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Slow Decay

JANUARY 2007

The third in the first batch of Torchwood novels, Slow Decay, is probably the strongest of the three. There’s nothing especially original here – the shady weight-loss scheme that turns people into ever thinner, voracious monsters echoes Stephen King’s Thinner, turns up in one of Smallville’s early episodes, and is a clichéd genre concept. Nevertheless, it translates well into Torchwood’s world, and Lane’s story is told effectively.

What plot we have here is fairly simple. To start with, we have Gwen and Rhys having relationship issues – surprise, surprise – while the Torchwood team investigate two unpleasant events: a vicious fight to the death in a nightclub, and the partially devoured corpse of a Weevil, found with human toothmarks on the remains of its face. While the

team investigate, Rhys is inspired by his formerly fat workmate Lucy to try Dr Scotus’s

new weight loss pill, in the hopes that Gwen will become more attracted to him so that

the relationship can be saved. Shenanigans ensue.

The link between the human eating of a Weevil is so blatantly linked to the weight loss pill that it’s clear Lane didn’t even bother trying to hide it, which is perfectly sensible; it’s more fun while we wait for the Torchwood team to work it out. Of course, they don’t know about

the pill until well into the novel, by which time, it’s looking a bit too late. The fight in the club, on the other hand, is entirely unrelated; it’s linked to a piece of alien tech that enhances and exacerbates emotional states. Toshiko’s investigation of this is dwelled on in detail in the early part of the book, and Gwen decides – in a moment of astonishing stupidity – to take it home to use it to patch things up with Rhys. Needless to say, this does not go well. It’s then seemingly forgotten about for much of the book, and although it does have its uses in the closing chapters, it feels almost tangential to the main plot.

Where this novel succeeds is in its description of events. Barring Lane’s occasional desire to dwell far too much on what the characters are listening to, the prose is evocative and well-paced, drawing the reader in well.

Lane also succeeds in creating some highly effective guest characters. Lucy, Rhys’s work mate, is integral to the plot, and is a well-drawn character, convincing as a woman thriving

in her new-found attractiveness. She’s sexual and flirtatious with Rhys, expertly drawing him closer to her while his relationship with Gwen is at its weakest. However, her motives are gradually subverted, as the terrible hunger that comes as part of Scotus’s treatment takes her over. Her sexual aggressiveness becomes pure, blatant violence, and a moment of palpable sexual tension ends as she bites a chunk out of Rhys’s face.

The gory details of cannibalism and mutilation are not skirted over. Various instances had my stomach turning, such as Lucy’s gleeful description of sucking out her ex-boyfriend’s eyeballs, or the passages in which Marianne - another victim of the pill – is driven to eat off the flesh of her own fingers. Marianne is another well-drawn character, whose final moments at the mercy of her own hunger, a painfully well written. She also brings out a surprisingly touching side to Owen, who finds that, unable to touch a girl he’s attracted to, he’s actually able to talk to her (although his desperate desire for his own patient does call his medical ethics into question).

Amongst the regulars, Rhys is once again the most plausibly drawn, again, I believe, as

he’s the only one who’s remotely normal. Gwen comes off very, very whiny – so not so far from the truth, there – while Jack is well-written and badly written in fits and starts. At times, the burden and responsibility he feels are admirably portrayed, but his sardonic wit comes across as vindictive sniping, and he bizarrely seems totally unconcerned by Gwen’s pilfering of dangerous alien technology. Toshiko, in spite of Lane’s efforts to explore her character, comes across poorly; the idea that she became a genius at technical matters because she struggles to people is terribly boring and obvious. Ianto, as usual, hovers on the periphery, and it seems that all the writers in this first batch of books were struggling to know what to

do with him.

It’s no surprise at all when it’s revealed that the weight loss pills are in fact alien eggs, but Lane gets top marks for describing an effective and gruesome new extraterrestrial species. Respect also for his naming of the aliens after The Beatles, just so that he can get a truly diabolical Paul McCartney pun in there. The action sequences, full of blood and violence,

are particularly well written, and carry things forward rapidly. There are also some intriguing insights into the Weevils, and some hints at later developments – Tosh’s feelings for Owen, Jack’s mysterious past, and, of course, Ianto’s sneaking around in the Torchwood vaults, leading straight into the following episode, Cyberwoman.

Overall, Slow Decay is gruesome, barmy and a lot of fun.

Copyright © Daniel Tessier 2009

Daniel Tessier has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

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