What do you think?
Rate this book
Torchwood #18
The Men Who Sold the World
When Oscar Lupe appears 20,000 feet up in the air, his body is frozen solid and free-falling to earth. It shatters on impact. Soon after, a CIA Special Activities Division squad goes rogue with a cargo marked 'Torchwood' that they've been escorting from somewhere called Cardiff.
The Agency puts Rex Matheson on the case. As the strange deaths pile up, Rex realises there must be experimental tech out there, but someone is obstructing him at every turn. Rex is the CIA's golden boy - but has he met his match in the evasive Mr Wynter...?
Based on the hit science fiction series created by Russell T Davies, The Men Who Sold The World is a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day, starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles as Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, with Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson.
The Agency puts Rex Matheson on the case. As the strange deaths pile up, Rex realises there must be experimental tech out there, but someone is obstructing him at every turn. Rex is the CIA's golden boy - but has he met his match in the evasive Mr Wynter...?
Based on the hit science fiction series created by Russell T Davies, The Men Who Sold The World is a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day, starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles as Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, with Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson.
252 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2011
6 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 14, 2023
This is a book based on the television show. This takes place before Miracle Day as we get to explore the character Rex Matheson and his time with the CIA. In this one, a government man gets his hands on alien weapons that eventually turns him into a zealot. Rex intends to stop him.
I am probably being a little generous with my rating. This book really flirted with being rated one star. There are so many flaws with this book. First off if you have not seen Torchwood do not read this book. You will not understand what is going on. That is one of the flaws. There is no exploratory aspects in this book. We are just dumped right into the action with no exploration of this universe or with the characters. That goes for new characters that were introduced in this book. I was halfway thru with this book and I had no idea what some characters were being used for. I just recognized their names. For the most part of this book it was a mess and unorganized. I did like the ending even though it was pure deus ex machina. I might have finally liked a part of this book because it finally felt like the author had a clue as to what he wanted to accomplish.
After writing what I have written so far I am starting to ponder if I really should go with one star. This book had some major flaws. I don't expect much from a media tie-in novel but I would like to feel like I am in that universe. I didn't feel that way with this book. I could not get behind these characters either because the author decided we did not need to get to know them. My advice is to skip this one. The only saving grace was the finale but by then it was a little too late.
I am probably being a little generous with my rating. This book really flirted with being rated one star. There are so many flaws with this book. First off if you have not seen Torchwood do not read this book. You will not understand what is going on. That is one of the flaws. There is no exploratory aspects in this book. We are just dumped right into the action with no exploration of this universe or with the characters. That goes for new characters that were introduced in this book. I was halfway thru with this book and I had no idea what some characters were being used for. I just recognized their names. For the most part of this book it was a mess and unorganized. I did like the ending even though it was pure deus ex machina. I might have finally liked a part of this book because it finally felt like the author had a clue as to what he wanted to accomplish.
After writing what I have written so far I am starting to ponder if I really should go with one star. This book had some major flaws. I don't expect much from a media tie-in novel but I would like to feel like I am in that universe. I didn't feel that way with this book. I could not get behind these characters either because the author decided we did not need to get to know them. My advice is to skip this one. The only saving grace was the finale but by then it was a little too late.
January 8, 2021
The last of the three Torchwood novels that serve as a prequel to Miracle Day focuses on one of the series new additional characters Rex Matherson.
It makes perfect sense to flesh out Rex's past as the high flying agent as he follows the CIA's involvement with an alien shipment that's been sold to America by the cash strapped U.K. government.
So many British shows have struggled to make an impact as they try to appeal to an American audience, Torchwood certainly loses something when it's no longer set in Cardiff and this novel emphasizes that massively.
That said with all the limitations Adam's manages to make an entertaining but generic thriller.
It makes perfect sense to flesh out Rex's past as the high flying agent as he follows the CIA's involvement with an alien shipment that's been sold to America by the cash strapped U.K. government.
So many British shows have struggled to make an impact as they try to appeal to an American audience, Torchwood certainly loses something when it's no longer set in Cardiff and this novel emphasizes that massively.
