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Aliens / Predator / Prometheus Universe
Aliens: Vasquez
A groundbreaking Latinx Aliens novel by a rising star Latina author, featuring the fan-favorite character PFC Jenette Vasquez from the hit movie Aliens and the family she is forced to leave behind.
For the very first time, the canonical background of the breakout Aliens hero Jenette Vasquez, as well as the story of the children she was forced to leave behind as written by the rising Latina horror star V. Castro (Queen of the Cicadas).
Even before the doomed mission to Hadley’s Hope on LV-426, Jenette Vasquez had to fight to survive. Born to an immigrant family with a long military tradition, she looked up to the stars, but life pulled her back down to Earth—first into a street gang, then prison. The Colonial Marines proved to be Vasquez’s way out—a way that forced her to give up her twin children. Raised by Jenette’s sister, those children, Leticia and Ramon, had to discover their own ways to survive. Leticia by following her mother’s path into the military, Ramon into the corporate hierarchy of Weyland-Yutani. Their paths would converge on an unnamed planet which some see as a potential utopia, while others would use it for highly secretive research. Regardless of whatever humans might have planned for it, however, Xenomorphs will turn it into a living hell.
For the very first time, the canonical background of the breakout Aliens hero Jenette Vasquez, as well as the story of the children she was forced to leave behind as written by the rising Latina horror star V. Castro (Queen of the Cicadas).
Even before the doomed mission to Hadley’s Hope on LV-426, Jenette Vasquez had to fight to survive. Born to an immigrant family with a long military tradition, she looked up to the stars, but life pulled her back down to Earth—first into a street gang, then prison. The Colonial Marines proved to be Vasquez’s way out—a way that forced her to give up her twin children. Raised by Jenette’s sister, those children, Leticia and Ramon, had to discover their own ways to survive. Leticia by following her mother’s path into the military, Ramon into the corporate hierarchy of Weyland-Yutani. Their paths would converge on an unnamed planet which some see as a potential utopia, while others would use it for highly secretive research. Regardless of whatever humans might have planned for it, however, Xenomorphs will turn it into a living hell.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2022
57 people are currently reading
1032 people want to read
About the author
V. Castro
73 books1,204 followersHi ! Thank you so very much for picking up my books. You can also check out www.lamuertemarket.com
Wishing you Blessings and Abundance!
Wishing you Blessings and Abundance!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
March 3, 2025
Great way to add Vasquez’s family into the current Aliens storyline. What bothered me the most and keeps the review to only 3 stars is the constant referencing of 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s pop culture (Geto Boys, Bruce Springsteen, 50 Shades of Grey, etc.) by almost every single character. I could understand if it was just one character obsessed with the past but seriously for a story set roughly 200 years in the future it’s very distracting.
November 21, 2022
I just finished the book and... Well...... Hoo boy… OK… While I appreciate the short backstory of Vasquez and then learning about the children she had to give up and their _entire_ subsequent life stories, a full 4/5ths of the book is dedicated to them. In fact, Malcolm’s line in the first Jurassic Park movie kept popping into my mind where he said something to the effect of "Are there eventually going to be dinosaurs on your dinosaur tour?" as in, "Are there eventually going to be _aliens_ in your Aliens story?"
Look, I get what the author was trying to do here, but unfortunately, I think this book falls very short of an engaging Alien(s) story. Even as an origin story for these characters (that is, if one or more of them are ever going to appear in later books) it unfortunately falls flat as a xenomorph horror/thriller story. Even when we _finally_ get to the “xeno meat” of the book, it's very dry, matter of fact and frankly very very rushed. Characters make weird decisions, there are very few real descriptions of the equipment and things that people use in this future setting, and the characters are constantly listening to or watching “ancient" songs/music and TV shows (that is, from present day).
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the writing is bad. There are a few good ideas here. It’s just that the author doesn’t seem to be all that familiar with the universe or how things work within it. The story of a mother losing her children because of an unfair system and then those children following very different paths in an attempt to honor their mother and family/people in different ways is, while touching, barely anything Alien(s) related. In fact, it might as well have been set in the modern day. The xenomorphs almost feel tacked on.
I could go on, but in short, unless you’re looking for a little more information about one of our favorite characters in the Alien universe, there’s very little here to keep diehard Alien(s) fans interested. I REALLY wanted to like this book and, again, I _think_ I can see what the author was trying to do. But they obviously don’t have much experience/knowledge with the Alien universe and the military in general.
I actually really do hope that we see more of Vasquez’s daughter going forward. I just hope that whoever continues her story is a little more invested in/knowledgeable of the universe in which she lives. I don’t envy the those who have to try and come up with something different these days, but that’s why it’s so very important to have authors who are both familiar with the universe/ setting and understand what it is that makes these creatures work.
Look, I get what the author was trying to do here, but unfortunately, I think this book falls very short of an engaging Alien(s) story. Even as an origin story for these characters (that is, if one or more of them are ever going to appear in later books) it unfortunately falls flat as a xenomorph horror/thriller story. Even when we _finally_ get to the “xeno meat” of the book, it's very dry, matter of fact and frankly very very rushed. Characters make weird decisions, there are very few real descriptions of the equipment and things that people use in this future setting, and the characters are constantly listening to or watching “ancient" songs/music and TV shows (that is, from present day).
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the writing is bad. There are a few good ideas here. It’s just that the author doesn’t seem to be all that familiar with the universe or how things work within it. The story of a mother losing her children because of an unfair system and then those children following very different paths in an attempt to honor their mother and family/people in different ways is, while touching, barely anything Alien(s) related. In fact, it might as well have been set in the modern day. The xenomorphs almost feel tacked on.
I could go on, but in short, unless you’re looking for a little more information about one of our favorite characters in the Alien universe, there’s very little here to keep diehard Alien(s) fans interested. I REALLY wanted to like this book and, again, I _think_ I can see what the author was trying to do. But they obviously don’t have much experience/knowledge with the Alien universe and the military in general.
I actually really do hope that we see more of Vasquez’s daughter going forward. I just hope that whoever continues her story is a little more invested in/knowledgeable of the universe in which she lives. I don’t envy the those who have to try and come up with something different these days, but that’s why it’s so very important to have authors who are both familiar with the universe/ setting and understand what it is that makes these creatures work.
February 2, 2023
Everybody who has ever seen the James Cameron’s ALIENS knows about the colonial marines and should have been in awe of Vasques. Cameron has always chosen for strong women in his movies even the most recent AVATAR THE WAY OF THE WATER shows that Cameron always saw women as tough as any man ever could be. While Ellen Ripley was of course the main character Jennette Vasques was an brilliant creation.
This book written by a brilliant writer does tell the story of Vasques from the beginning and how she became a marine and her sacrifices.
The story then picks up with her twins both are brilliant in their own way. We follow her daughter who like her mother becomes a marine while the twin brother finds a job at Weyland-Yutani.
Slowly but steadily we find the story pulling itself towards the inescapable xenomorph confrontation.
An enjoyable, easy to read continuation novel from the Alien franchise that leaves space for sequels.
A tad disappointing as the original Vasques was not getting more space to grow as a character.
This book written by a brilliant writer does tell the story of Vasques from the beginning and how she became a marine and her sacrifices.
The story then picks up with her twins both are brilliant in their own way. We follow her daughter who like her mother becomes a marine while the twin brother finds a job at Weyland-Yutani.
Slowly but steadily we find the story pulling itself towards the inescapable xenomorph confrontation.
An enjoyable, easy to read continuation novel from the Alien franchise that leaves space for sequels.
A tad disappointing as the original Vasques was not getting more space to grow as a character.
November 22, 2022
Aliens was a core part of my childhood, so much so that the titular Vasquez was a role model of mine as a kid, so I was looking forward to this book all year!
Did I enjoy the book? You bet your balls (testes or ovaries, whichever you have/prefer) that I did! It’s fun, fast-paced, and begins with a poignant punch.
This novel does fully situate the original four Alien movies within the Prometheus timeline, in that we have some Vickers people (Charlize Theron’s character in Prometheus) and Weyland-Yutani. These two corporations and their nepotism have survived almost 200 years (which is not unbelievable, really). I'm not sure how I feel about this enmeshing of what I always considered to be separate universes, but this is not GoodMovies, so moving on.
