Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Well... lots of Ianto, so that's good. The rest, not so much. Just never know what you are going to end up getting with these TW/DW stories, they can be hit or miss. This one is a miss, sadly.
OMG. Captain Jack being himself, Ianto Jones transformed into the ‘perfect’ woman, Captain Jack, lots of gay sex, and (did I mention?) Captain Jack. If you’re even a casual watcher of Torchwood, then you have to pick this book up! I stumbled across it in a bookstore one weekend, then ignored everyone and everything around me as I devoured most of it on the train ride home.
As the book begins, we learn that Ianto Jones has awakened with a gap in his memory, no clothes, and the body of a ‘perfect’ woman. Thanks to the alien device responsible (no spoiler here - this is Torchwood, after all), he is physically perfect. Mentally and emotionally, however, he is still the same shy, awkward, loveable young man he’s always been. He has to learn how to walk, how to dress, how to talk, and how to respond to the opposite sex. His struggles and grudging acceptance of the situation are beautifully handled, complete with generous doses of humour and sweetness.
Meanwhile, single men are disappearing from speed-dating nights all over town, victim of another ‘perfect’ woman. How she became so perfect, and what’s happening to her unfortunate dates, is all inextricably linked to Ianto’s situation – if only he could remember his last night as a man.
On top of all this, the solution to all of Cardiff’s problems involves Captain Jack literally diving into the gay community, which itself has become strangely ‘perfect’ over the past year. I won’t go into too much detail here, but the scenes at the gay dance club are absolutely priceless. The ending gets a little dark, but Torchwood is all about the interplay between light and dark, good and evil, hope and despair.
Well-written and thoroughly entertaining, this is not only a book that lives up to its promise, it’s a book that lives up to its inspiration. James Goss completely captures the tone and spirit of the TV show, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Absolutely recommended!
As the book begins, we learn that Ianto Jones has awakened with a gap in his memory, no clothes, and the body of a ‘perfect’ woman. Thanks to the alien device responsible (no spoiler here - this is Torchwood, after all), he is physically perfect. Mentally and emotionally, however, he is still the same shy, awkward, loveable young man he’s always been. He has to learn how to walk, how to dress, how to talk, and how to respond to the opposite sex. His struggles and grudging acceptance of the situation are beautifully handled, complete with generous doses of humour and sweetness.
Meanwhile, single men are disappearing from speed-dating nights all over town, victim of another ‘perfect’ woman. How she became so perfect, and what’s happening to her unfortunate dates, is all inextricably linked to Ianto’s situation – if only he could remember his last night as a man.
On top of all this, the solution to all of Cardiff’s problems involves Captain Jack literally diving into the gay community, which itself has become strangely ‘perfect’ over the past year. I won’t go into too much detail here, but the scenes at the gay dance club are absolutely priceless. The ending gets a little dark, but Torchwood is all about the interplay between light and dark, good and evil, hope and despair.
Well-written and thoroughly entertaining, this is not only a book that lives up to its promise, it’s a book that lives up to its inspiration. James Goss completely captures the tone and spirit of the TV show, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Absolutely recommended!
The women in this book are all mean. Even Gwen has mean thoughts about other women, which was out of character. Also, when Ianto has a female body he feels the need to dress in short skirts and heels in spite of the fact that those items of dress are constantly inconvenient for him.
The third act of the book was a whiplash. The entire book sets up one antagonist and then the third act introduces two more who had zero foreshadowing. The new characters were interesting but they came out of nowhere.
There was a fair amount of in-character banter and I always love seeing Rhys have a larger part in a story. I appreciated the way Owen and Tosh were often present in memory in this book.
I read this story very quickly. Even with the sexism I was enjoying it quite a lot up until the third act.
The third act of the book was a whiplash. The entire book sets up one antagonist and then the third act introduces two more who had zero foreshadowing. The new characters were interesting but they came out of nowhere.
There was a fair amount of in-character banter and I always love seeing Rhys have a larger part in a story. I appreciated the way Owen and Tosh were often present in memory in this book.
I read this story very quickly. Even with the sexism I was enjoying it quite a lot up until the third act.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I loved reading a book on Torchwood, not just Doctor Who, for a change. I really enjoy books that belong to TV shows. They are this little external universe that could be canon or not, that can be really interesting.
Torchwood is a lot different than Doctor Who and I love the characters a lot. Captain Jack Harkness has a special place in my heart and Almost Perfect got that across pretty well. Same goes for the other characters. Ianto and Gwen are mabye not my favourite characters ever but I love them and their relationships. I know they are not perfect and they are sometimes a bit annoying but also funny and badass. The banter and welsh-ness in this book is just perfect. (Also Jack's humor)
The plot is quite interesting but it does get very weird at some points and too, I don't know, unbelievable? It's not too bad and I like the idea behind it (and that it takes the reader a long time to actually know what's going on) but it wasn't carried out as good as it could have been. But that's okay, the book is still good.
