Rip Tide

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2786014.html

I must admit I had not heard of Louise Cooper before, but it turns out she was a well-known writer specialising in YA fantasy (best known for her Time Master trilogy, appropriately enough for present purposes). She lived in Cornwall, and set this Doctor Who novella there. It's a very effective story of the Eighth Doctor, on his own, encountering a human brother and sister and an alien brother and sister, who duly get entangled in the problems of shipwreck - the lifeboat motif is rather well done throughout. I am not always a fan of the Telos novellas, but this one worked very well and I'll keep an eye out for Cooper's other books. ( )

This is my second time reading Rip Tide. I first read it when it came out, a little over ten years ago, and to be honest I couldn't remember anything about it except that it took place in a fishing community, and that the Doctor took an awfully long time to get involved. Those things are both true, and in some ways, they're the strengths of the novella. Cooper brings Cornwall to life in a way that, to someone like me who has never been there, feels absolutely realistic and a little bit separate from the rest of the world. I think most small villages or towns have a little bit of that feeling, and if they have their own miniature economy, that sense is only heightened. Cooper has clearly spent a lot of time in this type of environment, and there's a certain enjoyment in just wandering around that prose-world, taking in all the scenery she has created. It's almost a shame that the Doctor shows up, although once he does, you almost can't get enough of him. Rip Tide was written during the period when the eighth Doctor was almost completely defined by his depiction in prose, and I think Cooper does a good of ferreting out some unique characteristics for him without turning him into a caricature, or even another, better-known Doctor with a different face. It's tempting to just follow the eighth Doctor and his lust for life around, enjoying the seaside holiday and his quiet insertion into the community. The actual mystery of the novel is so perfunctory it's almost a shame it has to take place. I'd rather stroll around Cooper's world some more, wandering the beach with a pink plastic net, watching the tide come in. ( )