The Twilight Streets (Torchwood, #6) by Gary Russell

The Twilight Streets (Torchwood, #6) Reviews

• 
  ᴥ Irena ᴥ

  3.5
  Hard to rate. There are moments that made me want to scream, but since this is basically an all Jack story, I think it deserves a higher rating from me.
  For those who have watched Torchwood, they know Billis Manger very well. It is one of the most enigmatic enemies they have.
  
  The whole story revolves around a part of Cardiff that nobody can do anything about. Every time someone tries to do something about it, nothing happens. Every time people try to live there, something drives them away. It is not surprising then that there are a lot of ghost stories connected to Tretarri. Even Jack isn't immune to it. While people can at least try to live, make it better or whatever they tried to do there, Jack can't can't even enter.
  
  I loved the idea for the story. Torchwood fans won't be surprised by Billis Manger's ability to show a future to Jack's team. The events from End of Days are mentioned too.
  
  The events here show exactly the kind of people Jack works with. I know that some might argue that all that was imaginary or that they were out of character (I disagree), but most of the actions were exactly the things those people would do given enough chance. Jack's team is the most incompetent group of petty, insecure and jealous individuals I've seen. Only Ianto is worthy to be anywhere near Jack. And Rhys too, but he isn't a team member.
  It doesn't matter whether the events are true or not, this is exactly what would happen.
  
• 
  Iamshadow

  Absolute rubbish. The characters managed to be both flat and unrecognisable, while the author got carried away with a fanciful and ridiculous plot that frequently confused and annoyed me. Don't waste your time. There are fan fiction authors out there writing far, far better stories. Get on live journal and read dsudis'
  Get Loved, Make More, Try To Stay Alive, demotu's
  A Matter of Time, sam_storyteller's
  The Doctor and Mr Jones or
  The Theory of Two Centres, or d8rkmessngr's
  The Oncoming Storm instead.
• 
  Elle

  If only this were an actual episode! I feel that this novel brought more to the characters than what we saw onscreen and helped to add more depth to the overall canon. I loved how we were given a new look at the DW episode 'Boom Town' and its fallout as well as a better look at the team post season 2 premiere. It was interesting to see Bilis Manger in a different setting and, if RTD had decided to pace the show out more, I feel that it would have been interesting to see how events in DW like 'Boom Town', 'The Stolen Earth', and 'Journey's End' impacted the characters. Overall, a very solid addition to the Whoniverse.
• 
  Nat

  By far my favourite (as of now)! Loved the team's dynamics, the friendly banter as we see it in the series and especially the Jack-Ianto-scenes ugh. Oh and Bilis Manger, of course. That'd quite a way to make a villain something that's not quite evil and not good either.
  Jus loved it!
• 
  V.L. Locey

  This is the Torchwood I fell in love with.
  
  Banter, aliens, flirtations, Jack and Ianto embracing the attraction between them. Toss in Bilis Manger and you have all the ingredients for a darn fine novel, especially for fans of the show. A fast paced romp with the gang from the Hub that flowed well and kept me turning pages at a breakneck speed. Well done, Mr. Russell!
• 
  Kiri

  Not impressed. I've enjoyed the Doctor Who novels more than this, my first Torchwood novel. The quality of the writing leaves a lot to be desired - not very sophisticated. Much like a Doctor Who novel with a lot of references to sex added.
• 
  Sarah

  Loved the Janto flirting, the general plot was interesting and I liked Bilis Manger as the foe to the Torchwood team (and wish we´d seen more of him in the tv show). The possible future Bilis showed the team was so interesting I wanted much more of it too.
  
  Unfortunately the book was a bit short (about 240 pages) and couldn´t develop the plot well enough to be believable and some of the characterisations also fell flat. Other than the audio books and audio plays there are no actors who can make some stupid dialogue sound good or at least tolerable.
  
  I gave this 3 stars because it was an enjoyable experience even though it won´t go down in history as one of my favourite Torchwood productions outside of the actual TV show.
• 
  Eline

  I've already shared most of my thoughts with a friend, but basically this wasn't really the story for me. I couldn't properly get into it and I felt lost a lot of the time. However, I loved recognising a few of the places in Cardiff that were mentioned, and it had a few very strong Ianto moments, including:
  
  Gwen smiled, nudged his arm. ‘Oh come on, smile. Lisa, Jack… being bisexual is hardly a crime. Best of both worlds, isn’t it?’
  
  And Ianto pushed her away. ‘No, Gwen. No, really it’s bloody not. It’s the worst of any world because you don’t really belong anywhere, because you are never sure of yourself or those around you. You can’t trust in anyone, their motives or their intentions. And because of that, you have, in a world that likes its nice shiny labels, no true identity. For Torchwood’s “Little Miss Sensitive”, you don’t half talk crap sometimes. So do me a favour and shut up about it, all right?’
  
  This is following an in-depth discussion of ABBA, which I also appreciate.
• 
  Wayland Smith

  This is the sixth of the novels based on Torchwood, a dark spin off from Doctor Who. Personally, I'm a big fan of the show, which is why I was interested in the novels in the first place. I've found them to be uneven, but this is one of the better ones.
  