In terms of good stuff, the first 20% of so deals with Jeanette’s backstory, which was engrossing and compelling and so rich in detail. I both understood and was furious for Jeanette, as well as impressed and proud of her grit and tenacity. The first quarter of this novel really is fantastic, and I wish it were longer. I kind of hoped for some scenes with her crew before her demise (spoiler alert?) Aliens but we don’t really get that.
I loved the LGBTQ+ rep in the story, the gender parity, and the authenticity of Jeanette’s Latinx heritage that definitely righted the wrongs in terms of the casting of Vasquez in Aliens. I liked the emphasis on the bonds of family and the positive and negative outlook toward the future. We have humanity still kicking around on earth as well as dystopian elements that are not far-fetched. The wealth gap is going strong, as well as the restriction of rights towards society’s “undesirables.”
In terms of the aliens though, if you were hoping for an action-packed marines vs xenomorphs novel, this has that much in the way grocery stores had toilet paper at the start of COVID. That’s to say, in short supply. While the xenos are part of the story, they are barely part of the story, and all the action with them is in the last 15%. The alien attacks are fairly standard, the attempt to make them more dangerous was a little flimsy, and the action is too fast-paced. While the description of a disfigured alien queen was quite creepy and unique (I can see why Castro writes horror), the final battle was so rushed I have whiplash.
It felt like this novel should have been a trilogy or at the very least a duology. We could have gotten a full-blown Jeanette novel, or at least her story interwoven with her twins as children/teenagers, as a first book, then the core of this book under discussion as the second and really include the aliens.
While the twins did have distinct personalities and motivations, it just wasn’t enough to really build out all the characters. We get that Leticia is a badass with confidence and grit, but we don’t get enough of Leticia’s military friends to actually care about them. The relationship surrounding Ramon, Mary Anne, and Julia had so much potential to be hard-hitting regarding the corruption of power and sociopathy, but it was competing with Leticia’s military rise and her own (unnecessary) romance. I also had no idea how much time had passed in the novel as it progressed. Were the twins in their mid-twenties or late forties when the last scenes take place? I have no idea.
These reasons are why I think the book should have been a duology - there just wasn’t enough space for three major storylines as well as an alien plot that was fully fleshed out. In truth, I don’t “blame” the author for this. I think - and this is just speculation on my part - the publisher only wanted to make one of these but told her she had to include all these plot points but keep it around 400 pages (the page count of all these recent Alien and Predator and AVP books). If this is what happened, I think she did an admirable job but it’s shame the novel wasn’t longer. I would have had no issue reading an extra 100-200 pages. I’ll definitely be checking out Castro’s other work.
The best part of the novel is the first part with Jeanette. It’s poignant to many issues plaguing our world today - such as racism, police brutality, youth in prison systems, sexuality, reproductive justice, immigration, and poverty - and, as such, I was more heavily invested in Jeanette than I was her children. Which, to be fair, was what I wanted to read about anyway.
All of these critiques aren't to say I didn't enjoy it (I gave it 4 stars!) but to explain why it wasn't a 5-star read for me. These things are more reflective analyses based on retrospection - while reading it, I was definitely enjoying it. It's a fun and easy-to-read adventure that I do recommend for fans of the Alien universe.
Did I enjoy the book? You bet your balls (testes or ovaries, whichever you have/prefer) that I did! It’s fun, fast-paced, and begins with a poignant punch.
This novel does fully situate the original four Alien movies within the Prometheus timeline, in that we have some Vickers people (Charlize Theron’s character in Prometheus) and Weyland-Yutani. These two corporations and their nepotism have survived almost 200 years (which is not unbelievable, really). I'm not sure how I feel about this enmeshing of what I always considered to be separate universes, but this is not GoodMovies, so moving on.
In terms of good stuff, the first 20% of so deals with Jeanette’s backstory, which was engrossing and compelling and so rich in detail. I both understood and was furious for Jeanette, as well as impressed and proud of her grit and tenacity. The first quarter of this novel really is fantastic, and I wish it were longer. I kind of hoped for some scenes with her crew before her demise (spoiler alert?) Aliens but we don’t really get that.
I loved the LGBTQ+ rep in the story, the gender parity, and the authenticity of Jeanette’s Latinx heritage that definitely righted the wrongs in terms of the casting of Vasquez in Aliens. I liked the emphasis on the bonds of family and the positive and negative outlook toward the future. We have humanity still kicking around on earth as well as dystopian elements that are not far-fetched. The wealth gap is going strong, as well as the restriction of rights towards society’s “undesirables.”
In terms of the aliens though, if you were hoping for an action-packed marines vs xenomorphs novel, this has that much in the way grocery stores had toilet paper at the start of COVID. That’s to say, in short supply. While the xenos are part of the story, they are barely part of the story, and all the action with them is in the last 15%. The alien attacks are fairly standard, the attempt to make them more dangerous was a little flimsy, and the action is too fast-paced. While the description of a disfigured alien queen was quite creepy and unique (I can see why Castro writes horror), the final battle was so rushed I have whiplash.
It felt like this novel should have been a trilogy or at the very least a duology. We could have gotten a full-blown Jeanette novel, or at least her story interwoven with her twins as children/teenagers, as a first book, then the core of this book under discussion as the second and really include the aliens.
While the twins did have distinct personalities and motivations, it just wasn’t enough to really build out all the characters. We get that Leticia is a badass with confidence and grit, but we don’t get enough of Leticia’s military friends to actually care about them. The relationship surrounding Ramon, Mary Anne, and Julia had so much potential to be hard-hitting regarding the corruption of power and sociopathy, but it was competing with Leticia’s military rise and her own (unnecessary) romance. I also had no idea how much time had passed in the novel as it progressed. Were the twins in their mid-twenties or late forties when the last scenes take place? I have no idea.
These reasons are why I think the book should have been a duology - there just wasn’t enough space for three major storylines as well as an alien plot that was fully fleshed out. In truth, I don’t “blame” the author for this. I think - and this is just speculation on my part - the publisher only wanted to make one of these but told her she had to include all these plot points but keep it around 400 pages (the page count of all these recent Alien and Predator and AVP books). If this is what happened, I think she did an admirable job but it’s shame the novel wasn’t longer. I would have had no issue reading an extra 100-200 pages. I’ll definitely be checking out Castro’s other work.
The best part of the novel is the first part with Jeanette. It’s poignant to many issues plaguing our world today - such as racism, police brutality, youth in prison systems, sexuality, reproductive justice, immigration, and poverty - and, as such, I was more heavily invested in Jeanette than I was her children. Which, to be fair, was what I wanted to read about anyway.
All of these critiques aren't to say I didn't enjoy it (I gave it 4 stars!) but to explain why it wasn't a 5-star read for me. These things are more reflective analyses based on retrospection - while reading it, I was definitely enjoying it. It's a fun and easy-to-read adventure that I do recommend for fans of the Alien universe.
November 28, 2025
Interesting read by Castro but not what I expected. I thought this would be the story of Vasquez, perhaps my favorite character from Aliens, but she only occupied about 1/4 of the novel. Yes, we get her backstory and why/how she came to be a Colonial Marine, but the tale then moves on to her two children, who she never saw. Vasquez (unknown to her) became pregnant right before boot camp and she got two options: leave the marines and go back to jail or have the kids, get sterilized, and continue. Well, she had the kids, whom her sister adopted. Her story ends with the famous scene from the movie.
The story then shifts to her two kids, twins, Leticia and Ramon, and Castro fleshes out life on Earth circa 2200 or so as they grow up. Leticia wants to join the marines like her mother, continuing the long tradition of warriors in the Vasquez line and Ramon wants to be rich and successful. So we follow their trials and tribulations as they grow up and go their respective ways. Meanwhile, Castro keeps dropping in hints of a secret research station on some planet where (surprise!) research is being done on the Xenomorphs. In fact, really nasty stuff is being cooked up there, including some sort of flesh-eating bacteria. How does this fit in with the two Vasquez twins? You will have to read it to find out.
While I liked this, especially the Mexican lore interweaved into the tale, at times I wanted to toss it across the room. Do you think people will still be listening to the same music 200 years from now as they are today? The author seems to think so! Bruce Springstein, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and more frequently grace the pages here. Please. Also, the pacing; erratic to say the least. The denouement? Hum. I really liked the story of Vasquez however. Growing up in a tough neighborhood, running with some gangs and eventually getting put in jail; her choice to join the marines saved her from years in jail. The story of her kids? Not so much. If you really dig the Aliens spinoffs, give this a whirl, if not, give it a pass. 3 franchise stars!
