A review by scampr
Torchwood: Border Princes by Dan Abnett

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.0

Border Princes is one of those novels you can't really review without getting into spoilers. My brief summary would be that it is an enjoyable story overall, and ideal if you want more exploration into the early S1 vibe of Torchwood. This story really delivers on that by focusing on day to day encounters and character interaction instead of a major storyline. The dialogue, action, humour, darkness, characterisation and overall tone is strong and consistent with the other Torchwood books I've read so far.

Of course there is an overarching mystery to this book that does tie the plot together by the end, but that is where the spoilers come in - I'm not going to get super specific, but for the rest of this review I will have to spoil some things, so leave now and go in blind if you don't feel you need any further insight into the type of story this is.

MINOR SPOILERS

Border Princes was released in early 2007, just after the first series of the show concluded, and a full year before the second would broadcast. There are a handful of elements in this book that by pure coincidence bear similarities to moments in the show's first season - but on top of that, the main plot/premise is incredibly similar to an episode that would air in its second season.

We join our Torchwood team in the middle of a mission, all the usual faces present, except there is a sixth member, James, who is given no introduction. As the story unfolds the team continue their work from problem to problem while the overarching mystery that only the reader can see is the unexplained presence of James and who he really is - a concept very similar to the 2008 TV story Adam. 

Whichever way you experience the two stories, one of them is going to feel like a bit of a retread. However, despite the core idea being the same, I was relieved to find the way these two stories execute this premise is actually quite different. 

(Quick sidenote; while not a huge deal, I think it was a missed opportunity that this is the second in the series of Torchwood novels, as making it the first could have played into the illusion of this new team member as some sort of unique addition/debut)

MAJOR SPOILERS

In Adam, the infiltration of Torchwood is ultimately a predatory action by the titular Adam, and the cruel ways in which he manipulates people's memories and emotions to try and maintain the facade. It's a very character focused episode that gives us backstory or exploration for each member, and because of that we have no standard threat or mission to tackle, Adam is the sole antagonist and our time is dedicated mostly to the mystery from the off.

By contrast, Border Princes does not prey on confusion or paranoia with the team, it plays everything absolutely straight and treats James as if he was always there both in narrative and to the reader. The team deals with a number of outside threats and missions across the course of the story, while the mystery regarding James is very slowly built up, a clever choice given there is no big antagonist. James is absolutely unaware he is an imposter, and the eventual explanation for what’s going on is not a malicious one - so we’re dealing with an entirely different motivation and emotional situation.

I was concerned this story would feel obsolete but the two distinct approaches to the concept means each earns their place as a worthy story to tell. James is a likeable enough character for this story to work, but is enhanced by the rapport he has with the rest of the team and overall sense of comradery he brings out in them. Overall I prefer the direction Adam takes a little more, partly because of the character focus and trippiness of that story, but also because I don’t think Border Princes entirely lives up to some of its potential. The conclusion feels slightly rushed, and we spend some considerable time on action beats that I would have preferred dedicated to some more emotional and character focused stuff, given the more sympathetic nature of this infiltration plotline.

A big part of the story hinges on the fact that Gwen enters a relationship with James, and is planning on leaving Rhys for him. While the pairing was believable enough, it does detract from James’ likeability a bit. Unfortunately the situation doesn’t get much closure when his identity is revealed, with Rhys not appearing again at all or even a mention of Gwen resolving things with him.

It also retreads the idea of Gwen having an affair, which the show explores from Countrycide onward with Owen. There isn’t any acknowledgement from Gwen of any prior affairs or frustration with her relationship (or any indication from Owen), so coupled with the fact that Ianto isn’t super close with the team/involved with the story it would place this novel somewhere between episodes 3 and 6 of S1 - which is likely how early on in development this book was written, and would explain the coincidences present. 

In a way the similarities that coincidentally crop up kind of work, as they play into imitation, infiltration and rewriting of Torchwood on a sort of meta level (albeit inadvertently). Funnily enough, the conclusion also goes with the idea that the team’s memories of their extra team member will fade away, and Gwen questions how many times this could have happened or will happen to them.

To conclude, this novel is an enjoyable alternate take on familiar ideas, and executes things effectively for the most part. My only nitpicks come in the ending not committing to the full emotional potential it had, and a couple of choices made with the characters. The similarities make it really difficult to analyse on an entirely individual basis but I believe this would’ve been an even stronger story within it’s own bubble and initial originality - the added context and comparisons hinder it a little but it still remains a good story overall.