Alien: Seventh Circle

It is not that the aliens in Alien are constantly evolving, it is that they are constantly adapting to the scenario they are in. We usually see them egging up humans, but if they landed in a world populated by cows it would only be a few days that a bovine Alien was ripping up the locals. Aliens are adaptable enough on their own so do not really need our help, but this never stopped the corporate boffins at Weyland-Yutani from having a go and Alien: Seventh Circle by Philippa Ballantine is what happens with their latest folly to control the Aliens. 

Mae Hendricks is one of the most sophisticated symbiotes ever created, passable as human to almost anyone. Her role is to help her adopted mother and the covert group of Colonial Marines known as The Jackals to uncover illegal locations and find evidence of the large corporations working on Alien pathogens. At Guelph Station, the Jackals may just have come across something that even they cannot handle. What happened on Guelph Station? Only Mae knows and her memories have been shattered. 

The Alien universe is ever expanding and becoming richer over the decades, but unlike with most franchises, it does keep coming back to a single premise – human versus Alien. Some books have mixed things up, but most, like Seventh, must tread this path, whilst still creating something new. In this case, it is the use of control over the Aliens. An interesting idea that bubbles away in the background of this book, but Ballantine never feels fully committed to it as chaos eventually breaks out anyway. 

With the Alien menace being standard, it is up to the world building and characters to make this novel stand out. In both cases, they are strong. Characters are particularly good. Mae is a great protagonist, an android who has free will and is indistinguishable from a human. She shares a human mother and an AI father. Her dual life plays into how she acts and interacts with others. Does she need to be better than a human, or should she lean into the moral ambiguity of her human side? 

The Guelph Station is also a good setup. A research base that sits in orbit above a planet. Where does the space lift down to the surface lead to? There are several locations of interest, and it forces the Jackals to strike in several places at once. A fatal error it would appear, but we must wait until the end of the book to find out as the structure of the story also plays a major part in how things unfold. 

Ballantine has decided to use a non-linear split-narrative structure to tell the tale. I think one or the other could have worked but using both means that at times the story is confusing. We follow Mae in the present as she is rescued and must survive with no memories, these come back in a series of flashbacks, or as we see them, chapters.  

Popping from the present to the past works well in fiction as you reveal more about the now by revelations in the past. The issue is that at points Mae’s consciousness is split between three android bodies. You are now dealing with four storylines, three somewhat in parallel in the past and one in the present. Every chapter has the reader having to readjust and remind themselves which Mae they are dealing with and what supporting characters are currently in the room with her. 

The choice of narrative structure may have been to differentiate this Alien book from others from the past few decades, as it does, but not always for the best. There is enough in the character of Mae to have made it an enjoyable outing for the series, without any complications. The story become much clearer, and better, when the strands all align. There are even some nice twists and reveals at the end. Any fans of the Alien books will enjoy Seventh and it is a solid outing for the franchise. I think it would be too confusing for the casual fan, and they would be best starting somewhere else. Bishop is an excellent continuation directly from the films.