The story then shifts to her two kids, twins, Leticia and Ramon, and Castro fleshes out life on Earth circa 2200 or so as they grow up. Leticia wants to join the marines like her mother, continuing the long tradition of warriors in the Vasquez line and Ramon wants to be rich and successful. So we follow their trials and tribulations as they grow up and go their respective ways. Meanwhile, Castro keeps dropping in hints of a secret research station on some planet where (surprise!) research is being done on the Xenomorphs. In fact, really nasty stuff is being cooked up there, including some sort of flesh-eating bacteria. How does this fit in with the two Vasquez twins? You will have to read it to find out.
While I liked this, especially the Mexican lore interweaved into the tale, at times I wanted to toss it across the room. Do you think people will still be listening to the same music 200 years from now as they are today? The author seems to think so! Bruce Springstein, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and more frequently grace the pages here. Please. Also, the pacing; erratic to say the least. The denouement? Hum. I really liked the story of Vasquez however. Growing up in a tough neighborhood, running with some gangs and eventually getting put in jail; her choice to join the marines saved her from years in jail. The story of her kids? Not so much. If you really dig the Aliens spinoffs, give this a whirl, if not, give it a pass. 3 franchise stars!
February 20, 2023
A lot of fun
November 13, 2022
Not V. Castro turning an Aliens book into an absolute masterclass on character development. Seriously, by the time you finish this you know these characters so deeply you think you can tweet at them. I’m a lifelong fan of the Aliens franchise; Ellen Ripley was my first super hero. Something I’ve always thought about is how good it would be to have more of Vasquez. Her dialogue, her demeanor, her absolute bad-assery; please give us more! V. Castro has done something special with the character, giving us back story AND leading us into the next generation(Leticia is just as bad ass as Jenette!) The book reads in that very distinct voice you expect from Castro; smooth, alive, emotional, and powerful. I hope there are plans for more books based on Leticia; if so sign me up now plz. K thx.
December 19, 2022
I knew I was going to read this as soon as I first saw it. A Latina author giving us the backstory of Vasquez from Aliens? Sign me up!
I wish it had lived up to my expectations. It was still a decent read, but only about a quarter of the novel is about Jenette Vasquez; the rest is about her kids. It makes sense, though; the book is titled Vasquez, not Jenette Vasquez, after all.
I've read another book by Castro, and I liked its themes, though I had some quibbles with the narrative itself. The same is true here. She tends to have her characters give speeches instead of giving them real dialogue, and there's a lack of subtlety to how she writes that makes it less effective than it could be.
Still, this is an Aliens book unlike any other Aliens book that I've read so far. Sure, there's Weyland-Yutani there trying to find a way to weaponize and capitalize on the Xenomorphs, but this book is more about family than anything else. Hell, the Xenomorphs don't even play a major role in the book until three-quarters of the way through. I'll take that over another discovery-of-the-aliens or destroy-everything-that-moves Aliens novel.
I wish it had lived up to my expectations. It was still a decent read, but only about a quarter of the novel is about Jenette Vasquez; the rest is about her kids. It makes sense, though; the book is titled Vasquez, not Jenette Vasquez, after all.
I've read another book by Castro, and I liked its themes, though I had some quibbles with the narrative itself. The same is true here. She tends to have her characters give speeches instead of giving them real dialogue, and there's a lack of subtlety to how she writes that makes it less effective than it could be.
Still, this is an Aliens book unlike any other Aliens book that I've read so far. Sure, there's Weyland-Yutani there trying to find a way to weaponize and capitalize on the Xenomorphs, but this book is more about family than anything else. Hell, the Xenomorphs don't even play a major role in the book until three-quarters of the way through. I'll take that over another discovery-of-the-aliens or destroy-everything-that-moves Aliens novel.
May 17, 2024
"Don't ever underestimate the power of unfinished business."
So, they don't get a lot of press but the Alien-verse has universe expanding novels just like Star Wars or Star Trek, albeit only a fraction of what those universes have. And this one is about Jenette Vasquez!
Fuck yeah she is!!
We know when and how Jenette's story ended, so this is a prequel. The parts that are about her, anyway, because this is mostly a story about the twins she has before she ships off to be a Colonial Marine. Vasquez herself is in less than the first 100 pages of this book.
But, wait! The story that follows is pretty damn good so don't let this dissuade you.
"See enough tragedy, and a piece of your soul ignites, and sanity floats away as ash until nothing is left."
We spend a little time meeting young Jenette and learning about her short, difficult life on Earth. A pre-ship out intense fling turns into a surprise pregnancy and in order for Vasquez to avoid going back to jail (for being in the wrong place at the wrong time), she surrenders her twin babies to her sister.
One of the twins, Letitia, is a soldadera following in her mother's footsteps and doing her proud. The other twin, Ramon, is a shithead.
Castro clearly had a mission here to do more than write a prequel. She wants to root these characters into the greater story of her culture and because of that, they really do come alive. I am torn on whether the middle of the book is too long, but regardless, I think it's a worthwhile journey.
Of course xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani rear their head and there is a big, gory xenomorph nom-nom showdown in the (short) finale because those assholes at W-Y don't ever learn.
The reason I ended up rating this three stars instead of four is it spends too much time on Letitia's adolescence and it seems like most of her formative experiences were in the military and those were skipped over and get only brief mentions later. I wonder if they were in the original edit and it got chopped down so the book wouldn't clock in over 600+ pages. I still liked this book and I loved the main character, I just think about what could have been.
This is billed as part of the Prometheus universe but there are not many things I hate more than those shitty Alien prequels so other than a fleeting mention of Meredith Vickers, this is all original films territory.
Yass......queen
(Just let me have this dumb joke, it's been a long week.)
So, they don't get a lot of press but the Alien-verse has universe expanding novels just like Star Wars or Star Trek, albeit only a fraction of what those universes have. And this one is about Jenette Vasquez!
Fuck yeah she is!!
We know when and how Jenette's story ended, so this is a prequel. The parts that are about her, anyway, because this is mostly a story about the twins she has before she ships off to be a Colonial Marine. Vasquez herself is in less than the first 100 pages of this book.
But, wait! The story that follows is pretty damn good so don't let this dissuade you.
"See enough tragedy, and a piece of your soul ignites, and sanity floats away as ash until nothing is left."
We spend a little time meeting young Jenette and learning about her short, difficult life on Earth. A pre-ship out intense fling turns into a surprise pregnancy and in order for Vasquez to avoid going back to jail (for being in the wrong place at the wrong time), she surrenders her twin babies to her sister.
One of the twins, Letitia, is a soldadera following in her mother's footsteps and doing her proud. The other twin, Ramon, is a shithead.
Castro clearly had a mission here to do more than write a prequel. She wants to root these characters into the greater story of her culture and because of that, they really do come alive. I am torn on whether the middle of the book is too long, but regardless, I think it's a worthwhile journey.
Of course xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani rear their head and there is a big, gory xenomorph nom-nom showdown in the (short) finale because those assholes at W-Y don't ever learn.
The reason I ended up rating this three stars instead of four is it spends too much time on Letitia's adolescence and it seems like most of her formative experiences were in the military and those were skipped over and get only brief mentions later. I wonder if they were in the original edit and it got chopped down so the book wouldn't clock in over 600+ pages. I still liked this book and I loved the main character, I just think about what could have been.
This is billed as part of the Prometheus universe but there are not many things I hate more than those shitty Alien prequels so other than a fleeting mention of Meredith Vickers, this is all original films territory.
Yass......queen
(Just let me have this dumb joke, it's been a long week.)
November 15, 2022
Let's start with the good. Overall, I found "Aliens: Vasquez" to be a fairly entertaining and interesting read. As a big, long-term fan of the source material, particularly the first three "Alien" films, I absolutely enjoyed the references to that legacy and the way this book successfully built on that universe in a mostly-convincing and plausible manner. I also appreciated the author's "own voices" representations of various aspects of Latin culture, and the struggles often associated with it, which made for some of the most compelling moments in the book.
