What do you think?
Rate this book
Torchwood #1
Another Life
From Cardiff, Wales, the Torchwood team fights aliens. Captain Jack Harkness, from UK BBC Doctor Who TV series leads Gwen Cooper, and Toshiko Sato to a monster in a bathroom, a mystery at an army base, and stolen nuclear fuel rods. Meanwhile, Owen Harper vanishes from the hub, when a Second Reality game leads him to an ex-girlfriend.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2007
86 people are currently reading
1659 people want to read
About the author
Peter Anghelides
49 books34 followersAnghelides' first published work was the short story "Moving On" in the third volume of the Virgin Decalog collections, which led to further short stories in the fourth collection and then in two of the BBC Short Trips collections that followed. In January 1998, his first novel Kursaal was published as part of BBC Books' Eighth Doctor Adventures series on books. Anghelides subsequently wrote two more novels for the range, Frontier Worlds in November 1999, which was named "Best Eighth Doctor Novel" in the annual Doctor Who Magazine poll of its readers, and the The Ancestor Cell in July 2000 (co-written with departing editor Stephen Cole). The Ancestor Cell was placed ninth in the Top 10 of SFX magazine's "Best SF/Fantasy novelisation or TV tie-in novel" category of that year.
Anghelides also wrote several short stories for a variety of Big Finish Productions' Short Trips and Bernice Summerfield collections. This led, in November 2002, to the production of his first audio adventure for Big Finish, the play Sarah Jane Smith: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre.
In 2008, he wrote a comic which featured on the Doctor Who website
Anghelides also wrote several short stories for a variety of Big Finish Productions' Short Trips and Bernice Summerfield collections. This led, in November 2002, to the production of his first audio adventure for Big Finish, the play Sarah Jane Smith: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre.
In 2008, he wrote a comic which featured on the Doctor Who website
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
May 18, 2023
This book has some moments with uneven pacing. Sometimes it's going at breakneck speed; at other points, it pauses and meanders. And there are a rather large amount of punctuation errors.
It's great to see the gang back together (and all alive). There needs to be more examination of the characters and their motivations. We get brief snippets into Owen, Ianto, and Tosh. Unfortunately, too much is Gwen-centric. I'm cognizant of her place in this universe as The Everywoman, but here she reads as basic.
I wish Jack had told the team how great they are in the shows! He never did. And it would have been incredibly moving. I love Toshiko and Ianto, and I'm hoping that there are further explorations into their fascinating respective characters in the books that follow.
The circumspect plot and its coordination renders this dangerously close to a 3-star read, but there is enough of Jack, the Torchwood team, and their personal and interpersonal dynamics here to bring it up to 4 stars.
It's great to see the gang back together (and all alive). There needs to be more examination of the characters and their motivations. We get brief snippets into Owen, Ianto, and Tosh. Unfortunately, too much is Gwen-centric. I'm cognizant of her place in this universe as The Everywoman, but here she reads as basic.
I wish Jack had told the team how great they are in the shows! He never did. And it would have been incredibly moving. I love Toshiko and Ianto, and I'm hoping that there are further explorations into their fascinating respective characters in the books that follow.
The circumspect plot and its coordination renders this dangerously close to a 3-star read, but there is enough of Jack, the Torchwood team, and their personal and interpersonal dynamics here to bring it up to 4 stars.
July 12, 2019
Jack and the rest of the team are investigating a series of homeless people’s bodies found murdered around the city, whilst Cardiff is gripped with freak weather patterns - with Torchwood involved, it clearly must be alien!
It’s a strong novel to launch the Torchwood range of books, typically fitting with plenty of gory deaths and the Cardiff location featuring prominently.
The inclusion of Blaidd Dwrg nuclear facility (as mentioned in Doctor Who: Boom Town) adds a bigger scope to the universe.
Whilst all the regular cast actions felt authentic.
Note: The abridged audiobook excludes some important plot points, it didn’t ruin my enjoyment as a refresher for this review but those not familiar with the story may get confused.
It’s a strong novel to launch the Torchwood range of books, typically fitting with plenty of gory deaths and the Cardiff location featuring prominently.
The inclusion of Blaidd Dwrg nuclear facility (as mentioned in Doctor Who: Boom Town) adds a bigger scope to the universe.
Whilst all the regular cast actions felt authentic.
Note: The abridged audiobook excludes some important plot points, it didn’t ruin my enjoyment as a refresher for this review but those not familiar with the story may get confused.
April 18, 2008
**SPOILER FREE**
**critical FANBOY WARNING**
The worst part of this book is that there is zero JackxIanto yaoi fangirl service. Bummer. But the bad parts aren't that much of a buzz kill any way.
I read another review here on GoodReads.com where the reviewer said s/he stopped reading because there were so many typos. Well, before I started, I decided to keep track. There were about 13 typos in all, through out the whole book. Give or take. Which may not sound like a lot, but it is. Whomever edited this book, did a piss poor job of it. What annoyed me the most was that there was one on page 253, line 13. The last paragraph of the book! The last paragraph? Did the editor not read the last page?
Another negative point; The author had absolutely no grasp on the character of Toshiko. Which I thought was very odd, as she seems like the most basic character in any team based story line. She is the shy computer nerd, with a crush on the rebel. Anghelides actually has Toshiko say "Don't make me slap you" to Owen. Toshiko would NEVER say that to Owen. Not in Series 1 at least. And Anghelides] barely touches on Toshiko having a crush for Owen- Through a subtle observation by Owen. I really hated that, because Toshiko is my favorite character, so to have her written in a way that isn't "natural" for her character is annoying and hard to read for a FanBoy.
On the other hand Anghelides had the best grasp on Jack and Gwen. describing Jack as a man who can enter any room and command authority. I loved how Anghelides kept referring to Jack's coat as his "greatcoat". The Author also has Gwen showing her connection to her past as a beat cop and the awkwardness of running into her old colleagues at crime scenes and having to exercise her new position or rank to get her job done. When I watch the TV show, watching Gwen trying not to change, trying not to become like the rest of the Torchwood team, is a concept I find interesting and it was nice to see Anghelides explore that a little bit.
Torchwood, as a concept, really lends itself well to book form! Really well. They're Alien Hunters, sure, but Gwen's police approach to situations and the teams approach to clue gathering and problem solving give this book a tiny bit of a Mystery crime novel feel.
