T2 Trainspotting

By: Irvine Welsh

Narrated by: Tam Dean Burn

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

T2 Trainspotting was previously published as Porno.

Now a major film directed by Danny Boyle reuniting the cast of Trainspotting.

Years on from Trainspotting Sick Boy is back in Edinburgh after a long spell in London. Having failed spectacularly as a hustler, pimp, husband, father and businessman, Sick Boy taps into an opportunity which to him represents one last throw of the dice. However, to realise his ambitions within the Adult industries, Sick Boy must team up with old pal and fellow exile Mark Renton. Still scheming, still scamming, Sick Boy and Renton soon find out that they have unresolved issues to address concerning the unhinged Begbie, the troubled, drug-addled Spud, but, most of all, with each other.

©2002 Irvine Welsh (P)2002 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Welsh has an uncanny talent for dialogue, and his writing is often diamond sharp." (Publishers Weekly)

Good, not great

T2 is good but it's missing the magic and depth of the original book and both of the movies. Narrator Tam Dean Burn couldn't have been better. His performances were flawless.

...where's the rest of it??!?

Being one of the best installments in this fantastic 5 book series I was disappointed with how much was missing. Whole sections of chapters and dialogue including key story points. The whole thing seemed rushed from start to finish.

More skagboy fun, less depth than Trainspotting

What did you love best about Porno?

Spending more time in the minds of the skagboys is fun, but this work seems to lack the insight and depth that made Welsh's earlier work blossom. It felt like the attention shifted greatly from some of the complex and three dimensional characters, to some of the flat, less contemplative characters. Perhaps I just enjoyed Mark Renton's outspoken philosophical rants, but he is more on the periphery of this work.

What does Tam Dean Burn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Tam Dean Burn does an amazing job. I enjoy his delivery, and believe it really helps, as I sometimes am able to gather the context/ meaning of the heavy dialect/ slang. I'm looking forward to hearing more of his work with Irvine Welsh.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Daniel "Spud" Murphy's introspection and attempt to make something of his life are both heartfelt, and sad, as he begins to reflect on his life, and move forward.

Any additional comments?

This is in regards solely to the audiobook platform, but there was a huge decline in quality.
1) It seems like this book is only available in an abridged form (although I'm not sure how much was altered).
2) The recording itself also had some glaring issues. It was more muffled than Trainspotting, and I found myself having to turn the volume up more to try and listen clearly. Also there was distracting background noise throughout, (someone else in an office, possibly?).
3) The chapters were not properly edited, so 1-2 seconds are abruptly chopped off at the end of each chapter, sometimes mid-sentence.

Cuts are jumpy

Transitions into new chapters are abrupt and jumpy. Might make you think that something has skipped. Love the narration, though!

Enjoyed this syory

Very good author. Very good characters. Well worth the money in my opinion. The narrator is very good too .

Terrible editing

Have you listened to any of Tam Dean Burn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Tam Dean Burn's narration and the editing of Trainspotting and Skagboys was awesome. I expected the same from Porno. Burn's performance was probably amazing again but the sound quality was below par, the narration speed was too fast, and the overall editing was so poor that if I had picked this book as my first experience with him, I wouldn't have listened to anything else he did. A shame really.

Danny Boyle saved Irvine Welsh's story

poorly-paced but mildly entertaining. Danny Boyle did Welsh a huge favor by restructuring this aimless calamity into an actual sequel, with addictive weavings of several sub-plots that culminate in a grand finale.