  Among the elements at play here are serveral characters from both the Dr. Who and Torchwood series returning, a section of town that Torchwood leader Jack Harkness can't enter and the mystery behind it, and a very dark future version of what could have happend to the Torchwood crew.
  
  I thought this was well done. It's largely about Jack, my favorite of the characters. There were also good scenes with the others, including a nice part where Ianto gets a bit of steel in his spine and tells of Gwen. I liked the characterizations and the ties to the shows.
  
  The "evil" Torchwood in the future actually made a lot of sense, not just a "we turned them evil to tell a story, isn't it cool?" kinda thing. And the ugly secret behind it was a nice reveal I won't spoil here.
  
  I enjoyed this one, and thought it was a great addition to the stories of Torchwood. I still wish they'd bring the show back.
• 
  Allie Ford

  Jack Harkness is Cardiff's protector. Except there's a small block of streets he can't visit. He's never been able to visit. Attempts see him becoming more nauseous and unwell the further he tries to get. And no-one knows why. Until now.
  
  This book is very on-again, off-again. Some parts race past, while others are less engaging. It manages to make me want to learn more about one of my least favourite characters, Bilis Manger, provides glimpses into Jack's history and relationships with the team, and the characterisation is on track for most of the book. I felt like some parts were just re-hashes of End of Days, and others were a bit too obvious, but overall it was still an enjoyable read.
• 
  Evamaria

  A friend gave me this and I read it in one day. I must say I was surprised how good it was - not brilliant (TV tie-ins rarely are), but it reads like an episode, and all characters get their moments (epecially Ianto, which makes me happy). Plus there's lots of continuity, making it really feel like part of the Torchwood universe.
• 
  Cynthia Panza

  Strange but great
  
  This story brings back our vilian Bilis Manger from “Captain Jack Harkness” and he isn’t very nice is this story either. He wants revenge on Jack. Don’t want to spoil the story anymore. But very good as always just like the tv series. More about Jack and Ianto’s relationship also.
• 
  Moli

  It was my first time reading a Torchwood book and I can say it was a real pleasure. It felt like watching the show, the characters were witty, smart and funny; the story was really interesting and I was hooked, finished the book in a day! I already ordered the next tome and I hope to find the same level of writing.
• 
  Susanne

  I agree with what many others have said - great book! I read it in one sitting (which I hadn't planned on but I couldn't put it down).
  I especially like how this book embraces the relationship between Jack and Ianto.
• 
  Via ⚡️

  A great Torchwood story, which satiated my thirst for more Ianto content!
  Although the plot was a little confusing at times, due to both narrative structure and confusing sci-fi things, I enjoyed the eeriness and drama. 3.5 stars.
• 
  owyn

  one star removed for a heinous cover and i didn’t really know what was going on but the gay people more than make up for it
• 
  Juli

  lightweight but fun
• 
  Erin Curran

  I honestly wish there was a 🤷🏻‍♀️ rating because I really don't know what I think. Which is sort of a first for me. Like I'm genuinely unsure what to say and was completely stumped on how to rate it, obviously settling for a middling mark, slightly above average because I enjoyed more than I didn't.
  
  I've had a complex relationship with Doctor Who and Torchwood novels where I enjoy them, but most of the time I haven't a clue what is going on. When it comes to the explanations as the story nears conclusion I always get so confused. Maybe I'm stupid and the Doctor Who universe doesn't translate into literature well for me. The Twilight Streets were no different. I've come out of reading this book with Light light and Dark light spinning in my head with no actual understanding of how the resolution worked. Or how the possessions worked. Or what the hell Bilis' actual role was.
  
  I enjoyed the inclusion of Idris as it was a nice call back to Series One of Doctor Who and Jack's first visit to Cardiff. However, I don't know if the writers of both the show and this book are tone deaf, but surely they knew that the audience that had become so invested in Jack and Ianto's relationship weren't going to enjoy reading Jack slobbering over other men all the time. Sure, it's part of Jack's character to be a flirt but I genuinely believe the writers-even when it came to the actual show-had a fundamental misunderstanding of how having Jack and Ianto in a relationship would effect people. Particularly when it wasn't given much development and Jack barely shows any affection for Ianto until its necessary for the plot. That could just be me though.
  
  I did enjoy reading the main Torchwood team doing their usual Torchwood stuff when an irregularity is realised. I always enjoy Ianto's character in particular, even if I don't believe for one second that he would give a toss about what Gwen of all people thought of him. That's an impressive feat this book achieved: Gwen wasn't her usual unbearable self! It's was particularly enjoyable when Ianto shut her down for blabbering on about his sexuality when he was clearly uncomfortable with it. If I werent tried to rare this book seriously I'd have given five stars for that moment alone.
  
