Alien Race: Visual Development of an Intergalactic Adventure Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I would like to start by saying that I am by no means an authority on concept art, although I am a freelance artist. I am also by no means a professional science fiction critic, though I have been a sci-fi fan for as long as I can remember. Lastly, I may have given the book 4 stars but that's only because I can't give it 4 and a half.
Simply put, 'Alien Race: A Visual Development of an Intergalactic Adventure' is a stunning, well put together and artistically inspiring piece of creativity in book form. Designed as a collection of concept art, stories and ideas developed for a possible intellectual property, the book explores the various characters, creatures, environments and plot angles that might go into the creation of a film, animated cartoon, tv series or video game. While no such use of the material in 'Alien Race' actually exists as of this review (unfortunately), the artwork and concepts contained within the pages of this book could easily be from a 'making of the movie' book for a popular film.
Especially impressive is the way multiple artists and designers approached the same or similar concepts in the book. I also liked how they showed the ideas they did not go with, again bringing to mind the concept designs seen in the 'art of' or 'making of' books for currently developed properties like the J.J. Abrams Star Trek film or the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series for example.
So why not five stars? Well, its a personal preference really and has less to do with the quality of the book itself. I felt a couple of the ideas in the book were underdeveloped and would therefore hinder its use as a 'real' property. The 'human team', that is those participants in the 'Alien Race' who hail from Earth, seemed visually underwhelming in comparission to their alien counterparts. Again this is just my personal aesthetic and not a reflection of the work. Also, the Flyers, those creatures that fly in the race, seemed less diverse and astounding then their ground based cousins even though they travel threw the air which is the more exotic environment.
If there is ever an 'Alien Race II' I'd love to see creatures that swim or climb and perhaps some insectoid lifeforms. That said, this book is definitely a triumph in that my only complains are wanting more.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Alien Race: Visual Development of an Intergalactic Adventure

Alien Race is an illustrated narrative of an original science fiction tale. Three Art Center College of Design entertainment design students discuss the process of and develop the visuals for one of the most unique stories today - combining action, adventure and captivating art to introduce the reader to the fascinating world of concept design.