The Alien literary franchise consists of multiple novels and short stories based on the eponymous film franchise, which began in 1979 with the release of Alien. In the 20th century, all Alien-related novels published were adaptations of pre-existing material.

Is Alien based on a book?

Alan Dean Foster's novelization of Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien was the first full-length adult science fiction novel that I remember reading. ... While reading, I began to notice several major differences between the book (which was based on an earlier draft of Dan O'Bannon's screenplay) and the finished film.

Are alien novels canon?

Majority of the content is canon with some minor problems that can be explained away as myth or heresay. Alien Novels: Alien: Out of the Shadows.