The book starts off a little on the dull side with a seemingly meaningless subplot involving Owen. This book takes place before the episode "Cyberwoman" so it's great for fans to see Ianto lurking around the Hub suspiciously. However, the last 10 or 12 chapters are VERY good. Typos and all. It really turns into something you could envision playing out on the show. Had they the budget. With a clever, plausible (and by plausible I mean, it works in the WHOniverse) ending. It works.
Another thing I loved about this book was how British it was. The turn of phrase the characters and the author use were very fun for an American to read. Although, there is a lot of play with the Welsh language that I found completely unreadable. Fun, but I would gloss over the words, just like some of the characters in the book. Which made picturing Gwen and Ianto's amusement that much easier.
If you are a fan of the show, as obsessive as I am to the point where you are driven to read this book, Do it. It's obscure enough in the states where most people won't know it's a book based on a British science fiction television show about alien hunters. There by keeping your street cred in tact.
**critical FANBOY WARNING**
The worst part of this book is that there is zero JackxIanto yaoi fangirl service. Bummer. But the bad parts aren't that much of a buzz kill any way.
I read another review here on GoodReads.com where the reviewer said s/he stopped reading because there were so many typos. Well, before I started, I decided to keep track. There were about 13 typos in all, through out the whole book. Give or take. Which may not sound like a lot, but it is. Whomever edited this book, did a piss poor job of it. What annoyed me the most was that there was one on page 253, line 13. The last paragraph of the book! The last paragraph? Did the editor not read the last page?
Another negative point; The author had absolutely no grasp on the character of Toshiko. Which I thought was very odd, as she seems like the most basic character in any team based story line. She is the shy computer nerd, with a crush on the rebel. Anghelides actually has Toshiko say "Don't make me slap you" to Owen. Toshiko would NEVER say that to Owen. Not in Series 1 at least. And Anghelides] barely touches on Toshiko having a crush for Owen- Through a subtle observation by Owen. I really hated that, because Toshiko is my favorite character, so to have her written in a way that isn't "natural" for her character is annoying and hard to read for a FanBoy.
On the other hand Anghelides had the best grasp on Jack and Gwen. describing Jack as a man who can enter any room and command authority. I loved how Anghelides kept referring to Jack's coat as his "greatcoat". The Author also has Gwen showing her connection to her past as a beat cop and the awkwardness of running into her old colleagues at crime scenes and having to exercise her new position or rank to get her job done. When I watch the TV show, watching Gwen trying not to change, trying not to become like the rest of the Torchwood team, is a concept I find interesting and it was nice to see Anghelides explore that a little bit.
Torchwood, as a concept, really lends itself well to book form! Really well. They're Alien Hunters, sure, but Gwen's police approach to situations and the teams approach to clue gathering and problem solving give this book a tiny bit of a Mystery crime novel feel.
The book starts off a little on the dull side with a seemingly meaningless subplot involving Owen. This book takes place before the episode "Cyberwoman" so it's great for fans to see Ianto lurking around the Hub suspiciously. However, the last 10 or 12 chapters are VERY good. Typos and all. It really turns into something you could envision playing out on the show. Had they the budget. With a clever, plausible (and by plausible I mean, it works in the WHOniverse) ending. It works.
Another thing I loved about this book was how British it was. The turn of phrase the characters and the author use were very fun for an American to read. Although, there is a lot of play with the Welsh language that I found completely unreadable. Fun, but I would gloss over the words, just like some of the characters in the book. Which made picturing Gwen and Ianto's amusement that much easier.
If you are a fan of the show, as obsessive as I am to the point where you are driven to read this book, Do it. It's obscure enough in the states where most people won't know it's a book based on a British science fiction television show about alien hunters. There by keeping your street cred in tact.
May 17, 2020
I love listening to the Torchwood audiobooks and I’m slowly making my way through the large database of Torchwood audio / audio dramas and this one compared to the others I’ve listened to was... okay. Not spectacular or as amazing as some I’ve listened to but not that disastrously bad that I wouldn’t continue listening.
I did find my concentration wavering at some parts and found it hard to follow in some places / not seamless or as compelling as other parts but anything with the Torchwood crew and a chance to indulge my Torchwood love is always going to be okay for me.
It was alright but not my favourite. Glad I listened to it though.
I did find my concentration wavering at some parts and found it hard to follow in some places / not seamless or as compelling as other parts but anything with the Torchwood crew and a chance to indulge my Torchwood love is always going to be okay for me.
It was alright but not my favourite. Glad I listened to it though.
January 28, 2016
This book was a poor launch title for the new Torchwood book series. The one positive is the characterization. While Gwen and Jack were a little more whiny and/or angry than usual, all the characterizations in here were pretty spot on.
The biggest problem however, was the plot. The story is overly drawn out, very little of consequence happens in most of the book, and the majority of it just doesn't make sense. The idea of an alien jacking people's bodies to act as operatives is fine, but why does the alien's physical addiction to spinal fluid translate to the human host? He'd get no benefit from all the people in the book who get their heads bitten open. Also, why introduce this idea of a Second Life style game? We spend way too much time on it, it's outdated and an obvious attempt to jump on a "neat trend the kids love" that no one was ever interested in in the first place (how many crime shows recently have had murder plots revolving around Second Life as well... ugh). To top off all of these problems, the proofreading is also atrocious. Come on guys! Avoid.
The biggest problem however, was the plot. The story is overly drawn out, very little of consequence happens in most of the book, and the majority of it just doesn't make sense. The idea of an alien jacking people's bodies to act as operatives is fine, but why does the alien's physical addiction to spinal fluid translate to the human host? He'd get no benefit from all the people in the book who get their heads bitten open. Also, why introduce this idea of a Second Life style game? We spend way too much time on it, it's outdated and an obvious attempt to jump on a "neat trend the kids love" that no one was ever interested in in the first place (how many crime shows recently have had murder plots revolving around Second Life as well... ugh). To top off all of these problems, the proofreading is also atrocious. Come on guys! Avoid.
September 5, 2024
Typical that I read the first book last ! but then again thats me. Of the 3 I felt that this was the most predicable of them and to be honest there is one "scene" where you just knew it was a set up. I guess I am too cynical (or I watched the entire TV series and knew if it could then it would) to believe they would have allowed that to happen.
