The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell

The Torchwood Archives Reviews

• 
  Ken

  Written as a series of by investigative journalist Warren Martyn, this fun in-depth look at the hit show Torchwood.
  
  With plenty of photographs, newspaper cuttings and various post it notes you can easily tell that a lot of care went into this book.
  
  It’s a fun quirky guide that all fans of the show will enjoy.
• 
  Kastiel .

  I loved how throughout the ongoing notes you can see Ianto and Jack’s relationship growing.
• 
  Yoda Bor

  Voilà un joli livre qui s’adresse à toutes les personnes souhaitant en apprendre plus sur les évènements survenus dans les deux premières saisons de la série Torchwood.
  Si je n’en ai quasiment jamais parlé sur ce blog, sachez que j’aime beaucoup cette série qui est une dérivée de Doctor Who et qui se déroule entre la fin de la saison 2 et la fin de la saison 4 de sa série mère.
  
  Ce livre approfondit donc les enquêtes menées en prenant la forme des recherches effectuées par un certain Warren Martyn, journaliste, que Ianto Jones a réussi à intercepter avant publication pour les consigner dans les archives du sous sol afin d’inciter les autres membres de l’équipe à se montrer plus vigilants.
  
  La première partie est consacrée à l’historique de Torchwood depuis sa création par la reine Victoria. C’est technique, avec beaucoup de dates, mais aussi très intéressant, avec des informations sur ce que sont devenues les autres branches, notamment les rumeurs courant autour de la disparition de Torchwood 4, mais aussi sur les membres de l’équipe.
  Le fait que beaucoup de documents soient écrits manuellement apporte beaucoup authenticité.
  
  La deuxième partie du livre est consacrée aux affaires traitées, reprises sous la forme de rapports de Jack, agrémentés des propres recherches du journaliste, ce qui apporte un éclairage neuf.
  
  Si j’étais persuadée ne pas me souvenir de l’intégralité des épisodes de ces deux saisons, les faits me sont rapidement revenus en mémoire et j’ai beaucoup aimé tout le matériel ajouté qui facilité l’immersion.
  
  Ce livre n’a aucun intérêt si vous ne connaissez pas la série. Au contraire, vous risquez même de vous spoiler tous les évènements, ce qui serait fort dommage.
  En revanche, c’est un indispensable pour toute personne fan de la série ou quiconque voulant se replonger dans l’univers.
• 
  Vanessa

  Every time I get sad about what Torchwood has become after season two, I go back to this book.
  
  It starts with a reporter writing a book on Torchwood, having files and pictures of everything. Of course this being Torchwood, he disappeared and Ianto Jones, seeing it as his personal responsibility to warn future agents about being more secretive and careful, completed it to ad it to the archives.
  
  So basically this book is a collection of information, pictures, trivia and little tidbits presented as something the characters themselves actually used/created/put their cups of coffee on. It's pretty well made and simply a joy to look through. It was especially nice to see characters who are not Jack and Gwen get a bit more focus. They felt more fleshed out to me after reading this book than watching the show.
  
  The thing I probably loved most were the "ongoing archive notes" written by Captain Jack Harkness himself at the back of the book. Every episode got a few pages dedicated to them that not only recapped the basic plot, but also gave more information about the new characters, relevant in-universe newspaper clips, memos and notes by the other characters.
  I loved to see Jack's relationships (especially with Ianto) develop in this book, when the series often neglected them with the exception of Gwen.
  (Also forever grateful that Martha Jones' relationship with the awesome Doctor (not that one) was mentioned. I'll be forever annoyed by her canon marital status tbh.)
  
  The book stops right when the series went to hell (in my opinion), so it's all in all thoroughly enjoyable for other people like me, who don't care for/ignore lots of stuff after season 2.
• 
  Yvonne Alf

  If you are a fan of the show, I think it's essential reading material. It's not an episode guide, it adds information, insight and emotional depth to each episode of the first two seasons. In the beginning it focuses on the characters, also with lots of fun extra trivia. The whole book is set up as an investigational report/book of a journalist called Warren Martyn. It's beautifully done from beginning to end - fully colored with lots of photos. I prefer books like this over normal episode guides which you usually don't read anyway.
• 
  Sophie Swift

  Really enjoyed this one. I loved the extra insight into the episodes we've seen and more information about the brilliant characters in the series, too. A great read for all Torchwood fans.
• 
  lizzie

  perfect addition/companion to the show with lots of references to canon bur lots of added stuff as wel!
• 
  Mendy

  Oh my freaking god, I love this book! I’m a huge Torchwood and Doctor Who fan (as if you didn’t know by now) and this is just perfect. This is the best reference book for Torchwood and it stays in character as well.
  
