Audiobook Review: Torchwood- Slow Decay by Andy Lane

July 23, 2015     erinbook     Uncategorized

Slow Decay by Andy Lane


Release Date: February 23, 2010
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks
3 Disks
Received: Library
Format: Audiobook


Rating:

Read by Burn Gorman
Description: When Torchwood track an energy surge to a Cardiff nightclub, the team finds the police are already at the scene. Five teenagers have died in a fight, and lying among the bodies is an extraterrestrial device. Next morning, they discover the corpse of a Weevil, its face and neck eaten away, seemingly by human teeth. And on the streets of Cardiff, an ordinary woman with an extraordinary hunger is attacking people and eating her victims.
The job of a lifetime it might be, but working for Torchwood is putting big strains on Gwen’s relationship with Rhys. While she decides to spice up their love life with the help of alien technology, Rhys decides it’s time to sort himself out — better music, healthier food, lose some weight. Luckily, a friend has mentioned Doctor Scotus’s weight-loss clinic..
Review: I’ve both listened to this one and read it myself and I have to say that I prefer it when Owen (Burn Gorman) reads it to me. These books are brilliant when read by the actors from the show, not so much when read by outsiders. Seeing that Owen has a wonderful emotional bit in this book, having Burn Gorman read it was an excellent choice on the part of BBC Audiobooks.

If this were a YA book I’d probably have been bored. The whole “weird diet thing goes wrong” thing has been done, and it’s never that great. When Torchwood does it, though, they take it to another level. When it’s because of an alien it can get a little gross. When Torchwood does it people die. Painfully. It’s the only version of the diet gone wrong that I’ve actively enjoyed and reread not once but twice.

Torchwood often focuses on one or two of it’s characters per episode, rather than the whole group. This particular book spends a lot of time with Rhys and Owen, as well as two new female characters who belong to their stories. I don’t care what anyone says, Gwen is not the only team member with a heart. This book proves that as Owen reaches out to the poor scared victim of the whacked out diet. He is highly affected by her. Proof that we don’t need the most useless Captain Planet member after all *glares at Gwen*.

Sorry, Gwen lovers. Thankfully she isn’t completely her annoying self in this novel, thank god for extended canon. Because this is an early novel, placed somewhere right before season one’s Cyberwoman, Ianto isn’t in it all that much. He doesn’t get a lot of witty lines and most of the good jokes go to Jack and Owen (my personal favorite are the Beatles references).
All in all one of the better novels in the extended canon, and certainly one of the best audio productions (which are often more miss than hit). 
What do you think of the Torchwood extended canon? Share in the comments!
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2 responses to “Audiobook Review: Torchwood- Slow Decay by Andy Lane

    • Yes! There are about 15 or so actual print books, like 4 audiobook exclusives read by cast members, and a bunch of radio plays done with the full cast. It's called the extended canon. It is confirmed part of the Torchwood universe.

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