Unfortunately, I also ended up coming away from this read a bit unsatisfied by the experience, feeling that several elements of it ultimately came up far short of their full potential. Specifically, I was sorely disappointed by much of the dialogue, which often felt stiff, contrived, and forced to the point of distraction. There were so many instances where characters made statements that just didn't feel like things actual people would say in the circumstances presented, or that came across as incongruous or nonsensical given their established personalities and tendencies. Moreover, there were more issues than I ended up caring to count of poor pacing, underdeveloped characters, or vague and sketchy plot threads throughout the text that ultimately just left me wanting. It's really hard to talk about those things in detail without venturing into spoiler territory but I think it suffices to say that it would be a good idea to go into this read not expecting anything too deep, fully-realized, or sophisticated. That said, there are parts of "Aliens: Vasquez" that I did find genuinely intriguing and thought-provoking but for me, they almost always failed to pay off in the manner I'd hoped they might, providing just enough to wet my appetite and keep me reading without fully delivering the goods.
I realize I'm probably being a bit harsh with my criticisms but I do believe it's important for the purposes of a proper review to not get caught up in nostalgia and assess a work like this based on its own merits and flaws, regardless of the rich and storied context in which it exists. At the end of the day, I did enjoy "Aliens: Vasquez" and would generally recommend it to fans of the franchise, or anyone seeking a competent, military sci-fi reading experience. Sadly, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I would have preferred.
I should probably also mention that I read this as an audiobook via Audible and would say the narration was... okay. Not bad but also not amazing or noteworthy beyond a few, minor highlights.
Unfortunately, I also ended up coming away from this read a bit unsatisfied by the experience, feeling that several elements of it ultimately came up far short of their full potential. Specifically, I was sorely disappointed by much of the dialogue, which often felt stiff, contrived, and forced to the point of distraction. There were so many instances where characters made statements that just didn't feel like things actual people would say in the circumstances presented, or that came across as incongruous or nonsensical given their established personalities and tendencies. Moreover, there were more issues than I ended up caring to count of poor pacing, underdeveloped characters, or vague and sketchy plot threads throughout the text that ultimately just left me wanting. It's really hard to talk about those things in detail without venturing into spoiler territory but I think it suffices to say that it would be a good idea to go into this read not expecting anything too deep, fully-realized, or sophisticated. That said, there are parts of "Aliens: Vasquez" that I did find genuinely intriguing and thought-provoking but for me, they almost always failed to pay off in the manner I'd hoped they might, providing just enough to wet my appetite and keep me reading without fully delivering the goods.
I realize I'm probably being a bit harsh with my criticisms but I do believe it's important for the purposes of a proper review to not get caught up in nostalgia and assess a work like this based on its own merits and flaws, regardless of the rich and storied context in which it exists. At the end of the day, I did enjoy "Aliens: Vasquez" and would generally recommend it to fans of the franchise, or anyone seeking a competent, military sci-fi reading experience. Sadly, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I would have preferred.
I should probably also mention that I read this as an audiobook via Audible and would say the narration was... okay. Not bad but also not amazing or noteworthy beyond a few, minor highlights.
September 3, 2022
https://www.somosenescrito.com/fictio...
There’s more Aliens out there—the franchise has put out more video games, comics, and books—but it's the connected Predator franchise movie Prey that has people talking about Native women characters and representation in sci-fi lately.
There's already been a famous bad ass brown woman in sci-fi—Jeanette Vasquez from the 80s movie Aliens. Some might point out the actress who played her wasn't a Chicana and the writer wasn't either. I recall some claiming she was a chola stereotype. My rewatch of Aliens as an adult showed the character was capable, brave, and dealt with typical racism despite her not being written or depicted by a Mexican American. Yet the character needed more.
V. Castro in Aliens: Vasquez gives Jeanette Vasquez a Chicana soul and a past and goes beyond a plastic sheen of culture. The story pulled me in hard on the life Jeanette Vasquez and then her daughter Leticia living on Earth and as tough Chicana marines in space. Not only does the character from the movie Aliens get a real deal Chicana soul in this book, the Aliens franchise gets a Chicano outlook. The way Vasquez sees the world, how she lives, and how she fights xenomorphs is filtered by who she is. She is a brown woman who is connected to a chain of warrior women, particularly the Soldaderas from the Mexican Revolution, whose coiled hairstyle was famously borrowed by Princess Leia.
The Aliens franchise has thematically been about women fighting patriarchy, dealing with the monstrousness of reproduction, sexuality, parenthood and inheritance of roles. As we all know Vasquez doesn't make it in Aliens, though tough to the end, and the book eventually hands her story off to her daughter, who also aspires to be an elite marine. Her corporate ladder climbing twin brother and she eventually meet up again on a mission involving the heads of the Weyland-Yutani corporation on a planet little is known about.
The life of these two women, Jeanette and her daughter, is a struggle against the system, a patriarchy like many stories in Aliens, but compounded by poverty and racism. Chicano culture comes through as they honor Santa Muerte in xenomorph constructions and make ofrendas and a native weapon, a macuahuitl out of xenomorph bodies.
The author V. Castro knows Aliens. There are allusions to other Aliens media throughout the book, some characters are ancestors, some places get mentioned. This is Jeanette and Leticia’s story, as much as Alien was Ripley’s story. Jeanette and her daughter have more against them, they are working class Chicanas, but they are tough, they inspire and finally represent in the way Chicanos want.
Aliens: Vasquez isn't Aliens with taco sauce packets. It's a Chicana story that everyone can appreciate. This is more than representation, this novel is one of our stories, both in space and on Earth, in the future, something us brown sci-fi nerds always want. Of course, I want more and want to see sequels of Aliens: Vasquez and more from V. Castro.
There’s more Aliens out there—the franchise has put out more video games, comics, and books—but it's the connected Predator franchise movie Prey that has people talking about Native women characters and representation in sci-fi lately.
There's already been a famous bad ass brown woman in sci-fi—Jeanette Vasquez from the 80s movie Aliens. Some might point out the actress who played her wasn't a Chicana and the writer wasn't either. I recall some claiming she was a chola stereotype. My rewatch of Aliens as an adult showed the character was capable, brave, and dealt with typical racism despite her not being written or depicted by a Mexican American. Yet the character needed more.
V. Castro in Aliens: Vasquez gives Jeanette Vasquez a Chicana soul and a past and goes beyond a plastic sheen of culture. The story pulled me in hard on the life Jeanette Vasquez and then her daughter Leticia living on Earth and as tough Chicana marines in space. Not only does the character from the movie Aliens get a real deal Chicana soul in this book, the Aliens franchise gets a Chicano outlook. The way Vasquez sees the world, how she lives, and how she fights xenomorphs is filtered by who she is. She is a brown woman who is connected to a chain of warrior women, particularly the Soldaderas from the Mexican Revolution, whose coiled hairstyle was famously borrowed by Princess Leia.
The Aliens franchise has thematically been about women fighting patriarchy, dealing with the monstrousness of reproduction, sexuality, parenthood and inheritance of roles. As we all know Vasquez doesn't make it in Aliens, though tough to the end, and the book eventually hands her story off to her daughter, who also aspires to be an elite marine. Her corporate ladder climbing twin brother and she eventually meet up again on a mission involving the heads of the Weyland-Yutani corporation on a planet little is known about.
The life of these two women, Jeanette and her daughter, is a struggle against the system, a patriarchy like many stories in Aliens, but compounded by poverty and racism. Chicano culture comes through as they honor Santa Muerte in xenomorph constructions and make ofrendas and a native weapon, a macuahuitl out of xenomorph bodies.
The author V. Castro knows Aliens. There are allusions to other Aliens media throughout the book, some characters are ancestors, some places get mentioned. This is Jeanette and Leticia’s story, as much as Alien was Ripley’s story. Jeanette and her daughter have more against them, they are working class Chicanas, but they are tough, they inspire and finally represent in the way Chicanos want.
Aliens: Vasquez isn't Aliens with taco sauce packets. It's a Chicana story that everyone can appreciate. This is more than representation, this novel is one of our stories, both in space and on Earth, in the future, something us brown sci-fi nerds always want. Of course, I want more and want to see sequels of Aliens: Vasquez and more from V. Castro.
November 24, 2022
When this first floated through a ad feed on Facebook, I jumped on it pretty quick to pre-order. I probably should have investigated a bit more on the book. PFC Jenette Vasquez, Bravo Team, 2nd. Battalion, U.S. Colonial Marines (USCM) is a fan favorite character from the movie “Aliens” and was one of two M56 smartgun operators (the other being PVT Mark Drake). So, I was excited to get some backstory on the character. Except the book, 425 pages long, isn't focused on PFC Vasquez. In fact, her story is out of the novel by page 100. Instead, the book is about her daughter (Leticia) and son (Ramón), both of whom were conceived during a fling prior to Vasquez entering USCM basic training. Leticia follows her mother's footsteps into the USCM while Ramón climbs the corporate ladder in the Weyland-Yutani company.
