Twilight Streets
Jun. 23rd, 2008 10:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rmSo Borders is finally carrying the Torchwood books, which means I can stop fighting with Amazon to get them. Hence, my review of Twilight Streets below. Spoilers ahoy:
I really had no idea what to expect. I've never really done the tie-in novel thing, and I felt a bit daft buying it (although the sales clerk totally grinned at me and that was awesome).
Anyway if you're into Jack/Ianto READ THIS BOOK, but be warned that Jack's kinda a dick to him through large swathes of it -- in fact they're both rather wrapped up in their drama about each other without talking to each other, and it has a pretty good payoff, but we'll get to that later.
The plot of the book itself starts out straightforward: There's an area of Cardiff Jack can't go into because there's some sort of barrier there that makes him ill and weak. Then it gets really complicated and there's possible futures and Bilis Manger and demons and light aliens and if you're absolutely sure what happened by the end of the book, you let me know -- not so you can explain it to me, but so I know to be really wary of how your mind works; this is one twisty plot.
Structurally, the book is incredibly well-done, but it makes the first 50 pages or so feel rather scattered, but after that you'll just inhale the thing.
There are a few instances of Welsh, not translated, and it doesn't really matter, but it drives me a little nuts since I don't know any Welsh and don't even know what the words people are saying should sound like.
The characterizations are pretty spot on, but Jack feels so closed off in the first half of the book it's really off-putting even to us the outside observers. Some of the banter sections are hilarious, although you can't always tell who is saying what. Owen gets some nice moments as does Gwen. Tosh is underwritten, although alternate future Tosh is the stuff of nightmares.
And Ianto! We get this rant from him in response to Gwen asking him if he likes Abba about being bisexual and how it sucks, and it's both really funny and really sad and rings really true despite being a choice that sort of surprised me. You also get the sense that he's really exhausted by dealing with Jack's bullshit, but wouldn't mind so much if everyone wasn't always making it a topic of conversation (which is also pretty funny). Also there's some definite discomfort and sharpness between Ianto and Gwen, which I thought was interesting and surprising as I view that as a fannon phenom and something that isn't really supposed to be there in canon, but there it is. Of course Ianto's having a bad week.
We get some glimpses of Jack's past (where in he seemed much better about showing affection for people -- what happened?) that are oddly not that interesting other than Jack's 'type' seems to involve efficiency, good service and blue eyes, which made me laugh every time it came up.
One of the most compelling parts of the book is this possible future that each of the team members is shown one by one. At first, when we see it from the perspective of Tosh and Owen it just seems a little ridiculous, but then we get Gwen, and after that Ianto and then Jack, and by the time you get the full picture of what happens in this world and what's done to Jack and how Ianto tries to undo it -- it's very disturbing and rather gutting.
I DID NOT EXPECT TO HAVE AN EMOTIONAL REACTION TO A TIE-IN NOVEL, THANKS.
Seriously, it rattled me.
And in that possible future? It's Jack and Ianto's love that saves the planet. I am not even joking. And it's fucking heartbreaking.
For those who've read it -- thoughts on the "He was Ianto" line? Because I'm going several different directions with it, as it was so unclear -- everything from some soul-mate craptasticness (I suppose Jack can have a soul as promiscuous as his dick, though), to Jack's brain just being really muddled at that moment in time, to Jack recognizing how alike he and Ianto have always been (which is my feeling about the characters, but I'm not sure it's in play here).
The only disappointment really? That once the world was saved, that the Team found their memory of what they'd been shown about the possible future fading. I think it would have been more interesting if they had had to live with the knowledge of what was averted, but that, I suppose, would have forced them all to communicate like functional human beings, and geez, we can't have that, now can we?
I really had no idea what to expect. I've never really done the tie-in novel thing, and I felt a bit daft buying it (although the sales clerk totally grinned at me and that was awesome).
Anyway if you're into Jack/Ianto READ THIS BOOK, but be warned that Jack's kinda a dick to him through large swathes of it -- in fact they're both rather wrapped up in their drama about each other without talking to each other, and it has a pretty good payoff, but we'll get to that later.
The plot of the book itself starts out straightforward: There's an area of Cardiff Jack can't go into because there's some sort of barrier there that makes him ill and weak. Then it gets really complicated and there's possible futures and Bilis Manger and demons and light aliens and if you're absolutely sure what happened by the end of the book, you let me know -- not so you can explain it to me, but so I know to be really wary of how your mind works; this is one twisty plot.
Structurally, the book is incredibly well-done, but it makes the first 50 pages or so feel rather scattered, but after that you'll just inhale the thing.
There are a few instances of Welsh, not translated, and it doesn't really matter, but it drives me a little nuts since I don't know any Welsh and don't even know what the words people are saying should sound like.
The characterizations are pretty spot on, but Jack feels so closed off in the first half of the book it's really off-putting even to us the outside observers. Some of the banter sections are hilarious, although you can't always tell who is saying what. Owen gets some nice moments as does Gwen. Tosh is underwritten, although alternate future Tosh is the stuff of nightmares.
