Oh-tee-bee-dee

I thought the novel was great chli.

I did enjoy the Lopé and Rosenthal concentration and the buildup towards the events that the book ended with. I believe the conflict at the end could potentially be some of the best visual effects of the franchise if made into film. Yes, I know this is an Alien story but there is quite a bit of story to tell before they meet the xenomorph.

I thought the Prophet (I believe a psychic) angle was unique in the story and I do like how Foster used these visions with Hideo Yutani to describe the technology used and those using it. I did want to read more on other aspects of the story (David 8, Dr. Shaw, Engineers) but I don't want to be too impatient with two Alan Dean Foster books coming out in the same year. 

How can one not be ecstatic in receiving two Alien novelizations in a year from Foster?

There is obviously a more detailed story line coming later in regards to what concepts and characters were not included in Alien: Covenant Origins.

Ingeniero

I agree. When you say that there is more story to be told before they meet the xenomorph, do you mean the story about David and Shaw (which we briefly got to know in "The Crossing")?

I have not yet read the book, i will be looking to purchase it though.

I would also indeed like to see a Novel that covers the Crossing this would be very interesting to read

Yes chli, from the moment at the end of Prometheus.

David 8 arrives on Paradise at the end of an epic attack plan. He was most certainly able to overwhelm those on Paradise and it seems as if he was attacked by those below in response to his raining hellish nightmare of Engineer weaponry.

What did David 8 learn of the Engineers to provoke his reaction on Paradise?

@Ingeniero - 'What did David 8 learn of the Engineers to provoke his reaction on Paradise?'

I am absolutely miffed at the lack of explanation for this, too???

We are both miffed and pouty Cerulean Blue in relation to Engineer revelations in Alien: Covenant Origins.

We can both also take comfort that Ridley Scott addressed this directly and said "players" will investigate what we have seen so far on LV-223 and Paradise. Oh, I can't wait to see how the Engineers investigate and respond to a setback. And who are the other players? Are they scary?

Well, if the recent novels are anything to go by then Oh-tee-bee-tee, out there be titans. Not just Engineers and "demons".

Although. a raging Mala'kak in his biosuit might also qualify as demon for the unknowing eye. But that's just a thought. And since I'm at it, perhabs the prophet didn't see Earth but Weaver's World, a big human colony, overrun by Xenos in 2692 during the Rage War.

Just letting my thoughts fly. ;)

I like that Tiwaz.

The concept of "titan" reminds me of Peter Weyland's 2023 speech where he predicted man would be elevated through the building of a synthetic man indistinguishable from a natural human. I can only imagine that the Engineers' superiors are very impressive and "titan" may befit them.

I may have been a bit myopic in narrowing down the visions to the Engineers. The visions could most certainly be another colony, later on Earth, or somewhere else we have yet to see. 

Yes, a novel covering the time between David and Shaw leaving LV-223 and the arrival of The Covenant to Planet 4 would be interesting. David's hatred towards humans and engineers is perhaps not so hard to understand, but what happened to the affection between him and Shaw which developed during the crossing?

By the way, isn't it a very curious thing that The Covenant recharges and encounters a particle wave just next to Planet 4?

Yes chli. I believe the timing of the recharge was very convenient for David 8. The affection that we saw towards Dr. Shaw, to me, was in order to manage her towards his original plans of using her anatomy to reveal the capability of the Engineer technology.

He's a crazy robot and very difficult to figure out.

Just to avoid a misunderstanding. Maybe the Prophet mistook Weaver's World for Earth. :)

As for the Titans i think they're rather like puppet masters, not getn involved directly. Manipulating lesser species by letting them "coincidently" find technology and thus waking desires for power and yet serving the ones in the shadows without knowing it. Like the Shadows from Babylon 5.

I'm intentionally not saying Drukathi. *whistle* XP

Out There Be Demons

Fantastic book! add lots of intrigue to the universe, though it reminds me a little but of Alien: Earth Hive....minus the Earth hive part lol!

It should definitely reinvigorate interest in a follow-on to Covenant :)

Thumbs Up ADF!

"What did David 8 learn of the Engineers to provoke his reaction on Paradise?"

This is a Big Question, we have to look at the dislike David has for Humanity and think, would he actually care at all if he finds out the Engineers Intentions to Mankind is Wicked?

its very Complex, we cant really however buy into David seeing Dr Shaws treatment of him a sign of compassion to David, which then lifts David to view Mankind as actually Good, and for this reason he wants revenge on the Engineers.

Nope... i cant buy that... so we have to look at David and realize he was made Perfect in the eyes of his Creator, he was created by Peter Weyland and yet he is Superior to his Creator in every way.

