I am going to keep up with my book blog darnit
So I finished another Torchwood book. That took only, what, eight months?
This one, Trace Memory by David Llewellyn was better in terms of characerization and mood moments than actual plot. The Torchwood team have an encounter with an involuntary time-traveler during multiple points of their lives.
It's actually quite a sweet and sad story, much like the fairy episode tried to be (and credit where credit is due, managed pretty well until the ugly CGI fairies turned up)
It also contains Jack hitching it up with a guy in a way I actually felt very well handled! The immortal but pre-Utopia Jack at first doesn't care much about this random stranger, but in a way that reminds me of how the Doctor acts with his companions, he comes to feel some fondness for him after they have escaped from danger together. The sexual encounter is super faded to black, the scene cuts out the moment the other guy expresses an interest basically, but it's made clear that though their association is brief, it is true and meaningful to Jack. And that's a characterization I like - just because he likes sex and flirts easily doesn't mean that closeness to other people doesn't mean anything to Jack. When the events take place in "now", Ianto also reacts nicely to the entire thing
The monstruous aliens are pretty blaha, but on the cover of the book they look suitably creepy. What drags this book down a bit is that it rehashes a lot of Whoniverse tropes (exactly how many "one of the most ancient races of the universe!" species are there, exactly?) and the plot isn't very tight. Lots of timey-wimey, which is normally one of those things I love, but not structured to it's best way. Also, the resolution and all falls a bit flat, plotwise, though it has a nice emotional payoff.
Worth a read, though, especially if one likes Jack Harkness and wants to see him act a bit decent.
Also, have started to use Spotify a bit more. If anyone has recs for not immediately obvious music to be found there that sounds good, do let me know! My most recent find was a nice version of Puttin' On the Ritz which didn't come with the super long end part. Done by Alex Swings Oscar Sings and yeees, they're the ones responsible for the Dita von Teese visit during the Eurovision contest. And the sparkly silver pants, I know, I know. I still liked their song.
Originally posted at Dreamwidth.
This one, Trace Memory by David Llewellyn was better in terms of characerization and mood moments than actual plot. The Torchwood team have an encounter with an involuntary time-traveler during multiple points of their lives.
It's actually quite a sweet and sad story, much like the fairy episode tried to be (and credit where credit is due, managed pretty well until the ugly CGI fairies turned up)
It also contains Jack hitching it up with a guy in a way I actually felt very well handled! The immortal but pre-Utopia Jack at first doesn't care much about this random stranger, but in a way that reminds me of how the Doctor acts with his companions, he comes to feel some fondness for him after they have escaped from danger together. The sexual encounter is super faded to black, the scene cuts out the moment the other guy expresses an interest basically, but it's made clear that though their association is brief, it is true and meaningful to Jack. And that's a characterization I like - just because he likes sex and flirts easily doesn't mean that closeness to other people doesn't mean anything to Jack. When the events take place in "now", Ianto also reacts nicely to the entire thing
The monstruous aliens are pretty blaha, but on the cover of the book they look suitably creepy. What drags this book down a bit is that it rehashes a lot of Whoniverse tropes (exactly how many "one of the most ancient races of the universe!" species are there, exactly?) and the plot isn't very tight. Lots of timey-wimey, which is normally one of those things I love, but not structured to it's best way. Also, the resolution and all falls a bit flat, plotwise, though it has a nice emotional payoff.
Worth a read, though, especially if one likes Jack Harkness and wants to see him act a bit decent.
Also, have started to use Spotify a bit more. If anyone has recs for not immediately obvious music to be found there that sounds good, do let me know! My most recent find was a nice version of Puttin' On the Ritz which didn't come with the super long end part. Done by Alex Swings Oscar Sings and yeees, they're the ones responsible for the Dita von Teese visit during the Eurovision contest. And the sparkly silver pants, I know, I know. I still liked their song.
Originally posted at Dreamwidth.