Fun, But Shallower: Nightmare Asylum, an Aliens Novel Review

Nightmare Asylum is the second novel in this Aliens Omnibus I got. Like Earth Hive, it was written by Steve Perry, and released in 1993, after the movie Alien 3. It is a direct continuation of the story of Earth Hive.

The previous book, as you could probably guess from the title, has the Earth taken over by aliens, and this one covers one thread of the attempt to win Earth back. It's a much simpler and straightforward book compared to Earth Hive. Instead of jumping between three or four different groups of characters and multiple sub-plots, Nightmare Asylum is a very linear three-act plot with only a few developed characters, mostly carried over from the previous book.

This much more structured format has its pluses and minuses. For instance, with fewer characters to develop, there's much more focus on effectively developing those who matter. The simpler plot is more predictable but also has a more consistent pace. It's easier to read and more of a page-turner, but a little less satisfying in the end.

There are some fun references and bits of lore, such as a Sherlock Holmes reference, memories of Apone from Aliens, and some lore about why everyone hypersleeps through warp space--kind of reminiscent of Event Horizon, which wouldn't show up until 1997. More terminology from the Alien movies shows up, too. The telepathy angle is explored more in this book, but in a more practical way, rather than mysterious, like the previous book.

It's a solid, well-written story. The prose won't knock you over with its artistry, and the plot is simple, but you keep wanting to turn pages. I was tempted to read the whole thing in one sitting, as the book never really has a good, clear stopping point. On the other hand, once I finished reading it and started thinking about it, I was less impressed. I would say it's a more easy, fun read than Earth Hive, but has less re-readability.

It's less philosophical, more practical. The tension comes less from mystery and more from real, physical danger to the characters.

The ending flows directly into the next book, with a neat surprise right at the end.

For more spoiler stuff, check the Spoiler Section of the embedded video up top.

Grab a copy of the omnibus here.