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Alien is a novelisation of the film of the same name. The novel was written by Alan Dean Foster. It was published in June, 1979.

Publisher's summary[]

Back cover[]

Where was Earth?

This was not their galaxy. A strange sun lit the sky with orange rays. In their long cold sleep, the seven space travelers had left their own universe behind, and now their monitor told them that on the planet revolving below them, someone was signalling for help. By space law, they must descend, explore, and render assistance.

But they would carry weapons. For who could tell what being called to them-or why. All they knew was that it was Alien.

Inside front[]

The thing looked like the hand of a skeleton with many fingers curled into the palm. Something like a short tube protruded from the palm and something like a tail was coiled beneath the base of the hand. There, on the back, was a dim, convex shape like a glazed over eye. Disgusting! But if that was an eye and not some slimy excrescence...he moved closer to take a look. And the eye moved; it stared right back at him. Then, the ovoid sprang at him, exploded at him with the energy contained in that coiled tail. He raised an arm to protect himself. Too late! The thing's fingers gripped his faceplate. The weaving tube in the palm's center was stroking the glass. It started to sizzle. The faceplate was dissolving! The creature was through the plate. Must get it off! It was pushing at his mouth, tight around skull, tube down throat, can't breathe...


"Kane, answer me," Dallas' voice came from above, but from down below, there was no reply.

Differences from the film[]

  • It is implied that the cocooned bodies of Dallas and Brett are being transformed by the Alien into new eggs, an alternate source of eggs than the Queen introduced in Aliens. Filmed but cut from the theatrical release for pacing, this scene reappears in the director's cut.
  • TheSpace Jockey was ommitted from the novel.

 

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