Torchwood: The Exodus Code

This is a fast paced adventure yarn that goes many places in the world and through most of the twentieth and into the twenty first century.

I like happy endings and I did like this one. Most of the good guys came out all right in the end.

Jack Harkness falling out of the sky like a big bird onto a sacred incan mountain in Peru was my favorite. I could just see it so clearly in my mind's eye.

When Jack would sacrifice himself but refused to alow a young girl to be one as well was so heart wrenching for him.

Some knowledge of the BBC TV show Torchwood though not essential would greatly expand your understanding and enjoyment of this novel. The male author also played the character of Jack Harkness in the show. For that reason the characterizations are spot on.

Exodus Code moves the story of Captain Jack Harkness forward. The combination of John Barrowman's insight into the character he plays, and Carol Barrowman's writing skill has produced a thoughtful, gripping tale that both reaches back into memory of previous characters yet embracing new ones. Past characters were honored, and new ones were fully sketched. Although the Captain has moved on from the trauma of Children of the Earth and Miracle Day, memories still haunt the immortal man. However the wit and swagger is back. Carol's descriptions of the people and landscapes are vivid, especially in Peru. I especially enjoyed the witty sexual tension in the relationship of Jack and Renso in the beginning of the book. The confrontation scene between Gwen and Rys was chilling. The scenes on Ice Maiden were engaging and believable. The Torchwood signature traits of action, drama, and sly humor were all in the mix.

Russell T Davies's Captain Jack Harkness is one of the most complex and interesting characters in modern science fiction, and this story moves the character forward. Even though I was disappointed that John did not have time to do the audio book himself, Daniel Pirrie did a good job with all the accents, especially Jack's. I bought both the book then the audio, and it was money well spent. Best Torchwood book ever!

Yes, if it's another Dr Who or Torchwood themed story. This book moves very slowly for at least the first half: if not for the Torchwood characters I probably would have stopped listening 2 hours in. Daniel Pirrie's characterisations were amusing, especially when he used the stereotypical GeoW Bush voice to represent how the British hear all Americans' accents, and then performed the dialog using their British pronunciations. e.g. to Americans a "Geezer" is an old codger where as a "geyser" is an erupting spring of water.

I reviewed my copy of The Masque of Mandragora classic DW episode again.

I don't know if John Barrowman can write, but with the help of his sister, Carole Barrowman, he put together a really fun Torchwood-themed novel. The performance was okay - the narrator can even do American accents without making all American characters sound like they're from Texas. But Jack's and Gwen's voices were off considerably; it might have been better to use the original actors.