Conference noted::sf

382.0. "_No Safe Place_ by Anne Moroz" by BEING::POSTPISCHIL (Always mount a scratch monkey.) Wed Sep 10 1986 20:47

    Similarities (you guess to what):
    
    From the back cover:
    
         "S.O.S....THREATENING LIFE-FORM...
         		DO NOT ABANDON US..."
         
         But it was no use.
         Even if rescue teams were to reach them, they would have
         found the crew of the _Black Opal_ either dead or hopelessly
         insane.  Sent by the Consortium and part of the deepest
         space probe ever undertaken by man, the ship has only
         one survivor, Kate Harlin, a woman saved by her cryogenic
         lifeboat.
         
         Back on earth, Kate is accused of deserting her crew...of
         carrying an alien disease...of being insane.  And as she
         is forced by the Consortium to return to the _Black Opal_
         and face the terror of that expedition again, she realizes
         she is more alone than ever before.  For on this mission
         Kate is surrounded by both human treachery and the nightmares
         of the past.  Her sanity and life are at stake.  And there
         is...NO SAFE PLACE
         
    Kate is a pilot.  The Consortium knew about the life-forms and arranged
    for the _Black Opal_ to go to the planet where they were.  Unknown
    to the crew, there was a "Lifelike Simulated Human" on board.  The
    life-form is believed to be bio-engineered and was brought to the
    planet by other aliens.
    
    Differences:
                            
    The threatening life-form is different and proves fairly innocuous 
    when slight care is taken.  The thrust of the plot is dealing with
    the Consortium's skulduggery.
    
    Summary:
    
    At first, I thought the book was a rip-off of _Alien_ and _Aliens_.  I
    didn't buy it initially because of this, but decided to buy it and
    review it here to let people know not to buy it if it were a rip-off.
    Given the different life-forms and focus of the plot, I would say the
    book is significantly different from _Alien_.  However, the
    similarities are too incredible to dismiss as coincidence.  If Anne
    Moroz did not decided to copy _Alien_, then I think she at least
    saw/read it and got an idea about a different direction to go from some
    of the same elements -- the book should contain some credit for
    _Alien_.  Because it does not, I think it is something of a rip-off and
    I question the ethics of the author and the publisher (Questar Science
    Fiction of Popular Library of Warner Books, Inc., which is a Warner
    Communications Company). 
    
    
    				-- edp

    
    
    	After reading the excerpt from the book, I think the producers
    of Alien(s) should start sueing the author and the publisher.
    Undeniably a copycat of Alien(s).  
    
    
    
    								Robert
    
    

    	Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....
    
    	BUT IT'S STILL A RIP-OFF!
    
    	Larry
    

    I say we nuke the publisher. It's the only way to be sure. :-)
    
    This reminds me of the trilogy from Belmont-Tower books in the
    late 70's that was a rip-off from another popular sf movie. I'll
    have to dig out the book and post the cover blurbs here. It's a
    scream.
    
    --- jerry