  Although it took me quite some time to finish it, because this is one of those books you have lying around your house and whenever you feel like it you pick it up and read a couple of chapters. But the detailed background information it gives you for season 1 and 2 of Torchwood is amazing.
  
  Basically the story goes a reporter got hold of the classified files of Torchwood and tried to write a book about it, only he mysteriously disappeared (as well as everyone involved into publishing the book), so eventually Ianto is the one who put the book together and filed it in the archives underneath Torchwood 3 (until it got blown into little pieces, damn you Captain Jack Harkness).
  
  But I love all the detailed pictures from the episodes, together with this personal diary from Jack telling what happened that week inside the Hub, filled with newspaper clippings and sticky notes from the supposed author / reporter.
  
  It’s in the same range as the ‘Sherlock: the Casebook’ book and the newly published ‘Doctor Who: The Doctor – His Lives and Times’ and I’m such a geek to now have all three of them in my possession.
  
  Hell yeah this gets a big 10 out of 10 from me. If you are a die-hard whovian / Torchwood fan you need to have this in your possession. No matter what, buy it! No seriously, get that copy, now!
• 
  Melinda

  I read this from cover to cover. I liked the way it was set up with behind the scenes extras and information about each of the characters. I really wanted to buy it because I was nerding hard on the show. I know that it's a bit of an episode guide but I didn't realize it at the time. It didn't read like a episode guide to me but I was familiar enough with the general show to follow along.
  
  I think that the book gives more perspective on the characters and I really love that it's from the perspective of a journalist who broke into Torchwood and created indepth files on everyone and the projects they are working on. Of course since Torchwood is Torchwood none of these files ever left the Institute.
  
  I should re-read this book again at some future point.
• 
  Beth

  You'll only need to read this if you're a huge fan of the show. It's written as an outsider's research about Torchwood and the team, having been taken and being placed in the archives. It also provides some background information that isn't available or not as easily recognized within the show itself. If you're a fanfictiom writer that tries to stay close to canon, this can help. It can also help map out timelines, though there has yet to be a finitive timeline set for the series, even after its end. The only downside, in my opinion, is that it solely focuses on the show aspect of Torchwood and includes nothing about the cases in the novels and audiobooks.
• 
  Dana

  Of course you're not going to read this unless you are a fan of the show. If you are a fan of the show, you will like this. It's nothing special, I will admit that, but it does add a bit more to the world that we miss so dearly. I like the concept behind this campanion piece much more than other companion books I've read and think that overall, they do a great job. Jack's Captain's log is easily the highlight of the book.
  
  For more on it, visit here
  http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013...
  
• 
  Daniel Kukwa

  As a connoisseur of behind-the-scenes books and program guides, I find this volume to be a bit less effective than the verisimilitude one finds in books such as the Star Trek "tech" manuals. A little too earnest for my tastes, although younger fans and newcomers will find a great deal to enjoy. It's certainly put together with a great deal of care and attention...and Gary Russell's enthusiasm for the material is contagious.
• 
  Lizabeth Tucker

  A great reference book, done like a scrapbook compiled by the investigative author, that covers Series 1 of Torchwood as well as the first book. All the Captain's reports are included, photos, and the various types of reports and clippings that would be natural to gather if you were investigating the mystery that is Torchwood.
  
  If you're a fan of the show, do yourself a favor and get your hardback copy of this book.
  
• 
  Becket

  Yet another multimedia foray into geekdom...read only if you're a hardcore Dr. Who/Torchwood fan.
• 
  Alesia

  A thoroughly enjoyable companion piece to the first 2 series.
• 
  Nicole

  I enjoyed this book and the background info it provided.
• 
  Max Kooyman

  Beautiful expansion to the series!!!