Major Prequel Novel Spoiler

Now we know at least one secret ingredient of the accelerant. That's why the Engies came to earth.

EHEHEHEHEH..... HAR HAR HAR! *Evil laugh* XP

I believe the translation was off when Peter Weyland had David 8 speak for him. David 8 must have mentioned the Perrier water acquisition and the Engineer was confused when looking at Mr. Weyland (below). 

Perrier wasn't founded until 1898 and the Engineer had been asleep for millennia. The Engineer had missed the industrial revolution and disco and had no idea someone mass-produced bottles to capture the spring water for sale. 

Thank you for commenting Tiwaz. Do you have an idea of what the opening of the book describes?

The opening? Do you mean the "vision" of a city overrun by something?

Yes Tiwaz.

When I read the beginning of the prequel novel, the "vision" seen reminded me of the image below.

I love Perrier!  I hope Weyland does not mess it up, or I will have an Engineer rip his head off!!

You won't have to Cerulean Blue.

The Engineer was upset that someone commercialized the natural spring that the Romans had used thousands of years before and decided to give his input to Mr. Weyland on the acquisition.

Ingeniero - Awesome! :D

As for the vision, it describes the Planet 4 Engineers' death or it is something from the last chapter of the prequels, what do you think?

Well, Ingeniero. My picture was on a bigger scale. Streets of blood, bodyparts everywhere, pure carnage.

Of course everyone would think "Xenomorphs" but if I'm not mistaken the book doesn't tell who or what exactly is causing the bloodshed. In theory it could also be an Engineer strike force or something/someone else entirely.

The visions are also said to take place on earth. 

Thank you Ati. I believe the vision depicts something from later in the story. 

I say this because Planet 4 Engineers were digested by a swarm opposed to organisms.

"The proponents of the interminable slaughter could never be sated. They killed and would keep killing until nothing remained that could be called a victim."

Alien: Covenant Origins, page 8.

Oh yeah Tiwaz.

I believe the Alien: Covenant movie poster gives a keyhole view of the killing described in the opening of the prequel novel.

Ingeniero - We'll see it on screen, I'm sure.

Absolutely Ati. A twisting, gnarly, scary soup of mean faces eating Engineers...bring it.

sounds interesting... i think i have to invest in the book earlier ;)

You're absolutely correct Tiwaz. 

"Of course everyone would think "Xenomorphs" but if I'm not mistaken the book doesn't tell who or what exactly is causing the bloodshed. In theory it could also be an Engineer strike force or something/someone else entirely."

The most detailed description I can find of who is killing in the vision is "they".

Yes, I may be off big time (like I was with a projection of many Walters on the Covenant) and whoever is killing may be something or someone else entirely.

I don't remember the visions being "of Earth" but "Earth bound" based on expansion activity...I'll have to reread the section where the visions were shown to someone else in an effort to persuade them later in the book.

Well, at least for me, it points to earth. They're like "When we go out there they'll find earth..." and they call themselves Earthsavers.

"...hordes of ravenous creatures just waiting ‘out there’ to encounter space-traversing humans so they can follow them back to Earth and ravage the planet."

"So all we were left with was some criminal activity, kidnapping, hostage situations and people shooting at others to try and delay/stop a mission because some crazy dreamer is scared we'll meet aliens who will come to earth and kill us all.

If you're an Alien fan then read it for the small morsels of world building in the universe but otherwise its a kind off out of place story set in the Alien universe." 

This is from a review on Goodreads. The general opinion seems to be its a well written story, Lope is the main character and Daniels is cameo role. However the above remarks suggest that the book is not :-

1) Responding to the disastrous Prometheus mission or any speculations surrounding it or that the newly merged company picked up or responded to Peter Weyland's archives and "what he knew'

2) The only potential thematic connection with the A L I E N universe is the warnings of the vision. 

Obviously the really interesting element of a prequel to Covenant the Shaw/David narrative is entirely absent.

For those who have read it with out spoiling a read are these observations broadly accurate?

"The general opinion seems to be its a well written story...", that up for debate. Personally I found it interesting but as an Alien novel it was a bit odd, given the absence of Aliens. For me the most interesting character was Hideo Yutani. He reminded me of a temperate Oyabun, totally different from megalomaniac Weyland.

1) The Prometheus is regarded as missing/lost, so is Sir Perter Weyland. As far as I'm aware the book doesn't address Weylands "knowledge". Moreover the dialogues suggest that even Yutani isn't aware of it, at least not yet.

2) Correct.

As for David/Shaw, their absence didn't make it "interesting" for me. There's however a short episode between Daniels and Walter that had a David/Shaw-vibe to it.

Tiwas

Thanks that helps I will pass on this. I think you missed my point about David/Shaw that was the element I think would have been interesting not their absence. 

We roughly know what transpired between David and Shaw and where it led to. Therefor I didn't miss them. But to each his own.

The first thing I did with my prequel novel was to display my impatience and thumb through the whole book looking for an interaction in between David 8 and Dr. Shaw Michelle Johnston.

I kept doing this as I read the book just to check and see if there was an Engineer or David/Shaw section.

I figured David 8 and Dr. Shaw had to leave LV-223 pretty quick or come up with a plan to domesticate the Deacon alien. This aspect does peak my interest as far as their story leading toward what we were shown in Alien: Covenant. I would feel a little shorted if what we saw of Dr. Shaw is complete. I guess it is smart to not get too attached to characters in this universe if they all get chewed up eventually.

"For me the most interesting character was Hideo Yutani. He reminded me of a temperate Oyabun, totally different from megalomaniac Weyland."

That sure is the truth Tiwaz.

Hideo Yutani is a fresh breath of air in the story. I certainly love the Peter Weyland character traits and I'm very excited to learn what was meant in the end (page 315) with what Hideo Yutani would live to see (or not). 

Ingeniero, I guess "...would not live to confirm the ship’s arrival at Origae-6..." refers to Yutanis age. Wich should be "considerable", remember the part when he was dining with his daughter and the following "talk" to his dead wife (Covenants travel time + comm delay).

Yes Tiwaz, that reference.

I took it as potential impending event that gives Hideo Yutani a final, complete number on the amount of years he lived. I thought, from that the way that was worded, that he is killed later on.

This certainly could also be explained as an older man looking upon a long-term project that will outlive him.

Captain Branson's Death

Does anyone think that Captain Jacob Branson's death was upon an order from corporate after his review?

or

AI responding after an override ("reprogramming") action taken by Branson to protect the Covenant in orbit when destroying the second lander craft (page 335)?