That said with all the limitations Adam's manages to make an entertaining but generic thriller.
May 27, 2015
This would have to be the most ridiculous end to a novel I think I've ever read.
For the most part the novel was okay...just. Even though I knew this was set pre Miracle Day, so well before Rex and Esther had ever crossed paths with Gwen, Ianto and Jack I fully expected the three core Torchwood people to appear. So when they finally did I was pleased. Until I realised that the two or three paltry pages they were given in the book with nothing more than tokenistic and had absolutely nothing to do with the story plot at all. What was the point of including them at all? Contractual reasons? Who knows! But in my opinion it really wasn't worth it.
As for that ending, to say it was repetitive is an under statement. Yes, it is intended to be that way, but it was ridiculous. Not clever, not a wow moment, just plain old ridiculous.
Honestly, if I could give this 0 out of 5, I would. This is one novel that should not have been added to the Torchwood series.
For the most part the novel was okay...just. Even though I knew this was set pre Miracle Day, so well before Rex and Esther had ever crossed paths with Gwen, Ianto and Jack I fully expected the three core Torchwood people to appear. So when they finally did I was pleased. Until I realised that the two or three paltry pages they were given in the book with nothing more than tokenistic and had absolutely nothing to do with the story plot at all. What was the point of including them at all? Contractual reasons? Who knows! But in my opinion it really wasn't worth it.
As for that ending, to say it was repetitive is an under statement. Yes, it is intended to be that way, but it was ridiculous. Not clever, not a wow moment, just plain old ridiculous.
Honestly, if I could give this 0 out of 5, I would. This is one novel that should not have been added to the Torchwood series.
April 8, 2016
I really didn't like this one for a whole multitude of reasons beginning with a lack of any real characterization of the main characters, especially Rex. All of the characters just felt placed in the story with no motivating reasons given for any of their actions. It was hard to care about any of them without knowing who these people were supposed to be. The plotline also kept jumping around making it hard to follow along with.
I understood the story was a prequel to Miracle Day, but being a Torchwood story I thought there be a bit more Jack, Ianto and Gwen. Was highly disappointed by the one token, needless appearance.
I was also put off by the fact that while the plot was taking place in the United States through American characters they were using British idioms and terminology. It was distracting and made it harder to keep track of where the story was happening.
I understood the story was a prequel to Miracle Day, but being a Torchwood story I thought there be a bit more Jack, Ianto and Gwen. Was highly disappointed by the one token, needless appearance.
I was also put off by the fact that while the plot was taking place in the United States through American characters they were using British idioms and terminology. It was distracting and made it harder to keep track of where the story was happening.
September 11, 2011
Disappointing.
The idea is a good one, but executed poorly and it just became a bit of a pointless run around. The main character, Rex Matheson wavers between the cliched 'tough as nails secret agent with a heart of gold' and 'dick.' and while at the start, where he blows a survailance mission to save a 12-year old girl from a dangerous Russian drug lord, he never seems to be as sympathetic or likable at any other point in the story. He becomes the sort of stock in trade main character who you would get in this genre of story. It personally seems to me that the author seemed to be much more enamoured with writing the character of 'Mr. Wynter' a covert hitman for a 'intergovernment secret cabals' (which may in fact be related to the villains of 'Torchwood: Miracle Day', I'm not entirely sure.)
The book never really goes anywhere in explaining them or even developing them, trying to link them into the events of 'Miracle Day' and thus we feel like we're getting half the story. The book's biggest problem is that tying into Miracle Day has in fact hurt the book's potential and doesn't allow it to stand on its own. American involvement in the Doctor Who/Torchwood universe has never really been explored in any great matter and as such, there is so much wasted potential. If it had been filled out to be a full on novel (secret government conspiracies, alien weapons and a fast paced thriller would be excellent Torchwood material), it could have been really good, instead it just really seems to go no-where and just finishes off with a sense of 'oh, okay then...'
