 Horror great Scott Sigler stamps his own brand of terror on the Aliens franchise When I heard Scott Sigler was writing a standalone novel for the long running Aliens franchise, I was in two minds over whether this was a project worthy of such a cool author. I have been a long-term fan of Sigler for well over a decade and have read every word ever published and if you are unfamiliar with his output: let me give it to you straight up - Scott Sigler has created monsters which would fuck the Xeomorph into the middle of next month. My principal worry was whether the constraints of the Aliens franchise (acid for blood etc) would hold back the multi-dimensional imagination of the Future Doom Overlord (FDO), as his hardcore fans like to call him. I was proven to be correct; in Aliens: Phalanx Sigler plays by the franchise rules we are all familiar with, making the backbone of the story eerily familiar and somewhat predictable. In his other fiction ‘predictable’ is not a word I would ever associate with this master of crazy over-the-top horror and science fiction. Ultimately the Aliens themselves are a faceless enemy which work better on the big-screen and in book format they’re a rather monotonous adversary, which just keep coming, and the story is never seen from their point of view. We all know how deadly these creatures are and that makes them rather boring. Sigler handles these drawbacks admirably by creating an amazingly well drawn world and I could not help wondering how the medieval planet of Ataegina would have been like if it had a genuine Sigler created ‘beast’, instead of the tired old Xenomorphs? Chances are it would have been a much better book. For a start, in most of Sigler’s fiction the ‘enemy’ does have a point of view, this is sorely lacking in Aliens: Phalanx. Aliens franchise or not this is still an excellent Scott Sigler novel and if you’re a fan of his high-octane action sequences, gory violence and tough characters there is much to enjoy here. He most definitely stamps his mark of authority on a franchise which could do with some new ideas. Compared to some of his earlier fiction the violence is slightly toned down and considering how dangerous the Xenomorphs are, Sigler makes the brave decision of setting it on a world with no guns or modern technology. Ouch. The action picks up around fifty years after the Xenormorph invasion and mankind has all been wiped out apart from the last bastions which hide in underground or camouflaged and boobytrapped forts, which hold the last few thousand survivors. Food and supplies are short, and many are running on empty. Many people have never been outside and in a chunky book of over 500 pages a fair bit of time is spent setting the scene, introducing the culture, leaders, and the dynamics surrounding the society, the Aliens themselves are largely absent for the first 200 pages. I’m now going to drop the use of the term ‘Xenomorph’ as the technical term used in the novel is ‘Demons’ and we quickly find out that virtually nobody has ever killed a Demon, those that do are held in the highest of esteem and are referred to as ‘Demon Killers’. As there is no technology, radios etc, the story is built around nineteen-year-old Ahiliyah who is the lead runner of a crew of three. Runners have the crucial and incredibly dangerous job of ferrying medicine, goods, trade and messages between the various underground forts. Early in the story the famous line uttered by Newt in the second film is paraphrased: “Because the demons mostly come at night.” There is an incredibly high mortality rate for runners, many set out and are quite simply never heard of again, being picked off by the creatures. They are trained to commit suicide before risking capture, as although they don’t know the exact details, they suspect victims who are carried off alive are being used for something nasty. If you’ve seen the films, you know what is in store for them. Ahiliyah is a great lead character, ably supported by her two even younger runners, Creen and Brandun. As part of their culture/law all teenage girls make ten ‘runs’ and get a tattoo after each is completed and boys only have to make five as many will end up as warriors. Much of the human conflict in the novel revolves around the fact that Ahiliyah dreams of being a warrior, a position forbidden to girls. The plot is built around the politics of the various underground forts, their double-dealing, some of which may remind you of Dune, and Ahiliyah is convinced the behaviour of the Demons is changing, but none of the elders believe her. They are old and set in their ways and Sigler has fun clashing the young with the old. As everybody know how dangerous the Demons are, you may wonder why there are any people left at all? Or why all runners aren’t killed straight away? This was very cool, they wear a type of ‘hidey suit’ which acts as camouflage when travelling, these journeys could be anything from a couple of days to two weeks or longer, carrying huge loads. This is only a small part of a very detailed and believable world for Sigler to let his imagination run wild. The action sequences are worth hanging around for and in the second half you’ll realise why the novel is called Phalanx and there are some stunning fights reminiscent of ‘Custer’s Last Stand’ with a huge body-count mashed up with The 300. Scott Sigler throws in enough spicy curveballs to give the defenders a slim chance as it hurtles towards its conclusion. If you want to know more about the fiction of Scott Sigler check out my article Ten Years of Bleeding with Scott Sigler over at Ink Heist: https://inkheist.com/2019/03/06/ten-years-of-bleeding-with-scott-sigler/ Finally, it’s a well-known fact that Scott Sigler inserts his major fans, ‘the Junkies’, into his novels as a mark of appreciation and endearment. I, ‘Tony Jones’ am proud to appear in two Galactic Football League books, here’s a brief excerpt from The Champion which was a very cool moment for this Junkie of many, many years… “Tony Jones barrelled in on all fours from Quentin’s right, Katan the Beheader from Quentin’s left. Tony’s hands shot out, a slow-motion attempt to grab Quentin under the shoulder pads, stand him up, block-destruct and toss him aside. Quentin turned sideways and drove in, sliding between the wide hands as he threw his armored right elbow forward – it smashed into Tony’s facemask, knocking the big head back.” Scott Sigler most definitely blasts new life into a tired old franchise; but the reality is simple, Aliens: Phalanx is an appetizer for the main events….. The Gangster (Galactic Football League Book 6) and Mount Fitzroy (sequel to Earthcore) of which there have been rumours for years. Whilst we wait for these new books from the main Siglerverse, Aliens: Phalanx was a worthwhile distraction. 4/5 Tony Jones  The #1 New York Times best-selling author of Infected delivers medieval carnage as a pre-industrial society fights extinction at the hands of a massive infestation of Xenomorphs. Ataegina was an isolated world of medieval castles and rich cultures - vibrant until the demons rose and slaughtered ninety percent of the planet s population. Swarms of lethal creatures with black husks, murderous claws, barbed tails and dreaded "tooth-tongues" rage across the land. Terrified survivors hide in ruined mountain keeps, where they eke out a meager existence. Skilled runners travel the treacherous paths between keeps, maintaining trade and sharing information. If caught, they die screaming. Ahiliyah of Lemeth Hold is an exceptional runner, constantly risking her life for her people. When she and her closest companions discover a new weapon, it may offer the one last chance to end the demon plague. But to save humanity, the trio must fight their way to the tunnels of Black Smoke Mountain - the lair of the mythical Demon Mother. Aliens: Phalanx TM & (c) 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.   Comments are closed.
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