The Insider.com

My excitement over Ridley Scott's Prometheus is mounting, and it's inspired me take another look at the filmmaker's seminal sci-fi flick Alien.

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At first, the buzz was that Scott would be directing a two-part prequel to Alien in 3D. Then the Oscar winner appeared to change his tune, declaring that the new film is like a "cousin" to Alien rather than a direct prequel. What seems to be common knowledge is that Prometheus examines the origins of the giant Space Jockey from Alien.

Twentieth Century Fox has been tight-lipped about the plot of Prometheus. The official party line states that the film "creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."

Cryptic, I know. But with Scott returning to the Alien universe more than 30 years after the original film, and a cast that includes Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender, I have the June 8, 2012 release date marked on my calendar like a big, Alien-shaped egg.

As a kid I got my claws on everything I could find that was Alien related, from the 18-inch Kenner Alien action figure (which my mother found appalling) to Alien the Illustrated Story by Heavy Metal and The Book of Alien -- the first tome to reveal behind-the-scenes photos, concept sketches of an Alien that never was -- and what H.R. Giger, the genius artist who imagined the terrifying creature, looked like (sadly, he looked all too human).

As the excitement builds towards the release of Prometheus, a brand-new book on the making of Alien has arrived: Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film. Written by Empire magazine executive editor Ian Nathan, the book is a film geek's dream, with amazing, never-before-seen photos and insightful, new details about one of my all-time favorite films in crisp detail with a colorful layout. The handsome hardcover also features the added interactive element of vellum envelopes containing cool, meticulously recreated artifacts -- "show-and-tell" style sleeves containing posters, storyboards, blueprints, Giger art, a Nostromo logo sticker and much more -- to enhance the experience.

As I sponged up page after page of revelations from the Vault, it dawned on me that with all the time I spend time web surfing, watching movies and TV, reading magazines and just being social, that I haven't actually read a book cover to cover in years. Scarier than the Facehugger itself, I know. But I broke that streak with Alien Vault, and for good reason.

I guess in space, no one can hear you read?