The idea is a good one, but executed poorly and it just became a bit of a pointless run around. The main character, Rex Matheson wavers between the cliched 'tough as nails secret agent with a heart of gold' and 'dick.' and while at the start, where he blows a survailance mission to save a 12-year old girl from a dangerous Russian drug lord, he never seems to be as sympathetic or likable at any other point in the story. He becomes the sort of stock in trade main character who you would get in this genre of story. It personally seems to me that the author seemed to be much more enamoured with writing the character of 'Mr. Wynter' a covert hitman for a 'intergovernment secret cabals' (which may in fact be related to the villains of 'Torchwood: Miracle Day', I'm not entirely sure.)
The book never really goes anywhere in explaining them or even developing them, trying to link them into the events of 'Miracle Day' and thus we feel like we're getting half the story. The book's biggest problem is that tying into Miracle Day has in fact hurt the book's potential and doesn't allow it to stand on its own. American involvement in the Doctor Who/Torchwood universe has never really been explored in any great matter and as such, there is so much wasted potential. If it had been filled out to be a full on novel (secret government conspiracies, alien weapons and a fast paced thriller would be excellent Torchwood material), it could have been really good, instead it just really seems to go no-where and just finishes off with a sense of 'oh, okay then...'
September 22, 2022
I didn't really like this book. It was confusing, repetitive and didn't really involve Torchwood at all.
January 12, 2021
This is the first book in the series I can completely understand if Torchwood fans dislike. It basically has nothing to do with Torchwood aside from a 3 page Jack cameo and referencing a lot of Dr Who weapons. Rex isn’t for everyone but personally I love him to bits, so naturally you can see the four star rating I’ve given, and I feel this time I have to justify the high rating more than I usually do. One word. Dialogue. After finishing the book I considered was it that good, and although the story has very simple plot with a pretty average sub plot, what makes this book so excellent is the dialogue. Rex is overwhelmingly funny, being a complete a**hole to everyone, with some of the sweary banter making me laugh more than it should. Chapters of heavy talking fly by as they are simply so enjoyable, and the Rex sides of the story make a nice parallel to the really bleak story of the antagonistic soldiers.
The premise is simple, soldiers go rogue with weapons being shipped from a destroyed Torchwood and it’s Rex’s job to stop them. There’s also the mysterious Mr. Wynter, who’s mystery sadly disappears about two thirds into the book but he is a fun character, who I kept forgetting is probably a cannibal. The villainous soldiers don’t have much personality if I’m honest, but they are part of some really bleak and interesting flashback sequences, even if their narrative role isn’t much more than just ‘let’s do some killing’. The rogue soldier who joins up with Rex is great, them playing off each other being fun, and it’s nice to see a representation of a soldier having the realisation his profession is rather amoral. There’s no other real main characters, with Esther making a few cameos over the phone to Rex.
The pacing is really well done, and there are some great sequences with the reality gun destroying and ageing people which do veer into very morose eventually, still being absolutely excellent and that does offset the humour somewhat, which is really good as you do not want two hundred and fifty pages of pure banter, no matter how good that banter is. There is also an incredible scene, in the car chase with rex and his new ally, chasing down one of the rogue soldiers, which balances the comedy, tension, and action, incredibly well and making for an amazingly engrossing couple chapters. There’s an element I don’t want to spoil, but all I can say is that Guy Adams really does play with the concept of reality incredibly well over the course of the five chapter 19’s.
One thing I was worried about before reading, and am still somewhat confused about after reading is the continuity. Come Miracle Day, Rex knows nothing about Torchwood or aliens, yet some of the events that happen in this book are rather extraterrestrial. Naturally he’s shielded from most of it, believing it to just be soldiers turned terrorists, but if you just read the final confrontation alone, it feels like he should have in inkling of aliens come episode 1 of Miracle Day. Not necessarily a criticism as I think Guy handled that rather laborious element of continuity really well, while having free reign to tell an enjoyable story.
All in all, if you only buy these books for Jack then don’t bother. If you actually buy these books for great sci-fi and fun characters then I heavily recommend. The plot isn’t Shakespeare, but it is by far the most fun I have had with a Torchwood book since Bay of the Dead.
