I would call this a fast read for Alien fans, better than the average screen-to-book novelization. It tells the story of the crew of the space freighter Nostromo, diverted to investigate a supposed distress call in deep space. The creature they find is an unassailable predator, a vicious hunter with an ability and need to violate its prey in a horribly personal way. ( )

A successful novelization of one of the most successful and scary science fiction monster movies of all time. Foster is an old hand at novelizations and this is an early effort, fairly successfully transferring the tension and suspense of the movie to this book. The story is well-known and is about the crew of the cargo ship Nostromo as it lands on an alien planet in response to a distress signal, triggering events of a monstrous and cataclysmic nature. ( )