TORCHWOOD: SOMETHING IN THE WATER

Posted on by The Beard

TORCHWOOD

SOMETHING IN THE WATER

TORCHWOOD: SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a novel by Trevor Baxendale based upon the BBC series TORCHWOOD and published in 2008. 

TORCHWOOD was a DOCTOR WHO spin-off series centering on the adventures of Captain Jack Harkness – one-time companion to The Doctor – and the Torchwood Institute. Founded in 1879 by Queen Victoria as a secret organization whose mandate is to protect the United Kingdom from extraterrestrial threats. 

CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS

Cast:

Captain Jack Harkness

Gwen Cooper

Doctor Owen Harper

Toshiko Sato

Ianto Jones

Doctor Bob Strong

Saskia Harden

GWEN COOPER

Saskia Harden is a chronic suicider – which seems like a contradiction in terms. She has been found by the police on many occasions submerged in ponds, lakes, canals, apparently having tried to commit suicide but still alive and kicking. Saskia does not appear on any official files and there is no record of her anywhere – except for her medical records at Doctor Bob Strong’s GP practice. 

Doctor Strong’s surgery has recently been besieged by coughs and colds way beyond the norm for that time of year. He thinks there is something strange going on but can’t figure it out and to make matters worse he seems to have caught it – whatever it is. He is coughing badly and there are flecks of blood in his handkerchief.

As the medical specialist for Torchwood, Doctor Owen Harper has seen many strange things – including this cold virus or whatever it is going around. But Torchwood has more pressing priorities to investigate – like ghostly apparitions in the marshes of South Wales. They have found a dead body. It is old and in an advanced state of decay but it is still alive and talking – and what it is saying over and over is, “water hag!” 

DOCTOR OWEN HARPER

  • The story provides a Doctor Who universe explanation for the British folklore legend known as Sally Greenteeth. 

THE RIFT

  • The Rift mentioned in the story is a split in space/time situated in Cardiff, Wales. It is why Torchwood is located in Cardiff. 
  • In the TORCHWOOD novels series, SOMETHING IN THE WATER is number four. 

TOSHIKO SATO

Dislikes

  • It always amazes me how in stories like these the heroes never seem to have any backup. The antagonists will have a virtual army but the protagonists – who are a government agency – have no one but themselves to count on.   

Likes

  • Having almost drowned at one time I have a special fear of bodies of water and drowning. Stories like these really creep me out. But that is what it was supposed to do so it did its job. 
  • The author Trevor Baxendale has a talent for creating supporting characters and making you care about them. It’s easy to make you care about the leads in the story. But to make you care for one-shot supporting characters is a rare gift. 
  • I learned something new in reading this story. Usually in tie-in novels like this there are no revelations concerning the main characters. The writer doesn’t want to say something that is contradicted later on the show. But I did learn something I didn’t know before. I’m not going to say what it is because I want you to read the book. Since this is an official tie-in to the series what I learned is canon and I’m thrilled. 

I am a big fan of the TORCHWOOD series and was delighted to discover this book. Actually, I had nothing to do with it. My fiancée lives in the United Kingdom, and she sent me the book. I’m really going to have to marry that woman. 

The novel is well-written, it is suspenseful, it has just the right amount of humor, and it will creep you out. It has the same tone as the TV series, which it is supposed to have but a lot of books based on TV shows fail to capture the flavor of the show. That is not true here.  

If you can get your hands on a copy of this book do so. And then once you have purchased it read it. If you like the show TORCHWOOD you won’t be disappointed. If you like science fiction in general, you won’t be disappointed either. Now comes the good part. If you like horror, then this is the story for you. There is no losing here. 

IANTO JONES

I am happy to say that I enthusiastically give TORCHWOOD: SOMETHING IN THE WATER four and a half gray geeks. 

I’m afraid that is all the time we have today. I’m sorry to have to say farewell but I’m already looking forward to our next get together. Thank you for letting me visit. Until next time, keep on dancing even if you’re the only one who can hear the music. 

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Published by The Beard

I’m Eliseo Figueroa Jr. and you’re not. I was born in Saint Francis hospital across the street from Saint Mary’s Park in the Bronx. I was born there because that was where my mother was and I wanted to be near her. My parents came from Puerto Rico and moved to New York City when they were kids. My dad spoke fluent English – with an accent – but he’d had a stint in the army and had mastered the language. However, he needed a little work on reading and so everyday on the way to work he would buy a comic book and read it on the subway. In those days they were ten cents, a quick read, you could fold them and put them in your pocket, and when you finished you threw them away. Back home my mom would tell my dad to read me a story to put me to sleep. My dad had no desire whatsoever to read me any of my baby books so he read me one of his comic books instead. While other kids dreamed of Mother Goose, the Old Lady who lived in a shoe, or Little Red Riding Hood, I dreamt of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. And this went on for years. When I got older I asked him to give me the comic books. At that point he stopped throwing them out and I had a comic book collection even though I still didn’t know how to read. During the day I would make my mom read me my comics over and over again. I was dying to learn how to read and had been told that you learn to read in first grade. I remember being so excited the first day of school for the first grade. I couldn’t contain myself. I thought it was like magic – poof! – I was going to come back home and be able to read all of my comics. My mom had to sit me down and explain that it was a process. That over time I would learn how to read and by the time I finished the first grade I would be reading. I must say I was disappointed but more determined than ever to master this thing called reading. Over the years my comic collection grew (my dad had to keep building bigger and better shelves) and so did my interests. I mastered reading and went on to read books. I discovered the library where they actually let you borrow books – what a concept! And my interests in literary science fiction and fantasy expanded to include television and movies. Yes, I was and still am a full-blown geek! By the way, I’m the beard in our little duet. I have a goatee and no moustache. In all that time while growing up my dad never once complained. How could he? This was all his fault and he knew it. One time we were in a store where I was purchasing some comics and it all came to twenty bucks. As my dad was paying the man the owner commented on how much I was spending on comic books. My dad’s reply was, “Well, at least he’s not on drugs!” Science fiction, fantasy, horror, secret agents, giant monsters, and more are my drug of choice. Anyone who has ever sat in a darkened theater and has had their heart start racing in excitement as the music to STAR WARS begins to play knows exactly what I mean.