Torchwood Novels?

[pitac89.livejournal.com]

Has anyone read the new novels (i.e. the ones released in 2009)? If so, was Gwen tolerable in any of them? I know I can't stand her in Border Prince (cheating on Rhys again) or Something in the Water (she is not hotter than Tosh, and Jack is not in love with her), and heard bad things about her in The House that Jack Built (being openly skeptical of Janto to Ianto's face).

Anyway, I just ordered Bay of the Dead so I'd have something to read. Can anybody give me a good rec?

Also, feel free to rant about Novel Gwen's annoying behavior in the comments. With the way things are going, we could all probably do with a place to vent.

Comments

Bay of the Dead

[mrsmarit.livejournal.com]

I just read Bay of the Dead actually and she's not that bad... there isn't alot of interaction between her and the boys so that's nice. It's actually alot of her and Rhys running around Cardiff trying to be useful.

As far as Gwen's annoying behavior.. the audio book The Sin Eaters is great... brings all of her nastiness to the for front.

Re: Bay of the Dead

[pitac89.livejournal.com]

Thanks, don't usually do the audiobooks, so I'm good on that front. What exactly does she do?

Re: Bay of the Dead

[mrsmarit.livejournal.com]

In the Sin Eaters or Bay of the Dead?

If it's Sin Eaters basically it makes her confront all of the nasty things she has done. The cheating, how she treated Tosh esp in regards to Owen. The best is she admits she's jealous of Ianto.

Re: Bay of the Dead

[criccieth.livejournal.com]

and then they have the cop-out of Jack saying "oh those probably weren't all YOUR emotions, but the creatures trying to draw out negative ones to feed on." Bah! (GDL really seem to relish reading the bit where Gwen gets nabbed by the creatures though...)

Re: Bay of the Dead

[ragdollpixie.livejournal.com]

Strange though. For them to draw out something or to amplify it, it has to exist first, that means that those emotions do exist, damn it. They were just hidden by the big fat pillars of her ego and incompetence. And that, was pointed out by my ten-year-old cousin, which really showed how terribly they tried to justify the evil that is Gwen.

[theromangeneral.livejournal.com]

Of the three in that particular release:
Bay of the Dead, Into the Silence and the House that Jack Built
I like Bay of the Dead best, then again I'm a sucker for zombies. Into the silence is pretty good too, what with the throat slashing alien.
House Jack built, yup there is the Gwen talking to Ianto about how his relationship with Jack is just physical, and him agreeing...exact quote:
*(Ianto talking about how hes found and read every file on Jack that he can) 'learnt it. I'm like a stupid teenager swotting up with a copy of Smash Hits.'
Gwen rested a hand on his shoulder. 'You do know that he's...'
'Just a shag?' Ianto nodded. 'Yes I know. I can't help it though, I've never been much good at casual.' He looked up at her. 'Don't tell him. I don't want to look stupid.'
She squatted down and gave him a peck on the cheek. 'I won't, you're not stupi either, just...'
'Deluded?'
She smiled. 'Yeah, that sounds about right.'**
Charming yes?

Oh, and there is another set of books out as of October this year: Risk Assessment - I'm still not sure what I think of this, may have to read it again; The undertakers gift - haven't read it yet; consequences - haven't read it yet.

[criccieth.livejournal.com]

now see, this is where the books frustrate me. Not only is the Ianto in the books a somewhat different man (in the books he has a degree, has admitted his bisexuality to himself since his teens and to the team for some time, he left home to look for work in London and maintained regular contact with his mother but no mention of a father until at least he started at Torchwood, he speaks Welsh fluently and may even come from a Welsh-speaking family) but the books can't even agree on what he and Jack are to each other - contrast THAT little conversation above between Ianto and Gwen to the way Ianto and Jack act and think about each other during "In the Shadows", where Jack is fully aware Ianto loves him and even acknowledges to himself that he loves Ianto.

incidentally, though I think Eve does a truly AWFUL Jack (and a piss-poor Owen, a bad Tosh and a bearable Ianto, but her original voices are excellant), Gwen in "In the Shadows" is actually fairly decent. Bizarrely enough, there's even a moment with Tosh thinking to herself that it's not fair, Gwen has an affair and still gets the happy ending!! The only bit where Gwen p's me off is when she answers Jack's accusation of her affair with the piss=poor excuse that she was "in a bad place". I know it's not a straight-forward conversation between her and Jack (trying to avoid spoilers here!) but I still think that IS Gwen's excuse.

[theromangeneral.livejournal.com]

I know, honestly you'd think that being professionals they could have at least watched the show/read summaries that would give them a better idea of the dynamics of the characters (then again, the show could be rather inconsistent with the characterisations. As for the differences in backstory, would it kill them to have had a character profile on the various characters which says 'character x speaks these languages, he/she was born/raised here, family members alive/dead), hell I have one for any characters I write.

I can't comment on her reading as I've not heard the audiobook she reads (read the transcript, but not interested in hearing it), and on the flip side, Gareth does the voices rather well - particularly his Jack.

[blucougar.livejournal.com]

I just got "The Undertaker's Gift" in the mail today - one of the three most recent releases. I'm only 60 or so pages in, and I'm convinced that Trevor Baxendale, the author, is a Gwacker.

Firstly, Jack dreams of Gwen. Naked. Seriously. Good thing about that is that it turned into a nightmare. Bad thing - it turned Jack off shower sex with Ianto.

Secondly, Ianto gets relegated to the back seat of the SUV, and Gwen postulates over how Jack never tells her anything. And gets shirty because the alien who turns up to issue a warning to Jack doesn't look at her.

Thirdly, Jack apparently fantasizes about Gwen, but acknowledges that he needs to keep that fantasy "under lock and key".

And Ianto is pretty much relegated to butler.

I put to you that Trevor Baxendale is a pseudonym for Russell T Davies....

[theromangeneral.livejournal.com]

Trevor Baxendale also wrote 'Something in the Water'. Just sayin'

[pitac89.livejournal.com]

You mean the one where Tosh says something along the lines of "No wonder Jack loves you" to Gwen?

Poor Tosh, being used as a Gwacker's mouth piece.

[blucougar.livejournal.com]

Yes. Let's hope he never gets to write another one. With Ianto gone, he'll probably have Jack and Gwen fawning all over each other.

[theromangeneral.livejournal.com]

Point - would any Torchwood novel even be worth reading with no Ianto? Won't be finding any future novels not featuring Ianto on my shelves, don't care if it makes the set incomplete.

[blucougar.livejournal.com]

This is true. Despite RTD's treatment of the show, however, it's interesting to note that the last of the latest three books - "Consequence" - is actually a collection of short stories rather than one single novel, and at least one of those stories include Tosh and Owen.
So on that logic, we just need a halfway intelligent writer to know that any book with Ianto in it from now on will be very popular, especially if Ianto gets the attention he deserves.

[theromangeneral.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I mean, really, all their market research people (assuming they actually do any) would have to do would be take a quick look at fan sites to see where the majority loyalty and interest is (and it sure ain't Gwak) and target their merchandising accordingly.