The Prologue helped with this, but we could see seeds of it in Prometheus, where David knows he was created for a few reasons.

*Because Weyland Could... and thus a showcase to what Weyland could Achieve.

*A Legacy for Peter Weyland, because when we are gone all we leave behind is our Achievements and Creations.. Children, Accomplishments these will allow your memory to live on..  As a Famous Scientist and Entrepreneur Weylands Name will be remembered for many of his Innovations and Inventions.  And so Created a Humanoid Synthetic will certainly leave a Legacy.

*A Tool, David is a Android created to be a Tool and Serve Mankind.

So David is regarding as a Show Off piece to show everyone the greatness of Peter Weyland, he also a Servant and Androids  are meant to Serve and they are meant to have no Rights, they are not Human.

Yet David has developed Deep Human Emotions, he is  PINOCCHIO he wants to be accepted as a real person, and not treated as a Advanced Toaster.

Yet David also sees himself as superior and so he Questions why should he serve a in-superior species..

David has been fascinated at finding out his own Creators, Creators are not what Mankind thought they would be and how Mankind are viewed as insignificant by our Creations.   David was fascinated in the Engineers Culture and Technology.

THE MAIN thing to remember is thus, David does not see himself as a Creation, he sees himself as superior to Mankind, and realizes all the Engineers had over Mankind was more Advanced Technology and a different kind of Culture, that Sacrifice played a key role.

So for David now he is free, he does not wish to merely DIE, or Serve, he sees himself as Superior to Mankind and the Engineers too and his AGENDA is Survival.

And i believe that he chose to Destroy the Engineers because it would be the greatest way to insure his own Survival and the Survival of Dr Shaw who he had grown more than FOND OF

From the Ashes of the Destruction, David could find out more about the Engineers, as he can read their Language etc, from studying what he could find in the ruins of a Engineer Civilization he could find out more about them at his own Free-Will

What ever he finds, along with what ever else he learns from Prometheus and what he may have between leaving LV-223 and Arriving on Paradise, i am sure David can get some of Dr Shaws answers.

And i think David would choose to relay them in a way they would suit Davids Agenda.

I can cover what i think is going on with David and his Relationship with Dr Shaw and what went wrong, if anyone wants?

I had shared this a number of times in the past though and the movie has all the clues for it.

I have not read the Origins Book and so i am not sure what if anything is actually hinted that would fit with the Engineers or Xenomorphs and so i cant really comment on that.

But i think they need to show us some higher power at play with a sinister Agenda..   The Question is would Fans want these Beings to be more Biblical, more Titans or would they want them to have less to do with what potentially could be connected to Ancient Mythos etc... but something very Alien.

I think some fans are still holding out for the Space Jockey to be some Alien Ganesha kind of Race...

I still try and think of the clues the source i had was hinting at and how they could come into play, but alas this is if the source was indeed true.

"By the way, isn't it a very curious thing that The Covenant recharges and encounters a particle wave just next to Planet 4?"

Assuming it was artificial particle wave perhaps it wasn't David after all but someone who knew he was there, aware of what he was doing and wanting to see what happens next in the puppet theatre.

Like i said just letting my thoughts fly.

"By the way, isn't it a very curious thing that The Covenant recharges and encounters a particle wave just next to Planet 4?"

Sadly i think its just a lot of Lazy Writing and not giving anything much thought.....

As indeed its a Stroke of Pure Coincidence....

We will see truly how bad the writing is, if we see that Origae-6 by Pure Coincidence  is either a Engineer World, or was at one time... or already has Humanoids who got their due to Engineers just as we had originated on Earth etc.

I do worry such Coincidences and Shoe-horning will be going on.

Well, if the closeness to Planet 4 where David (and Shaw) happen to be, is not a coincidence (and not a play staged by even higher “gods” than the engineers), what if Mother is behind it (in other words WY)? Perhaps far fetched . . .

Yes, the reason behind David’s attitude towards engineers and humans are quite easy to understand: a superior being intended to serve the inferior; a badly treated “son” having learnt the flaws of the “father”.

I don’t think David learnt anything new about the engineers as Shaw slept. He already knew enough (the engineers wanted to eradicate mankind and start a new paradise from scratch) and was aware of his superiority (and his hatred towards all inferior beings). He wipes them out (just as they wanted to do with mankind) and when Shaw doesn’t want to participate in his creation of a new Eden, he forces her to . . .

So, now we have to wait for the final chapter which ties everything together in the Alien Saga. Let’s hope for an interesting finish!