If one was expecting 425 pages of PFC Vasquez' history and time in the USCM till her demise in the “Aliens” movie, you won't get that here. You get 100 pages of the drama behind Vasquez' enlistment and very little USCM. If one is expecting battle action with Leticia's stint in the USCM, you barely get that. In fact, you get only a single combat action while she was in the USCM. The story is also split between her and Ramón. So, really, the title of the book is more referencing the Vasquez family rather than the book being about any single character. Leticia does, towards the end of the novel, face off against Xenomorphs but as a private military contractor rather than a USCM soldier.
A lot of the comments about that book throw out “bait and switch” in that what they got isn't what they expected. Leticia does wear her mother's bandanna and has the same close-cropped hair so the cover art is likely Leticia. In other “Alien” lore, Jenette had a sister named Carmen but in this novel, the sister's name is Roseanna. The novel does follow, and fleshes out more, Jenette's early history as given in other “Alien” publications. But, again, you do not get anything of her 8 years of USCM service after basic training and before her final fight on LV-426. I think this is what most fans are upset about and I can understand it. The novel is also far more drama than battle action which may also turn off fans.
In the end, if one wants an expanded universe around PFC Vasquez, then this book provides. If one wanted nothing but PFC Vasquez and her time in the USCM, this may not be the novel for you.
If one was expecting 425 pages of PFC Vasquez' history and time in the USCM till her demise in the “Aliens” movie, you won't get that here. You get 100 pages of the drama behind Vasquez' enlistment and very little USCM. If one is expecting battle action with Leticia's stint in the USCM, you barely get that. In fact, you get only a single combat action while she was in the USCM. The story is also split between her and Ramón. So, really, the title of the book is more referencing the Vasquez family rather than the book being about any single character. Leticia does, towards the end of the novel, face off against Xenomorphs but as a private military contractor rather than a USCM soldier.
A lot of the comments about that book throw out “bait and switch” in that what they got isn't what they expected. Leticia does wear her mother's bandanna and has the same close-cropped hair so the cover art is likely Leticia. In other “Alien” lore, Jenette had a sister named Carmen but in this novel, the sister's name is Roseanna. The novel does follow, and fleshes out more, Jenette's early history as given in other “Alien” publications. But, again, you do not get anything of her 8 years of USCM service after basic training and before her final fight on LV-426. I think this is what most fans are upset about and I can understand it. The novel is also far more drama than battle action which may also turn off fans.
In the end, if one wants an expanded universe around PFC Vasquez, then this book provides. If one wanted nothing but PFC Vasquez and her time in the USCM, this may not be the novel for you.
September 18, 2025
If it's not clear, I'm a massive fan of the Alien Universe that started with Ridley Scott's greatest film in 1979. I'm seen Aliens about 73 times, and though I struggle with Prometheus and Covenant, I even like Alien 3 and Resurrection.
I've also read most of the Dark Horse comics and now I'm getting close to having read all the Alien and Aliens novels from Titan Books. I close out my CV with the fact I was lucky enough to interview Jenette Goldstein for my podcast a number of years ago, and a large portion of what we spoke about was, not surprisingly given the above, her character Vasquez.
So I went into this one with no small amount of anticipation. Especially as it was written by a Mexican American woman as there could not no better person to add back story and life to the character of Vasquez. I knew a large portion of the book was following her twins, so I was prepared for that. But I was not prepared for how soap-opera-ish this novel was. There was so little Xenomorph action that at times I was wondering whether a brief had even been laid out for V. Castro. And when the Alien action finally starts, it's all over in very broadly described strokes far too quickly.
One of the twins, Leticia, is given a great deal of characterisation. While her brother Ramón is sketched in only just enough that we know he's a driven narcissist. This imbalance further threw me off as I could not fathom why you would make the decision to give Vasquez twins, only to make one a corporate villain while the other hogs the lion's share of the page count.
Also: Is there any reason why kids at the end of the 22nd century give so much of a shit about late 20th and early 21st century music and films? Seriously, in this Universe, do we just stop making media around about 2030? It's incredibly distracting and detracted from the characters.
All that said, this novel is not badly written. It just did not work for me. It might be time to take a short break from the series. Maybe I'll go watch Aliens for the 74th time as well. That should make for an appropriate palate-cleanser.
2 Dreams to be a Marine Raider for Vasquez.
I've also read most of the Dark Horse comics and now I'm getting close to having read all the Alien and Aliens novels from Titan Books. I close out my CV with the fact I was lucky enough to interview Jenette Goldstein for my podcast a number of years ago, and a large portion of what we spoke about was, not surprisingly given the above, her character Vasquez.
So I went into this one with no small amount of anticipation. Especially as it was written by a Mexican American woman as there could not no better person to add back story and life to the character of Vasquez. I knew a large portion of the book was following her twins, so I was prepared for that. But I was not prepared for how soap-opera-ish this novel was. There was so little Xenomorph action that at times I was wondering whether a brief had even been laid out for V. Castro. And when the Alien action finally starts, it's all over in very broadly described strokes far too quickly.
One of the twins, Leticia, is given a great deal of characterisation. While her brother Ramón is sketched in only just enough that we know he's a driven narcissist. This imbalance further threw me off as I could not fathom why you would make the decision to give Vasquez twins, only to make one a corporate villain while the other hogs the lion's share of the page count.
Also: Is there any reason why kids at the end of the 22nd century give so much of a shit about late 20th and early 21st century music and films? Seriously, in this Universe, do we just stop making media around about 2030? It's incredibly distracting and detracted from the characters.
All that said, this novel is not badly written. It just did not work for me. It might be time to take a short break from the series. Maybe I'll go watch Aliens for the 74th time as well. That should make for an appropriate palate-cleanser.
2 Dreams to be a Marine Raider for Vasquez.
Want to read
November 12, 2022i’m a bookseller at barnes and noble and i had the joy of meeting castro’s mother today in my store. she asked me for some help finding her daughters new book and once we finally got it she asked to take a picture of me holding it at the register🥹
absolutely had to add the book to my tbr! it was only my fifth day working at barnes and noble today, so my nerves are still heightened, but people and experiences like this are what make me so sincerely happy to get out of bed in the mornings. can’t wait to give it a read ❤️
absolutely had to add the book to my tbr! it was only my fifth day working at barnes and noble today, so my nerves are still heightened, but people and experiences like this are what make me so sincerely happy to get out of bed in the mornings. can’t wait to give it a read ❤️
January 3, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ A fun sci-fi read from the amazing V. Castro.
November 17, 2022
About a third of the way in I realized this wasn't going to be focused primarily on Vasquez and was a bit let down. But as I continued, the story centering on her kids really seemed to gel and this ended up being an enjoyable action story.
7/10
7/10
December 17, 2023
I never leave bad reviews, but this was one of the worst books I have ever read. I beta read for a living and I have never even had a client submit a first draft as structrually sloppy as this. The first 3/4s of the book are cliche garbage about Mexican-American Victimhood, combined with what I assume are the writer's pesonal experience of latina culture. It is terrible on it own, but...
Look my wife and kids are Mexican, I lived in El Paso for 6 years complete with years of experience of going to Mexico for family/friends events and celebrations. The book got the cultural stuff right, even if it is a bit stereotypical. And sure Mexican culture is unique and interesting, but this is an ALIENS book. I think it is fair for the reader to expect aliens. They are barely in it. Also the Mexican culture stuff feels out of place in this universe, sure characters could be from mexico but this is over 100 years in the future so why is it writen like a present day family drama. They should have futuristic mexican stories not constant references to present day music, not present day racial politics, and not present day feminism. Save that for a story that takes place in the present or at least place it in the world that the book is based on.
Did the writer hae any experience with the franchise before this? I very much doubt it.
Avoid at all costs, do not be fooled by the cool cover or the love of the Movie Vasquez, because that awesome character is not what is written.
Look my wife and kids are Mexican, I lived in El Paso for 6 years complete with years of experience of going to Mexico for family/friends events and celebrations. The book got the cultural stuff right, even if it is a bit stereotypical. And sure Mexican culture is unique and interesting, but this is an ALIENS book. I think it is fair for the reader to expect aliens. They are barely in it. Also the Mexican culture stuff feels out of place in this universe, sure characters could be from mexico but this is over 100 years in the future so why is it writen like a present day family drama. They should have futuristic mexican stories not constant references to present day music, not present day racial politics, and not present day feminism. Save that for a story that takes place in the present or at least place it in the world that the book is based on.
