In the Depths of Space, or Miles Below the Surface, the Screams are still Silent
Horror, truly great horror, is a creature with many heads. It paralyzes – a shadow moving the darkness, the chill that ices veins, and the slick clamminess that covers the skin. It dominates – reason fails, emotion overcomes everything, all that is left is the basic instinct of fight or flight. It strikes – in a moment, all else shatters, and it is all that remains.
This sense of dread and mystery was everything that made Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie the epic fright fest that it is. Viewers didn’t need huge speeches to discuss the plot. There was no deep scientific breakdown of the alien’s biology. It was there to scare the hell out of you. Alien: Inferno’s Fall, written by Philippa Ballantine, is a love letter to that pure, raw horror that introduced the aliens that have scared and haunted us for decades.
The story takes place among a mining colony on the distant planet of Shanmen. These miners are not part of a scientific expedition to the farthest reaches of space. They aren’t a batallion of highly trained and well-armed space marines. They’re poor, mostly uneducated, indentured servants putting axe to stone in hopes of one day paying off their debt and living free. Among them is Toru McClintock-Riley and her extended family, The Knot. They are Toru’s extended and adopted clan, from many walks of life. She is the matriarch, but The Knot includes her daughters, nieces, nephew and even grandchildren.
The Knot symbolizes the miners and their lives well. Miners don’t fear death or dismemberment. These things are viewed as occupational hazards. Each trip below the surface could bring a cave-in, chemical reactions, suffocation, or any other danger. The company that owns this mine doesn’t care for the miners any more than it does their tools. They’re far more concerned with profits than people.
One day, everything on Shanmen goes from difficult to terminal. A huge ship arrives in low orbit. As the townspeople react with fascination and curiosity, the ship releases a tornado down to the planet’s surface. Only this tornado isn’t made of rock, wind, and rain. It is a swarm of living creatures. It devours everything in its path, spreading from the town to the jungle and on a direct collision course with the mine.
Trapped between the depths of the Eitr mine and the ravenous beasts above, Toru, The Knot, and a few dozen hopeful survivors must uncover a way out. A strained communication with a group of soldiers is their only beacon to making it out alive.
Inferno’s Fall is a well-paced, deeply emotional thrill ride that will have viewers glued to every page. Ballantine deftly creates a family of castaways who are relatable and sympathetic. Their struggles speak to the fight for basic human needs. Food, shelter, clothing, belonging and safety are rarities among the miners.
The aliens are introduced swiftly and with precise revelations. Ballantine doesn’t need long descriptions of every piece of alien anatomy. A glimpse of a mouth or a tail, the distant screech of an indescribable sound, or the silence where there was once a voice. These are all tools that she uses to consistently and continuously deliver the uneasiness and despair felt among the mines.
The book is not without its action sequences. The space marines, in this case the crew of the Righteous Fury, are hard asses with courage and grit to spare. They fit seamlessly into the Aliens franchise. The Fury provides a tie-in to several other properties including the Dark Horse Comics run, Aliens: Defiance. These scenes feel lifted right out of an Aliens battle or a Kaiju battle with mankind in the balance.
Inferno’s Fall benefits from its three-act format. Readers get all the micro and macro world building necessary in the story’s beginning. The second act amplifies the danger and the terror as the alien beings overtake the colony. The third act is an all-out race to survive.
Alien: Inferno’s Fall finds itself in perfect balance on many fronts. It is delightfully fluid between horror and action. It is intense yet caring in parts. It is a wonderful addition to a franchise while remaining its own story; one that is filled with suspense, fear, and at times, hope.