This is a hugely enjoyable prequel to Torchwood Miracle Day,
starring everyone’s favourite CIA agent Rex Matheson. The rather
explosive opening involves Rex somehow being transported back in time to
prehistory. Much like the most recent series of Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who,
this opening is very redolent of that time honoured question: “How the
hell does he get out of that one?” I mean, after all, the Rex Matheson
we first meet in Miracle Day, although he’s world-weary, he’s
not as world-weary as this premise would seem to suggest that he is.
(Thus, unbeknownst to Rex, he did come across Torchwood prior to the
events of Miracle Day.) Having written that, Rex doesn’t
encounter Torchwood proper, rather it’s the detritus of Torchwood that
makes him come a cropper, as the cash-strapped British government,ever
keen to pay off their (our) debts, arrange to sell off a few weapons
that they found in the wreck of the Torchwood hub to the Americans.
Due to an unfortunate accident during this transaction, the potential of
these alien weapons becomes all too clear to Cotter Gleason, the CIA
special ops agent placed in charge of their procurement. After a bloody
gun battle with the Brits, Gleason and his team go rogue, intent on
holding the world to ransom with a Ytraxorian Reality Rifle… This
semi-organic gun is rather more subtle than say, your average Sontaran
weaponry, but no less devastating for that.
Having let his morals bloodily get in the way of a previous assignment,
Rex is in some dire need of a result, and as he’s in close proximity to
Gleason’s Cuban base, he’s sent on the chase… However, Rex is not the
only hunter in this world, as the sinister Mr. Wynter is also after
Gleason…
Guy Adams’ prose here isn’t all that elegant, but then it doesn’t need
to be, especially as this high octane thriller very much suits Rex’s
voice (so it’s great to experience his buddy banter with Shaeffer, and
with a certain CIA watch analyst named Esther Drummond…). Rex is his
usual witty self, and there’s also some other great humour in the novel,
especially with regards to the cheeky cameo of a politician who’s not
unlike a certain Nick Clegg… We do truly see Rex in all his glory here
(although I do think that he could have been a bit faster on the uptake
with regards to the resolution). Speaking of the resolution, I thought
for a moment that it had gone completely wrong, or that there was a book
production error. Fortunately for Guy Adams, his target audience will
probably be accustomed to such tricks if they’re also readers of the
current Doctor Who book range. Guy Adams has a great track history of writing quality books about cult TV shows, with a previous Torchwood novel (The House That Jack Built)
amongst his various works. Guy Adams’ representation of America is
truly authentic, as is his depiction of tough action heroes. Indeed, I’d
go as far as saying that The Men Who Sold the World is a more complete work than Miracle Day itself. If the TV series isn’t renewed, then Torchwood could have an even better future in book-form, if this novel and Sarah Pinborough’s Long Time Dead are anything to go by. If Russell T Davies were to be a bit more ambitious though, then The Men Who Sold the World would undoubtedly make an excellent Bond-style movie.
