Product Description

Alien larvae in a baptismal font mark the beginnings of a terrifying adventure for the "Torchwood" team in this exclusive audio adventure, read by Gareth David-Lloyd. Searching for the source of a bizarre Rift reading, Gwen, Jack and Ianto find a corpse on the beach, his face covered in hundreds of tiny cuts. Watching from the shadows is a man in black...The Reverend Hayward thinks he has found a way to take away people's sins. The trouble is, his special baptisms tend to take away their lives too. For the creatures he collects and puts in his church font are nightmarish parasites, feeding on their hosts' negative emotions before consuming them. It is up to Torchwood to track them down and destroy them...Written specially for audio by Brian Minchin, the "Torchwood" TV series assistant producer, "The Sin Eaters" 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 contains adult themes and language.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22372 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-18
• Format: Audiobook
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Good Overall Fun
Whilst some Torchwood audiobooks can seem slow, the The Sin Eaters is a fast and fun story. A priest has been collecting small creatures from the sea and using them to clense people's minds of their sins, initially making them feel good about themselves but with a terrible ending.

The Sin Eaters is certainly a fun story, with plenty of action involving the SUV and boats and also humourous moments between the three main characters. The relationships between Jack/Ianto and Gwen/Rhys are particularly well protrayed, with genuine fun and affection coming through within both couples but without making them too sugary - Gwen still fancies her boss and Ianto is still a little unsure about how to view his relationship with Jack.

The reading by Gareth David-Lloyd is particularly fun and energetic and he gets the voices of Jack and Rhys almost spot on.

Good overall fun.

Best of the Torchwood Audio Books to Date
Like many fans of the TV series, I turn to the novels for the characters more than the plot. True to most Torchwood novels, this one suffers from a weak mystery, although it's entertaining. If I were rating the plot alone, I'd give it only 2 or 3 stars.

What sets this audio book apart from previous ones is Gareth David-Lloyd's interpretation of characters and his marvelous reading voice. He gets voices and characterizations spot on; it's easy to visualize characters having a conversation without wondering who's who. However, his reading voice alone is worth a listen; his familiarity with Torchwood's nuances of characterization just adds another reason to appreciate his performance. I hope that he'll read more audio books, both in the Torchwood series and other fiction. GDL's interpretation of the text raised my overall rating to 4 stars; I give his performance 5 stars.

The Sin Eaters offers glimpses into the Ianto/Jack or Gwen/Rhys dynamic that we haven't seen in the TV series. Rhys continues to grow as a supporting character; he's gradually becoming Gwen's true partner in every sense of the word. Janto fans should be happy with insights into Jack's "Ianto time" when the world doesn't need immediate saving. The story illustrates the playful side of Ianto's intelligence and does a good job of leading into "Children of Earth"'s exploration of the Ianto/Jack relationship.

As another reviewer noted, the book is a quick "read" and entertaining. Although the plot may not be memorable, the experience of listening to GDL tell the story is. Add a few new character details, and you've got an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

A classic Torchwood tale
I bought this "sight unseen" on the basis that as Brian Minchin was Torchwood's script editor and Gareth David-Lloyd has a voice made for reading aloud, it couldn't possibly be a disappointment. And I am glad to say that I was correct in my assumptions. It's a fun adventure - but also gruesome and scary in parts - Ianto's fear of swimming in the open sea struck a particular nerve with me. However, these scenes were offset by Ianto's use of the secret features of the SUV with humorous consequences and the introduction of the Torchwood speedboat. (I think Brian Minchin is not only a James Bond fan, but also a Top Gear Fan). The characterisations are spot on and so are GDL's readings - however, I don't think he absolutely nails Captain Jack's particular accent.

My only question is, when is GDL going to read another audio-book?