The Book of Alien Paperback – 29 May 2012

There is a distinct irony to the Book of Alien being released after the Alien Vault book of last year; One of the common complaints with that book was that it didn't have nearly the amount of visuals that the Book of Alien does. Now that the Book of Alien has been rereleased, the complaint is that the Book of Alien doesn't have enough in terms of interviews or documentation regarding the film's development.Ideally, you need to buy both this and the Alien Vault, plus a copy of Giger's Alien if you want the whole thing. The Book of Alien is, however, a sumptuous document of the visual development of Alien, perhaps intentionally so given Ridley Scott's background in graphic design and the like. Yes, there isn't much in the way of text, but the visuals - some not seen since the Book of Alien's previous release back when the film was released - more than make up for it. In what text there is, there are also some interesting clues to Prometheus - Especially in terms of talking about the derelict ship and the Space Jockey, which could provide some interesting food for thought until we receive news of a Prometheus follow-up.In terms of the stills and design work on show, this is vital for anyone who might not own a copy of the older edition, but actively likes the Alien franchise. My only fault with the book is that it isn't especially sturdy, being a softcover, and the pages can seem a little weak - it isn't the sort of thing you want to just want to split open, which occasionally presents difficulty in viewing the images. But for the price, this can't be beaten.

This is a replacement for one I had with a different cover many years ago. My son is doing a games design course aty BCU and is devouring anything concept related and this has the concept sketches, paintings, and comparison photos from the actual production as well as good background information. He loves it and its some nostalgia for me.Goos paper quality and excellent print quality.

This book was created at around the time when the movie came out rather than long afterward and thus gives a contemporaneous perspective. The text is quite short (and so is the book itself, actually) - most of the book is devoted to sketches, drawings and photographs of the space ships, the planet and of course the alien monster. Great stuff if you're an Alien buff!

Superb book, maybe a little flimsy as a result of not being a hardback edition, but a superb read all the same. It is a must have for any Alien fan, whether it's the horror element of the first one, the crash bang wallop of the second or the wonder and curiosity of the remaining movies that excites you, this book illustrates the lengths to which Scott & Co went to in order to get the original off the ground.A superb series of movies, the book is a brilliant reference point for the start of the journey.

I'm only giving it 4 stars because I had the original, and the quality is slightly down on that.

Average,

I love the movie so i decided to buy this book.Love everything to do with the movie alien.If there was the book for Aliens i would probably buy that as well.Classic movies both of them.

Great book full of detail, the extras are great, the pull out drawings within slip case through the book, give it a rounded off finish, adding a layer of detail. Highly recommended to any Alien fan.