Torchwood: Department X (BBC Audio) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

James Goss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2011 | Series: BBC Audio

Kai Owen reads this exclusive audio adventure. G.R. Owen is the last of Cardiff's old department stores. Times are hard and the ancient firm has gone into administration. But who are the Administrators? What goes on behind the shutters at night? And why are customers disappearing? Torchwood are already investigating; G.R. Owen is the site of their oldest unsolved cases, and Jack is determined to solve it before the store closes forever - which is why Ianto is working undercover in gentlemen's fashions and Gwen is in handbags. Are the new managers really aliens? What connection do they have to the mysterious G.R. Owen himself? And is Jack the only one looking for the Department of Curiosities, last seen in 1905? Written specially for audio by James Goss, "Department X" is set before the 'Children of Earth' TV story and features Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones, as played by John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd in the hit series from BBC Television. It is read by Kai Owen, who plays Gwen's husband Rhys.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks (March 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1408466651
• ISBN-13: 978-1408466650
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,954,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kai Owen does a good job, March 10, 2011

By 

Riotoo (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Torchwood: Department X (BBC Audio) (Audio CD)

Kai Owen does a good job reading this. I really enjoyed it.

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the series. I have occassionally been disappointed with audios in the past (either due to poor story or poor reading), but this story was engrossing enough to listen to straight through.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jhaeman's Review, June 14, 2011

By 

Jeremy (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Torchwood: Department X (Audible Audio Edition)

Department X is a two-and-a-half hour Torchwood audio book narrated by Kai Owen. The story involves the organization going undercover to infiltrate a Cardiff department store where a spate of disappearances have recently taken place. Although the story itself is fairly routine action- and plot-wise, there are a couple of interesting concepts introduced: one is Firestone Bank, a long-time (secret) rival to Torchwood which collects alien artifacts and sells them abroad for a profit (I would like to see some recurring villains); the second is the Department of Curiosities, Torchwood's "longest unsolved case" which comes to a resolution in Department X. Otherwise, there's nothing particularly notable about this story, which could easily have been adapted to be a Doctor Who or Sarah Jane Adventures story--in other words, the writer didn't take advantage of the idea that Torchwood is supposed to be the "dark and edgy" corner of the Whoniverse.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging reader, strong story, "classic" Torchwood, March 10, 2011

By 

Mr. Colin C. Terry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Torchwood: Department X (BBC Audio) (Audio CD)

Kai Owen is a lively and engaging performer who throughly engages with the source material and brings the voices of Jack, Gwen and Ianto to life admirably. Anyone who is supportive of the Torchwood franchise should enjoy this "classic" mystery adventure, straight from the pen of James Goss, who is a veteran Torchwood expanded universe writer. As Riotoo says, the story is engaging and the strong points are the moments of humour throughout. If Children of Earth was too dark for your tastes, this reverts to more familiar and comfortable territory.

And of course, there's a bit of nostlalgia as this is likely to be the last "current" expanded universe fiction to feature Ianto Jones, who will be missed.