The premise is simple, soldiers go rogue with weapons being shipped from a destroyed Torchwood and it’s Rex’s job to stop them. There’s also the mysterious Mr. Wynter, who’s mystery sadly disappears about two thirds into the book but he is a fun character, who I kept forgetting is probably a cannibal. The villainous soldiers don’t have much personality if I’m honest, but they are part of some really bleak and interesting flashback sequences, even if their narrative role isn’t much more than just ‘let’s do some killing’. The rogue soldier who joins up with Rex is great, them playing off each other being fun, and it’s nice to see a representation of a soldier having the realisation his profession is rather amoral. There’s no other real main characters, with Esther making a few cameos over the phone to Rex.
The pacing is really well done, and there are some great sequences with the reality gun destroying and ageing people which do veer into very morose eventually, still being absolutely excellent and that does offset the humour somewhat, which is really good as you do not want two hundred and fifty pages of pure banter, no matter how good that banter is. There is also an incredible scene, in the car chase with rex and his new ally, chasing down one of the rogue soldiers, which balances the comedy, tension, and action, incredibly well and making for an amazingly engrossing couple chapters. There’s an element I don’t want to spoil, but all I can say is that Guy Adams really does play with the concept of reality incredibly well over the course of the five chapter 19’s.
One thing I was worried about before reading, and am still somewhat confused about after reading is the continuity. Come Miracle Day, Rex knows nothing about Torchwood or aliens, yet some of the events that happen in this book are rather extraterrestrial. Naturally he’s shielded from most of it, believing it to just be soldiers turned terrorists, but if you just read the final confrontation alone, it feels like he should have in inkling of aliens come episode 1 of Miracle Day. Not necessarily a criticism as I think Guy handled that rather laborious element of continuity really well, while having free reign to tell an enjoyable story.
All in all, if you only buy these books for Jack then don’t bother. If you actually buy these books for great sci-fi and fun characters then I heavily recommend. The plot isn’t Shakespeare, but it is by far the most fun I have had with a Torchwood book since Bay of the Dead.
July 1, 2024
I’m of the opinion that anything that gives more context to the oddly disconnected Miracle Day season of Torchwood, which had a lot of potential but poor execution, is a good thing. The Men Who Sold The World helps to give backstory to Rex, on e of the few good characters they introduced in season 4, as well as exploring the events prior to S4E1: The New World.
That being said, this book does suffer from some of the problems that plagued Miracle Day as a season when it comes to its writing. While Guy Adams is a fantastic writer for the most part, adding great detail and creating interesting characters, he doesn’t seem to understand American culture all too much at certain points in the story. A few times we hear political takes delivered by Rex which seem rather ill informed based on the political climate of the time and there’s also a few instances of Americans using exclusively British words and phrases like calling a bandaid a “sticky plaster” or ever drinking bar a “pub.”
Outside of this, however, there is one other problem. A lot of the characters introduced here such as Mr. Wynter were clearly set up to be explored in either later novels or the Torchwood TV show itself but, as Miracle day was something of a flop that lead to the show’s cancellation and the Torchwood novels ended in 2012, we never get to have these plot points answered. While that isn’t exactly a negative against this book as Adams couldn’t have seen the show’s cancellation coming, and as such I haven’t factored it into my rating here, it is still worth pointing out.
There’s also the small segments of the remaining Torchwood Three team that seem out of place. Despite the main events taking place in between Children of Earth and Miracle Day, Ianto is still alive in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Ianto, but he had already died by the time this book is meant to take place, being killed by the 456 during the events of Children of Earth. On top of that, while I did enjoy what amounts to a brief cameo from the show’s main cast, I wish they had followed up with that story a little more as, even though it plays into the plot somewhat with them finding the victim of the reality rifle, it weeks like wasted potential for the main cast to only be used as a plot device.
Overall though this is a good read for fans of the show and will help to give more context to those who thought Miracle Day was a rather disconnected season.
That being said, this book does suffer from some of the problems that plagued Miracle Day as a season when it comes to its writing. While Guy Adams is a fantastic writer for the most part, adding great detail and creating interesting characters, he doesn’t seem to understand American culture all too much at certain points in the story. A few times we hear political takes delivered by Rex which seem rather ill informed based on the political climate of the time and there’s also a few instances of Americans using exclusively British words and phrases like calling a bandaid a “sticky plaster” or ever drinking bar a “pub.”
Outside of this, however, there is one other problem. A lot of the characters introduced here such as Mr. Wynter were clearly set up to be explored in either later novels or the Torchwood TV show itself but, as Miracle day was something of a flop that lead to the show’s cancellation and the Torchwood novels ended in 2012, we never get to have these plot points answered. While that isn’t exactly a negative against this book as Adams couldn’t have seen the show’s cancellation coming, and as such I haven’t factored it into my rating here, it is still worth pointing out.
There’s also the small segments of the remaining Torchwood Three team that seem out of place. Despite the main events taking place in between Children of Earth and Miracle Day, Ianto is still alive in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Ianto, but he had already died by the time this book is meant to take place, being killed by the 456 during the events of Children of Earth. On top of that, while I did enjoy what amounts to a brief cameo from the show’s main cast, I wish they had followed up with that story a little more as, even though it plays into the plot somewhat with them finding the victim of the reality rifle, it weeks like wasted potential for the main cast to only be used as a plot device.
Overall though this is a good read for fans of the show and will help to give more context to those who thought Miracle Day was a rather disconnected season.
August 21, 2024
Maybe I really enjoyed the first two novels of this Miracle Day prequel trilogy and I felt this was a let down... Whatever the case, I was thoroughly bored reading this novel. Whilst I do enjoy the character of Rex in Miracle Day, I feel the main issue with this novel is the fact that I have no strong feelings of attachment to this character - particularly his work prior to his direct involvement with Jack and Gwen's Torchwood during Miracle Day. This novel also has a plethora of characters which sometimes made it hard to know who and what was happening, when. Unfortunately, this one really just is not for me.
December 30, 2024
If you’re coming to this book for Jack, Gwen and Ianto, don’t bother. They do show up, but only in a flashback that lasts for about 4 pages at most. If you’re here for Rex and a more American experience, then this is the book for you. I did like the banter between Rex and his ally, Mr. Wynters, and the reality gun.
August 15, 2023
The book is not without merits, and it definitely had some cool ideas. But in the end it was also terribly generic and didn’t feel like Torchwood at all. I haven’t seen Miracle Day yet, maybe that would have changed the feeling a bit? But in its own it’s just not very good.
January 29, 2024
It's not my favourite, but I didn't hate it either. The story was interesting and very well written, but I don't have the bond with the Miracle Day characters that I have with the others, so it's understandable. On to the last one...
June 26, 2017
Another of the Torchwood stories that happen before Miracle Day. Recommended to Torchwood and Dr Who fans.
May 2, 2021
An enjoyable enough story if you are on board with the Torchwood universe - but not much of the regular characters and the plot is extremely silly.
August 31, 2023
It’s fine, but I don’t particularly care about Rex or the plot. I would also have preferred if it was more directly related to Torchwood or its members.
February 3, 2016
Третья история из pre-miracle цикла, и вот она заставила меня приуныть, потому что по сути это типичный боевик, в котором от whoniverse только инопланетные военные игрушки и небольшой timey-wimey swirl. Второй оказался приятной неожиданностью в районе 19 главы 
После закрытия Торчвуда-3 британцы продают инопланетное оружие американцам, но во время сделки случается казус, вследствие которого покупатели (ЦРУшники) не упускают шанса украсть оружие и устроить массовые беспорядки, а в конце даже пригрозить президенту. Рекс Мэтисон, подпаливший репутацию в бюро, решает восстановить свое доброе имя, поймав и обезвредив отряд и вернув экспериментальное оружие.
Я не особо люблю Рекса, отчасти потому что он состоит из сплошных штампов, да и каждый раз идти против системы и портить себе этим жизнь, seriously? Он срывает операцию, дабы спасти двенадцатилетнюю девочку от русского наркобарона, геройствует и перебарщивает с on-the-spot decisions, а иногда просто рисуется. Что не делает его ни на йоту интереснее.
Не могу даже сказать, что Рекс здесь выступает в главной роли. Он скорее скользит вдоль основной сюжетной линии, ему угрожают и помогают, им манипулируют. Настоящим, хорошо прописанным и даже симпатичным персонажем тут является Mr. Wynter, загадочный киллер на спецправительственных работах. К сожалению, объяснений касательно него не дается никаких. Именно он, а не Рекс, спасает ситуацию, хоть и не с первого раза.
Много беготни, но ритм хороший. Торчвудцев нет, зато есть Рекс, Эстер и харизматичный киллер. Книга заметно слабее двух других из цикла, сюжет незамысловат, однако это отличный «вводный урок» для Рекса, которому вскоре предстоит познакомиться с Торчвудом
annikeh.net
После закрытия Торчвуда-3 британцы продают инопланетное оружие американцам, но во время сделки случается казус, вследствие которого покупатели (ЦРУшники) не упускают шанса украсть оружие и устроить массовые беспорядки, а в конце даже пригрозить президенту. Рекс Мэтисон, подпаливший репутацию в бюро, решает восстановить свое доброе имя, поймав и обезвредив отряд и вернув экспериментальное оружие.
Я не особо люблю Рекса, отчасти потому что он состоит из сплошных штампов, да и каждый раз идти против системы и портить себе этим жизнь, seriously? Он срывает операцию, дабы спасти двенадцатилетнюю девочку от русского наркобарона, геройствует и перебарщивает с on-the-spot decisions, а иногда просто рисуется. Что не делает его ни на йоту интереснее.
Не могу даже сказать, что Рекс здесь выступает в главной роли. Он скорее скользит вдоль основной сюжетной линии, ему угрожают и помогают, им манипулируют. Настоящим, хорошо прописанным и даже симпатичным персонажем тут является Mr. Wynter, загадочный киллер на спецправительственных работах. К сожалению, объяснений касательно него не дается никаких. Именно он, а не Рекс, спасает ситуацию, хоть и не с первого раза.
Много беготни, но ритм хороший. Торчвудцев нет, зато есть Рекс, Эстер и харизматичный киллер. Книга заметно слабее двух других из цикла, сюжет незамысловат, однако это отличный «вводный урок» для Рекса, которому вскоре предстоит познакомиться с Торчвудом
annikeh.net
October 24, 2014
One thing I don't get is the lower rating in comparison to other TW books. I mean - have you read this?
Whole some of the previous books might have seemed as mediocre fanfiction, I can feel the Torchwood mood seeping from this book.
So yeah, it was fun.
Whole some of the previous books might have seemed as mediocre fanfiction, I can feel the Torchwood mood seeping from this book.
So yeah, it was fun.
May 29, 2012
I have read all of the Torchwood books but don't usually write a review on them because Goodreads is a general site, not a fan site. Even though this is a stand alone novel, you would suffer if you did now know anything about the Torchwood/Doctor Who universe. That said, I cannot recommend the Torchwood books highly enough, I would rate 90% of them as 4 star or above because they satisfy the need of older fans of Doctor Who. I find Doctor Who books far too kiddy and having too simple a story line to be enjoyable enough. Torchwood books on the other hand are filled with more adult themes and more complex plots to satisfy my needs. Even those who are not fans of the TV series should not be deterred by these books.
This story in particular has a great set of characters and a fun plot that I really enjoyed. Mr Winter, the spook of spooks was extremely creepy and Rex Matherson, the CIA agent is great as usual. Highly recommended!
This story in particular has a great set of characters and a fun plot that I really enjoyed. Mr Winter, the spook of spooks was extremely creepy and Rex Matherson, the CIA agent is great as usual. Highly recommended!
July 14, 2012
Third of the Miracle Day prequel novels. A CIA team goes rogue with a cargo of exotic weapons they were supposed to be escorting after transfer from the Department in the UK to the CIA. A cargo marked Torchwood... This one looks at CIA Rex Matheson, one of the new characters introduced for Miracle Day. And that's where it falls down for me, partly because I'm not that enamoured of Rex as a character -- although oddly, I like him better in this book than I did on screen. This is backstory for Rex, showing how he first got involved with weird tech operations shortly before the events of Miracle Day, and I think is likely to work better for new fans rather than those who've watched the show from the beginning. It's a competently written CIA agent thriller, but it doesn't resonate for me the way the prequels about the original team members did.
June 19, 2012
This was the third of the Miracle Day prequels released. Like the other two this was a very well written book set in the world of Torchwood. This one features Rex Matheson on a case involving ex-Torchwood technology that fallen into the wrong hands. It was very well written as we know Rex hadn't heard of Torchwood until Episode 1 of Miracle Day he didn't find out about the organisation, he was just after the guys who had the tech. It contained a nice number of flashbacks setting the scene and the main plot was pacy and interesting too. It's a shame these books didn't get released in time for the UK release of Miracle Day as they really do fill the gap between it and Children of Earth. Now all we need is a director's cut of Miracle Day turning the first six episodes of none events into a fast and pacy movie.
February 5, 2014
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2222600.html[return][return]this is another pre-Miracle Day story which features very few of the previous regular Torchwood team, but instead has Rex Matheson, CIA agent, getting swept up in mysterious goings on which are related to Torchwood and the post-Children of Earth cleanup. The villain is a splendidly spooky character, Mr Wynter, whose extensive powers are matched by a need which must be satisfied. There is an excellent set of forking time lines at the end - in a way that TV WHo never quite manages to pull off. A decent novel on the fringes of the Torchwood universe which feeds into and slightly reinforces Miracle Day.
November 21, 2011
If this is the weakest of the latest batch of "Torchwood" novels, then the series remains in fantastic shape. My only criticisms come from (1) the rather schizoid & hard-to-follow nature of the time-travel-paradox conclusion, (2) some annoying & brief flashbacks, and (2) Guy Adams' propensity for plot over character-development. But what an adrenaline-pounding plot it IS! It establishes Rex as a genuine, authentic, likeable character...and makes his entrance in "Miracle Day" seem almost inevitable. Good stuff all around, with bucket loads of creepiness.
July 26, 2014
This book did not work at all. There's no mystery, just running around. Almost all the characters are without merit and are pretty much just assholes. There is no plot development or twists to keep it interesting. It is rife with typos and constant British idioms used for American characters. Were they in such a rush for publication that they couldn't get a single copy editor to look it over briefly? This one can definitely be skipped.
April 12, 2012
This one wasn't as good as Torchwood: First Born. The story was kind of bland, and there wer about 6 Chapter 19's, which became very annoying reading the same chapter that many times with only a slight difference.
If you want to read all the miracle day prequels, then go ahead, otherwise skip this one.
If you want to read all the miracle day prequels, then go ahead, otherwise skip this one.
July 25, 2012
Reasonable enough story, had a vague sense of wanting to get back to it to find out what the hell was going on. But it wasn't as good as the other two prequels. Possibly being based on the 'newest' member of the Torchwood team, one we don't really know to well didn't help, though I feel the plot was a bit complicated and tricky to understand.
March 26, 2016
This was a little too violent even by Torchwood standards, but the real fun was the attempt by the UK author to write a story nearly entirely peopled by Americans. The idiom is frequently mangled in entertaining ways.
I also really enjoyed the final "chapter." Read it to understand the quotes.
Lightly recommended for Torchwood fans.
I also really enjoyed the final "chapter." Read it to understand the quotes.
Lightly recommended for Torchwood fans.
February 19, 2013
Not a bad book, but of the torchwood books I've read, this was my least favorite. Took less than two hours to read, kinda predictable. Might give some extra insight into a few characters when I watch miracle day........
January 12, 2016
This book struggles to make Miracle Day's Rex Matheson an interesting character and fails, spending 90% of the book telling a generic spy story. It gets points for its interesting ending especially Chapter 19.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews