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Something is terribly wrong in Cardiff; The Amok has landed
and is driving everyone out of their minds. Captain Jack and
the rest of the Torchwood team swing into action to avert
another catastrophe, but things are never what they seem and
an alarm that has lain silent for 108 years forewarns of possible
harbingers of doom...
For
those of you who either haven't had a chance to see it, due
to its short number of shows - I'm not sure if it has been
seen in the States - or have lived in a cave for the past
two years, Torchwood is an offshoot of the recently
revived Doctor Who series. Although the show sometimes
alludes to its parent program so far the two have yet to cross
over.
Set in the most excellent city of Cardiff, in Wales, Torchwood's
remit is to investigate alien incursions. Torchwood,
unlike Doctor Who, is aimed directly at an adult audience;
therefore the language, sexuality and themes reflect this
status.
Border Princes is the abridged audio drama from the
original novel by Dan Abnett. Joseph Lidster has done a good
job at turning a full-scale novel into a three and a half
hour audio book.
Dan Abnett is no stranger to writing, having cut his professional
teeth on 2000AD and Marvel comic titles. Abnett's name
will especially be known to fans of the Warhammer 40,000
series for which he has produced several books. Given his
background it comes as no surprise that the action sequences
of the drama are especially well written, if a little unrelenting.
The story opens with Torchwood trying to track down the cause
of a mass outbreak of psychosis in the good folks of Cardiff
(did I mention what a really nice city it was, very clean
with some of the most friendly folk you could ever wish to
meet), the audience is thrown straight in the deep end and
after half an hour of homicidal zombies and women trying to
cough their livers out, I was totally exhausted. Thank goodness
that Abnett also knows how to crank it down for the character
set pieces.
I guess the only thing I didn't like about the book was the
inclusion of James, a new addition to Torchwood. As
the story has to fit into the continuity of the show, wherein
James does not exist, you just know that he's either wearing
a red Trek security shirt, or he's an impostor, but
either way he has to go before the end. It's a case of trying
to create tension from a foregone conclusion it just didn't
feel satisfying.
Having a book read to you puts a lot of onus on the skill
of the narrator, in the case of Border Princes, Eve
Myles, who plays Torchwood's Gwen Cooper turns in a
sterling performance. One of the things which is noticeable
is that she resists the temptation of doing impersonations
of her fellow cast, rather relying on subtle changes in tone
and timbre to convey the personalities.
Whilst it is great to see Torchwood on audio CD, this
may have limited appeal for those who already own the books,
but collectors of audio books will find that this is a well
read, involving story.
Charles
Packer
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