The Resident Evil Novelizations Include Two Stories That Aren’t in the Games or Movies
Jonathan Barkan
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Yesterday saw the release of Resident Evil: Vendetta (review), the third in the CG film franchise from Sony/Capcom. The series is interesting in that not only was it released while new Resident Evilgames were coming out but also because the live-action series that was created by Paul W.S. Anderson was also still releasing additional titles. So what we had were three different methods by which one would watch Resident Evil grow.
While the CG franchise is more true to the games than the live-action series, they were still responsible for creating new stories in the Resident Evil universe rather than adapting the games we’ve all been playing for over two decades. But they weren’t the only ones with that responsibility.
Back in the late 90’s, author Stephani Danelle Perry, under the moniker S.D. Perry, wrote multiple books based on the Resident Evil games. She adapted the stories of the first three titles as well as Code Veronica and Resident Evil 0. However, in between a few of these adaptations, Perry wrote two original stories that utilized characters from the games. These stories took the heroes we knew and set them against targets within the Umbrella Corporation’s global empire.
Since it seems that many people don’t remember these two stories, Caliban Cove and Underworld, I’d like to talk briefly about them as I used to read them frequently upon their release.
Resident Evil: Caliban Cove
The first original novel was Caliban Cove, which was released in 1998 and centers around Rebecca Chambers. A character who hasn’t received much attention in the franchise (Chambers has only appeared as a story character in Resident Evil, its HD remake, and Resident Evil 0), Chambers takes the forefront in a story about an Umbrella facility at a converted lighthouse in Caliban Cove, Maine that has suffered a devastating “incident”. Rebecca, along with David Trapp, strategist and captain of the STARS Exeter branch, make their way to this facility to investigate the situation, gather evidence, and eradicate whatever threat is posed there.
During their investigations, Rebecca and David, along with teammates Steve, John, and Karen, encounter Dr. Griffith, the lead scientist at the facility. Dr. Griffith has managed to synthesize a new virus that robs people of their ability to make decisions while still leaving them with their intelligence. Essentially, he holds the power to enslave humanity while barely lifting a finger.
Rebecca and her team must face off against “Leviathans”, giant underwater beasts that protect the shores of the Caliban Cove facility, “Trisquads”, zombies that are still able to efficiently use guns, and Griffith’s own colleagues, Alan, Louis, and Tom, who accept and fulfill every command he gives.
As a story that expands the mythology of Resident Evil, Caliban Cove offers some fun new characters, an interesting twist on the virus up to that point, and it gives us more Rebecca Chambers. In a strange way, it makes for a great prequel to Vendetta, which shares many similarities to this book.
Resident Evil: Underworld
The fourth book by Perry, Underworld was released in 1999 and featured, either in story or through mention, nearly all of the main characters in the game series at that time. In this book, Leon Kennedy, Rebecca Chambers, and Claire Redfield, along with David and John from Caliban Cove, are en route to Europe where they plan on aiding Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Barry Burton in their fight against the Umbrella Corporation. However, they are diverted to Utah where they infiltrate a secret Umbrella lair run by Jay Reston, who happens to have in his possession one of three code books that gives access to the companies most valuable and secret documents.
This lair is, just like the Hive, primarily based underground. Within its walls, it holds a four-room testing area that is nicknamed “The Planet”. Each room is of massive size and holds a different kind of artificial environment, such as a desert, a forest, or a city. Each room also holds a new type of B.O.W. that Umbrella is testing. In the forest, there are the “Dacs”, giant winged creatures. The desert has “Scorps”, which are extremely large scorpions, a lá Clash of the Titans. Next up are the “Spitters”, a cross between goats and reptiles that are able to spit venomous fluids, who live in a mountainous environment. Lastly, there are the “Hunters”, which are nearly identical to the creatures from the first Resident Evil title only these have the ability to camouflage into their surroundings, which in this case is several blocks of a faux city. Lastly, there is a Tyrant-esque hybrid of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a human that has only one thing on its mind: eating.
As with Caliban Cove, Perry crafts new and interesting threads into the Resident Evil tapestry. Her mysterious puppet master Trent, who is not part of Capcom’s Resident Evil canon, is finally given the backstory that readers were seeking. And while there are some inconsistencies in terms of the timing of this story versus the following book Resident Evil: Nemesis, which is an adaptation of Resident Evil 3, it’s still an entertaining ride that is surprisingly emotional at times. While we already hated Umbrella by this point in the story, our loathing only increases thanks to the people and events that take place in this book.
If you’ve been itching (itchy…tasty…) for more stories in the Resident Evil universe but have already seen each live-action movie and the three CG films, the books are a damn fine place to get your fix. Besides, who knows how much longer it’s going to be before a new game or film comes out? Might as well grab these to tide you over!
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