Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780553574920
ISBN number: 0553574922
Label: Spectra
Manufacturer: Spectra
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 288
Printing Date: October 02, 1996
Publishing house: Spectra
Release Date: September 01, 1996
Sale Popularity Level: 922646
Studio: Spectra
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Driven to madness by his rage against the ugliness of life in Manhattan in the year 2214, a composer tries to shock the world out of its ugliness with a fiendish piece of music and an alien called Mozart.
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Rated by buyers -
Dark Horse seems pretty driven to novelize all their Aliens comics. I'm a pretty big Aliens fan, so I'm pretty motivated to read through all these books at some point as well as all the comics. Like the comics, after the very first three books they sort of turn into a stand alone series that have self contained stories. "Music of the Spears" is just one of those stories and strangely I didn't think the comic was all that outstanding. It was definitely a very unique idea and it was fun to read, but there was just something about it that was merely okay rather than outstanding. Yvonne Navarro adapts Chet Williamson's comic script two years after the issues were published. I have to say that Yvonne did an excellent job. Honestly the comics didn't engage in this much depth of character and I think that's why I felt this wasn't a very outstanding series initially.
The story centers around a musician named Damon Eddington. He's signed to a fairly large record label named SynSound, but his music isn't exactly breaking the charts. You could say he's sort of the low man on SynSound's list of artists. Eddington feels very disenchanted by the music industry because the top artists are these android rock bands that aren't even human. He can't stand this hypocrisy in the degenerated future. His magnum opus is going to break into different musical boundaries and capture the pure essence in his "Symphony of Hate". There's one key element to his master piece, he needs an Alien so he can record it in the studio. SynSound is quite intrigued at this proposition and tries to figure out a way to provide Damon with his request. All this is introduced in the very first couple of chapters and from there a very interesting tale is weaved. A lot of problems occur when Damon can't just get what he wants and getting the beast to cooperate is a much more daunting task than he perceived.
It certainly seems like a strange concept, and not all that exciting. Honestly, the comic really wasn't, but for some reason Navarro makes it work very well. Williamson's script wasn't terrible, by any means, but I just think it lacked the depth Navarro brought us into with the characters. She explains a bit more about the music industry and the fans. We also get a deeper look into Damon's psyche and I think that's what really drove the intrigue for me in this novel. Another element that I think is vastly interesting that shows up in other Aliens tales is the use of the Queen's jelly to create a sort of hallucinogenic drug called "Royal Jelly". After the Aliens existence is well known by society it becomes a huge problem in society. I don't know why, but I just found that alternate story element very interesting and how it's used in a climactic way.
Overall it's a very interesting story. There isn't very much action in this tale and it's more suspenseful than anything else. It's more true to form of the original Alien movie rather than Aliens. The way it integrates into the future Earth society is more of the norm from Aliens and it combines the Alien aspect of suspense very well. It's a strange concept and I'm not sure a large amount of people will really embrace this story or its novel adaptation, but I felt the novel added a lot more than the comic series. If you liked the comic series you will likely love the novel a lot more.
Rated by buyers 
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And no wonder. This book is probably to blame for the lack of anymore Aliens novels to be written. Out of all of the Aliens vs. Predator & Aliens novels this one was the worst.
Music of the Spears has the concept of a composer on the brink of insanity that needs the screams of a live alien to complete his latest masterpiece, however,It by far goes into too much detail in areas that have no impact on the story. The characters are bland and uninteresting with too many paragraphs, if not chapters, being devoted to bringing us into the minds of these characters.
Stay away from this stinker unless you have a case of insomnia as I've found myself falling asleep while reading it.
Rated by buyers 
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This novel, because of its unique perspective and oddly toned outlook on the Alien influence on human behavior, is a must read for anyone who finds the alien appealing. Here, we are introduced to a type of obsessive that differs from any of the previous people encountered (in the reasoning behind his actions, that is), while still touching on that all-too-understood corporate manipulation approach. (Personally, I like this left in the storylines because it stays true to the original movie and makes an interesting social observation) Here, we find ourselves immersed in the "modern" music industry, where bands are produced, cloned, and so on, with our main character wanting something different. He wants to make music Alien style. So, with the help of Mozart and a bit of Xeno-Zip, he voyages into realms that are ultra yummy in a dark, foreboding sense.
This book, because of the author's style and the approach that the book takes, truly stands on its own. Everyone should check it out.
Rated by buyers -
I can't believe that no one's reviewed this yet. This was my third favorite ALIENS novel (first being "Female War" and second being "Labyrinth"). I think this book stands out in the series for several reasons, the biggest being that there is absolutely no action whatsoever, but the most important being that I'd actually consider this a "real" novel. Don't get me wrong - there are some other great books in this series (I've already mentioned two), but for the most part they usually consist of no more than graphic violence, killing, and sex. This book was different in that it had done of that stuff and actually had a plot! Imagine that!
I think most ALIENS fans will understand me when I say that the books and comics in this series follow a pretty predictable storyline: all alone in space, no one can hear you scream, etc. This had a beautifully crafted plot; was dark and stirred deep emotions; and, I felt, captured the atmosphere of the movie that started it all, ALIEN. I also love the way the future is portrayed; just what things would be like after an entire world massacre by a hostile species if you ask me.
Another plus is the way she handles the music. It's kind of hard to write a book about music because (obviously) you can't actually 'hear' the music she's describing, but she did such a great job that there were times when I almost thought I did hear it...
All in all, I'd consider this the most mature of the series, which is probably why a lot of peolpe won't like it. They'll think it's too slow and won't bother finishing it and will end up missing out on a great book. I can only hope that Yvonne Navarro is up for a second novel is this series which could very much use a facelift!
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