the story also seemed to contradict lore elements established in White's previous Alien entry.
These lore criticisms, though, are certainly affected by my own preferences and headcanons. For example, I refuse to believe that Xenomorph-XX121 produces the Pathogen itself, as the effects of the "goo" differ immensely from what the "seed" of a Facehugger creates in a host. I will accept that they are somewhat related; not that they are the same thing.
Sorry, Alex White.
I do think this is a good book, though, and if you are not a freak for consistent lore like I am, then you will likely enjoy this book as an effective, thought-provoking sci-fi romp with a familiar, pre-established setting.
As an entry into the Alien franchise, I would mark this as 3/5 stars owing to its decisions regarding canon/continuity/lore; as a sci-fi novel, it's probably a 4/5. As such, my final verdict is 3.5 stars, but it has been bumped up to four stars for the purpose of this review.
I will start with the story itself, as that is the main thing I want to review. It is a powerful sci-fi tale, with engaging characters and a plot that keeps the twists coming whilst forming a strong, coherent story. Compared to White's previous entry into the Alien Universe, characters are more likeable (and those that aren't are definitely interesting - I'd rather have interesting but spiteful characters than likeable but bland ones). There is good diversity to the characters, that I feel was explored sensitively.
The story is all centred around a data repository (I believe is the right term) on a planetoid owned by an Iranian corporation. There is, though, shady stuff going on that proves Weyland-Yutani aren't the only despicable conglomerates of this universe - they're all corrupt at the core. Some American contractors are thrown into the mix to add to the tension, as the corporation don't want them uncovering anything untoward.
Things soon escalate, of course, and get even worse when the USCM (Colonial Marines) get involved.
The plot does a great job of being a socio-political commentary whilst also involving Xenomorph-XX121 to devastating effect. It was a truly tense tale, confronting the reader with questions on morality and unchecked power. It was a constant mystery whether a character was going to make it out of a situation, and although the situations remained chaotic there were enough moments of respite to allow losses and setbacks to sink in.
Overall, a story I very much enjoyed.
However, it would have been stronger if it wasn't tied so strongly to the Alien Franchise. Whilst it does a better job of sticking to what came before than Alien: Covenant did, certain decisions regarding the Accelerant/Pathogen and its connection to the Xenomorph just did not work for me. Whilst the ideas explored were fun and interesting, they just did not seem consistent with what has been established elsewhere in the franchise. I found myself wishing it was a different McGuffin being used for those elements of the story, and again I feel that these elements would have worked better in a standalone story set in a different universe.
At points, the story also seemed to contradict lore elements established in White's previous Alien entry.
These lore criticisms, though, are certainly affected by my own preferences and headcanons. For example, I refuse to believe that Xenomorph-XX121 produces the Pathogen itself, as the effects of the "goo" differ immensely from what the "seed" of a Facehugger creates in a host. I will accept that they are somewhat related; not that they are the same thing.
Sorry, Alex White.
I do think this is a good book, though, and if you are not a freak for consistent lore like I am, then you will likely enjoy this book as an effective, thought-provoking sci-fi romp with a familiar, pre-established setting.
As an entry into the Alien franchise, I would mark this as 3/5 stars owing to its decisions regarding canon/continuity/lore; as a sci-fi novel, it's probably a 4/5. As such, my final verdict is 3.5 stars, but it has been bumped up to four stars for the purpose of this review.
September 17, 2024
This was fine, parts were even great, though with how good The Cold Forge was, and with the rave reviews for this one, I expected it to be better.
Into Charybdis had a long set up, with almost the first half being devoted to establishing characters and setting, focusing mostly on the political divisions of the various people involved. This would be fine if the second half really delivered on the Alien action, but it never really does. Sure, they show up, people are maimed, fun times are had, but it all feels a bit muted, like aliens are just peppered into a story that's mostly about the US and Iran fighting over this colony.
