T. R. Napper’s Aliens: Bishop, a tie-in novel from Titan Books, released in December of 2023. Many within the passionate Alien-fan community worried about what such a novel could mean for a beloved character like Lance Henriksen’s Bishop from Aliens (1986).
Could Napper weave a narrative faithful to its namesake while adding depth and exciting new chapters to this iconic character’s story? The standalone novel is the second character-focused tie-in to Aliens; V. Castro authored Aliens: Vasquez in 2022, which met mixed reviews from critics and the community. (We loved this one as well; you can find our review of Aliens: Vasquez here).
We’re happy to report that in the four months since Aliens: Bishop released, positive reviews have resounded within the community; and now it seems, the novel is gaining official recognition. Late Friday afternoon in Australia, T. R. Napper announced via his Twitter account that Aliens: Bishop had been nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Science-Fiction Novel.
The Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the publishers of Aurealis magazine, to recognize the achievements of Australian science-fiction, fantasy, and horror writers.
We reached out to Napper for comment on his nomination, and he responded with the following statement:
“Any Aurealis nomination is a huge honor. They are by far the most important awards for Australian speculative fiction. To be honest I hadn’t entered Bishop initially, because I didn’t think tie-ins were eligible. Luckily, I was told otherwise on the last day for submissions (a Doctor Who novel had been nominated some 20 years previous). Absolutely elated to see Aliens: Bishop on the shortlist.”
When asked about why he thought the novel was getting recognition, Napper had this to say:
“I can’t speak to the minds of the judges, except to say that I’m glad they gave it a chance. I think there is a sense that tie-ins are ‘lesser’ novels among some readers. I certainly tried to push back against this while writing the book, throwing myself into it.”
Aliens: Bishop certainly explores profound questions about humanity, the nature of life, and how we create value and meaning; in addition to being heart-stopping action and terrific science fiction, the novel honors its namesakes by its depth of philosophical musings. It’s no surprise that it resonated with the judges.
You can read our full review of Aliens: Bishop here.
Tell us what you think! Have you read T. R. Napper’s Aliens: Bishop? Share your reactions to the novel in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.
Leave a Reply