User:Eshlare/The Men Who Sold The World

The Men Who Sold The World is a BBC Books original novel written by Guy Adams and based on the British science fiction television series Torchwood. The book was released during the fourth series of the show— known as Torchwood: Miracle Day— to which it functions as an official prequel. It features the character of Rex Matheson in a lead role with Esther Drummond in a supporting role and contextualises their working relationship. Other characters also appear in flashback sequences. The cover depicts Mekhi Phifer in character as Rex.

The plot revolves around a CIA special operations division going rogue after appropriating experimental weaponry sold off by the British Government. Rex investigates, determined to regain favour with the CIA after bungling a previous mission. During his attempts to track the rogue operatives he is aided and abbetted by a shadowy figure referred to only as "Mr Wynter". In regards to the novels political intrigue, SFX compared the tone of The Men Who Sold the World to being similar to the BBC television series Spooks.

Conceptual History
The Men Who Sold the World', unlike other examples of Torchwood expanded universe material was designated an official prequel — to events in the fourth series— something which SFX stated to be "a unique selling point". Author Guy Adams stated that the writing process was "not, as some suggest, a lonely process". He credits fellow author Gary Russell and Tochwood's executive producer Russell T Davies as being extremely helpful during the creation of the novel. He states that "their comments both before I began writing and after I'd finished were spot on the money and gratefully received". As his novel was a prequel to the fourth series, Adams was accordingly given Davies draft script for Miracle Day to read in preparing the novel.

Background
In Torchwood, one of the mission statements of the fictional Torchwood Institute was to scavenge alien technology left behind on earth and use it to defend the human race. The Men Who Sold the World picks up after the events of Torchwood's third series, Children of Earth. In Children of Earth the Cardiff branch of the Torchwood Institute was destroyed by the British Government as part of an attempt to cover up a conspiracy. The Institute's two remaning agents went into hiding and the institute faded away, becoming legend.

Events
Wilson, a representative of the UK government, is tasked with a handover of "experimental weaponry" salvaged from the Torchwood Institute to a CIA special activities division headed by Colonel Gleason. Whilst perusing the equipment CIA agent Shaeffer activates a bio-organic weapon causing fellow agent Oscar Lupe to vanish. An argument ensues between the Americans and the British which culminates in the murder of Wilson and his accompanying men. The CIA division — headed by Colonel's Gleason and Mulroney — goes rogue with the salvaged weaponry. Meanwhile, Oscar Lupe materialises embeded in the flight controls of a Boeing 747 which crashes, killing Lupe and the 450 passengers on board.

In Nassau, CIA agent Rex Matheson bungles a mission by killing an underwold contact in an attempt to protect an underage girl. His colleague, office bound watch analyst Esther Drummond, commiserates with him before informing him of Lupe's impossible death. Off the grid in Cuba, Gleason proposes to his division that they hold their superiors to random in a bid to gain wealth and new identities. Schaeffer experiences cold feet and informs Oscars widow, Penelope that he "wants out". Shortly afterwards, the rogue special operation division are wiped from all CIA records and Penelope ends up murdered by a man known as Mr Wynter. Esther and Rex realise that someone is covering up the tracks of the rogue division and Rex travels to Cuba in a bid to restore his CIA reputation.

Continuity
The novel makes reference to UK Foreign Secretary Rick Yates. Yates, as portrayed by Nicholas Briggs, was depicted as a fictional member of the British cabinet in the five part 2009 Torchwood serial Children of Earth. Several fictional Doctor Who technologies are mentioned, including a Judoon Firearm. Previous Torchwood agents Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones appear in a brief flashback segment detailing the origins of the Ytraxorian reality gun.

Reception
SFX magazine reviewer Alasdair Stuart gave an extremely favourable review. He felt the novel "plays more like Spooks than Torchwood for most of its length" and stated that this was a compliment. He gave particular praise to Adams' characterisation of Rex in the novel and the dichotomy between his grumpy demeanor and human goodness. He stated the plot of the novel to be "clean, mean and direct" and summarised the novel as "assured, confident and cheerfully unpleasant". " Paul Simpson from Sci-Fi Bulletin stated that whilst the novel lacked the emotion of concurrent releases First Born and Long Time Dead it succeeded "as a chase thriller with a bit of political intrigue and sci-fi weaponry thrown in". He felt that the Torchwood and Doctor Who references were unneccesary and that the novel did not expand the universe in any meaningfully well. His final verdict was that the book was "diverting" but "non-essential".