There's also a lot more gayness in it than I had expected. I like.
I loved reading a book on Torchwood, not just Doctor Who, for a change. I really enjoy books that belong to TV shows. They are this little external universe that could be canon or not, that can be really interesting.
Torchwood is a lot different than Doctor Who and I love the characters a lot. Captain Jack Harkness has a special place in my heart and Almost Perfect got that across pretty well. Same goes for the other characters. Ianto and Gwen are mabye not my favourite characters ever but I love them and their relationships. I know they are not perfect and they are sometimes a bit annoying but also funny and badass. The banter and welsh-ness in this book is just perfect. (Also Jack's humor)
The plot is quite interesting but it does get very weird at some points and too, I don't know, unbelievable? It's not too bad and I like the idea behind it (and that it takes the reader a long time to actually know what's going on) but it wasn't carried out as good as it could have been. But that's okay, the book is still good.
There's also a lot more gayness in it than I had expected. I like.
It was funny and very much in the style of Torchwood. The twist to Ianto Jones was the best thing ever.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favourite Dr Who related piece of media. A complete comedy, ridiculous through and through, but written so brilliantly that you are magnetised by the book. Honestly, it is the easiest thing I’ve ever read, I just flew through the pages, and before I knew it, I was over halfway through it. Only a Jack, Gwen, and Ianto story it really has more time and space to flesh out the villain, the supporting characters, and the Torchwood team. I don’t necessarily like Gwen but all the stuff with her, Emma, and Rhys was hilarious. I love Jack’s ridiculous investigation, and Ianto being startled at now having breasts.
James worries too much. A story about ianto acclimatising to suddenly being a woman. Obviously lots of allusions to the subject of being transgender, but even though this was written in a time when being LGBT wasn’t treated well, the subject is handled really well. There’s no cheap shots or stupid jokes, plus the actual explanation for it, and the alien reasons make it a really well-done plot theme. 11 years later, this book does not come across like some of those horrible and offensive depictions of being trans like in the I.T. Crowd for example.
One thing I think this book does better than any is the explanation. Normally you get a dull, pointless answer to all the great things that have happened in the story which just makes them less great in hindsight. In this story however the bits of the cruise, the medical treatments, the Gods, and especially all the bits at the end with the wall of people (and a naked Jack) with the Gods returning are the most brilliant bits of writing. This story also includes my favourite line in Torchwood to date, from Gwen ‘Jack, when are you going to realise you can’t solve every problem by shagging it’.
I never like to spoil the best of the best as I believe they should be dove into without too many expectations but this book does not disappoint. It is stellar. Fun. Silly. Dark in places. Just amazing. If you pick up any of the Torchwood novels, it has to be this one!
James worries too much. A story about ianto acclimatising to suddenly being a woman. Obviously lots of allusions to the subject of being transgender, but even though this was written in a time when being LGBT wasn’t treated well, the subject is handled really well. There’s no cheap shots or stupid jokes, plus the actual explanation for it, and the alien reasons make it a really well-done plot theme. 11 years later, this book does not come across like some of those horrible and offensive depictions of being trans like in the I.T. Crowd for example.
One thing I think this book does better than any is the explanation. Normally you get a dull, pointless answer to all the great things that have happened in the story which just makes them less great in hindsight. In this story however the bits of the cruise, the medical treatments, the Gods, and especially all the bits at the end with the wall of people (and a naked Jack) with the Gods returning are the most brilliant bits of writing. This story also includes my favourite line in Torchwood to date, from Gwen ‘Jack, when are you going to realise you can’t solve every problem by shagging it’.
I never like to spoil the best of the best as I believe they should be dove into without too many expectations but this book does not disappoint. It is stellar. Fun. Silly. Dark in places. Just amazing. If you pick up any of the Torchwood novels, it has to be this one!
It was an alright book. I'm personally in the camp where I found the chapter titles charming and I do like the brief exploration of hw women tended to be treated more poorly and sexualised than men, but I felt that Woman!Ianto's protrayal was very stereotypical, like him gaining and obsession with cleaning and Weightwatchers.
Of the nine Torchwood novels I have read, James Goss' "Almost Perfect" is my favorite. I truly enjoyed his writing style and his grasp of each character. Ianto as a girl? Bloody brilliant! The names of each chapter were just as much fun to read as the chapters themselves. Started and finished in less than 24 hours because I could not put it down. Very good read, in my humble opinion!