  But, ultimately, this book was just an eh? from me. Still have no idea what happened or why but enjoyed the character interactions the most. The front cover is laughable though. If there was a poster boy for the "we live in a society" meme, that photo of Ianto would be it.
• 
  Aricia Gavriel

  This looked as if it had the potential to be something very special, but the writing lets it down big time (or perhaps Gary Russell should be comprehensively edited, and wasn't), and ... well, if these novels get any shorter --! I think this one manages to reach about 50,000 words, and the hardcover is bulked out with so much whitespace, one mourns on behalf of trees.
  
  For me, Russell didn't "get" the characters, which further robs the reading experience. *sigh* Maybe I'm just getting too picky in my old age? I've read ten of the Torchwood books (I believe there were 19??) and eventually I decided to call it there, because the costs involved far outweigh the reading pleasure most of these books deliver. Damn.
  
  Warning: impending rant:
  
  Why doesn't an actual FAN write a really great novel ... and why won't BBC look at better quality Torchwood fiction? You can't convince me that fannish writers don't try to show them great novels, bbut they prefer to publish very substandard fiction, almost as if dealing with fannish writers is a taboo. Ack. Grrrr. Okay, rant over.
• 
  Mercedes Zhang

  It is a very nice novel with some description about a very fascinating future which I like best. If you are a janto fan this won't let you down and even you are just a Ianto fan, this book also shows a brave- as - always Ianto who actually save the world (and the future). Also if you are quite into the relationship between Tosh and Owen, you can find really nice connection and interaction between these two characters in this book. And it also has a very intriguing ending.
• 
  Yvonne Alf

  In the beginning the writing felt a bit uneven. Especially the team dynamic in the beginning was a bit odd. But as the story progressed it really grew on me. I loved that it was kind of a sequel to End Of Days, which also helps the episode (need to rewatch). I especially liked the sequences of the 'possible future'. Scary and intriguing.
• 
  Dante:)

  When I heard people saying that this one is the best book in the series they weren’t lying
  
  It felt like I was read a Torchwood episode all the characters were written so well and the story was great
  
  If you like Torchwood I would highly recommend this book
• 
  Lisa Emmerson

  A little more complicated than most books in the series so far, nice to see some different ideas
• 
  FernLovesBooks

  Love the Janto-ness in the one
• 
  Cole Williams

  Best Torchwood book so far
• 
  Pat

  Nice build-up, though the explanation-resolution was ... meh.
• 
  Inaffablejames

  Very interesting read, poor torchwood, nothing good can ever happen to them.
• 
  Alena

  As with much of Torchwood EU, I have conflicting feelings about this book. On the one hand, it has some great individual scenes, zippy one-liners, and the return of Idris Hopper (a minor Doctor Who character who was originally slated to fill the position later occupied by Ianto Jones). On the other, the characterizations are uneven (and in the case of Jack, bordering on disturbing), and the plot is confusing. Though parts of the book are enjoyable, it's somehow unsatisfying as a whole.

  The plot is convoluted and a bit difficult to follow. Series 1 antagonist Bilis Manger returns--I'll confess, he wasn't my favorite villain--and absconds with members of Torchwood 3, and there is another Big Threat coming from the rift. There's some flashy-but-not-really-relevant drama involving clowns, and some general techno-magic handwaving about the resolution (we did a Science Thing! we don't need to explain how!). This is peppered with interesting character moments throughout, as members of the team see themselves enacting potential future scenarios.

  But I can forgive the weak conflict; after all, the TV series was notorious for those, and let's be honest--nobody reads Torchwood for the plot. It's not science fiction; it's a character-driven fantasy series with aliens, and the characters are what we really came for, right?

  This brings me to my biggest gripe with this book: What the heck is going on with Jack? In spite of substantial character growth (both in the TV series and in previous novel installments), he has somehow reverted to being the self-absorbed jerk he was early in the series. Even though he and Ianto are supposed to be pursuing a more romantic relationship by this point, Jack taunts Ianto, lies to him, blows him off, and is generally rude. (Contrast this with the previous book in the series, Trace Memory, in which Jack is sensitive to Ianto's hurt feelings when one of Jack's previous lovers shows up, and they end up talking through it and holding hands). When Jack encounters Idris Hopper, it is revealed [very minor spoiler, but tagged for safety] that in the past, Jack tried to Retcon Idris and then take him home--which is basically drug-assisted rape at that point. THAT IS NOT OKAY, JACK.

  Idris Hopper is one of the high points of this book, though I don't think he was utilized to his full potential. Supposedly, the character was originally meant to return in Torchwood, but was replaced during series development with the character of Ianto Jones. This background knowledge makes for some fun moments when Idris and Ianto are compared by other characters, or when they face off in person (usually being catty over Jack, because that's as deep as this book goes, though I would have loved to see them have a real sass contest). Idris is refreshing because he's one person Jack's charm doesn't work on, and while he's not as snarky as Ianto or (Torchwood Big Finish audio character) Norton Folgate, he has the potential to be another source of dry wit under stress. (Something for the writers of future installments to think about, perhaps?)

  In summary, the book has good moments, and some pithy and quotable lines, but overall it's not one of the best plots in the series. It's not a good jumping-on point, but Torchwood fans who are completists will want to check it out. Just realize that you may not like Jack much in this installment.