Anyway I do enjoy the fact that you get one main story that is of course resolved by the end of the book but also a number of "smaller" situations and storylines going on along side. Now I know that later books in the series tie in with events from the series but at this point it is pretty much setting things up.
Torchwood has had a strange history from riding high on the Dr Who revival to falling quickly and unceremoniously from grace - which I think is a shame and I know there are a lot of theory's as to why but the result is always the same - a series with a lot of potential backed in to a corner that created its own demise.
Anyway I do enjoy the fact that you get one main story that is of course resolved by the end of the book but also a number of "smaller" situations and storylines going on along side. Now I know that later books in the series tie in with events from the series but at this point it is pretty much setting things up.
Torchwood has had a strange history from riding high on the Dr Who revival to falling quickly and unceremoniously from grace - which I think is a shame and I know there are a lot of theory's as to why but the result is always the same - a series with a lot of potential backed in to a corner that created its own demise.
August 19, 2020
Nicely (of course!) read by Cap'n Jack hisownself, this was a good story to listen to all the way from Central Ohio to Northern Indiana. I'd read the hardback several years ago, but didn't remember it all that well and enjoyed the re-visitation. The bathtub was creepier than I remembered. My original post:
This Torchwood adventure is pretty well written, and is almost as much fun as as episode of the tv show. There's an unlikely side-plot that sends Owen into a virtual-world computer game that doesn't really go anywhere, but the interaction between the other main characters is enjoyable.
This Torchwood adventure is pretty well written, and is almost as much fun as as episode of the tv show. There's an unlikely side-plot that sends Owen into a virtual-world computer game that doesn't really go anywhere, but the interaction between the other main characters is enjoyable.
July 6, 2025
I really was not a fan of this book. The pacing was awful; at some points it felt like everything was happening but then everything would pause and the plot would flounder for a little bit, and because this kept happening throughout the novel, it was so difficult to read and not really enjoyable to follow.
There was also numerous grammar and spelling errors, and it could get a little distracting.
There was also numerous grammar and spelling errors, and it could get a little distracting.
January 7, 2008
Owen enjoys becoming someone different in Tosh's new virtual reality interface for an online role playing game like Second Life. A Bryuydac life form enjoys becoming someone different as it hops from human host to human host as it gathers things it desperately needs to get back home. Both enjoy seeing the world through someone else's eyes, but only one is causing death and destruction in the real world.
I was fairly impressed with the adaptation of Torchwood to novel format. It has all the depth that makes Torchwood a great series: depth of emotion, intelligence, sexual tension, action, and quirky characters. The novel successfully brings together several story lines that at first seem unconnected, making it a much more complex novel than the Doctor Who novel I just read. The novel must take place some time in the middle of season one rather than between season one and two of the series because it assumes that Owen and Gwen have never had any sort of fling and Ianto seems annoyed with Jack's sexual banter toward him. I think this particular author could have done better with Jack's dialogue, though, because it sounds more British than American. What American would ever say, "I think I've just trod in dog shit"? But that's really the only negative thing I can say about the book. It definitely helped satisfy the need for watching a new Torchwood episode between seasons.
I'll definitely pick up the next 2 Torchwood novels which, by the way, make a complete picture of the cast when displayed side-by-side on your bookshelf.
I was fairly impressed with the adaptation of Torchwood to novel format. It has all the depth that makes Torchwood a great series: depth of emotion, intelligence, sexual tension, action, and quirky characters. The novel successfully brings together several story lines that at first seem unconnected, making it a much more complex novel than the Doctor Who novel I just read. The novel must take place some time in the middle of season one rather than between season one and two of the series because it assumes that Owen and Gwen have never had any sort of fling and Ianto seems annoyed with Jack's sexual banter toward him. I think this particular author could have done better with Jack's dialogue, though, because it sounds more British than American. What American would ever say, "I think I've just trod in dog shit"? But that's really the only negative thing I can say about the book. It definitely helped satisfy the need for watching a new Torchwood episode between seasons.
I'll definitely pick up the next 2 Torchwood novels which, by the way, make a complete picture of the cast when displayed side-by-side on your bookshelf.
September 20, 2016
Loads of good research went into this book, as well as a lot of love for the Torchwood crew. The atmosphere is spot-on: urban, dirty, full of things going wrong and ordinary people being dragged into gruesome circumstances. Plus, it's got a brilliant homage to my favourite James Cameron film.
It's great to see such a focus on Owen, and I completely adore the way this book portrays him. He's allowed to mess up and to be a complete arse. It's especially nice to see him in a hospital setting for once. He also goes cruising for men — consensually this time — and is shown to be a total nerd. Ianto gets some great moments as well, especially in his unresolved sexual tension with Jack and in getting very jumpy when people accidentally remind him of his Cyber-girlfriend stashed in the basement.
The bits about virtual reality (a Second Life parody) are nice, if a bit hokey — the author doesn't seem to feel quite as much as home in this world as he does in describing Cardiff. The words he uses for the video game that Owen plays sound more like an anthropological perspective than that of someone who actually enjoys gaming. But it works well enough, even if Tosh's technical tweaks to the game are implausible bordering on magic.
At times the book is a bit too edgy, but that's half the fun of Torchwood. A cool adventure overall.
It's great to see such a focus on Owen, and I completely adore the way this book portrays him. He's allowed to mess up and to be a complete arse. It's especially nice to see him in a hospital setting for once. He also goes cruising for men — consensually this time — and is shown to be a total nerd. Ianto gets some great moments as well, especially in his unresolved sexual tension with Jack and in getting very jumpy when people accidentally remind him of his Cyber-girlfriend stashed in the basement.
The bits about virtual reality (a Second Life parody) are nice, if a bit hokey — the author doesn't seem to feel quite as much as home in this world as he does in describing Cardiff. The words he uses for the video game that Owen plays sound more like an anthropological perspective than that of someone who actually enjoys gaming. But it works well enough, even if Tosh's technical tweaks to the game are implausible bordering on magic.
At times the book is a bit too edgy, but that's half the fun of Torchwood. A cool adventure overall.
May 14, 2007
EXACTLY what I wanted in a Torchwood book! And I don't just mean the Jack/Ianto hints, because a couple of those were a little...well, they just didn't quite work for me.