Did the writer hae any experience with the franchise before this? I very much doubt it.
Avoid at all costs, do not be fooled by the cool cover or the love of the Movie Vasquez, because that awesome character is not what is written.
November 20, 2023
Made it halfway before I DNF'ed this title.
I'm a casual fan of the Aliens franchise, but even my die hard friends had a difficult time placing the timeline and characters for this title. The writing needs a lot of work and the topics that are discussed desperately need more research into their depths and nuances. This book reads as military recruitment propaganda targeting latinx people in specific, and is filled with incredibly insensitive apologia. There is a part where a female MC even reflects that rape and sexual assault in the armed services is a cost of that service that she fully accepts. Another character willingly undergoes a sterilization procedure for the sake of service, ignoring the long history of forced sterilization of latinx peoples. The book does not seem self-aware of problematic views or include critical commentary.
I'm a casual fan of the Aliens franchise, but even my die hard friends had a difficult time placing the timeline and characters for this title. The writing needs a lot of work and the topics that are discussed desperately need more research into their depths and nuances. This book reads as military recruitment propaganda targeting latinx people in specific, and is filled with incredibly insensitive apologia. There is a part where a female MC even reflects that rape and sexual assault in the armed services is a cost of that service that she fully accepts. Another character willingly undergoes a sterilization procedure for the sake of service, ignoring the long history of forced sterilization of latinx peoples. The book does not seem self-aware of problematic views or include critical commentary.
December 9, 2025
The last few chapters are all you need to read if you are looking for "Aliens" but the rest is pretty much an attempt at shoehorning in as many 20th-century references into a story set 200 years into the future. I think that without all of the anachronistic parts, this story would have been an interesting entry into the Aliens extended universe but then again, it would have been a hell of a lot shorter.
2nd read: Going into it knowing what I do about the 2/3 of the book, I enjoyed the end more than before. Castro’s work is great, I just wish the story was different.
2nd read: Going into it knowing what I do about the 2/3 of the book, I enjoyed the end more than before. Castro’s work is great, I just wish the story was different.
September 18, 2024
This really didn’t feel like an Alien story, whilst the writing itself is fine the story is kinda dull and not what I expected from a book in this franchise. It’s essentially a family drama with occasional references to the Alien universe. I imagine some people would like this novel, but it's not for me.
January 13, 2023
Aliens: Vasquez By V. Castro, is a media tie-in novel based on the “ALIEN film franchise.”
The character of Private First Class Vasquez is one of the many beloved and iconic female characters in science fiction. Widely considered to be a brilliant performance by Jenette Goldstein in one of the best movie sequels of all time. Getting an origin story about her is something I wanted for awhile from the Alien expanded universe, but while Aliens: Vasquez ended up being quite different from what I expected, it also ended up being much better.
The story starts off with a deeper delve into a younger Jenette Vasquez’s upbringing and background, fleshing her out into more of a rounded character than we got in the movie. We don’t spend all that much time with her, though. Instead, we get to meet her daughter and son, Leticia and Ramon, and follow their lives after her death. Leticia goes into the USCM military, Ramon goes to work at Weyland Yutani and both of their lives run head first into our beloved Xenomorphs.
Aliens: Vasquez is not action-packed and wall to wall danger. V. Castro writes a family saga, filled with history, expectations, and secrets. Xenomorphs happen to show up in the middle of it. The focus is more of a character driven story, and the action sequences honestly are a backburner to everything else. Some readers, particularly those Alien fans looking for a rollicking action/adventure novel, might be disappointed.
Aliens: Vasquez isn’t as gory or crazy as other Alien EU material, but author V. Castro knows how to make a story move. Even with with the focus on the personal and internal life of the main characters, the action hits hard. Castro’s chops with building character give it all much more heft and value. The time she spends building a connection to Leticia or Ramon pays off in the extra impact it gives once those damn acid-blooded space bugs throw everything into chaos. This is a novel in the Aliens franchise that really spends more time helping us understand Vasquez, her motivations, and the way that her legacy lives on in her children, and their fight against the Xenomorphs.
All in all, Aliens: Vasquez does exactly what I look for in an expanded universe story. Castro uses the world and creatures to tell an intense, kickass story from a new point of view. I am 100% there for it and cannot recommend enough.
The character of Private First Class Vasquez is one of the many beloved and iconic female characters in science fiction. Widely considered to be a brilliant performance by Jenette Goldstein in one of the best movie sequels of all time. Getting an origin story about her is something I wanted for awhile from the Alien expanded universe, but while Aliens: Vasquez ended up being quite different from what I expected, it also ended up being much better.
The story starts off with a deeper delve into a younger Jenette Vasquez’s upbringing and background, fleshing her out into more of a rounded character than we got in the movie. We don’t spend all that much time with her, though. Instead, we get to meet her daughter and son, Leticia and Ramon, and follow their lives after her death. Leticia goes into the USCM military, Ramon goes to work at Weyland Yutani and both of their lives run head first into our beloved Xenomorphs.
Aliens: Vasquez is not action-packed and wall to wall danger. V. Castro writes a family saga, filled with history, expectations, and secrets. Xenomorphs happen to show up in the middle of it. The focus is more of a character driven story, and the action sequences honestly are a backburner to everything else. Some readers, particularly those Alien fans looking for a rollicking action/adventure novel, might be disappointed.
Aliens: Vasquez isn’t as gory or crazy as other Alien EU material, but author V. Castro knows how to make a story move. Even with with the focus on the personal and internal life of the main characters, the action hits hard. Castro’s chops with building character give it all much more heft and value. The time she spends building a connection to Leticia or Ramon pays off in the extra impact it gives once those damn acid-blooded space bugs throw everything into chaos. This is a novel in the Aliens franchise that really spends more time helping us understand Vasquez, her motivations, and the way that her legacy lives on in her children, and their fight against the Xenomorphs.
All in all, Aliens: Vasquez does exactly what I look for in an expanded universe story. Castro uses the world and creatures to tell an intense, kickass story from a new point of view. I am 100% there for it and cannot recommend enough.
May 31, 2023
I'm a big fan of the Alien movies and one of my favourite characters was Vasquez, she seemed so small but man she was hard as nails and the way she stood up to the big macho guys like Hudson always made me smile. V. Castro is one of my favourite authors and when I saw she had written this book I said "Hell yeah I'm reading this!" It doesn't disappoint, it kicks ass as much as you'd expect from Vasquez.
Castro does a great job creating this history for Vasquez, from a teen full of swagger and attitude, to ending up in trouble and joining the marines to become the fighting machine she was destined to be. The setting for this future is very similar to what it is today, the treatment and reduced rights of those who don't have money and power is hard hitting and Castro uses all this to give her characters that extra level of strength. Inevitably Vasquez's story comes to an end, I was disappointed by this, I don't know why as having seen the movie I knew what was coming but was still hoping deep down that Castro would find a way to save her....alas she didn't and the book then follows her children as they continue the Vasquez name.
It is now that the book really comes to life, we have dumbass humans carrying out experiments on the aliens/Xenomorphs, ignoring all sensible warnings as it all comes undone. The scenes with the Xenomorphs were spot on, so easy to picture them and their rage at what the humans were doing to them and knowing it was only a matter of time before they got their chance. The final 50 pages or so just whizzed by, such superb writing it was as if I was actually watching the scenes unfold, proper on the edge of your seat storytelling. Loved it. One of my favourite parts of this book was how Castro has stayed on course with the movies, there are so many little easter eggs to find and this made me aware of just how vast these movies were, something you don't experience from watching the movies.
If you're a fan of the movie franchise then give this book a go but be warned as Titan books have a lot of books in this series needing to be read. I'm off now to re-watch Aliens...no idea why haha.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2023...
Castro does a great job creating this history for Vasquez, from a teen full of swagger and attitude, to ending up in trouble and joining the marines to become the fighting machine she was destined to be. The setting for this future is very similar to what it is today, the treatment and reduced rights of those who don't have money and power is hard hitting and Castro uses all this to give her characters that extra level of strength. Inevitably Vasquez's story comes to an end, I was disappointed by this, I don't know why as having seen the movie I knew what was coming but was still hoping deep down that Castro would find a way to save her....alas she didn't and the book then follows her children as they continue the Vasquez name.
