Torchwood: Something In The Water (novel)

Series One of Torchwood didn't particularly endear the programme to me, for a large variety of reasons, not least of which being that I, quite frankly, hated every single lead character by the end, with the exception of Captain Jack. Oh, don't get wrong, there were some great stories and some great moments, but none of the characters were particularly likable, and even Jack, who had stood out so much in his Doctor Who appearance, was beginning to grate. Series Two, however, fixed all those problems, almost from the outset. I still find myself not terribly fond of Gwen who really is a bitch to anyone who is nice to her, but everyone else redeemed themselves and by the end I was saddened by what happened, and looking forward to series 3.

"Something In The Water" is a series 2 Torchwood, thank goodness, and written by Trevor Baxendale. I loved Baxendale's Doctor Who novels, with the exception of the last which was like wading through treacle when I had to read it. I was, therefore, a little cautious about approaching this novel, but it turns out that "Wishing Well" was a blip on an otherwise untarnished record.

What impresses me about this book is the great usage of the Torchwood team. Owen leads the investigation into the cold and the mysterious Saskia Harden who appears to have no history, but he sidelines all of this when he meets a GP who is suffering from the cold that is clearly so much more deadly that what it initially looks like. Meanwhile Tosh catches whatever it is and has to confine herself to the greenhouse to isolate herself and Ianto becomes the go-between for the group. Surprisingly Jack and Gwen have the least to do, mostly escorting one of the others or listening to what their theories are. That in itself is no bad thing, as the two of them are the center of so many television stories it's nice to focus on the others. That said, the solution to the problem actually comes from Gwen and Jack who are the ones that hunt down the enemy at the end.

Baxendale takes three interesting storylines (the mysterious Saskia Harden, the deadly cold and the mystery of the body in the bog which screeches "Water Hag" despite being dead) and manages to successfully give all three the attention they require, before deftly tying the three together at the end. Baxendale is more of a horror writer, and so it's no surprise that the biggest hook in the book is the dead body that comes back to life. Personally I love horror and so that's perhaps part of the reason why I've always loved Baxendale's writing.

If I could point the finger at any particular part of the book it would be the use of the Rift. I'm glad that the Rift is tied into the story, but the problem is it comes from nowhere. "Sparks" from the rift go everywhere - but what are they all? It's made clear that the spark to the bog is the water hag, but what about the others? Are they supposed to be the babies? And why has it only started to become so recent? And at the end the water hag leaps through the rift into the Hub...errr..how does that work exactly?

That aside, I loved the book and it's a great, scary romp.

"B+"