May 25, 2017
4 1/2 ⭐️
Owen is an idiot. There, I said it. Kept thinking it through the second half of the book because SERIOUSLY?!?!?! I know Owen has this defunct in him that makes him do stupid things for women he has feelings for, but this is a new low... (yes, even considering the time travelling rift debacle...)
Apart from that, the story stayed true to the series. All the characters were well described, and I quite liked the "monster" parts to be described in the second person. Gave it an interesting perspective.
I wish there would have been more Jack/Ianto interactions, but it is happening quite early in the series, so I guess they hadn't hooked up yet. I would also have liked a bit more flirting between Jack & Gwen, because I do remember feeling something there in the beginning of the series - and shipping them (but then again, I shipped Jack with pretty much every main character, cause he's just THAT good).
The writing was good, enough to make me imagine the Hub and the action as I was reading it. I had one small problem about But, other than that, it followed the series well enough to keep me entertained.
Owen is an idiot. There, I said it. Kept thinking it through the second half of the book because SERIOUSLY?!?!?! I know Owen has this defunct in him that makes him do stupid things for women he has feelings for, but this is a new low... (yes, even considering the time travelling rift debacle...)
Apart from that, the story stayed true to the series. All the characters were well described, and I quite liked the "monster" parts to be described in the second person. Gave it an interesting perspective.
I wish there would have been more Jack/Ianto interactions, but it is happening quite early in the series, so I guess they hadn't hooked up yet. I would also have liked a bit more flirting between Jack & Gwen, because I do remember feeling something there in the beginning of the series - and shipping them (but then again, I shipped Jack with pretty much every main character, cause he's just THAT good).
The writing was good, enough to make me imagine the Hub and the action as I was reading it. I had one small problem about But, other than that, it followed the series well enough to keep me entertained.
July 10, 2025
The first official book based on the BBC TV show Torchwood is both successful as a supplement to the early episodes of Series 1 and as a high stakes sci-fi mystery.
Another Life feels inherently part of Series 1. From the grimy aesthetic of the less wealthy areas of Cardiff, to the body horror sequences and the endless rain, this book feels grungy. In this sense, it matches perfectly what Series 1 of Torchwood was going for; a more adult and grounded show in the same universe as the more escapist Doctor Who. There are some excellent sequences that feel very Torchwood, from the rooftop confrontation to the apocalyptic flooding of the city, to the disgusting bathtub discovery. The visceral descriptions from author Peter Anghelides add to the cinematic feel of the book; this could easily be imagined as an extended TV episode.
Chronologically, this takes place around the first three episodes of Series 1. Where it deviates from the TV show is its focus. The show centred around the newest member of the Torchwood team, Gwen Cooper, the audience surrogate. The other main cast members were not really fleshed out until further on in the series. However, I’d argue that, despite Jack Harkness being the focus on the cover, this is an Owen Harper book, which I am delighted about. Owen was handed a rough hand in Series 1, being involved in an affair and not really being fleshed out until its second half. Here, he is on a separate trajectory from the main investigation, as he reunites with an old flame on a Second Life-style game. You could argue that this B-plot is not wholly necessary, but I appreciated the more layered depiction that the early days on the TV show.
The plot itself is multi-layered and meandering, but I remained invested in the mystery. The race-against-time element with the rising water and the hellish conditions drove the narrative forward rather than just being window dressing. There were maybe one or two stops along the way which weren’t 100% needed, such as the visit to the army base, but generally I think the main threat and Owen’s romance plot connected well by the close.
The first book based on the TV series Torchwood managed to successfully emulate the feel of the early episodes, whilst adding layers to primary characters and having a plot that continuously moved forward. I would recommend this to any fan of the TV series.
Another Life feels inherently part of Series 1. From the grimy aesthetic of the less wealthy areas of Cardiff, to the body horror sequences and the endless rain, this book feels grungy. In this sense, it matches perfectly what Series 1 of Torchwood was going for; a more adult and grounded show in the same universe as the more escapist Doctor Who. There are some excellent sequences that feel very Torchwood, from the rooftop confrontation to the apocalyptic flooding of the city, to the disgusting bathtub discovery. The visceral descriptions from author Peter Anghelides add to the cinematic feel of the book; this could easily be imagined as an extended TV episode.
Chronologically, this takes place around the first three episodes of Series 1. Where it deviates from the TV show is its focus. The show centred around the newest member of the Torchwood team, Gwen Cooper, the audience surrogate. The other main cast members were not really fleshed out until further on in the series. However, I’d argue that, despite Jack Harkness being the focus on the cover, this is an Owen Harper book, which I am delighted about. Owen was handed a rough hand in Series 1, being involved in an affair and not really being fleshed out until its second half. Here, he is on a separate trajectory from the main investigation, as he reunites with an old flame on a Second Life-style game. You could argue that this B-plot is not wholly necessary, but I appreciated the more layered depiction that the early days on the TV show.
The plot itself is multi-layered and meandering, but I remained invested in the mystery. The race-against-time element with the rising water and the hellish conditions drove the narrative forward rather than just being window dressing. There were maybe one or two stops along the way which weren’t 100% needed, such as the visit to the army base, but generally I think the main threat and Owen’s romance plot connected well by the close.
The first book based on the TV series Torchwood managed to successfully emulate the feel of the early episodes, whilst adding layers to primary characters and having a plot that continuously moved forward. I would recommend this to any fan of the TV series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2018
Torchwood investigate a string of murders that are grisly and unusual. An alien has to be involved. Though when their main suspect dies, it becomes clear that something did not add up.
The characters are spot on, and the story moves along well. This is definitely not a book for children, the violence and descriptions place the Torchwood novels in the same vein as the tv series. This is a Jack, Gwen and Owen centred novel. The idea of the alien was clever, especially that they kept parts of the people they took over.
A good read.
The characters are spot on, and the story moves along well. This is definitely not a book for children, the violence and descriptions place the Torchwood novels in the same vein as the tv series. This is a Jack, Gwen and Owen centred novel. The idea of the alien was clever, especially that they kept parts of the people they took over.
A good read.
December 22, 2020
Did I read this solely because the audiobook was right there in the library catalogue and I wanted something short and uncomplicated to knit to? Maybe.
June 9, 2023
Took a while to get going, but this was a fun and well written romp.