In most other Alien stories, there's a set up, often involving corporate or governmental greed, which leads into the real meat of the story - man vs. alien. Into Charybdis instead is a story about man vs. man, which is fine, I get you got to mix things up sometimes, but if you're going to use a new formula, you better make it more interesting than what we would've gotten, and it never really was. Just a typical bunch of government stooges go in and try to get everyone killed.
Without giving too much away, there's also a very unique alien in this book that, while I think it was an awesome concept, could've used more development and consistency, as it felt a bit gimmicky.
I loved how certain characters had no plot armor and were mercilessly sacrificed for the good of the story, but others seems like they very much did have this plot armor, for a bit too long, at least.
I also had mixed feelings about how seriously the book takes the deaths of the some of the characters. A lot of characters die horrible deaths and then their loved ones are depressed for the rest of the book. While I appreciate the realism here and hate stories that just shrug off characters' deaths, but just how dark and depressing it got made the book more of a downer than an Alien story should've been. Yeah, Alien stories are dark by nature, but there was always a visceral fun to them, at least since Aliens came out. Into Charybdis takes itself a bit too seriously.
I'll end on a high note and say I did love the depth of most of the characters and how we got to see all angles so that even the people doing horrible things got their time in the limelight and we got to see their perspectives. I also loved the attempts to tie in the rest of the often messy Alien canon, including the Prometheus movie!
All in all, this was a fine story and addition to the Alien canon. It had its positives and most will find something to get out of it. It was, however, not quite the story I was looking for.
Into Charybdis had a long set up, with almost the first half being devoted to establishing characters and setting, focusing mostly on the political divisions of the various people involved. This would be fine if the second half really delivered on the Alien action, but it never really does. Sure, they show up, people are maimed, fun times are had, but it all feels a bit muted, like aliens are just peppered into a story that's mostly about the US and Iran fighting over this colony.
In most other Alien stories, there's a set up, often involving corporate or governmental greed, which leads into the real meat of the story - man vs. alien. Into Charybdis instead is a story about man vs. man, which is fine, I get you got to mix things up sometimes, but if you're going to use a new formula, you better make it more interesting than what we would've gotten, and it never really was. Just a typical bunch of government stooges go in and try to get everyone killed.
Without giving too much away, there's also a very unique alien in this book that, while I think it was an awesome concept, could've used more development and consistency, as it felt a bit gimmicky.
I loved how certain characters had no plot armor and were mercilessly sacrificed for the good of the story, but others seems like they very much did have this plot armor, for a bit too long, at least.
I also had mixed feelings about how seriously the book takes the deaths of the some of the characters. A lot of characters die horrible deaths and then their loved ones are depressed for the rest of the book. While I appreciate the realism here and hate stories that just shrug off characters' deaths, but just how dark and depressing it got made the book more of a downer than an Alien story should've been. Yeah, Alien stories are dark by nature, but there was always a visceral fun to them, at least since Aliens came out. Into Charybdis takes itself a bit too seriously.
I'll end on a high note and say I did love the depth of most of the characters and how we got to see all angles so that even the people doing horrible things got their time in the limelight and we got to see their perspectives. I also loved the attempts to tie in the rest of the often messy Alien canon, including the Prometheus movie!
All in all, this was a fine story and addition to the Alien canon. It had its positives and most will find something to get out of it. It was, however, not quite the story I was looking for.
July 13, 2023
As a standalone sci-fi/pulp horror novel this might have worked, but as an Alien universe novel it was a dud. The human villains were cartoonishly evil, the Aliens acted more like dinosaurs from one of the newer Jurassic World movies, and all of the main characters were horribly cliched.
It felt like the author had no real idea what a strong female character (ala Ellen Ripley) is supposed to look like, and his efforts to write one came off as incredibly sophomoric.
There were also plenty of eye-rolling moments as the author inserted his modern day political/social commentary into a book supposedly set over a century and a half in the future. I picked this up because his other Alien book, Cold Forge, was decently entertaining but Into Charybdis is going to age like a carton of WalMart boxed wine left outside for an Arizona summer.
