Book Review - Giger's Alien
- 15 hours ago
- 6 min read
September 1st 2026
When it comes to creature design, it’s not hard to argue that the most iconic is the nightmare fuel that is Alien’s Xenomorph. H.R. Giger is the man behind not just this design, but the facehugger, sets, and more for the movie, adding to his legacy as an iconic artist. During his time working on the movie, he kept a diary, which was put together with artwork and set photos in the book Giger’s Alien!
The 1979 book has received a reprint from publisher Titan Books, giving more fans a chance to explore the unique work of Giger and the experience he had working on Ridley Scott’s Alien. Released on September 1st 2026, I was excited to jump in not having owned the original or previous reprints, and Titan Books were kind enough to send a copy for this review.
Build Quality
The book is a 76-page hardcover that is large in size, coming in at 30.5 x 30.5cm. It doesn’t have high page count, but releasing as a hardcover is always appreciated, which is an upgrade from the 1979 original. The page and print quality are also excellent, as we have come to expect from Titan Books. The cover art is also the same as the first edition, showcasing Giger’s art and I’m happy it’s remained the same.
The most interesting thing here is that it doesn’t use blank endpapers, in fact, the first and large page are printed inside of the covers. This is very unusual, more so given the book’s lower page count, but it doesn’t negatively affect the book in anyway. The black pages do easily get marked by fingerprints though, which is always the risk when using them, so it’s best to avoid holding them if you can help it.
Content
Giger’s Alien is such an interesting book to go through, because it combines Giger’s incredible biomechanical designs, the set photography, and one of the most engaging and entertaining reads I’ve experienced in an artbook.
To start with the art itself, if you’re reading this, you’re likely aware of Giger’s work, whether it be his paintings or sculptures. If not, you can see it in the previews here, which highlight his dark and sometime grotesque style that made him perfect for a horror project. As a fan myself, it’s nice to see his work printed on large pages like this, also coming with a nice balance between his creature designs and environment art. This means the book can appeal to Giger fans in general, not just those that like Alien.
There are also set photos that show Giger and other members of the team working on sculptures for the sets and costumes, which are fantastic given the age of the movie. It adds more insight into how the movie was made, showing some impressive scale in places that highlights the craftmanship involved in movie making. Being based on Giger’s paintings, this makes the sets unique, so it’s nice to see how they compared to the original designs.
Seeing the origins of the Xenomorph, Facehuggers, the chestburster, and Engineer presented in a book like this will make any horror fan grin from ear to ear. The early artwork is one thing, but seeing the handcrafted sculptures and suits gives you a new level of appreciation for their legacy in both design, and cinema.
This was also one of the most engaging reads for me personally, because Giger’s unique perspective and personality made it more entertaining than he probably was expecting at the time. It’s told through diary entries that he kept during his time working on Alien, but as an artist making his way onto a movie set for the first time, his often frustrated and blunt viewpoint was something you don’t see shared in artbooks.
At the start of the book, Giger acknowledges the feeling and thoughts he shared and asks readers not to take offense, but I personally love the harsh honesty. It's the story of an artist that aims to create the best designs possible, but is met with budget and time restrictions when executing his vision, creating the understandable annoyance that makes this look at his experience as a film industry outsider a rare but welcome read. It also has highlights that are just a much fun to read as well of course, sharing his full range of ups and downs.
The diary entries run in chronological order for each chapter, not the book as a whole, making it easier to follow as it’s broken down into different parts of the movie and its development. You learn about his relationships, thoughts on people, the work he did on set, how he got involved with the movie, where he was off set, and more. Most behind-the-scenes books have an overview from different creatives, but I enjoyed this narrow viewpoint from one person, as it makes it more relatable, even if we aren’t all as particular about things as Giger was. The entries have the image reference numbers added in as well, so you look at the art and photos being spoken about.
Overall, I really enjoyed the approach and artwork shared here, because while many movies are made in different ways, the artbooks approach them with a wider look at all the moving pieces. Giger’s Alien changes that, focusing on the artistry and impact of one man on a movie’s production and visual direction, which I think people will really enjoy.
Credits
There are no credits, because Giger’s name is on the cover after all! But as noted, there are reference numbers for the images that are tied into the diary entries. There is some flipping back and forth at times to look at which one is being spoken about, but I appreciate that they did this.
Use of Space
The pages are all used wonderfully, not leaving empty space or creating a crowded mess. The pages are large, so everything can be seen with the full detail in a great resolution, which is impressive given the age of the photos and artwork. The original book came out in ’79, but the designers did a great job back then and now in 2026, it highlights that good book design is timeless.
Value
A look at the artwork and insights behind Giger’s work on Alien comes with an RRP of $49.99 in the US and £39.99 in the UK. This is high for the size of the book, as this price is typically applied to titles with page counts ranging from 180 to 300, not 76. While what you get inside is excellent, this is probably the biggest downside to the book, because it’s asking too much.
Using Amazon as always for consistency, there is already a discount in the UK, which has the book selling for £29, which is a better price point. There is no discount at the time of writing this ahead of the books release in the US, but these often come after the publication date. For me, this should be bought at a deeper discount, as it’s just not remotely competitive compared to other artbooks. $35 would be at the high end of what big fans could feel OK with, so it’s worth shopping around for this one.
Verdict
Giger’s Alien is an excellent display of the H.R. Giger's dark and otherworldly paintings and designs, showcasing why he was chosen to contribute to what became an iconic sci-fi movie and creature. Seeing both this art and the photos of how the movie was brought to life on sets is a joy to see throughout. The diary entries add a lot of interesting perspectives and thoughts, elevating the book and creating something different to a standard ‘Making of’ release.
The pricing is high though, asking a lot for a book that’s a third in size of most releases, but if you’re a die-hard fan and can’t resist, or find a good deal, this is an excellent piece for any fan and collector to have on their shelf.
If you enjoyed the review and previews, and would like to add a copy of Giger’s Alien to your own collection, you can order the book here;
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