February 22, 2024
--you consider what's inside yourself now, what there will be next, and it is so dark and lonely and empty [...] but when you explore your heart now, there is nothing inside you. nothing. blankness. blackness. close your eyes now. how long can you hold your breath?
this one was actually really good (perhaps due to it being a book, not just an audio original?), and john barrowman's reading made it even better! it's a shame that it was so short.
thoughts:
- really liked the characters in this one as they actually had distinct but realistic personalities, even the less important ones
- the constant pov jumps were kinda confusing at first, but this probably would've been fine if i was reading a physical copy
- the alien antagonist was very interesting, not 100% bad or cartoonishly evil, and the parts from their perspective were great
- barrowman's reading enhances the writing so well by whispering + changing tone + making the dialogue sound real + emotional
you so want somewhere to go from here, but you don't remotely believe there is anywhere left [...] you are not like them. you know there is nothing more.
this one was actually really good (perhaps due to it being a book, not just an audio original?), and john barrowman's reading made it even better! it's a shame that it was so short.
thoughts:
- really liked the characters in this one as they actually had distinct but realistic personalities, even the less important ones
- the constant pov jumps were kinda confusing at first, but this probably would've been fine if i was reading a physical copy
- the alien antagonist was very interesting, not 100% bad or cartoonishly evil, and the parts from their perspective were great
- barrowman's reading enhances the writing so well by whispering + changing tone + making the dialogue sound real + emotional
you so want somewhere to go from here, but you don't remotely believe there is anywhere left [...] you are not like them. you know there is nothing more.
February 1, 2019
Based around the first season of Torchwood, in a rainy Cardiff, this book shows the team dealing with an alien that takes over humans- causing them to have cannibalistic tendencies and kill with their teeth!
Not a pretty sight- a corpse with a bitten off face.
Jack and the team definitely have their work cut out.
The thing I like about these books is that the characters are always written like Russell T Davies described them in the show so I can really get involved with the story.
On the other hand I couldn’t see this being featured on the show- mainly because when we meet the alien I felt like I’d been transported to outer space with the description that I forgot it was under water in Cardiff Bay
Overall it was great to have another adventure with the original Torchwood team, especially as the show is no longer on air.
I really enjoyed the story despite the slow start as I knew it would pick up pace. If you’re a fan of the show I’d definitely recommend it as it helps to know the characters. :)
Not a pretty sight- a corpse with a bitten off face.
Jack and the team definitely have their work cut out.
The thing I like about these books is that the characters are always written like Russell T Davies described them in the show so I can really get involved with the story.
On the other hand I couldn’t see this being featured on the show- mainly because when we meet the alien I felt like I’d been transported to outer space with the description that I forgot it was under water in Cardiff Bay
Overall it was great to have another adventure with the original Torchwood team, especially as the show is no longer on air.
I really enjoyed the story despite the slow start as I knew it would pick up pace. If you’re a fan of the show I’d definitely recommend it as it helps to know the characters. :)
June 17, 2015
The Torchwood novels, released in progressive sets of three throughout the show's run, follow the chronology of the TV series in terms of character development and major events. This first book is set somewhere around the second or third episode of Series 1, with the corresponding early versions of the characters: Jack is tough and mysterious and shows little warmth; Gwen still thinks like a beat cop, and is frequently appalled by Jack's lack of humanity; Owen is a petulant creep who chafes at Jack's orders; Toshiko gushes techno-babble while having little defined personality; and Ianto is still solidly in his one-dimensional butler role, though there are refreshing moments when informed readers know he's slipping off to the basement to check on Lisa. (Amusingly, he deflects whenever Jack tries to flirt with him. Definitely early days...)
There are some fans who liked the original characterizations from series 1, but I am not among them. That made elements of this story less appealing to me (why should I care about Owen's love life when I really just want him to be hit by a bus?), but in the book's defense, overall, the writing is very true to the voice of the characters at that point in the series. There are even moments that foreshadow some of the developments to come, which is nice, and there are occasional nods to Jack's mysterious past -- or future, whichever way you view it.
That said, there were a few moments that felt off in terms of characterization -- Owen's digital avatar and game of choice was not at all what I would have expected for someone of his personality type, nor was his supposed lack of technical knowledge believable. (For that matter, the entire MMO description felt very much like someone trying to relate something they had never personally experienced. Perhaps the author didn't know any gamers?) And Toshiko, who had the least "screen time" in this book, was surprisingly standoffish and caustic toward Owen, even threatening bodily harm, which seems out of character for her.
In terms of plot, it's a bit more complicated than the usual episode adventures, with several avenues of investigation going on at once, but that's not an unwelcome change for a series that characteristically suffered from too many one-dimensional crises. There's a bit of Rift-related hand-waving and super-convenient technology -- again, typical Torchwood fare -- and the last third of the book or so is entirely predictable, but it's not handled badly. (To be fair, this book has a more complete storytelling structure than most of the Torchwood episodes did...)
In short, if you liked Series 1, this installment is worth reading. But be warned -- there's a lot of pre-redemption Owen in it.
There are some fans who liked the original characterizations from series 1, but I am not among them. That made elements of this story less appealing to me (why should I care about Owen's love life when I really just want him to be hit by a bus?), but in the book's defense, overall, the writing is very true to the voice of the characters at that point in the series. There are even moments that foreshadow some of the developments to come, which is nice, and there are occasional nods to Jack's mysterious past -- or future, whichever way you view it.
That said, there were a few moments that felt off in terms of characterization -- Owen's digital avatar and game of choice was not at all what I would have expected for someone of his personality type, nor was his supposed lack of technical knowledge believable. (For that matter, the entire MMO description felt very much like someone trying to relate something they had never personally experienced. Perhaps the author didn't know any gamers?) And Toshiko, who had the least "screen time" in this book, was surprisingly standoffish and caustic toward Owen, even threatening bodily harm, which seems out of character for her.
In terms of plot, it's a bit more complicated than the usual episode adventures, with several avenues of investigation going on at once, but that's not an unwelcome change for a series that characteristically suffered from too many one-dimensional crises. There's a bit of Rift-related hand-waving and super-convenient technology -- again, typical Torchwood fare -- and the last third of the book or so is entirely predictable, but it's not handled badly. (To be fair, this book has a more complete storytelling structure than most of the Torchwood episodes did...)
