Twilight Streets

[rm]

So 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?

Comments

[algor.livejournal.com]

I actually saw them at a local comics store the other day. Right there alongside the new Buffy and Angel comics.

[explodeyy.livejournal.com]

You think Waldenbooks or Barnes and Noble will have them?
[Though it says in B&N's website that its in stock, except its not available where i live, yet.]
This is a great review! Now im really anxious to read this book.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's pretty awesome. I can tell you that I'm almost certain they won't, but that most book stores will do a special order if you badger them. I've had more trouble getting these things (all the sellers that claim to have them via Amazon don't, and it's been a huge logistical hassle).

[kerryblaze.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on everything here!

As for the "He was Ianto" line, I don't think that it was anything more than Jack acknowledging Ianto's awesomeness. Sort of a "that's my Ianto" I know he won't give up on me. Or at least that's the way I took it upon first reading.

And the scene - you know THAT scene - I could barely read it through the tears!

The thing that interested me about Jack's past and his relationship is that TPTB have really pushed the agenda that Gwen is speeshul and made Jack feel again since his situation after the Doctor and all that jazz, but in this book that clearly isn't the case.

[rm.livejournal.com]

As for the "He was Ianto" line, I don't think that it was anything more than Jack acknowledging Ianto's awesomeness. Sort of a "that's my Ianto" I know he won't give up on me. Or at least that's the way I took it upon first reading.

God, that's such a normal venacular, it didn't even occur to me. You're probably right, and that's exactly not the sort of thing that would ever occur to me, because I don't express myself like that.

I know the books are debatably canon, but I really did feel like this should go a long way to assuaging everyone who is worried the Jack/Ianto mess won't be an enduring plot point in the program.

[grizzabella1.livejournal.com]

I read this a few weeks ago and I had some of the same thoughts. It killed me near the begining of the book, where Jack refers to Ianto as his "colleague, friend , lover?". The question mark behind "lover" was like a punch in the gut. Jack wasn't quite sure if Ianto could qualify as his lover, despite the physical nature of their relationship. It was terrible.

Yet Ianto was more than willing to sacrifice himself for Jack. He is really painted as a Martyr in this book. It was heartbreaking.

I beleive that that line "Because he was Ianto" refers to the fact that Jack knows what Ianto is capable of. He has shown (in Cyber Woman) that he will sacrifice everything for love. Jack knew that. Even though he does'nt deserve it

[norda.livejournal.com]

Trust me, as an independent bookseller, it's been an equally nightmarish experience to work out the logistics of carrying these, not to mention the other BBC Books titles.

It's all down to who the publisher chose as their US wholesaler.

Yes, I'm bitter. But I'm happy you got to read this one.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah that early line pissed me off. I have to assume this is supposed to be set pretty soon after KKBB and that things are still really rocky there, but that may just be wishful thinking?

And yeah, your explanation for that line makes perfect sense to me, and I'm not sure how I read it so strangely (probably because I would write it so strangely, and it was so close to that thing about Jack feeling a connection in his head snap when Ianto goes down and I was like WHAT? WHAT? and then couldn't stop being all WHAT? to actually figure it out like a normal person).

[explodeyy.livejournal.com]

I guess i'll try to get mine from Barnes & Noble then. :D

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Where does this novel fit into to continuity? I just ordered the very first Torchwood tie-in novel from amazon (it should be here tomorrow). It's called Another Life or something?

[grizzabella1.livejournal.com]

I had to go back and look at that line where Jack realizes what has happened, "Anger, hurt, pain, betrayal fury"..no mention of Grief or Love. I wonder if any of it was fueled by guilt. Perhaps the thing he referred to in his head that severed and died was hope.

Maybe it took the experiece of that future, and the realization that Ianto was the only member of his Team that would not betray him that helped Jack to accept a greater connection to Ianto.

Isn't TS the only one written by....