It felt like the author had no real idea what a strong female character (ala Ellen Ripley) is supposed to look like, and his efforts to write one came off as incredibly sophomoric.
There were also plenty of eye-rolling moments as the author inserted his modern day political/social commentary into a book supposedly set over a century and a half in the future. I picked this up because his other Alien book, Cold Forge, was decently entertaining but Into Charybdis is going to age like a carton of WalMart boxed wine left outside for an Arizona summer.
July 5, 2021
You sir, you get what scraches every itch when it comes to Alien. It is amazing how you could tie in Alien and Prometheus and make it mesh so well. Thank you.
February 15, 2024
One thing is abundantly clear: Alex White is a superb writer. Cold Forge, the prequel to Into Charybdis was simply excellent. After a slightly slow start, this one was even better. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that White is too good really to be writing Alien spin-off novels. Into Charybdis is a deep, complex sci-fi story that seems to want to cram as much technical detail and world building into it as it does actual aliens. If it has a fault, it's that it's so complex, so technical and so expansive that to be honest it's a bit exhausting to read at times.
I attempted to summerise the plot but then realised I didn't really understand what was going on so deleted it all. I just know I enjoyed the read.
S, if you like extremely violent and gory science fiction, this is your book.
Why on Earth rubbish like Prometheus was made when Cold Forge and this novel are out there in the same franchise begging to be filmed is a mystery.
Recommended.
I attempted to summerise the plot but then realised I didn't really understand what was going on so deleted it all. I just know I enjoyed the read.
S, if you like extremely violent and gory science fiction, this is your book.
Why on Earth rubbish like Prometheus was made when Cold Forge and this novel are out there in the same franchise begging to be filmed is a mystery.
Recommended.
December 18, 2024
It's my belief that many of the good folks on Goodreads look to paperback Alien stories (or paperbacks in general) as though they should be the next Herbert or Heinlein. Now, personally I appreciate all levels of literature and feel that brilliance can take place within the pages of any genre or type of book. So when reviewing a book like this, I put things in perspective.
While Alex White doesn't quite deliver the way he did on Cold Forge (the POV from a dastardly villain was great in my humble opinion - the other reviews beg to differ), but he still gives us a compelling story that has a lot of moving parts. This felt at times like Tom Clancy meets Alien, and that's fine, but the international espionage aspect of the story never really went anywhere. The concept of Iranians versus Americans seemed half baked, like an alien rpg scenario fleshed out a little. The long and short of it is Alex White has chops and if you enjoy being in this fictional world a little while its worth a read.
While Alex White doesn't quite deliver the way he did on Cold Forge (the POV from a dastardly villain was great in my humble opinion - the other reviews beg to differ), but he still gives us a compelling story that has a lot of moving parts. This felt at times like Tom Clancy meets Alien, and that's fine, but the international espionage aspect of the story never really went anywhere. The concept of Iranians versus Americans seemed half baked, like an alien rpg scenario fleshed out a little. The long and short of it is Alex White has chops and if you enjoy being in this fictional world a little while its worth a read.
February 26, 2021
Hello Gemmies! I have a new book review to share with you today. Alien: Into Charybdis by Alex White is an original story set in the Alien universe. It's not spooky season but I could not resist jumping right in and reading this new release. Alien: Into Charybdis did not disappoint. It captures the essence of the Alien franchise where we see that humans are just as much monsters as the xenomorphs. One note, Alien: Into Charybdis can be read as a stand alone novel, but I recommend reading Alien: The Cold Forge first. I was pleasantly surprised to see characters from that novel make an appearance, and have their story continued.
Alien: Into Charybdis follows an American tech group as they land on a new Iranian State colony built over abandoned ruins. Their job is to set up the environmental solutions for the colonists. What should be an easy job quickly dissolves into anarchy as strained relations snap when workers begin to be attacked by strange taloned creatures. The story and world building is pretty solid and we get a mix of espionage, corporate greed, evil colonial marines, and no shortage of bad decisions. Alex White has brought in some new and unique elements to the creatures. The Aliens in this book seem to be smarter and deadlier than ever!
