Risk Assessment

Torchwood #13

by James Goss

'Are you trying to tell me, Captain Harkness, that the entire staff of Torchwood Cardiff now consists of yourself, a woman in trousers and a tea boy?'

Agnes Havisham is awake, and Jack is worried (and not a little afraid). The Torchwood Assessor is roused from her deep sleep in only the worst of times - it's happened just four times in the last 100 years. Can the situation really be so bad?

Someone, somewhere, is fighting a war, and they're losing badly. The coffins of the dead are coming through the Rift. With thousands of alien bodies floating in the Bristol Channel, it's down to Torchwood to round them all up before a lethal plague breaks out.

And now they'll have to do it by the book. The 1901 edition...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Doctor Who, Media Tie In, Fantasy, Ebooks, Tv

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2009

About the author

James Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the hell did I just read.

No. Sorry. No. James Goss' first Torchwood book was fun and campy. This one was just a hot mess. I don't even know... the alien invasion at the end just seemed pointless. And what the hell did he do to Ianto? Suddenly Ianto Jones is nothing more than a butler who makes sub-standard tea?

[Skyeofskynet · Rating 4 out of 5]

What you need to know is that Torchwood has successfully consumed three years of my life. I adored it, I knew everything about it, I've listened to every podcast and read every book, better or worse. At some point of course I've stopped, deciding that it's best to quit an obsession. So I completely forgot about three borrowed books. I've found them recently and since I am about to return them to their rightful owner, I decided to read them.
One thing you should know about Torchwood official books - James Goss writes the best of them. They're funny, they're like the show, absurd and abstract, full of irony, a little dark with a hint of hope. And they're actually quite good. I quite regret this guy wasn't responsible for writing some episodes - they would be much better.

So this book is about victorian Torchwood agent who wakes up only in the time of great crisis to take over and resolve it. And Jack Harkness hates her. And she's absolutely amazing, bossy, witty and very victorian. And she doesn't like what she finds - Torchwood One gone, Torchwood Three in a hands of Jack Harkness, with only three agents still standing. Gone the amazing institute fund by the Queen Victoria herself. Gone the glory. Also Jack is hiding something, there are coffins, a result of a great war lost, showing in the Cardiff thanks to the Rift, and also Agnes'es boyfriend is in space. Also Rhys Williams would make a very good Torchwood agent, mostly because he's so not impressed. And poor Ianto has to make tea instead of coffe, which is a torture to everybody.

This is not a great book, this is not a good book. This is a very good book by Torchwood standards. I had fun reading it, I went down the memory lane and think I am going to listen to some podcasts I've missed since my obsession stopped.

Also I really want to visit Cardiff again.

[Wayland Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Torchwood, and I'm still hoping against hope that the show comes back somehow. Granted, it's not likely, but I really like this dark corner of the Dr. Who universe. I've found the books to be uneven even within this one itself.

This is a story of a relic from Torchwood's past, a vast, omnivorous blob monster, and a mysterious collection of coffins. Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, and Ianto Jones struggle to pass the tests of the Assessor, stop Cardiff and maybe the world from being devoured, and, in their spare time, figure out what to do about this vast number of unknown coffins arriving through the Rift.

Things I liked include little sub-titles at the start of each chapter, flashbacks to different points in Torchwood history, and even references to other of the novels. Things I didn't would be Jack acting like he's incompetent, the weird hinting that they're in contact with Martha Jones but never using her name, and almost everything in the last few pages. This is the only one of these novels to end on a cliffhanger, and they're not that easy to find.

They also screwed up a term used near the end, but I won't go into details because it's a spoiler. Recommended for Torchwood fans, just know it's not a perfect story.

[Jim C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book based on the television series. This takes place after the events of the finale in season two. In this one, Torchwood has an assessor that wakes up when Torchwood is in dire trouble. This assessor is from the Victorian era so the author had fun playing with the contrast of the ages.

This was a difficult book to rate because there are some strong highlights but also lows. The strongest aspect of this book is the character Agnes, the Torchwood assessor. She was a strong figure that dominated her scenes which is saying something considering the other characters. Other highlights are the Jack and Rhys relationship and the idea of a story within the story. Even though I liked the idea of a story within the story this was my problem with this book. Its execution was flawed. I didn't care for the flow of it and the ending seemed rushed as if the author had a numbered page constraint.

This wasn't the best book based in this universe. I loved the introduction of the new character and she fit in well with the rest of the team. The problem with this book was the reason. It just didn't work in my opinion. There are better books that are written about this universe.

[Becket · Rating 2 out of 5]

About average quality for a Torchwood book, though unusually light and funny. Also...FOUR uses of the word "bonhomie" in one short novel? Really, Mr. Goss?

[Lianne Burwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few weeks after the end of Miracle Day, I was going through some Torchwood withdrawal, so I picked this book up from the library.

Everything has been quiet in Cardiff, other than alien coffins popping up off-shore. Of course, this means trouble, this time in the form of Agnes Haversham (an assumed name, of course). She is the Torchwood assessor, who is woken from cryo-sleep only when something disastrous is about to happen. And, of course, she may not be all that she appears to be.

What she appears to be is a woman in 1800s fashions, with her copy of Little Dorrit when she needs diversions. She also is proficient with very large guns, and she drives Jack Harkness nuts (as well as scaring him silly).

It was a fun, light read, perfeft for bad weather. For that matter, it reads like it could have been an episode of the show, which I thought was a plus.

Verdict: If you're a Torchwood fan, go for it! If you have no idea what Torchwood is, or if you're homophobic, don't bother

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1964473...

As usual, I very much enjoyed this Torchwood novel by James Goss. Unusually, it has a very strong comedic element, not something that Torchwood always managed successfully and not something I'd seen Goss try at all. The beautiful concept is that Agnes Havisham, a stern and sarcastic Victorian lady, emerges from decades of suspended animation to do an official assessment of Torchwood, at the same moment as two separate alien threats emerge to torment the innocent citizens of Cardiff. Unlike his first book, Almost Perfect, we get a pretty satisfying exploration of Jack's character from another perspective, and decent page time for Ianto, Gwen and Rhys too. Rhys gets a couple of particularly glorious moments. I felt the pacing of the plot a little uneven but the style very entertaining.

[I. S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with this book - I liked the nearly steampunk character of Agnes, but at the same time the author's attempt at a tongue-in-cheek riff on the Victorian style resulted in some wildly out of character moments for Jack and Ianto (and to a minor extent, Gwen & Rhys.) I'll agree with another of the reviews I read - glorified fanfic is about the extent of it.

[Spoiler/speculation: I think I would have liked it better if the story as written took up only about half the book, and the rest of it was Torchwood trying to escape, then track down, and capture a pair of rogue Time Agents who pretended to be George & Agnes & really did set the whole situation up as some kind of scam...]

[Karen Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is set in post-disaster Torchwood, withJack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones left to combat alien incursions into Britain. Agnes Havisham, the Torchwood Assessor, is awakened from suspended animation and arrives just in time as mysterious coffins appear through the Rift and brings with them a threat that may devour not just England but the entire world. The author does a terrific job in getting the nuances of each character from the show perfectly and the dialogue is spot on. There are terrific bits scattered through the book that are flashbacks to the immortal Captain Jack's previous encounters with Agnes through the previous century. Highly recommended for fans of the series and anyone who enjoys a fast paced science fiction tale.

[Yvonne Alf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit of a mixed bag. I really like James Goss' writing and I thought overall it was very well done. Loved the character of Agnes (well she was annyoing but the character was good anyway) and the slight comedic touch of the story was well done too. And it's always great to have Rhys involved and I loved every single part of that. I didn't like so much that the story was kind of split into three different stories. It didn't make for a smooth reading, page turner kind of story. The first half was really good in my opinion, but bringing out another threat made it drag a bit. Maybe also because it was way over the top. And while I usually LOVE endings like this... for Torchwood it made no sense at all.

[Liam Crook-Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

In summary, the character Agnes ‘wakes up’ when Torchwood is supposedly in ‘grave danger’ to support and then evaluate how well the Torchwood team are equipped to continue defending the earth. I actually really enjoyed this book, once you get past the plot hole of why has she not woken up in any of the previous books or previous TV series. Agnes is a fantastic character and you can really imagine her fitting in well within the TV series. I also particularly liked the references to the singularity scalpel from Series 2 and the return to the Skypoint block from the earlier Skypoint novel. The ending was a little bit silly but overall, an enjoyable read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a very short, quick read that kept me entertained the whole time. The characters were relatively in character too. Gwen was even improved by not whining nearly as much. The Torchwood assessor was very judgmental of the 21st century but was entertaining nonetheless. I still managed to be surprised by who was pulling the strings even though I really should have known. Good one and good ending. Boy do I miss this show.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I'm pretty amazed by James Goss here. He's got basically a non-story (a short story's worth of stuff happens, if that), characters that he can't do MUCH with because they're not his IP, yet he still manages to make every page crackle with energy and fun. Some plot holes are handwaved in amusing ways, and we get a few fun moments with Ianto, Jack, and Gwen. What more could you want? it might be about 75% filler, but it's damn entertaining filler.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh the wonderful mental image of Captian Jack Harkness sulking like a scolded child. Goss was in top form once again and I greatly enjoyed how he treated our Cardiff team. I also really enjoyed the fact that Rhys got a bit more page time as well and love it when he and Jack team-up.


Strangely enough, no on-page Jack death in this book but there are references of him dying in the past.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst I must admit that this genre is not at all my sort of thing, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the writing quality of this book. The plot was unpredictable and well-conveyed, and the characters reasonably developed within a book of this length.

The most major downfall is that of the genre itself, and is simply my own personal preference for realism.

I would recommend this to people who like Torchwood and Doctor Who, or any sci-fi fan.

[Joshua Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think what makes this Torchwood novel exceptional for me is the way it encompasses different eras of Torchwood and makes references to a number of key moments in Torchwood's history. It is weirdly gratifying to know more than the character of the Torchwood Assessor and, even though we know Torchwood won't be shut down, it does seem likely that the "tea boy", "girl" and Jack will not pass her demanding standards! Definitely a good read.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is definitely better than "Almost Perfect", Goss' last book. I liked the whole comedy dynamic between Agnes and the rest of the team and the threat of both the VAM and the alien tree race. I didn't like the cliffhanger ending though, maybe because there has been nothing in the Torchwood universe (aside from the fact that they must have figured out how to escape the Hub for "Children of Earth") which follows up on it to my understanding.

[Sophie Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was the best one yet. Agnes was quite comedic, her one liners and her shared moments with Jack over the years. Jack was his usual self. Rhys was a star, loved seeing more of him. Gwen and Ianto were great, too although I really felt for Ianto at times. Looking forward to the next one.

[Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite of the Torchwood books. There were so many things happening at once that it was crazy, just how Torchwood should be.

[Tony Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the Torchwood series on TV, chances are you will enjoy being able to revisit the Torchwood universe introduced by the Dr. Who spinoff.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read. Good callbacks to other stories and characters. Cute Gwen/Rhys and Jack/Ianto moments.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Kellie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so I didn’t like this one quite as much as previous titles. It felt like there was a couple of plot lines going on at the same time, but they didn’t land as well as they could have. And the fact that Agnes randomly started an alien invasion towards the end didn’t really make sense. But overall, it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought that it was folly to read Risk Assessment as it was not the first book in the TORCHWOOD, but the thirteenth. I was wrong. Risk Assessment was quite like some of the Doctor Who books that of which I have read. You don't have to read the first one to understand what is going on. Though it would probably hwlp to read them in order.

I found all of the characters in Risk Assessment were quite like John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Gareth David-Lloyd - and many more - were quite like how they were portray in the TV series, TORCHWOOD.

James Goss successfully captivated my attention when he brough in one enemy, and then another, equally as dangerous as the other. James made it seem like the crisis was over when the first alien was defeated, only for them to have another crisis on their hands.

Don't fear the enemy that attacks you, but the fake friend that hugs you.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1964473.html[return][return][return]As usual, I very much enjoyed this Torchwood novel by James Goss. Unusually, it has a very strong comedic element, not something that Torchwood always managed successfully and not something I'd seen Goss try at all. The beautiful concept is that Agnes Havisham, a stern and sarcastic Victorian lady, emerges from decades of suspended animation to do an official assessment of Torchwood, at the same moment as two separate alien threats emerge to torment the innocent citizens of Cardiff. Unlike his first book, Almost Perfect, we get a pretty satisfying exploration of Jack's character from another perspective, and decent page time for Ianto, Gwen and Rhys too. Rhys gets a couple of particularly glorious moments. I felt the pacing of the plot a little uneven but the style very entertaining.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book on the train. Surrounded by very serious-looking business people. And it made me laugh so hard that the fact that I didn't fall off my seat makes me feel pretty good about myself.
If you wish to appear sane, don't read this in public.

The story was fast-paced enough to read it in one go: There's a crisis in Cardiff and the Torchwood Assessor awakes to take charge. Aliens visit the city, Planet Earth is in danger; business as usual. But the best of the book is the writing. It's genuinely funny and definitely unlike the other two Torchwood spin-offs I've read so far (which is a good thing). The pictures James Goss draws of the different characters are a lot like how I saw them on tv, and the collision of a victorian lady, Captain Jack Harkness, and a gigantic fuel monster results in some brilliant moments and dialogues. I really enjoyed it.

[Dorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and fun tie-in book to the Dr. Who spin-off series 'Torchwood'. This one sticks so close to the established characters that I could virtually see everything taking place in my mind. I loved the idea of an Assessor to Torchwood, especially the proper and unflappable Agnes Haversham. The character reminded me a lot of Alexia Tarabotti from Soulless. Seeing Captain Jack at a loss was alone worth the price of the book. I wasn't crazy about the enemy in this particular story (a giant blob destroying all in its path), but the characters and dialogue were spot on, and I'll be looking for more tie-in books.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was very interesting - I couldn't predict any of it and it kept throwing me curve balls, which I really appreciate. The writing style is a bit weird, and parts of the book almost read like a script because the author goes into a bit too much detail by explaining mundane actions. Not that I'm complaining - I thought that was interesting.

This was the first Torchwood book I read, and I enjoyed it very much. The author captured the three main characters' personalities very well, although Rhys seemed a little more subdued than he usually is on the show. I loved the new Agnes character, too.

[Andy Nieradko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cool series of books. Great writers, hardbound books with incredible artwork. Well, ok, the art on this one had me wondering a little. But, this was, so far, one of my favorites. Obviously, these books are geared to a small genre of fans. Fans who would read them even if they were bad. However, they are expertly written. In this one, James Goss takes on a complicated, but easily understood narrative that has a sense of timing like you'll find in really good jazz. This story does the tv series proud.

[Eri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be bit kind.

Most of the book I've been eagerly hatin on Agnes, for reason! Last chapters prove it.

Jack was brilliant, Ianto was much more than tea boy despite being pushed into the post more often than I was comfortable with and Gwen/Rhys got their very nice moments saving the world separately.

Bonus points go to: Cheese and Jane Austen with rocket launcher scene, drunk Ianto, Rhys helping Jack out. Bloody Torchwood.