In short, if you liked Series 1, this installment is worth reading. But be warned -- there's a lot of pre-redemption Owen in it.
January 9, 2014
I love Torchwood and I love Jack Harkness, both in Doctor Who and in Torchwood. It doesn't hurt he is played by John Barrowman either.
This story takes place a few months after Gwen Cooper started working for Torchwood, so her boyfriend still doesn't know anything about her job and Jack isn't involved with Ianto. Something is killing people in Cardiff and their deaths are so bizarre that Torchwood is on the case. It takes them from a disgusting jellyfish monster to a mysterious death of one soldier and a disappearance of another to stolen nuclear fuel rods.
I love Jack Harkness. I love his character and how he deals with problems and threats. There isn't enough Jack in this one though. I liked all the action parts of the story.
What I didn't like is occasional shift to second person narrative. Another thing I didn't like is Owen's character, but anyone who watched the series won't be surprised. His whole attitude towards the items they collect and keep in Torchwood Hub and his job can be summarized in the following passage: 'He felt his face and neck flush in a momentary panic at the thought of the alien tech turning up at the hospital, until he resigned himself to the impossibility of doing anything about it.' I knew he wouldn't die, but I found myself wishing his death more than once. He was that stupid, annoying and full of himself.
In any case, I would recommend this to people who liked the TV series.
This story takes place a few months after Gwen Cooper started working for Torchwood, so her boyfriend still doesn't know anything about her job and Jack isn't involved with Ianto. Something is killing people in Cardiff and their deaths are so bizarre that Torchwood is on the case. It takes them from a disgusting jellyfish monster to a mysterious death of one soldier and a disappearance of another to stolen nuclear fuel rods.
I love Jack Harkness. I love his character and how he deals with problems and threats. There isn't enough Jack in this one though. I liked all the action parts of the story.
What I didn't like is occasional shift to second person narrative. Another thing I didn't like is Owen's character, but anyone who watched the series won't be surprised. His whole attitude towards the items they collect and keep in Torchwood Hub and his job can be summarized in the following passage: 'He felt his face and neck flush in a momentary panic at the thought of the alien tech turning up at the hospital, until he resigned himself to the impossibility of doing anything about it.' I knew he wouldn't die, but I found myself wishing his death more than once. He was that stupid, annoying and full of himself.
In any case, I would recommend this to people who liked the TV series.
March 18, 2019
Yeesh. The action is good, the plot was pretty compelling, but the author got the characters so so so wrong. Gwen is mostly fine, aside from the fact that she's lacking her practical edge - she's not going to shoot down a solution without presenting an alternative. Jack is written to be an absolute creep, which is.... wrong on so many levels. Jack is charming and charismatic. Jack is a huge flirt, but there is a definite limit. The author turns it all super creepy. He is literally that creep that squeezes servers butts. That actually happened. Ugh. Owen isn't much better, but I at least get the feeling he didn't have Owen's backstory before writing this, so some character points I can give a pass. But Owen thinks if Jack hits on Ianto. That means IANTO must be gay... uhh..... what? Ianto basically doesn't exist here, which is a shame because there's a lot you can do with him as a character, buts it's probably for the best. And poor Tosh. Weird condescending moment where Tosh doesn't understand that Star Wars fans are considered geeky, so she needs it explained to her, to which she responds, OH. OTAKU?? .....Tosh is British. There is absolutely no reason for us to believe she wouldn't know what a geek is.
The story was engaging, but so many cringey character moments...
The story was engaging, but so many cringey character moments...
January 28, 2014
I love Torchwood. Love the characters, the story lines, all of it. So when I found out there were books, I REALLY wanted to love them, too.
I didn't. Well, for the most part, I didn't. The plot kind of dragged. A lot. There were many typos/wrong word usages. One that had my fiber-arts loving back up was "crotchet edge". It is crochet! *ahem*
The thing that really made it very difficult for me to finish reading this book was the switching between third person and whatever it's called when you tell a story in "you"-form. Completely and utterly jarring. At first I thought it might be to have an obvious distinction between our heroes and the bad guy, except it happened in hero moments, too.
I did like the portrayal of the crew. Tosh might have had a little more spunk to her than what I remember her having around the time this story supposedly plays out, but I liked it.
I didn't. Well, for the most part, I didn't. The plot kind of dragged. A lot. There were many typos/wrong word usages. One that had my fiber-arts loving back up was "crotchet edge". It is crochet! *ahem*
The thing that really made it very difficult for me to finish reading this book was the switching between third person and whatever it's called when you tell a story in "you"-form. Completely and utterly jarring. At first I thought it might be to have an obvious distinction between our heroes and the bad guy, except it happened in hero moments, too.
I did like the portrayal of the crew. Tosh might have had a little more spunk to her than what I remember her having around the time this story supposedly plays out, but I liked it.
June 7, 2007
First book from the BBC inspired by the Torchwood series featuring Captain Jack Harness from Doctor Who fame. For the fan of the series the book is a nice tie over until series 2 begins. There are three books so far. Another Life is set before Cyberwoman. If you haven't seen the series some of Ianto's behavior will not ring a bell for you. The plot is interesting but the pace is very slow. The characters' introduction are minimal. The author assumes that the readers know the players. Which is not a bad thing, it cuts on the repeats. The plot is slow to begin and not all the strands of the story fit nicely. But overall it's a interesting read. Not as good as some fan stories but definitely worth a look if you are a fan of the series. Yes, Jack harasses Ianto just like in the series. : )
October 4, 2012
This book is based on the BBC show Torchwood. The problem with media tie-in books is you hope the author portrays the characters correctly. I thought the author did a good job with the charcters in this book. I enjoyed the story line very much and I could picture this as an episode of the tv show. There was even one scene that I laughed out loud like I was viewing the show. I was going to give this 4 stars but during the conclusion, I believe there was a major discrepancy in the plot of the book and that knocked it down to three stars. You do not have to be a fan of the show to enjoy this book but if you are, it adds to the enjoyment.
January 31, 2015
This is the first time I've read a book based off a TV series. What a thrilling, captivating read. Anghelides definitely captured the characters well. The book takes place within a few months of Gwen joining the team, so I was in for a great flashback of the time when these five were all working together. Sigh... Just because there are so many episodes of the show, doesn't mean that those were the adventures Torchwood was limited to. Great subplot concerning 'Second Life' game and how Tosh's knowledge of technology can tweak that for an even immersive environment.
