Slow Decay
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| Torchwood book | |
 |
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| Slow Decay | |
|---|---|
| Release number | 2 |
| Featuring | Jack Harkness Gwen Cooper Owen Harper Toshiko Sato Ianto Jones |
| Writer | Andy Lane |
| Publisher | BBC Books |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-563-48655-8 |
| Set between | Ghost Machine and Cyberwoman |
| No. of pages | 250 |
| Release date | 4 January 2007 |
| Preceded by | Another Life |
| Followed by | Border Princes |
Slow Decay is a BBC Books original novel written by Andy Lane and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.
Like all Torchwood spin-off media, its canonicity in relation to the television series remains unclear.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
When Torchwood track an energy surge to a Cardiff nightclub, the team finds the police are already at the scene. Five teenagers have died in a fight, and lying among the bodies is an extraterrestrial device. Next morning, they discover the corpse of a Weevil, its face and neck eaten away, seemingly by human teeth. And on the streets of Cardiff, an ordinary woman with an extraordinary hunger is attacking people and eating her victims.
The job of a lifetime it may be, but working for Torchwood is putting big strains on Gwen's relationship with Rhys. While she decides to spice up their love life with the help of alien technology, Rhys decides it's time to sort himself out - better music, healthier food, lose some weight. Luckily, a friend has mentioned Doctor Scotus' weight loss clinic...
[edit] Plot summary
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[edit] Continuity
- An ambiguous operation known as Operation: Goldenrod is mentioned in all the Torchwood novels, although Slow Decay gives more information about the incident. At the time it happened, Suzie Costello had still been part of the team. The Operation involved a piece of hugely complex alien technology that reconfigured itself every once in a while, and people melted together during sexual congress by Goldenrod. The Torchwood archives have an entire room dedicated to it.
- This is one of three Torchwood stories to include cannibalism as the enemy's killing method of choice. One of the other stories is the novel Another Life by Peter Anghelides. The other story is the episode Countrycide where the inhabitants of a small village in the Brecon Beacons partake in a ritualistic killing and eating of humans. However, unlike the two novels, there is no supernatural reason for their actions.
- Jack makes a reference to his missing two years in the novel, claiming that some areas of his past are a bit vague. He claims he may have been a sailor at one time in his life, but this is presumably a joke.
[edit] Publication
- Whilst the official release date for the three novels is 4 January 2007, many shops were selling the books up to a whole week early in December 2006.
- An audio book version of the novel is to be released on CD in April 2007. It is to be narrated by Burn Gorman and published by BBC Audiobooks. [1]
- According to Peter Anghelides, the novel order is as follows, Another Life, Slow Decay then Border Princes[2], however the linking picture across the spines of the books seem to betray this order.
