List of Alien (franchise) novels


The Alien literary franchise consists of multiple novels and short stories based on the eponymous film franchise, which began in 1979 with the release of Alien.
In the 20th century, all Alien-related novels published were adaptations of pre-existing material. From 1979 up to 1997, Warner Books published novelizations of the first four films in the year of release; 1979, 1986, 1992, and 1997, respectively. With the exception of Alien Resurrection, all film novelizations were written by Alan Dean Foster. Throughout the 1990s, Bantam Books published nine novelizations of Alien comic books published by Dark Horse Comics.
After going on a hiatus, the franchise returned in book form in 2005. DH Press—Dark Horse Comics' novel publishing imprint—published six original novels from 2005 to 2008. This marked the first time in the franchise where novels were original stories, rather than adaptations. DH Press' series took place after the events of the fourth film; ', despite the fact that it was based on the second film. Following the release of Aliens: No Exit in 2008, the novel series once more went into hiatus.
In 2014, after six years, Titan Books started publication of Alien novels once more, starting with ', written by Tim Lebbon. Out of the Shadows was the first in a trilogy of books, and is canon to the events of the film series. In 2016, Alien: Invasion was published, which is the second book in Lebbon's The Rage Wars trilogy; a crossover between the Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator franchises. The following year, Foster would write both a novelization and prequel to .

Film novelizations

First novel series (1992–1998)

Second novel series (2005–2008)

Third novel series (2014–present)

Short stories

Collections

  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 1 – collects Earth Hive, Nightmare Asylum and The Female War
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 2 – collects Genocide and Alien Harvest
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 3 – collects Rogue and Labyrinth
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 4 – collects Music of the Spears and Berserker
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 5 – collects Original Sin and DNA War
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 6 – collects Cauldron and Steel Egg
  • The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 7 – collects Criminal Enterprise and No Exit
  • Aliens: Bug Hunt