December 19, 2015
Cardiff is flooding and people are dying horribly and Owen is reconnecting with an old flame via a cross between Second Life and World of Warcraft. It was fun to see the old gang back together again, even back to before Rhys knows anything about Gwen's new job. If you like the early seasons of Torchwood, you'll like this little adventure, but like many books based on a TV program, it does not stand on its own.
June 5, 2007
Lots of sexy, snarky Jack in this one, which is worth an extra star right there. Ianto has some great lines, too, especially in banter with Jack. And with Owen! Maybe that deserves another star. Some of the VR scenes are incredibly hysterical - Ianto's tail! All in all, fairly decent and I hope he writes more in the series this year.
January 6, 2008
I can't help it, I love Jack Harkness. The story here is interesting and Jack is very Torchwood-Jack-- mysterious, cryptic, and bizarrely in love with the 1940s.
June 24, 2009
John Barrowman really brought this book to life in the audiobook version. It made it all the more precious as a season 1 Torchwood tale. Excellent.
February 9, 2017
“Nine lives has the Alien…”
… well six actually, but what’s the difference? Having read my way through all the Doctor Who novels I had available – five actually – I needed something to read for the remaining two weeks of the month until the new moth would renew my book budget. So I remembered having bought the first five Torchwood books as hardcovers a few years ago. Now I know that Torchwood is actually quite different from Doctor Who. Darker, grittier, more dystopian and certainly much more violent. Even though there where some quite dark episodes in the new Doctor Who series like “Utopia”, “The Sound of Drums” and “The Last of the Timelords”, but they were nothing in comparison to “Countrycide” for example. So, I knew what to expect with Torchwood and I still had problems to get through this book.
Writing/Storytelling: Maybe the writing was the problem. For more than half of the book it seemed an effort to read it. The pace was slow, meandering, never really getting to the point. Then there was so much subplot that never seemed to connect to the main plot. Having finished the book I now know this was all build-up for the climax, But still, in many places this was too much. Like the whole Second Reality thing. While it was nice to show Tosh as the techno geek who can program almost everything, this could have been cut a lot shorter without losing something for the story. A little more pace and timing would have done the story good, because the idea was really good and promising.
The Point of View varies with a huge portion falling to Gwen and Owen. Maybe it was this to, what made the book difficult for me, since those two are not my favourite characters in the show. What was nice were the chapters with “you”-perspective.
World/Worldbuilding: There is not much to say about the worldbuilding. The Whoniverse is well defined and the Torchwood part is either, so the question is more like “Is the world from the series recognisable?” I would say, yes, it is. Maybe it’s the deteriorating weather, the unnatural permanent rainstorm and darkness, but the world felt genuine. The story doesn’t add anything that would clash with the cannon, it just expands it in a few places like adding the aliens that I’ve never heard of in the TV series so far. But that was carefully done and totally in-world.
Hero/Heroine: With the Characters, the question is the same. Are they right? Do they feel right? Do they sound right? Well, they are and at the same time, they are not. They are recognisable all right, but they seemed slightly off. As if the author had to write them from script and had never been able to watch any off the episodes before he had to finish the book. But since the book is from 2007 and the series’ first run started late 2006, he should have been able to see at least a few episodes while writing the book.
The characters all feel kind of flat. Tosh, the techno geek, knowing everything, researching the rest, programming everything and anything, even some kind of “holodeck”. But there was nothing more to her. No real life, no feeling. Just like those figures in a shadow play, where you can see the outline, but nothing more. Same – worse even – with Ianto. He’s near to non-existent. Yeah, I know, that reflects how they treat him before “Cyberwoman”, just like the Hub’s own Butler, but still. It seemed even more extreme than in the series. Plus in the end I got the impression, the author diminishes him even more, in the way he described his interaction with Jack and Gwen in the aftermath of the events. It seems to be Gwen’s point of view, but he still comes over like a stupid little puppy, eager to please his masters. And Ianto is definitely anything but that.
Gwen and Owen are slightly better depicted, maybe because a big part of the story is told from their perspective, but they still don’t feel alive to me. Owen is just the snarky, often very cynical Doctor and Gwen is just the good Copper with the big heart, wanting to rescue everything and everyone,
But the greatest feat of all is that the book even manages to let Jack look flat. While I grant you, that it might be difficult and sometimes an effort to bring Jack as Barrowman plays him adequately to life on the pages of a book, there certainly is no excuse for him being this flat. He is a character with many facets, he can be caring and cruel at the same time, he often is in a very dark mood and very cynical and yet there have been occasions, when he shows the same eccentric happiness in face of dire situations the (10th) Doctor displays. But there is something underneath all that, that holds the character together, make him feel like a real person. And that bit is somehow absent in the book, along with his more caring side.
One might argue, that since the book is placed between the second and the fourth episode of the first season, the author had to be careful not to give away too much, but I think that doesn’t count. I’ve read many media tie-ins and many of them while written much later are placed within the early season of a series. None of the authors reverts back to the characterizations from early scripts, but build their stories on what the actors had established within the series.
Supporting Characters: Since the Torchwood character set already consists of five people, well mostly minus Ianto in this one – there is not much room for notable supporting characters. Especially with an antagonist like this one. The only character who’s getting a little more attention and is not immediately connected to the antagonist is Owen’s ex-girlfriend Megan Tegg, with whom he by chance meets up again. Owen tries to recruit her for Torchwood but as things go with him and woman usually, it all goes horribly wrong.
Antagonist: It is difficult to say something about the main antagonist here without giving too much of the story and its conclusion away. The ostensible antagonist, a guy from the nuclear power plant Blaidd Drwg near Cardiff, having stolen some nuclear fuel packs and killed several people with an inhuman hunger for human cerebrospinal fluid, is seemingly caught within the first few chapters but since this isn’t the end of the story and this is Torchwood, there has to be something more to is. And there is, but any more word would give away too much. And this part of the story was told and build-up really good, with adequate pacing and suspense, but sadly it was interrupted at all the wrong places.
Editing: Not much to say about the editing. I read the hardcover version from Random House and it was good. Some Typos, but nothing really distracting. I think it mostly was the slow pace in the first two thirds of the book that made me notice them at all. Had the book been more gripping, I don’t think I would have spot any.
Conclusion: So, what’s there to say about the book? It’s difficult. The story certainly was good, the premise interesting, the solution very “Torchwood”. But with this very slow meandering pace in the first two thirds and the ever so slightly “off-ness” of the characters, even the certainly good devised solution and it’s then finally good paced narration in the last third couldn’t restore the book in my eyes. It was good enough to make me want to read the next Torchwood book – especially since I know the authors vary – but it’s not nearly as good, as the first Doctor Who books. So, I would say 3 stars, which makes it an average read on my scale.
… well six actually, but what’s the difference? Having read my way through all the Doctor Who novels I had available – five actually – I needed something to read for the remaining two weeks of the month until the new moth would renew my book budget. So I remembered having bought the first five Torchwood books as hardcovers a few years ago. Now I know that Torchwood is actually quite different from Doctor Who. Darker, grittier, more dystopian and certainly much more violent. Even though there where some quite dark episodes in the new Doctor Who series like “Utopia”, “The Sound of Drums” and “The Last of the Timelords”, but they were nothing in comparison to “Countrycide” for example. So, I knew what to expect with Torchwood and I still had problems to get through this book.
Writing/Storytelling: Maybe the writing was the problem. For more than half of the book it seemed an effort to read it. The pace was slow, meandering, never really getting to the point. Then there was so much subplot that never seemed to connect to the main plot. Having finished the book I now know this was all build-up for the climax, But still, in many places this was too much. Like the whole Second Reality thing. While it was nice to show Tosh as the techno geek who can program almost everything, this could have been cut a lot shorter without losing something for the story. A little more pace and timing would have done the story good, because the idea was really good and promising.
The Point of View varies with a huge portion falling to Gwen and Owen. Maybe it was this to, what made the book difficult for me, since those two are not my favourite characters in the show. What was nice were the chapters with “you”-perspective.
World/Worldbuilding: There is not much to say about the worldbuilding. The Whoniverse is well defined and the Torchwood part is either, so the question is more like “Is the world from the series recognisable?” I would say, yes, it is. Maybe it’s the deteriorating weather, the unnatural permanent rainstorm and darkness, but the world felt genuine. The story doesn’t add anything that would clash with the cannon, it just expands it in a few places like adding the aliens that I’ve never heard of in the TV series so far. But that was carefully done and totally in-world.
Hero/Heroine: With the Characters, the question is the same. Are they right? Do they feel right? Do they sound right? Well, they are and at the same time, they are not. They are recognisable all right, but they seemed slightly off. As if the author had to write them from script and had never been able to watch any off the episodes before he had to finish the book. But since the book is from 2007 and the series’ first run started late 2006, he should have been able to see at least a few episodes while writing the book.
The characters all feel kind of flat. Tosh, the techno geek, knowing everything, researching the rest, programming everything and anything, even some kind of “holodeck”. But there was nothing more to her. No real life, no feeling. Just like those figures in a shadow play, where you can see the outline, but nothing more. Same – worse even – with Ianto. He’s near to non-existent. Yeah, I know, that reflects how they treat him before “Cyberwoman”, just like the Hub’s own Butler, but still. It seemed even more extreme than in the series. Plus in the end I got the impression, the author diminishes him even more, in the way he described his interaction with Jack and Gwen in the aftermath of the events. It seems to be Gwen’s point of view, but he still comes over like a stupid little puppy, eager to please his masters. And Ianto is definitely anything but that.
Gwen and Owen are slightly better depicted, maybe because a big part of the story is told from their perspective, but they still don’t feel alive to me. Owen is just the snarky, often very cynical Doctor and Gwen is just the good Copper with the big heart, wanting to rescue everything and everyone,
But the greatest feat of all is that the book even manages to let Jack look flat. While I grant you, that it might be difficult and sometimes an effort to bring Jack as Barrowman plays him adequately to life on the pages of a book, there certainly is no excuse for him being this flat. He is a character with many facets, he can be caring and cruel at the same time, he often is in a very dark mood and very cynical and yet there have been occasions, when he shows the same eccentric happiness in face of dire situations the (10th) Doctor displays. But there is something underneath all that, that holds the character together, make him feel like a real person. And that bit is somehow absent in the book, along with his more caring side.
One might argue, that since the book is placed between the second and the fourth episode of the first season, the author had to be careful not to give away too much, but I think that doesn’t count. I’ve read many media tie-ins and many of them while written much later are placed within the early season of a series. None of the authors reverts back to the characterizations from early scripts, but build their stories on what the actors had established within the series.
Supporting Characters: Since the Torchwood character set already consists of five people, well mostly minus Ianto in this one – there is not much room for notable supporting characters. Especially with an antagonist like this one. The only character who’s getting a little more attention and is not immediately connected to the antagonist is Owen’s ex-girlfriend Megan Tegg, with whom he by chance meets up again. Owen tries to recruit her for Torchwood but as things go with him and woman usually, it all goes horribly wrong.
Antagonist: It is difficult to say something about the main antagonist here without giving too much of the story and its conclusion away. The ostensible antagonist, a guy from the nuclear power plant Blaidd Drwg near Cardiff, having stolen some nuclear fuel packs and killed several people with an inhuman hunger for human cerebrospinal fluid, is seemingly caught within the first few chapters but since this isn’t the end of the story and this is Torchwood, there has to be something more to is. And there is, but any more word would give away too much. And this part of the story was told and build-up really good, with adequate pacing and suspense, but sadly it was interrupted at all the wrong places.
Editing: Not much to say about the editing. I read the hardcover version from Random House and it was good. Some Typos, but nothing really distracting. I think it mostly was the slow pace in the first two thirds of the book that made me notice them at all. Had the book been more gripping, I don’t think I would have spot any.
Conclusion: So, what’s there to say about the book? It’s difficult. The story certainly was good, the premise interesting, the solution very “Torchwood”. But with this very slow meandering pace in the first two thirds and the ever so slightly “off-ness” of the characters, even the certainly good devised solution and it’s then finally good paced narration in the last third couldn’t restore the book in my eyes. It was good enough to make me want to read the next Torchwood book – especially since I know the authors vary – but it’s not nearly as good, as the first Doctor Who books. So, I would say 3 stars, which makes it an average read on my scale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews