 – Customer review on 13/03/2007
In this one it’s all about Toshiko.
Don’t misunderstand me, there is very little of Toshiko in this in comparison to Gwen & Owen & Jack, very much like the TV series that way, but there are a few moments that she shines, either in her actions or in the way she is viewed by others, most notably Jack. I don’t do exposé reviews but I have to transcribe this passage so you know what I'm talking about
“Toshiko worried him. Although she was the heart of the team she didn’t realise it. She felt that she was remote from the rest, off to one side. Perhaps it was her Japanese heritage showing through, perhaps it was just natural diffidence, but Jack viewed it was concern. Beneath that reserved exterior, he suspected there was a supernova of emotion.”
It’s all right there, I read and re-read that passage because it just rang so true to me, and given what was to happen in the rest of the series it has some pretty prophetic overtones, although if the author had access to the scripts it loses a little, but I’m not sure he did. This book like the other two appears to be set pre-Cyberwoman, as Ianto is lurking in the basement again, ostensibly updating the incredibly vast archives but we know what he is doing when no one is looking; it makes you wonder just how much company time he spent with Lisa before it all went pear shaped. Still he and Toshiko share a few private jokes and a shared passion about the contents of the Torchwood Archives throughout the course of the book, which is very much in character for both of them.
As to the story itself, it’s probably the darkest of the three so far, cannibalism raises its ugly head again, as well as murder, mutilation, jealousy, alien implantation and a fairly decent whack at the lunacy of the weight-loss industry, complete with a horrific alien loop on a fairly old urban myth about losing weight easily. Rhys and Gwen get to go through the ringer on their relationship much more than in the other two novels, but in a twist on the usual theme it’s Rhys who engenders Gwen’s jealousy although the woman who is after his body wants it for a less than usual reason. Owen practices his medical skills and bedside manner, well actually cell-side manner with an unfortunate girl caught in the middle of the chaos and he doesn’t get punched this time, not physically at least although the emotional toll on him is quite high. Speaking of emotional toll, Toshiko gets a fair workout in that area, and by her own choice, luckily it’s only for a short time but for someone as reserved as she is it is quite horrendous. Janet and her sisters get a bigger than usual appearance too and no-one can complain about more Weevil time. Jack is still Jack with all the enigmatic statements and high-rise perching we’ve come to expect but the conversation about the apples is a treat, like I said at the beginning it’s the little moments that make something special for me, and that was one of them. Although the scene near the end with Jack and the fire extinguisher is hysterical because it is so implausible but then that’s Torchwood to a T isn’t it?
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