We take a look at the books that Alien fans will appreciate

Aliens, guns, and marines are a perfect combination of a threesome for any LV planet habitant. Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual is more than just a book to express every fanboy fantasy about the Alien franchise, but rather an in depth look at what the marine in the USMC Alien universe would be equipped with, driven or flown in to protect his maggot ass in any hairy lady situation!

From doctors, military personnel, illustrators, to avid fans, editor Dave Hughes and author Lee Brimmicombe-Wood go all in when bringing the marine to life. This book is more than just an album of cool images. There are detailed drawings, schematics of proposed utilities, fictional marine quotes, dialogue, and an overall feel that this was more of a marine technical journal so much as a manual illustrating the marine in the Alien franchise.

What is the proper angle of attack when dealing kill blows using the M108 grenade launcher round while suited up with M56 combat harness and scope? What was the true potential firepower of the banshee UD-4L? Even though these questions never arised on camera, the vehicles, weapons, armor, rounds, scopes, and so much more are added in this book to give a detailed idea for someone to definitely check out.

The book not only ties in with the films. If you have every played any of the Alien games and wonder where they got some of their material – here it is! The book was originally published in 1995, so this release version brings back your acidic blood back to the boiling point. USCMC tanks, defense systems, marine weapons, armor, spacesuits, ships, and artillery wrapped around the most authentic fictional representation makes sense!

Stepping away from a detailed fictional illustrated book like the Technical Manual is Paul Scanlon and Michael Gross – The Book Of Alien. This book takes a close look at how director Ridley Scott, Dan O’ Bannon’s screenplay, and Dan O’ Brannon with Ronald Shusett story goes from imagination, story board, illustrated art to menacing on-screen action. First published in 1979 and again in 1993, the book has all the characters that the original film had. You’ll get to revisit set pieces, actors in costume, behind the scene action stills, and never before known perspectives of production value.

One of the most fascinating parts of creating a movie is the point of inception. From story or idea, to an elaborate collaboration of many teams, it helps bring an audience something to remember. The Book Of Alien unveils the cult classic film with where it started and how it came to be. The book is riddled with kernels of information like the opening sequence of the hyper sleep chambers was originally not going to be in the film until the production crew figured a way to open the pods hydraulically like a flower. What if the space jockey we have all come to puzzle over originally had a completely different form? Would you have been more scared of an Alien that cocooned its victims or encased them in its crystallized acidic saliva?

A lot of information and work went to bring this short book to light. Any fan will appreciate it and be excited to see where it all came from. Authors Paul Scanlon and Michael Gross make it an effort to make this book more of a bibliographic recount of events during pre, and post production of the film. So if you enjoyed any of this I recommend picking up a copy of these books to add to your Alien franchise bookshelf!