Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97277 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-04
• Released on: 2008-02-04
• Format: Audiobook
• Binding: Audio CD

Synopsis
The Torchwood team is involved in a dangerous race against time in this exclusive story read by Burn Gorman outside the government, beyond the police, fighting for the future on behalf of the human race. The 21st century is when everything changes and Torchwood is ready. Led by the mysterious and enigmatic Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood delves into the unknown and fights the impossible...Across Cardiff, ordinary people are behaving in odd ways: saying hello to complete strangers, and going out of their way to greet one another.Torchwood discovers that an alien communications field is gathering strength in the area. The team must find the device responsible and shut it off - before civil unrest engulfs the whole city. Burn Gorman, who plays Owen in the hit BBC TV series created by Russell T Davies, reads this exclusive audio story by Dan Abnett. The cover photograph shows John Barrowman as Captain Jack, Eve Myles as Gwen, Burn Gorman as Owen, Naoko Mori as Toshiko, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto. This story takes place during the second series of Torchwood. This book contains adult themes and language.

Customer Reviews

attack of the morning people
This is a totally original story involving torchwood, characters from the bbc show about a secret group in cardiff that protects the world from aliens and dangerous technology that comes through a rift in time in the city. It's written as a short novel and read by actor burn gorman, well known for his role as owen harper in the show. It runs for roughly two and a half hours, and is spread out over two discs, each of seventy five minutes in duration.

The story involves torchwood investigating why people are suddenly doing nothing but talk non stop to complete strangers. as the city dissolves into chaos as a result of all this, can torchwood find the cause and save the day?

As a torchwood story this is a pretty decent one, and as a novel not bad. there are a lot of very well drawn supporting characters. although regular character ianto and tosh don't get very much to do.

Actor burn gorman is a very good reader and enjoyable to listen to. It's initially quiet disconcerting to hear someone say torchwood over the theme and for it to not be john barrowman! He does the vocal mannerisms of all the characters, especially the regulars very well, although doesn't quite manage to recreate the voices of all of them.

The story is divided into six chapters, each running roughly twenty five minutes. chapter four is split between discs one and two. and this is the one flaw with the whole thing, as it's paced more like a novel than an audio so it does get a bit much to listen to in one go. I recommend taking breaks in between chapters. added to which, chapter five is rather padded and could easily have been cut down, and the whole resolution in chapter six feels a bit rushed.

Also please note that like the show it contains adult scenes and situations and language.

Not bad, but I agree with the reviewer who gave it 3.5 out of 5

Everyone Says Hello
The Torchwood team find themselves up against a rogue alien communications device in this exclusive audio story read by Burn Gorman (Owen Harper).

'Everyone Says Hello' has a pleasantly offbeat central premise, with the inhabitants of Cardiff forced into exchanging banalities with each other leading to the virtual collapse of the city. It's a nice idea, but it has to be said that stretched out to approx 2.5 hours it does become a little wearing. Like sister audio story 'Hidden' this adventure feels very S-L-O-W, as what may have felt like a pacy adventure on the page becomes bloated by the audiobook format, with really only enough plot to cover 1 CDs worth of action.

Burn Gorman does a reasonable job of the reading, throwing himself into passable impressions of the rest of the Torchwood regulars and a whole host of Welsh accents, though he seems incapable of capturing Captain Jacks American twang.

All in all this is an interesting story, and slightly superior to 'Hidden' in that ut has a more satisfying ending, but I still feel that the producers of these CDs need to work on the pacing of stories written exclusively for audio.

3.5 out of 5

Burn Gorman's Performance is Outstanding!
Burn Gorman is outstanding in this exclusive audio book from Torchwood series two. He doesn't narrate the story but actually PEFORMS it with all of the mannersisms, inflectures and vocal energy he would use if he were performing this for TV or the stage. It's obvious that he has read the book himself before the recording (not all Torchwood audio plays can make that claim!) and his enthusiasm makes the story more engaging and maintains interest.

Dan Abnett's script is entirely suited to the realm of audio. It's more accessible than the other Torchwood stories available and begins on a lazy summer's day. Gone is the need for knowledge of the show's underlying plotlines and continuity. It's all in with fun interplay between characters and strange takes on life's ordinariness. How many people will listen to this on the bus or whilst standing in a queue and feel for the protagonist's emotions? If "Everyone Says Hello" unfolded on the printed page it would lose its impact and enjoyment.

Its sister volume, "Hidden", the other exclusive Torchwood audiobook released at the same time, fares less well. Despite a polished reading by Naoko Mori (although she enunciates her "g"'s softly, such that the "g" in "aged" is pronounced like the second "g" in "garage" instead of the first!), Hidden seems to have been a Torchwood novel simply translated to CD.

"Everyone Says Hello" doesn't have the plot to sustain three CDs like the first run of Torchwood audios, though fills the two discs admirably. Gorman does a first rate job in breathing life into the most incidental of characters and after a million different ways of saying the word "hello" he still finds ways of making it refreshing and never staid (though he must be sick of the word by the end of the CDs!)

Burn Gorman expresses talents here that are at times overshadowed by the moody, self-absorbed, and at times unlikable, Owen he portrays on TV (and occasionally obnoxious, dour stereotypes on other shows like Marple). These CDs showcase potential that is hopefully capitalised on the show in the future, makes for more interesting viewing and would be more enjoyable to play.

Ianto is in series one form in "Everyone Says Hello" with his role reduced to a cameo. All we need now is an Ianto-centred Torchwood narration by Gareth David-Lloyd to complete the set. Currently Burn Gorman, followed by Eve Myles, leads the way in strong audio presentation.

Watch out for the "Have you seen the light?" beer pun on disk two!