Scan barcode
caenerys's review against another edition
4.0
ughhhh I LOVED this book when I was younger! VERY tempted to track them down online and read them all again!
izzyclouty's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the Torchwood tv series (or at least the first 2 series) and so this does not disappoint as all the characters I like are there. I think they lend themselves to books as they are essentially investigators.
ashs_doctorwho_library's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
This was fun enough but not amazing. Too much focus on Owen for me. I don't hate him but I don't like him very much, especially during season 1. There were some good Owen related lines though, "you need to be needed" and "I was born a doctor, I live every day a doctor and I'll die a doctor" "sooner than you think Owen". Some of the characterisation was off, Tosh had more of her season 2 confidence, which I won't complain about. I loved that she had her little video game project going on, and her solving rubiks cubes, and that Polaroid of her and Owen which I will think about for a while. As this was set before Cyberwoman there were hints to what was going on with Ianto,one of which was quite funny, but otherwise he wasn't involved which I was sad about. Overall this was just alright. Not the best doctor who / torchwood book but also not the worst
ashs_library's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Review on my other acount @ashs_doctorwho_library
yuuto's review against another edition
1.0
Even John Barrowman reading the audiobook version didn’t save this book. I found it horribly boring and I’m not even sure why I listened to the whole thing. I know I read some of the novels when Torchwood was still airing, and they were all kind of hit or miss.
scampr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another Life is the fourth Torchwood novel I've read so far, and it continues the streak of quality and consistency set by the previous few. These books have a real strength for capturing the characters and tone of the show's first season. All five team members get a good showing here, but particular focus is given to Owen and Gwen's roles in the narrative.
The story is well paced and quite engaging, but having started the book just before the Christmas & new years holidays, I ended up not having the time/motivation to finish it as quickly as I might have otherwise.
The central plotline of Another Life sees the Torchwood team investigating a string of deaths with a possible alien perpetrator. Specifically, the victims have had their spinal fluid sucked out through an opening bitten into the back of their necks. It's great body horror and absolutely a story I could envisage amongst those early episodes.
It's a good mystery and leads the team on a fun chase from construction sites to abandoned apartments, military bases and an undersea wreckage in search of the truth.
It's a nice variety of settings and with great atmosphere throughout, paving the journey to the conclusion well. The novel does this in a literal sense too, with worsening weather paralleling the upping stakes until we see Cardiff suffering deadly flooding by the climax.
One other element I really enjoyed was the occasional sections from the antagonist's POV, which provided a cool shake up to the format and helped piece the mystery together.
Inbetween all of this is a secondary plotline, in which Owen has a chance meeting with his ex-girlfriend and tries to recruit her into Torchwood. Essentially, Toshiko uses some of the hub's technology to upgrade Owen's virtual reality setup, and he then happens to find his ex while playing an MMO of some sort.
I was admittedly a bit put off and confused by the focus this game had at the start of the novel, as I get the impression the writer didn't fully understand what they were talking about - which isn't helped by the attempt to sci-fi-ify it with (at the time) futuristic VR tech. Nonetheless, we eventually move past it when Owen goes to meet up with his former partner, Megan. On the one hand, I was glad to get something a bit more interesting for Owen to do, but I was also worried the book had wasted time on this just for a contrived way to bring his ex back - thankfully, the game stuff does come up again in a few interesting ways, and also provides some thematic parallels to the main plot as well.
Owen reuniting with his former girlfriend touches upon the beats you'd probably expect it to; the relationship ending on bad/unresolved terms, her questioning how different he's become, a 'will they/won't they' tension between the two, and the mix of amazement and horror when she learns about aliens and Torchwood. It's pretty good stuff to explore, and Megan is a nice character - but this is Torchwood, so things aren't gonna end well.
I don't think this semi-tragic backstory for Owen this story gives us clashes (thematically or logistically) with the tragic backstory he goes on to have in S2's Fragments, but it is interesting to compare the differences and similarities in the approaches they go with.
