Book Review // Aliens vs. Predator: Prey

I decided to treat myself to the Alien vs. Predator novel Omnibus (Amazon link). The omnibus consists of Prey, Hunter's Planet, and War, which, in theory, is the Machiko Noguchi saga. But let us begin with Prey.

Title: Aliens vs. Predator: Prey

Author: Steve Perry

Fluff: Machiko Noguchi accepted the assignment of supervising the ranching colony on Ryushi as a challenge. Little did she know that not only would she have to run the colony, but she'd also defend it with her life.

First, the carcass of a spiderlike alien is discovered. Then, a rancher's family is massacred. Finally, a creature unlike any ever seen before is brought to the colony medical center, near death. It soon becomes clear that not one but two strains of alien life have landed near the settlement of Prosperity Wells. One kind -- beetle black with shells hard as steel -- has been spawned as the prey in a deadly hunt. The Predators are the other kind- upright like humans but infinitely more potent and just as smart. Between them are the human colonists, unarmed and vulnerable. With the entire colony at risk, Machiko Noguchi must choose between death and survival -- and may find her most excellent ally in a Predator ready to kill her...

Page Count: 262 pages.

Style: Paperback.

Review

A quick overview of the story: humans have colonized the planet Ryushi, utterly unaware that it is the hunting grounds of the Yautja race, a.k.a Predators. Who happens to turn up and seed the world with Xenomorph eggs? Soon chaos reigns supreme, and everyone is fucked!

Overall, I enjoyed this title. It is one of the better-written tales in the Aliens franchise (I’m looking at you Prometheus series), which doesn't surprise me as it is a Perry novel. It does a great job of making the Yautja alien but very human in their ways. Though easy to spot, the plot twists were well-written and played out. This should and could have been a fantastic 80s movie.

The main character, Machiko Noguchi, is excellent, and we see a fundamental transformation from a cold corporate drone into a lethal killer. I was, however, left a little underwhelmed by the xenomorph’s capabilities as they didn't seem to act very lethally. Failing to swarm targets and instead getting killed in rapid order may be due to an abundance of prey.

Overall, a surprisingly strong outing from this first story, I am excited for Hunter's Planet. As always, I hope you enjoyed it.