Alien: Out of the Shadows (2014)

Alien: Out of the Shadows is a 2014 novel written by Tim Lebbon and published by Titan Books. Set between Alien and Aliens, the book chronicles Ellen Ripley's involvement in a Xenomorph outbreak on the planet LV-178 and the mining vessel in orbit above it. The survivors' attempts to escape the creatures are further complicated by Ash, whose A.I. consciousness has survived inside Narcissus, the shuttle that brought Ripley to them.

Besides standard print editions, in 2016 the novel was released in audiobook format, published by Audible Studios. Instead of a traditional audiobook, the novel was presented in the format of an audio drama, read by an ensemble cast and directed by Dirk Maggs. It was released on April 26, 2016, as part of Alien Day.

Out of the Shadows is the first novel in the Alien trilogy, designed to tie into events from the existing film series. It is followed by Alien: Sea of Sorrows and Alien: River of Pain. Originally slated for release in December 2013, the book wouldn't see release until January 28, 2014.

Synopsis

As a child, Chris Hooper dreamed of monsters. But in deep space, he found only darkness and isolation. Then on planet LV178, he and his fellow miners discovered a storm-scoured, sand-blasted hell – and trimonite, the hardest material known to man.When a shuttle crashes into the mining ship Marion, the miners learn that there was more than timonite deep in the caverns. There was evil, hibernating – and waiting for suitable prey.Hooper and his associates uncover a nest of Xenomorphs, and hell takes on new meaning. Quickly they discover that their only hope lies with the unlikeliest of saviours…Ellen Ripley, the last human survivor of the salvage ship Nostromo.

Plot summary

In 2159, DSMO Marion is in orbit above LV-178 while its crews mine for trimonite beneath the planet's surface. Two days after Marion loses contact with the mine complex, the ship's transport shuttles, Samson and Delilah, launch from the planet and head for Marion at full speed; contact with their crews reveal alien creatures that are slaughtering the shuttles' occupants. The Delilah ploughs into the Marion, severely damaging the ship and killing its captain and security officer. Samson docks successfully, but the survivors aboard the Marion, now led by Chief Engineer Chris "Hoop" Hooper, seal it off to contain the four Aliens on board. The impact has knocked Marion out of orbit, meaning the ship will soon burn up when it hits LV-178's atmosphere. Worse still, the long-range antenna has been destroyed, forcing the survivors to transmit a localized distress call.

The Marion's transmission is detected by the Narcissus, the escape shuttle used by Ellen Ripley to flee the destruction of the Nostromo thirty-seven years previously. Unknown to Ripley, the shuttle is under the control of Ash, who, before his destruction on the Nostromo, uploaded his AI consciousness to the shuttle's systems. Learning of the Aliens on the Marion, Ash reroutes the shuttle to rendezvous with the mining vessel, still seeking to fulfill Special Order 937 and recover one of the creatures. Upon arrival, Ripley's quickly realizes that she has been drifting for three and a half decades, that Ash is still with her, and that she has awoken in the midst of another life-threatening scenario involving the Aliens.

With time running out before the Marion enters LV-178's atmosphere, the survivors hatch a desperate plan — to flee in the Narcissus, taking it in turns to use the shuttle's single stasis pod for six months at a time, hoping to reach inhabited space before they die of old age. However, they must replace the shuttle's spent fuel cell, and the only ones available are stored in the mine on LV-178. Worse still, the only ship capable of taking them there is the Samson, still docked and sealed with four Aliens on board. With no alternative, the crew open the Samson and take on the Aliens using mining tools. Engineers Welford and Powell are killed, along with medic Garcia, while one of the Aliens survives and escapes onto the Marion.

Leaving the Alien on board the Marion, the remaining survivors — Hoop, Ripley, Sneddon, Baxter, Kasyanov and Lachance — fly below to LV-178 in the Samson and enter the mine. As they descend into the complex, Ash — having now infected the Marion's computers — sabotages the elevator and sends them plunging to the very lowest level of the mine, where the Aliens were discovered. The elevator is smashed beyond repair, and the survivors are forced to trek through the complex to reach a second elevator at the far side. They soon stumble upon an Alien hive, as well as a massive derelict spacecraft buried underground. With the Aliens pursuing them, they have no choice but to head inside the ship.

The survivors soon discover they have been herded inside because the ship is full of Alien eggs, which were apparently being nurtured by the ship's long-dead creators, a mysterious race of dog-like aliens. The survivors desperately fend off multiple Alien attacks and the repeated assaults begin to take their toll — Baxter breaks an ankle, Sneddon is subdued by a Facehugger, Kasyanov is sprayed with acid and loses the use of one arm, and Ripley is badly wounded. Despite their injuries, the survivors escape the ship and reach the second elevator, although Baxter is bisected when an Alien pulls him partially out of the cage as it is ascending. The survivors finally recover a replacement fuel cell, setting a second to overload and destroy the mine before returning to Marion. Once on board, they witness the explosion on the planet's surface.