Alien Seventh Circle Review

Written by Philippa Ballantine
Published by Titan Books, London (2025)
ISBN: 9781803366975

When going into ‘Seventh Circle’ I had high hopes, after all this is a sequel to ‘Inferno’s Fall’ written by the same talented author; Philippa Ballantine. I’m pleased to be able to say that this book lived up to my expectations, with only one exception. In fact, besides the one blemish, I’d say that Philippa Ballantine has outdone herself and delivered a sequel that surpasses the original!

Game of the Year; 2024

Game of the Year; Alien Rogue Incursion

2024 has been a bit of a slow year for gaming. There have only been 3 games that have stood out to me. The Tomb Raider 1-3 remasters from February were amazing and I loved them. Then we had Star Trucker in the summer which almost won this award. But then, with only days to spare, Alien Rogue Incursion dropped and stole the award for my game of the year. This is an Alien game in VR, something I’ve wanted for years! Ever since Alien Isolation cancelled its VR mode to be precise, which was mid 2014 if I’m remembering correctly.

Alien Rogue Incursion is a more action focused take on Alien Isolation, while in VR. It mixes the horror, the tension, and the action well. The Xenomorphs never fail to feel frightening even when you’re gunning down swarms of them. This is mostly due to how agile and deadly they are. If you’re at full health, then you’re only able to take a single swipe from their claws before your killed by them. This is on the normal difficulty, I dared to think how fragile you are on the higher settings.

On top of this amazing gameplay, we’re treated to a story featuring series regulars Zula Hendricks and Davis One. It’s also primarily written by Alex White, author of the ‘Alien: The Cold Forge’, and ‘Alien: Into Charybdis’ novels. They are my personal favourite author for the Alien series and seeing them have a chance to write two of the most interesting characters in the series was a perfect combination.

This game was almost hand crafted for me. It’s a VR game set in the Alien universe, written by one of my favourite authors, about two of my favourite characters. While I think the bugs and glitches hold this game back a bit, I just couldn’t not give my personal Game of the Year to it. Even with its short comings, I think it’s damned near my dream game.

Waterdeep Review

Written by Troy Denning under the pen-name Richard Awlinson

Published by TSR, 1989

ISBN: 0-88038-759-9

Waterdeep is the third part of a trilogy that started with Shadowdale, then was continued with Tantras. These books recount the tale of the Time of Troubles within Faerûn. Author Troy Denning takes over from Scott Ciencin who wrote the first two books of this trilogy. Troy Denning is clearly more talented than Scott Ciencin as this final chapter in the trilogy is the best of the bunch.

Tantras Review

Written by Scott Ciencin under the pen-name Richard Awlinson

Published by TSR, 1989

ISBN: 0-88038-748-3

Tantras is the second book in the Avatar series. This story is a prequel to the Baldur’s Gate games. If you’ve heard any characters mention ‘the Time of Troubles’ then their referring to these 3 books.

Alien Covenant Origins Review

Written by Alan Dean Foster

Published by TitanBooks, London, 2017

ISBN: 9781785654763

Alien Covenant Origins is a prequel set during the year leading up to the departure of the USCSS Covenant from Earth’s orbit. This means that it’s set between Prometheus and Alien Covenant. It’s also the only novel in the franchise that doesn’t include any aliens. I’ve been saying for a while that the Alien universe is big and interesting enough to feature stories without the titular aliens. Does Origins prove me right or is it a disappointment? Let’s find out!