As someone who is fascinated by the Alien franchise, episode 3 of Alien: Out of the Shadows is a real treat. Laurel Lefkow, Ripley's voice actress, does a great job of portraying the sci-fi hit's beloved hero and, on top of that, sounds somewhat similar to Sigourney Weaver - a great fit for the role. There are plenty of references back to the original Alien movie, with an appearance from Ash, the rogue synth, and every Alien fan’s favorite feline, Jonesy.
This audiobook does extremely well to combine atmospheric sounds with great sci-fi music in order to elicit emotions from the listener. There are moments in this episode that made me feel tense and apprehensive, and this was really amplified by the sound design. The ambient noise of computers whirring and ship systems beeping helped to create a mental image in my mind of the Marion - the ship that Ripley, and the rest of the crew, are aboard.
For the most part, I was thoroughly entertained by this episode. However, it was slightly disappointing to wait until the final 5 minutes to experience some action. When the action did arrive, it was great to listen to and, all of a sudden, the pace of this audiobook went through the roof. Following the action sequence comes a cliffhanger that will have major consequences for Ripley, and the crew of the Marion, the perfect incentive to continue on to episode 4.
Personally, I dove into this series at episode 3 but it was enough evidence to determine that it will be worth going back to begin from the start. I highly recommend Alien: Out of the Shadows to anyone, like myself, that has a deep love for the Alien franchise or those that are sci-fi fans in general.