It is now that the book really comes to life, we have dumbass humans carrying out experiments on the aliens/Xenomorphs, ignoring all sensible warnings as it all comes undone. The scenes with the Xenomorphs were spot on, so easy to picture them and their rage at what the humans were doing to them and knowing it was only a matter of time before they got their chance. The final 50 pages or so just whizzed by, such superb writing it was as if I was actually watching the scenes unfold, proper on the edge of your seat storytelling. Loved it. One of my favourite parts of this book was how Castro has stayed on course with the movies, there are so many little easter eggs to find and this made me aware of just how vast these movies were, something you don't experience from watching the movies.
If you're a fan of the movie franchise then give this book a go but be warned as Titan books have a lot of books in this series needing to be read. I'm off now to re-watch Aliens...no idea why haha.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2023...
January 30, 2023
3.5 Stars
****Possible Spoilers****
ARC provided by Publisher for an Honest Review
By 30% Vasquez’s story is long done and over with. Instead the majority of the book follows her kids, the set of twins she had just prior to her marine enrollment. Raised by her sister, the twins couldn’t be more different if they tried. Like their mother before her Leticia has a few scrapes with the law as a youth but manages to skates by. Following in her mothers footsteps Leticia joins the marines and gives it her all for some odd years until a colleague cheats to secure a promotion over her. Leticia has no problem leaving active duty and seeks for some private contracting work that’ll make bank but keep her safe. Thus her brothers corporation offering her the job of a lifetime is not something she can turn down.
While Leticia is an admirable character and a total badass her brother Ramon is not. Instead like many other corporate men in the Weyland/Yutani world, his vision is only money and power. Nothing and no one will get in his way of essentially playing god. Of course it’s his cocky self assured ego that’ll get him into trouble. Ramon has his hands dirty with a research facility experimenting on Xenomorphs. Once again a stupid stupid man in this world thinks he can control and manipulate the creature. Little does he know landing on this unnamed planet will bring about the deaths of all but three on the mission. It’s kinda sad to see Ramon turn into this horrible person, one who even has a farce of a white picket family life all to expand the Vasquez line. Course this horrible man would love an equally horrible woman, his side piece Julia Yutani. Surprisingly she and Ramon are hoping to blame the experiments on a peer who’s actually a decent human considering his last name is Vickers. If you've seen Prometheus then you'll recognize the name Meredith Vickers as the role is portrayed by Charlize Theron. It’s politically messy but none of that matters when heads start being ripped off and skin is being seared by acid.
I’m kind of bummed this book wasn’t actually more about Vasquez and her time in the military. Since first being introduced to the character of Vasquez in the film Aliens, she’s always been a standout character and one bad bitch I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of. One of only two females in their squad Vasquez is an absolute badass after years of hardening herself in jail. At one point the book jumps from her hard knocked life to her scene from the Aliens film where she blows herself and her teammate up. Then, that’s it. It gave me whiplash for sure. Most of the action takes place in the last 15% of the book. This leaves much of the book setting up an illusion of a world with meaningless details. Sure we get a little more background on Vasquez but not nearly what I was expecting or hoping for. This book reads very much like the films and aside from a few science details it wasn’t hard to predict who would likely die and how it would ultimately end. I’m honestly not sure an outsider would be able to grasp the true scale of this without some prior background either via previous books, films or comics. In that respect the book stayed true to the essence of the Xenomorph world and as it’s set in the year 2166 all the way through 2201 it covers many key tidbits of information other fans of the film will be able to pick out.
****Possible Spoilers****
ARC provided by Publisher for an Honest Review
By 30% Vasquez’s story is long done and over with. Instead the majority of the book follows her kids, the set of twins she had just prior to her marine enrollment. Raised by her sister, the twins couldn’t be more different if they tried. Like their mother before her Leticia has a few scrapes with the law as a youth but manages to skates by. Following in her mothers footsteps Leticia joins the marines and gives it her all for some odd years until a colleague cheats to secure a promotion over her. Leticia has no problem leaving active duty and seeks for some private contracting work that’ll make bank but keep her safe. Thus her brothers corporation offering her the job of a lifetime is not something she can turn down.
While Leticia is an admirable character and a total badass her brother Ramon is not. Instead like many other corporate men in the Weyland/Yutani world, his vision is only money and power. Nothing and no one will get in his way of essentially playing god. Of course it’s his cocky self assured ego that’ll get him into trouble. Ramon has his hands dirty with a research facility experimenting on Xenomorphs. Once again a stupid stupid man in this world thinks he can control and manipulate the creature. Little does he know landing on this unnamed planet will bring about the deaths of all but three on the mission. It’s kinda sad to see Ramon turn into this horrible person, one who even has a farce of a white picket family life all to expand the Vasquez line. Course this horrible man would love an equally horrible woman, his side piece Julia Yutani. Surprisingly she and Ramon are hoping to blame the experiments on a peer who’s actually a decent human considering his last name is Vickers. If you've seen Prometheus then you'll recognize the name Meredith Vickers as the role is portrayed by Charlize Theron. It’s politically messy but none of that matters when heads start being ripped off and skin is being seared by acid.
I’m kind of bummed this book wasn’t actually more about Vasquez and her time in the military. Since first being introduced to the character of Vasquez in the film Aliens, she’s always been a standout character and one bad bitch I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of. One of only two females in their squad Vasquez is an absolute badass after years of hardening herself in jail. At one point the book jumps from her hard knocked life to her scene from the Aliens film where she blows herself and her teammate up. Then, that’s it. It gave me whiplash for sure. Most of the action takes place in the last 15% of the book. This leaves much of the book setting up an illusion of a world with meaningless details. Sure we get a little more background on Vasquez but not nearly what I was expecting or hoping for. This book reads very much like the films and aside from a few science details it wasn’t hard to predict who would likely die and how it would ultimately end. I’m honestly not sure an outsider would be able to grasp the true scale of this without some prior background either via previous books, films or comics. In that respect the book stayed true to the essence of the Xenomorph world and as it’s set in the year 2166 all the way through 2201 it covers many key tidbits of information other fans of the film will be able to pick out.
March 31, 2025
Story 3 stars, audiobook 1 star.
June 27, 2024
I thought the book was just about Vasquez from Aliens, but that is only the first 1/4 of the book. The rest is about her twins. Her daughter basically turns into her. I only gave it 3 stars because the alien story part was pretty cool.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2022
I never thought I would be reading an Alien series book but I really enjoyed this for the most part. I feel like maybe I should have rewatched the movies though because some of the politics of the company and the descriptions of the xenomorphs was confusing.
December 8, 2022
There are three types of people who will read V. Castro’s novel Aliens: Vasquez. One group is the people who love the Aliens franchise and read all of the extended universe novels. The second group is the readers who love V. Castro and her works and are excited to see what she will do with the story of one of the most iconic characters in the Aliens franchise, Jenette Vasquez. The third group is the niche reader who loves both Aliens and V. Castro. I’m in that third group. The day the novel was announced in May, I preordered it. Nothing could have been more exciting to me than the talent of V. Castro telling an Aliens franchise story.
The novel opens with Jenette Vasquez growing up, getting into trouble, and working hard to follow her dream of getting into the military and fighting in the stars. She has twin children in prison, and the next half of the novel is about her children. We know what happens to Jenette, but what happens to her legacy? Ramon wants to make money and Leticia wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. In the end, their paths cross and they end up on a team, getting into a situation that is far from ideal, which is pretty standard when Xenomorphs show up.
This novel will appease fans of V. Castro much more than the fans of Aliens. The novel spends most of the time developing the characters, telling the story of the Vasquez family and the actual Xenomorph scenes are less than twenty-five percent of the novel.
Aliens: Vasquez is not action-packed and wall to wall danger. V. Castro writes a family saga, filled with history, expectations, and secrets. Xenomorphs happen to show up in the middle of it. The focus is more of a character driven story, and the action sequences honestly are a backburner to everything else. Having previously read and reviewed two of V. Castro’s books, I had a sense that this was going to be the way that an V. Castro’s Aliens novel was going to unfold. I was not surprised, but I can understand how some readers, particularly those looking for a rollicking action/adventure novel, can be disappointed. This is a novel in the Aliens franchise that really spends more time helping us understand Vasquez, her motivations, and the way that her legacy lives on in her children than on fighting Xenomorphs. As an Aliens fan it is still worth reading, but as a fan of the works of V. Castro, this is a must read.