And Ianto! We get this rant from him in response to Gwen asking him if he likes Abba about being bisexual and how it sucks, and it's both really funny and really sad and rings really true despite being a choice that sort of surprised me. You also get the sense that he's really exhausted by dealing with Jack's bullshit, but wouldn't mind so much if everyone wasn't always making it a topic of conversation (which is also pretty funny). Also there's some definite discomfort and sharpness between Ianto and Gwen, which I thought was interesting and surprising as I view that as a fannon phenom and something that isn't really supposed to be there in canon, but there it is. Of course Ianto's having a bad week.
We get some glimpses of Jack's past (where in he seemed much better about showing affection for people -- what happened?) that are oddly not that interesting other than Jack's 'type' seems to involve efficiency, good service and blue eyes, which made me laugh every time it came up.
One of the most compelling parts of the book is this possible future that each of the team members is shown one by one. At first, when we see it from the perspective of Tosh and Owen it just seems a little ridiculous, but then we get Gwen, and after that Ianto and then Jack, and by the time you get the full picture of what happens in this world and what's done to Jack and how Ianto tries to undo it -- it's very disturbing and rather gutting.
I DID NOT EXPECT TO HAVE AN EMOTIONAL REACTION TO A TIE-IN NOVEL, THANKS.
Seriously, it rattled me.
And in that possible future? It's Jack and Ianto's love that saves the planet. I am not even joking. And it's fucking heartbreaking.
For those who've read it -- thoughts on the "He was Ianto" line? Because I'm going several different directions with it, as it was so unclear -- everything from some soul-mate craptasticness (I suppose Jack can have a soul as promiscuous as his dick, though), to Jack's brain just being really muddled at that moment in time, to Jack recognizing how alike he and Ianto have always been (which is my feeling about the characters, but I'm not sure it's in play here).
The only disappointment really? That once the world was saved, that the Team found their memory of what they'd been shown about the possible future fading. I think it would have been more interesting if they had had to live with the knowledge of what was averted, but that, I suppose, would have forced them all to communicate like functional human beings, and geez, we can't have that, now can we?
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:32 pm (UTC)And yeah, Ianto is the enabler from hell. And enablers always resent it.
I'm rewatching Cyberwoman now, and it's just jaw dropping.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:39 pm (UTC)To Gwen, to know Jack is to get as much information on him as possible. But as Ianto's probably already figured out after researching Jack before crowbarring his way into Torchwood Three, solid information on Jack does nothing to shed that much light on who he really is.
Cyberwoman always goes down for me as the perfect example of what was good and bad about Torchwood Season 1. There were so many awesome things about it. From the emotions involved to the themes of loyalty and obsession. Plus, Ianto was a fairly small character back then and I loved the idea that the writers were telling us that everyone, even the smallest of characters, have a story. A very BIG story. Plus, the conversation between Jack and Ianto when Jack orders Ianto to go shoot Lisa at the end is one of my favorite bits of writing from the TW writers ever. And I'm including all of season 2 to compare it against as well.
At the same time, there's a general overwrought-ness and over the top-ness to the episode that always makes me squirm a bit.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:42 pm (UTC)Yeah it's both really good and really bad.
It's a lot more interesting on re-watch to me, because everything's in the facial expressions. I really feel like Jack is certain Ianto's lying about the power fluctuations a few sentences before everyone else is, and watching the moment when everyone has that realization and then vocalizes it is amazing.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:47 pm (UTC)Cyberwoman is an episode that really benefits from rewatching. Especially after watching Fragments. Ianto's line to Jack about Jack liking to think he's a hero, but is really the worst monster of all is...well, a little over dramatic. But it makes so much more sense given Jack's absolute refusal to help the survivors of Torchwood London or even have anything to do with them as seen in Fragments.
While calling Jack a monster was a bit excessive (and understandable given Ianto's state of mind), I actually thought he nailed Jack's character when he said Jack likes to think of himself as a hero. Because Jack does and his desire to be one fuels his actions, rather than him basing it on what the right thing to do is.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 05:52 pm (UTC)Jack's shit with Torchwood London borders on phobia to my mind and he's just masking it with the usual bravado. But I think to him the whole idea of it is evil and cursed and he doesn't want it anywhere near him and not just because TW1 and TW3 were never really on the same team by the time Jack took over.
Just like Jack has to spend a good amount of energy trying to mimic what it's like to be an ordinary person (and he doesn't do this enough really -- I think it's something he did more of in his past, and has given up on the more he isolates himself from the world -- when did he move into the hub? I doubt he was living there when Alex was in charge. Where was he living then?), I think he has to spend a good deal of energy trying to mimic what it's like to be a hero, because he has no damn idea. But maybe it's the fake it 'til you make it theory. If he keeps faking it, maybe it'll eventually take.