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Audiobook details
- Title: Alien: Covenant: A Novel
- Author: Alan Dean Foster
- Narrator: Tom Taylorson
- Series: Alien, Book 1; Alien: The Novelizations, Book 1
- Previous book: Alien: Covenant Origins
- Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
- Release date: May 23, 2017
- Runtime: 8 hours, 58 minutes
- Format: Unabridged audiobook
- Language: English
- Listened on: Audible
- Reviewed: September 8, 2026
Audible’s current catalog and OverDrive’s publisher-supplied record agree on the author, narrator, publisher, unabridged format, language, and roughly nine-hour runtime.
Quick verdict
Alien: Covenant is a decent companion to the movie for fans who want more time with its world, but it does not fix the uneven characters or pacing that held the story to 3 out of 5 for me. The stronger pieces are the worldbuilding and Tom Taylorson’s narration, both rated 4 out of 5.
If you already like this corner of the Alien universe, the extra context has value. If you are looking for the best first Alien audiobook, I would not start here.
Spoiler-free description
The colony ship Covenant is carrying thousands of sleeping settlers toward a new home when an unexpected event forces its crew to reconsider the mission. A signal from a nearby world points toward a planet that looks far more welcoming than their original destination. What begins as a tempting chance to trade years of dangerous travel for an easier landing soon becomes a fight for survival. The crew has to navigate an unfamiliar environment, fractured leadership, and a threat they do not understand, while the synthetic Walter confronts questions connected to an earlier expedition. The audiobook follows the movie’s central journey but gives Alan Dean Foster more room to develop its setting and connective tissue.
Spoiler-free story review
This is where my ratings split down the middle. I gave the worldbuilding 4 out of 5, while the story, characters, and pacing each landed at 3. The planet, the colony mission, and the larger questions around the synthetics gave me more to chew on than the crew themselves.
Foster said on his official site that he tried to stay true to the film while adding original material. That is the main reason the novelization works as a companion piece. It can slow down long enough to add context that a movie has to rush past. The tradeoff is that the book still carries the bones of the film, including choices and character beats that did not fully work for me.
The pacing is serviceable, not relentless. There are stretches where the atmosphere does more work than the people, followed by bursts of danger that move quickly. That rhythm may work for listeners who enjoy the slow approach to a haunted-house-in-space setup. Anyone expecting the constant pressure of the best Alien stories may find the middle less gripping than it ought to be.
Would young me have loved this? He would have been all over the colony ship, strange planet, and terrible decisions. Older me wanted stronger characters to hold all of that together.
Narration and production
Tom Taylorson’s narration was the strongest audio-specific part for me at 4 out of 5. He gives the book a solid center and kept me more engaged than the 3 out of 5 story score might suggest.
Character voices landed at 3 out of 5. They were good enough to keep dialogue clear, but not distinctive enough to turn the large crew into a showcase performance. Music and sound effects rated only 1 out of 5, and the overall audio production came in at 3. This is a traditional single-narrator audiobook, not one of the franchise’s full-cast audio dramas. Choose it for Taylorson’s narration, not for cinematic production tricks.
Value for the purchase price
At 8 hours and 58 minutes, this is a complete but fairly short listen. The 3 out of 5 purchase-value score reflects the same tradeoff as the story: committed Alien fans will get more from the added context than casual listeners will.
Worth buying on sale. A discount makes the runtime and middle-of-the-road overall score easier to recommend. At full cash price, I would compare the cost with a legal library option first.
Is it worth an Audible credit?
Maybe, credit value depends on the listener.
I rated its credit value 3 out of 5. If you are working through the Alien audiobooks in order and want the direct continuation of Covenant Origins, using a credit is defensible. If you are choosing from the whole science-fiction catalog, save the credit for a longer or more consistently excellent production and pick this up during a sale.
Who should listen, and who should skip it
Listen if you already care about the Covenant mission, enjoy movie novelizations with added connective material, or want a single-narrator version anchored by a solid Tom Taylorson performance. It also makes the most sense immediately after Alien: Covenant Origins.
Skip it if you are new to Alien, need a character-driven cast, or want a wall-to-wall cinematic audio drama. The atmosphere and worldbuilding are stronger than the people carrying the story.
Ratings
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Story | 3/5 |
| Characters | 3/5 |
| Pacing | 3/5 |
| Worldbuilding | 4/5 |
| Narration | 4/5 |
| Character voices | 3/5 |
| Music and sound effects | 1/5 |
| Audio production | 3/5 |
| Purchase value | 3/5 |
| Worth an Audible credit | 3/5 |
| Overall | 3/5 |
Final verdict
Alien: Covenant is a good world trapped inside an average story. The added context and Tom Taylorson’s narration make it worthwhile for franchise fans, but the characters and pacing keep it from becoming an easy recommendation for everyone else.
If this sounds like your kind of trip through hyperspace, you can get Alien: Covenant on Audible through this paid link. I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Edition sources
- Audible, current official catalog record for the exact title, author, narrator, series position, format, runtime, publisher, language, release date, and availability.
- OverDrive, publisher-supplied record for the unabridged Blackstone audiobook, narrator, runtime, release date, and ISBN 9781538430804.
- Alan Dean Foster’s official site, author statement on the novelization’s release and added original material.
- Featured image: Original AI-generated editorial illustration created for Hyperspace & Spellbooks on August 20, 2026; no third-party source image was used.