[(Anonymous)]

...TW script editor Gary Russell. Just wonder if that makes it closer to canon?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Amazon is actually being reliable with these things now? I think that one is first season (haven't read it yet -- this was my first).

This one was definitely sometime after the season 2 opener, but I don't think it was long after and didn't have any significant spoilers. YOU WILL FREAK OUT OVER IT.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Okay, this makes me feel better. That passage is amazingly unclear, right?

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

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.

I'm no great scholar with the language, but I could have a go at helping you with that, once I pick up the book. Heck, it would be a good exercise for me...

Doing a transliteration of the pronunciation would be a bit trickier, but for the more-common words, you could try BBC Wales' Online Dictionary, as it includes little sound files for the common words. Unfortunately, it won't deal well with tenses, but it can untangle mutations, with which the bloody language is riddled. Suffice it to say that nine letters at the beginning of a word *routinely* change to other letters, depending on some rules that are making my head hurt...

Re: Isn't TS the only one written by....

[rm.livejournal.com]

It is. And that's a tantalizing possibility. Thank you for pointing it out.

[rm.livejournal.com]

The mutations are exactly why I gave up after a week, but that was like five years ago in the throes of a different obsession.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ahh, so you've encountered the language. I didn't know. Tricksy, ain't it?

I've been casually playing with it for over a year, but have buckled down in the past couple of months as I've *got* to get off the baby-talk/pidgin plateau on which I'm stuck...

[rm.livejournal.com]

Kali, oddly enough, has Welsh audio learning discs she was going to lend me 8 billion years ago. I should put 'em on my i-pod or something.

Omg, the BEST TW book!!!

[schnuckel.livejournal.com]

How strange, I've just started to re read Twilight Streets.
I have to say it's my favourite, Ianto just shines in this. I love his argument with Gwen, some good ol' Gwen bashing makes me happy. I loved that bit far too much, I kept reading it again and again. I also loved the bit when it says, "Ianto's love for Jack..." All we need know is Jack's confession of love. I'm still waiting. Ianto was FANTASTIC in this. Written so well I think, perfect.
I didn't like that Tosh and Owen went evil *pout* Well, evilish ...
Rhys was awesome though, go Rhys! =P
Jack was an ass to Ianto ... lover? YES YOU DAFT SOD! ... I'd've preferred boyfriend though, but we're getting there. Esp the Captain's Blog for after Adrift, which leads me to believe that this is set before then.
I have more to write, just can't think of it atm hehe.
=]

Re: Omg, the BEST TW book!!!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this struck me as being around the time period of Adam (possibly earlier), but I'm not sure why, particularly.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

*nod* I've done the same with a couple of audio courses, along with the Radio Cymru weekly podcast and a reading of the New Testament in Welsh which, er, fell off the back of the internet.

Unfortunately, I have a hard time concentrating on the lessons during my commute, but, if naught else, the babble of Radio Cymru makes for interesting white noise on the train.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I learn best when I'm not actually terribly focused, at least with physical things (and languages are to me, because it's about shapes -- too many years of speech therapy I guess), so that might work, if I can sit down and just make myself grok the basics first.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

*nod* I want to understand how a language is put together before I get too far into it and that, apparently, is a sure-fire way to get completely entangled and shoot oneself in the foot - according to some. But I've finally found the right combination of tools and feel like I'm making some progress, at last!

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

I greatly enjoyed the take on Jack and Ianto's relationship in this particular book. Not because it wasn't kind of heartbreaking at times, but because it felt almost realistic to me. As much as it makes me sort of shake my head at Jack, it's obvious even in the series that the two of them are on different levels in terms of how they view their relationship. It felt like to me that largely Jack doesn't ruminate on his feelings for Ianto. It doesn't mean he doesn't have them, but they're not something he really has to deal with, mainly because Ianto lets him off the hook so readily and makes it rather easy for him to just go about his merry way. Ianto, on the other hand, pours quite a lot of himself into it.

I feel bad for Ianto in terms of how lopsided it all seems, but at the same time, it feels realistic given both their personalities.