In Review: First Light – The Science Fiction Art Of Alex Storer

By Graham Baines on December 17, 2025 • ( 0 )

Review by Graham Baines

Alex Storer creates vast landscapes and glimpses into worlds alien and unknown. At 80 pages, this collection curates a selection of Storer’s works, demonstrating a wide range of visual approaches as varied as the planets, solar systems, spaceships, urban structure and the explorers that inhabits this collection.

First Light: The Science Fiction Art of Alex Storer - Cover

Storer is a multi-skilled practitioner, artist, musician, graphic designer whose artwork has appeared in all the usual magazines you would expect, and book covers you may not yet know about. And that is the beauty of such a collection; wide ranging across fifteen years of visual enquiry, it demonstrates both a commitment to the sci-fi cause and, the ever developing talent that Storer possesses.

As an interesting counterpoint from the hard sci-fi of the Chris Foss mega-machine or the hardware human hybrid and claustrophobic locales of Syd Mead, Storer’s work is quiet, but no less foreboding in its scope. Often foreshadowed with a single character of humanoid appearance his work seems to focus on world building, and the pursuit of adventure of fellow man.

First Light: The Science Fiction Art of Alex Storer - Sample Spread

His locales are often vast in scope, bringing to mind the viewers landscape-position of John Martin, where humans form just a small part of a world building scene. A lone figure or two oft look on and out upon something colossal and intimidating.

Science Fiction art is a world of quality tropes and requirements prescribed into our DNA as viewer (and creator) from multiple generations of premier-league visual splendour. Perhaps initiated by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and spanning books, films, plays, and, more recently, the small screen of the streaming conglomerates – making the imagery have to work double time to achieve scale and wonder – something Storer often achieves. “Discovery” has a touch of Roger Dean, and “Artefact” has the world building essence of Simon Stålenhag’s Tales From The Loop. Storer creates rich worlds of variety divided throughout the books’ categories of cities, stars, worlds, and environments.

The collection ends fittingly on his book covers. Storer’s work and talent is applied to the commercial realities of marrying vision with a story teller. He demonstrates how his large scale worlds can reduce down to the paperback, creating impressive covers along the way.

Of course, it goes without saying (or does it?) that no clankers or AI slop have touched these pieces of work, a badge of honour increasingly annunciated by artists and creators keen to differentiate themselves from the uncanny AI valley of the perfect. As Storer says, “My artwork is entirely personal and handcrafted; it is never AI-generated. Each cover is the result of time, care, and a genuine attempt to find the perfect balance between image and narrative.” And you can tell throughout the whole collection; it’s original and feels distinctly human while delivering us alien worlds. And, this should be celebrated for what it is, talent and craft.

Go and enjoy this work and support the human creator: Alex Storer.

Graham Baines

• First Light: The Science Fiction Art of Alex Storer is available here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

• Alex Storer is online at thelightdreams | Facebook | Instagram

• Evolution of the Toy Dalek: Collecting Through The Ages by Alex Storer (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)