Audio Review: Predator Rage War - Incursion.
Here comes the Rage Wars! An Audible exclusive trilogy bringing together all the big players: Xenomorphs, Predators, and Colonial Marines. But that’s not all…we also get the mysterious Rage. More on them soon.
Details
Title: Predator: Incursion (The Rage War, Book 1)
Author: Tim Lebbon
Narrator: John Chancer
Run time: 11h 31m
Publisher’s Description:
Predator ships are swarming into human space in unprecedented numbers. The Colonial Marines—under Weyland-Yutani’s control—respond to the invasion, and the galaxy is plunged into the Rage War.
The Predators’ terrifying assault cannot go unanswered, but every encounter racks up massive body counts. When Lt. Johnny Mains and his marines, the VoidLarks, join the fight, they uncover an enemy deadlier than anyone imagined.
This is the opening volume of an epic trilogy, continued in Alien: Invasion and concluded in Aliens vs. Predator: Armageddon.
Review
I went into this book completely blind, not sure what to expect, but I trusted Tim Lebbon’s writing, having enjoyed his Out of the Shadows. The cover and blurb made me think I was getting a Predator-focused story, which I haven’t read much of yet. Right from the start, I was surprised by how far into the future the story is set. This move cleverly sidesteps continuity issues, as past events are now treated as legend, folklore, or recorded history. It also lets Lebbon upgrade the Colonial Marines’ tech, finally giving them a fighting chance against Predators and Xenomorphs. They can actually win some encounters—before inevitably being torn apart.
Like many first books in a trilogy, this one spends a lot of time setting up the world and its factions, sometimes at the expense of pacing. The characters feel a little thin, archetypal, and sometimes blend into one another, but that’s not unusual in military sci-fi of this kind. Where the book shines is the action. The battles are tense, bloody, and cinematic; exactly what you’d hope for in an Aliens/Predator crossover. The Predators, while not as present as I expected, are handled well: aloof, mysterious, and scarred by some unseen terror in the outer rim. I don’t want Predator POV chapters; I want them fighting and killing, and this book delivers that.
The real wild card here is the Rage. Also called the Founders, they’re a splinter group of humans who travelled deep into space and discovered alien tech belonging to the Faze (still not sure what the Faze are—wormlike creatures maybe?). The Founders merged with this tech, building androids capable of controlling Xenomorphs and forging an army to conquer rim worlds. Over time, they’ve become something almost inhuman themselves, surviving in liquid tanks mounted on spider-like mechanical legs. Meanwhile, the “normal” humans they left behind have suffered from genetic decline, which adds another layer of creepiness.
Overall, Predator: Incursion is a strong start. It suffers a bit from being an opening act, but it hooked me and left me eager to continue the trilogy.
Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think of the Rage? Let me know in the comments!