The novel opens with Jenette Vasquez growing up, getting into trouble, and working hard to follow her dream of getting into the military and fighting in the stars. She has twin children in prison, and the next half of the novel is about her children. We know what happens to Jenette, but what happens to her legacy? Ramon wants to make money and Leticia wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. In the end, their paths cross and they end up on a team, getting into a situation that is far from ideal, which is pretty standard when Xenomorphs show up.
This novel will appease fans of V. Castro much more than the fans of Aliens. The novel spends most of the time developing the characters, telling the story of the Vasquez family and the actual Xenomorph scenes are less than twenty-five percent of the novel.
Aliens: Vasquez is not action-packed and wall to wall danger. V. Castro writes a family saga, filled with history, expectations, and secrets. Xenomorphs happen to show up in the middle of it. The focus is more of a character driven story, and the action sequences honestly are a backburner to everything else. Having previously read and reviewed two of V. Castro’s books, I had a sense that this was going to be the way that an V. Castro’s Aliens novel was going to unfold. I was not surprised, but I can understand how some readers, particularly those looking for a rollicking action/adventure novel, can be disappointed. This is a novel in the Aliens franchise that really spends more time helping us understand Vasquez, her motivations, and the way that her legacy lives on in her children than on fighting Xenomorphs. As an Aliens fan it is still worth reading, but as a fan of the works of V. Castro, this is a must read.
April 17, 2023
Aliens Vasquez by V, Castro
2/5 *The Penny from Somewhere in Time*
I love the Aliens and Predator franchises. I've seen 'em all but never read any of the books.
So my 2/5 is probably more my fault than anything. If you've seen "Aliens" (the second in the series, 1986) the you may remember who Vasquez is. The tough Hispanic Marine.
I was wondering how this book was going to play out with her character (the movie may be from from 1986 but I'm not going to spoil it for anyone).
Do you remember the movie "Somewhere in Time?" Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. In a nutshell, He travels back in time but he can't take anything from this time period. If he does, it could break the "connection" and spring him back to the present.
I kept thinking about that damn penny all the way through the book. Nothing sold me on 200 years in the future. For one, she continuously referenced songs from the 1970's - 1990's. Not sure if there was anything more recent. Also some TV shows and technology. You have some cases in sci-fi where the character does hearken back in time but not to this extent and after the futuristic world has been established.
It was extraordinary for the Hispanic culture. I thought of my own Hispanic family (wife's side) while reading it. I was grateful for the message, the words, and the portrayal. Vasquez was tied very tight to her family and their legacy. But there again, nothing changed. She talked so much of situations that were ripped from today's headlines. Sadly, in 200 years, maybe things won't be so different, but I sure hope to hell it is.
So the interactions with her world also was not at all futuristic.
Combined with the constant 70's and 80's music (of which I am a huge fan), smatterings of 200 year old tech and references, I was not even a little transported out of this world.
Also, the testosterone level! I don't have an issue with that mentality per se, but remember in the movie the Marines and their attitude. That's here. Full throttle, 110%, non-stop. Even in the character's inner monologue.
Well, it did slack off a bit for the Lit-erotica soft-core porn section of the book that made zero sense.
"Xenomorph's all around? Cool, God I wanna f#ck you!"
The Xenomores and off planet doesn't come until around 2/3 to 3/4 through the book.
Why is 2/5 my fault? Because I hyped this up in my mind. I follow the author on Twitter. I've got a lot of respect for her. I saw "Aliens" and thought it would be, you know, Aliens. There was a LOT of back story. Had I known that going in, I might feel different. So maybe I hyped myself up for burgers and got noodles instead. I like both but had a *craving* for a burger.
2/5 *The Penny from Somewhere in Time*
I love the Aliens and Predator franchises. I've seen 'em all but never read any of the books.
So my 2/5 is probably more my fault than anything. If you've seen "Aliens" (the second in the series, 1986) the you may remember who Vasquez is. The tough Hispanic Marine.
I was wondering how this book was going to play out with her character (the movie may be from from 1986 but I'm not going to spoil it for anyone).
Do you remember the movie "Somewhere in Time?" Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. In a nutshell, He travels back in time but he can't take anything from this time period. If he does, it could break the "connection" and spring him back to the present.
I kept thinking about that damn penny all the way through the book. Nothing sold me on 200 years in the future. For one, she continuously referenced songs from the 1970's - 1990's. Not sure if there was anything more recent. Also some TV shows and technology. You have some cases in sci-fi where the character does hearken back in time but not to this extent and after the futuristic world has been established.
It was extraordinary for the Hispanic culture. I thought of my own Hispanic family (wife's side) while reading it. I was grateful for the message, the words, and the portrayal. Vasquez was tied very tight to her family and their legacy. But there again, nothing changed. She talked so much of situations that were ripped from today's headlines. Sadly, in 200 years, maybe things won't be so different, but I sure hope to hell it is.
So the interactions with her world also was not at all futuristic.
Combined with the constant 70's and 80's music (of which I am a huge fan), smatterings of 200 year old tech and references, I was not even a little transported out of this world.
Also, the testosterone level! I don't have an issue with that mentality per se, but remember in the movie the Marines and their attitude. That's here. Full throttle, 110%, non-stop. Even in the character's inner monologue.
Well, it did slack off a bit for the Lit-erotica soft-core porn section of the book that made zero sense.
"Xenomorph's all around? Cool, God I wanna f#ck you!"
The Xenomores and off planet doesn't come until around 2/3 to 3/4 through the book.
Why is 2/5 my fault? Because I hyped this up in my mind. I follow the author on Twitter. I've got a lot of respect for her. I saw "Aliens" and thought it would be, you know, Aliens. There was a LOT of back story. Had I known that going in, I might feel different. So maybe I hyped myself up for burgers and got noodles instead. I like both but had a *craving* for a burger.
February 15, 2023
This story was weak in so many ways. Don’t waste your time. It offered nothing new. It completely missed the tone of the Alien universe. As far as characters, everyone in the corporation is pure evil (almost everyone) and everyone else is a victim or a fighter. It is the same regurgitated character arcs we keep seeing in the Alien universe.
One of the things that bugged me about it was the constant references to songs and pop cultute from our current time. This takes place almost 200 years in the future. How many pop culture things do we still make part of our lives today? Ring around the rosie? I am not sure that is even 200 years old.
The only future tech in this book was a waverunner with guns on it. Wow, so imaginative. So futuristic. So Alien. Lame.
So Vasquez gets a back story complete with a set of twins whose lives take different directions. The boy twin grows up to be Burke and the girl twin grows up to be Vasquez, except she is part Ripley. Sorry about the spoilers, but i turned the spoiler button on.
One of the things that bugged me about it was the constant references to songs and pop cultute from our current time. This takes place almost 200 years in the future. How many pop culture things do we still make part of our lives today? Ring around the rosie? I am not sure that is even 200 years old.
The only future tech in this book was a waverunner with guns on it. Wow, so imaginative. So futuristic. So Alien. Lame.
So Vasquez gets a back story complete with a set of twins whose lives take different directions. The boy twin grows up to be Burke and the girl twin grows up to be Vasquez, except she is part Ripley. Sorry about the spoilers, but i turned the spoiler button on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2024
First of all, the obvious: this is NOT an Aliens book. it's a book which claims to be a prequel/origin story about a character from Aliens but.... it's not even that!
The character actually disappears midway through and we are left following what happens to a couple of teenagers. it's really odd. it not only squanders any potential to be had, it's tonally jarring.
The other frustrating element of the book is the constant references to modern music, TV and life today in one paragraph whilst mentioning in the next that it's set 200 years in the future.
It's very very very very poorly written. It's a bizarre premise as presented to the reader, an even more bizarre premise when you realise it's just a badly written story about 2 Mexican orphans, and Aliens make up about 5% of the book.
I'm surprised it was ever published. one of the worst books I've read and by far the worst Alien book. don't waste your time.
The character actually disappears midway through and we are left following what happens to a couple of teenagers. it's really odd. it not only squanders any potential to be had, it's tonally jarring.
The other frustrating element of the book is the constant references to modern music, TV and life today in one paragraph whilst mentioning in the next that it's set 200 years in the future.
It's very very very very poorly written. It's a bizarre premise as presented to the reader, an even more bizarre premise when you realise it's just a badly written story about 2 Mexican orphans, and Aliens make up about 5% of the book.
I'm surprised it was ever published. one of the worst books I've read and by far the worst Alien book. don't waste your time.
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