Although I preferred the A plot (particularly the horror elements), the B plot with Owen does prove it's worth and become more interconnected as the story progresses. It comes together in some clever ways, and has a satisfying conclusion with every character involved in a an interesting way. As established the characters are a big strength, and the humour and dialogue we good too. The only criticism I feel the need to mention is that the book wraps up a little too quickly, and should've explored the aftermath & emotional impact of the Owen/Megan plotline further. Overall though, an enjoyable read!
The story is well paced and quite engaging, but having started the book just before the Christmas & new years holidays, I ended up not having the time/motivation to finish it as quickly as I might have otherwise.
The central plotline of Another Life sees the Torchwood team investigating a string of deaths with a possible alien perpetrator. Specifically, the victims have had their spinal fluid sucked out through an opening bitten into the back of their necks. It's great body horror and absolutely a story I could envisage amongst those early episodes.
It's a good mystery and leads the team on a fun chase from construction sites to abandoned apartments, military bases and an undersea wreckage in search of the truth.
It's a nice variety of settings and with great atmosphere throughout, paving the journey to the conclusion well. The novel does this in a literal sense too, with worsening weather paralleling the upping stakes until we see Cardiff suffering deadly flooding by the climax.
One other element I really enjoyed was the occasional sections from the antagonist's POV, which provided a cool shake up to the format and helped piece the mystery together.
Inbetween all of this is a secondary plotline, in which Owen has a chance meeting with his ex-girlfriend and tries to recruit her into Torchwood. Essentially, Toshiko uses some of the hub's technology to upgrade Owen's virtual reality setup, and he then happens to find his ex while playing an MMO of some sort.
I was admittedly a bit put off and confused by the focus this game had at the start of the novel, as I get the impression the writer didn't fully understand what they were talking about - which isn't helped by the attempt to sci-fi-ify it with (at the time) futuristic VR tech. Nonetheless, we eventually move past it when Owen goes to meet up with his former partner, Megan. On the one hand, I was glad to get something a bit more interesting for Owen to do, but I was also worried the book had wasted time on this just for a contrived way to bring his ex back - thankfully, the game stuff does come up again in a few interesting ways, and also provides some thematic parallels to the main plot as well.
Owen reuniting with his former girlfriend touches upon the beats you'd probably expect it to; the relationship ending on bad/unresolved terms, her questioning how different he's become, a 'will they/won't they' tension between the two, and the mix of amazement and horror when she learns about aliens and Torchwood. It's pretty good stuff to explore, and Megan is a nice character - but this is Torchwood, so things aren't gonna end well.
I don't think this semi-tragic backstory for Owen this story gives us clashes (thematically or logistically) with the tragic backstory he goes on to have in S2's Fragments, but it is interesting to compare the differences and similarities in the approaches they go with.
Although I preferred the A plot (particularly the horror elements), the B plot with Owen does prove it's worth and become more interconnected as the story progresses. It comes together in some clever ways, and has a satisfying conclusion with every character involved in a an interesting way. As established the characters are a big strength, and the humour and dialogue we good too. The only criticism I feel the need to mention is that the book wraps up a little too quickly, and should've explored the aftermath & emotional impact of the Owen/Megan plotline further. Overall though, an enjoyable read!
queerfrankenstein's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nelliemei's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
levitatingnumeral's review against another edition
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5
This book was so much better than I expected... From the moment I started reading it, I knew this wasn't the type of story I usually read, yet I was enjoying it very much.
The writing style, although rather simple, is extremely pleasant and, incredibly, it compensated for the first-person point of view parts (I didn't even find them irritating!)
The plot was also rather good, the multiple stories, in their own integrity, intertwining, revealing aspects of the characters that Torchwood didn't always show us.
I'm really glad I chose to read Another Life.
This book was so much better than I expected... From the moment I started reading it, I knew this wasn't the type of story I usually read, yet I was enjoying it very much.
The writing style, although rather simple, is extremely pleasant and, incredibly, it compensated for the first-person point of view parts (I didn't even find them irritating!)
The plot was also rather good, the multiple stories, in their own integrity, intertwining, revealing aspects of the characters that Torchwood didn't always show us.
I'm really glad I chose to read Another Life.