Like any Alien novel worth its weight in acid blood, we get plenty of tense action, betrayal, evil scientists, naive civilians, and gore galore. We are introduced to a whole new cast of intriguing and dynamic characters. But I am really here for the xenomorph. The alien is where I think this story really shines. There is one in particular that is completely unique. There are some real nail biting moments. The alien action is inventive, gritty, graphic, and pulse pounding throughout. I actually found myself rooting for the Aliens!
If you are a fan of the Alien franchise, like monsters in space, chaos, strained diplomacy, dark science fiction horror, and taut action give this book a try. Published by Titan Books, Alien: Into Charybdis is available for purchase from all major booksellers. I give Alien: Into Charybdis 4 out of 5 gems. Happy Reading!
Alien: Into Charybdis follows an American tech group as they land on a new Iranian State colony built over abandoned ruins. Their job is to set up the environmental solutions for the colonists. What should be an easy job quickly dissolves into anarchy as strained relations snap when workers begin to be attacked by strange taloned creatures. The story and world building is pretty solid and we get a mix of espionage, corporate greed, evil colonial marines, and no shortage of bad decisions. Alex White has brought in some new and unique elements to the creatures. The Aliens in this book seem to be smarter and deadlier than ever!
Like any Alien novel worth its weight in acid blood, we get plenty of tense action, betrayal, evil scientists, naive civilians, and gore galore. We are introduced to a whole new cast of intriguing and dynamic characters. But I am really here for the xenomorph. The alien is where I think this story really shines. There is one in particular that is completely unique. There are some real nail biting moments. The alien action is inventive, gritty, graphic, and pulse pounding throughout. I actually found myself rooting for the Aliens!
If you are a fan of the Alien franchise, like monsters in space, chaos, strained diplomacy, dark science fiction horror, and taut action give this book a try. Published by Titan Books, Alien: Into Charybdis is available for purchase from all major booksellers. I give Alien: Into Charybdis 4 out of 5 gems. Happy Reading!
August 6, 2025
Brilliantly written. White overperforms for this kind of assignment. At 25% I was impressed and waiting for some Alien action. At 50% I thought this was a competitor for the most brutal thing I've read. At 75% I thought it jumped the shark. By the end I felt exhausted. I understand why people love it. I understand why people don't. I see some complaining about "wokeness," but I would have been perfectly happy with more political and social commentary. As a Christian living in a majority Muslim context, White's depiction of neither rings true, but I appreciate that there is at least some respect given to religion.
August 3, 2024
Far exceeding the story of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, this is the kind of story I would like to see be made into a movie.
It is similar to The Expanse in that experts in chemistry, spacetravel, geology and culture contributed to writing this novel and it shows.
Maybe not so much a horror story, rather than what happens when there's a conflict between countries over a colony and throwing xenomorphs into the mix.
The fact that it includes politics and believable characters form different cultural backgrounds made this story feel real.
10/10 would recommend!
It is similar to The Expanse in that experts in chemistry, spacetravel, geology and culture contributed to writing this novel and it shows.
Maybe not so much a horror story, rather than what happens when there's a conflict between countries over a colony and throwing xenomorphs into the mix.
The fact that it includes politics and believable characters form different cultural backgrounds made this story feel real.
10/10 would recommend!
August 20, 2024
Great follow-up to The Cold Forge. Be aware that the book does shift perspective a few times which was a little jarring , but the plot was great . I do think The Cold Forge was slightly better if only because its story was self-contained and wasn't so heavily so reliant on understanding the previous book.
December 24, 2024
This is 4 stars. There were a lot of groups of characters, giving it a complexity that the other Alien Novelizations I've listened to don't have. But there didn't need to be quite so many characters. I'll keep listening to these because Aliens are fun. I've not been going in any kind of order - there are a lot of these books!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews