Torchwood: The Radio Adventures [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Anita Sullivan (Author), James Goss (Author), Phil Ford (Author), Full Cast (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009

Three Torchwood audio exclusive episodes in one 3-CD set! Includes: Asylum, written by Anita Sullivan; Golden Age, written by James Goss; and The Dead Line, written by Phil Ford. Performed by John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, and Freema Agyeman, stars of BBC America's #1 series.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602837120
• ISBN-13: 978-1602837126
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want more Torchwood...try these audio dramas, October 26, 2009

By 

Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Torchwood: The Radio Adventures (Audio CD)

Three audio dramas with the Torchwood folks, voiced by the actors, the stories "Asylum," by Anita Sullivan, "Golden Age," by James Goss, and "The Dead Line," written by Phil Ford. The stories are reasonably good with "The Dead Line" being the best of the bunch. If the audio drama format works for you, you can get yourself a Torchwood fix while you wait for the rumored fourth season.

For those new to BBC science fiction, generally in addition to the main episodes there are the behind the scenes/making-of episodes (Torchwood Declassified or Doctor Who Confidential, etc.), novels written to nominally fall between episodes, magazines dedicated to the shows, comic book serials, and audiobooks of radio dramas. Amazon has a good selection of Dr. Who, Torchwood, Primeval, and Sarah Jane Adventures tie-in materials.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jhaeman's Review, February 1, 2010

By 

Jeremy (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Torchwood: The Radio Adventures (Audio CD)

Each play here is about 45 minutes long and features the real actors' voices, though only Captain Jack, Gwen, and Ianto are present (so no Tosh or Owen, though some characters in supporting roles do make appearances). On the whole, I liked these--I wasn't sure how an audio play would work, but I found it was a lot like reading a novel but with sound effects--very easy to picture what was going on. I'm fortunate enough not to have commute regularly anywhere by car, but if I did, I would get these to listen to in order to make a long drive go by much faster.

The first one I listened to was Asylum by Anita Sullivan. A young girl is arrested for shoplifting and PC Andy (Gwen's former partner) notices the girl is carrying a strange piece of technology that could either be a toy or an alien artifact. Torchwood is called in to investigate, and discover it's actually a type of specialized sabotage equipment capable of turning off security, communications, and other defense systems. Fearing an invasion, Torchwood takes custody of the young girl and realize she's an alien--only she claims to simply be an orphaned runaway. One of the things I liked about Asylum (apart from a few good jokes) was that it shines a bit of a spotlight on PC Andy--he comes across as far more human and far less jaded than the members of Torchwood (especially Jack), even if he, as can be expected, wigs out at the idea of having met a real-life alien.

Next up was Phil Ford's The Dead Line. This one didn't do a lot for me, but it did have a strong opening: Jack, despite everything we know about him, is dying. One of Jack's old flames from the 1970s is called in to help, and the team realizes that something is transmitting deadly signals over the telephone network. Gwen and Rhys go to investigate, while Ianto stays by Jack's bedside and gives quite the confession of love. There's a few good quips about Jack's life in the 1970s, but on the whole the other two seemed better structured.

Golden Age by James Goss was my favorite. Something with traces of alien residue is responsible for the disappearances of hundreds or even thousands of people in Delhi. Torchwood goes to investigate and stumble upon a building Jack recognizes--from his visit there in 1924, when he went to close down Torchwood India. Except, all of the people he met back in 1927 are still alive and as young as ever, happily enjoying their lives. This one had the most original and intriguing plot, as well as taking advantage of the fact that audio plays and novels shouldn't worry about budgetary constraints--some globe-trotting adventures are a good idea for Torchwood (not that there's anything wrong with Cardiff; just that aliens can surely get up to no good elsewhere, too).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Torchwood's Trio In Action, January 11, 2010

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Torchwood: The Radio Adventures (Audio CD)

A mysterious girl falls from the Cardiff sky, packing a gun like no one has ever seen before. A colonial mansion in Delhi, India, shelters past crimes that can come back to haunt Captain Jack and Torchwood. A phone call from an impossible number may be the only thing that can kill the man who can't die. Welcome back to Torchwood.

Set sometime before Children of Earth, these adventures give us a chance to see Torchwood's three member team in action. They have a good dose of humor, and make use of the audio format to give us more varied and detailed settings than the more set-bound TV series can often offer. Though some episodes are better than others, they are a worthy addition to the Torchwood canon.

Two episodes open doors which provide glimpses into Torchwood. The first, "Asylum," peeks at the good Torchwood provides the world, while the second, "Golden Age," looks back to Torchwood's past crimes and corruption. The third, "The Dead Line," has a good idea torpedoed by lame execution: the evil is created stupidly, and defeated because the writers say so. It seems written to give Ianto a chance to speak his heart to Jack.

Radio drama isn't for everyone. It tells a different kind of story than TV, requiring audiences to be much more active. But these stories deepen and broaden the Torchwood experience, letting us know and love the characters more deeply before we have to say goodbye to some. Smart, funny, and gripping, these aren't mere gimmicks, these are true Torchwood episodes for true fans.