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Torchwood Soho #3
Torchwood Soho: The Unbegotten
The dead walk the Earth! The air and ground are poisoned! Torchwood agent Norton Folgate, Sergeant Andy Davidson and reporter Gideon Lyme investigate supernatural activity in seedy 1950s London.
3.1 A First Breath - Torchwood visits the most haunted street in London.
3.2 The Ghost Wall - Norton Folgate ruins a carpet. Andy worries about a wall.
3.3 The Taken - An ancient force awakens.
3.4 Afterwards They Came - The demons and ghosts arise. Torchwood learns a lesson.
3.5 Confessions - The grisly secret of the gentleman callers.
3.6 Mandeville Walks - As London falls, everyone turns to Norton Folgate.
3.1 A First Breath - Torchwood visits the most haunted street in London.
3.2 The Ghost Wall - Norton Folgate ruins a carpet. Andy worries about a wall.
3.3 The Taken - An ancient force awakens.
3.4 Afterwards They Came - The demons and ghosts arise. Torchwood learns a lesson.
3.5 Confessions - The grisly secret of the gentleman callers.
3.6 Mandeville Walks - As London falls, everyone turns to Norton Folgate.
- GenresDoctor Who
Audio CD
First published October 1, 2022
22 people want to read
About the author
James Goss
222 books176 followersJames 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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 19, 2022
Wasn't expecting a happy ending! Loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2024
Another outing for the '50s version of Torchwood, this time visiting a deprived area of London to look for ghosts. There's less of a single viewpoint character this time around than in the previous two volumes, with Norton, Andy, and Elizabeth getting more or less equal time exploring their parts of the plot. Having said which, despite being on the cover in place of Elizabeth, Gideon is only present as a romantic foil, far from irrelevant but never centre-stage.
The atmosphere is rich, dwelling on the fact that WWII is still recent history; it's not just the physical structure of the street that has been damaged by the Blitz but the people who live there. The first half builds up a series of seemingly disparate mysteries with ancient crypts, a mad old couple, people disappearing, ghost sightings, and more. It's only in the second half that the characters put together enough information to start asking the right questions, but even then much of the creepy, often sordid, atmosphere remains.
The contrast between the approaches of the three leads is one of the strengths of the story. Andy is still Andy, despite never referencing the fact that he's time travelling, while Elizabeth has some great scenes, a determined tough-as-old-boots character who nonetheless still has a human side. Norton, notably, is more vulnerable than usual here, still devious and a bit camp, but growing into a more mature character than he was in his earlier appearances.
I should note that the "adult listeners" warning is appropriate here; a brothel plays a key role, there's an explicit torture scene, and what's happened to one of the guest characters is horribly brutal. Despite this, there is also quite a lot of humour in between the dark themes as well as a decent mystery. All this, and an ending I didn't see coming.
The atmosphere is rich, dwelling on the fact that WWII is still recent history; it's not just the physical structure of the street that has been damaged by the Blitz but the people who live there. The first half builds up a series of seemingly disparate mysteries with ancient crypts, a mad old couple, people disappearing, ghost sightings, and more. It's only in the second half that the characters put together enough information to start asking the right questions, but even then much of the creepy, often sordid, atmosphere remains.
The contrast between the approaches of the three leads is one of the strengths of the story. Andy is still Andy, despite never referencing the fact that he's time travelling, while Elizabeth has some great scenes, a determined tough-as-old-boots character who nonetheless still has a human side. Norton, notably, is more vulnerable than usual here, still devious and a bit camp, but growing into a more mature character than he was in his earlier appearances.
I should note that the "adult listeners" warning is appropriate here; a brothel plays a key role, there's an explicit torture scene, and what's happened to one of the guest characters is horribly brutal. Despite this, there is also quite a lot of humour in between the dark themes as well as a decent mystery. All this, and an ending I didn't see coming.
December 5, 2022
Torchwood: Soho is back! I do love a fun Norton Folgate adventure. This time the team is looking into some strange going-ons, perhaps ghosts, perhaps aberrational appearances in and around Mandeville Walk.
(13) A First Breath - A new investigation begins, but there might be more reasons for the investigation than the ghosts of Mandeville Walk.
(14) The Ghost Wall - The mystery deepens and it appears there are more people interested in the Ghosts of Mandeville Walk than just Torchwood.
(15) The Taken - Chaos arrives. We must be near the middle.
(16) Afterwards They Came - Some resolutions, but also more confrontations.
(17) Confessions - The brothel from hell! Customers come in, but do any actually leave. What is this, Hotel California?
(18) Mandeville Walks - It’s almost like The Doom Patrol … is this the end of the world? Or is it just Norton Folgate vs. Danny the Street?
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Torchwood: Soho and I ADORE Norton Folgate. But I’m not sold on this format of half-hour episodes. There’s also a lot more humor in these releases and less outright spooky-do stuff. Torchwood is, at its best, rather unsettling and certainly disturbing. Torchwood: Soho has a lot more humor, lots of levels of humor. Funny stuff and very entertaining, but I miss the borderline horror. This release also includes the usual bonus features of cast and crew interviews. And with the cast of these Torchwood: Soho, the interviews are almost more entertaining than the feature. Just kidding! But the cast is certainly hilarious in the interviews.
(13) A First Breath - A new investigation begins, but there might be more reasons for the investigation than the ghosts of Mandeville Walk.
(14) The Ghost Wall - The mystery deepens and it appears there are more people interested in the Ghosts of Mandeville Walk than just Torchwood.
(15) The Taken - Chaos arrives. We must be near the middle.
(16) Afterwards They Came - Some resolutions, but also more confrontations.
(17) Confessions - The brothel from hell! Customers come in, but do any actually leave. What is this, Hotel California?
(18) Mandeville Walks - It’s almost like The Doom Patrol … is this the end of the world? Or is it just Norton Folgate vs. Danny the Street?
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Torchwood: Soho and I ADORE Norton Folgate. But I’m not sold on this format of half-hour episodes. There’s also a lot more humor in these releases and less outright spooky-do stuff. Torchwood is, at its best, rather unsettling and certainly disturbing. Torchwood: Soho has a lot more humor, lots of levels of humor. Funny stuff and very entertaining, but I miss the borderline horror. This release also includes the usual bonus features of cast and crew interviews. And with the cast of these Torchwood: Soho, the interviews are almost more entertaining than the feature. Just kidding! But the cast is certainly hilarious in the interviews.
July 21, 2024
Really dramatic entry in this series. A lot of great character development and a happy ending?? My only issue is why do Norton and Gideon have to be broken up between stories??? Their poor dog doesn't deserve this trauma.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
torchwood finds out what happened to a town.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews