Fanfic recommendation

[watervole]

 I don't read a lot of fanfic, mainly because there is so much poor stuff and I'm too lazy to sift through it all to find the good ones, but I do tend to follow up recs by friends here and to try stuff written by friends.

I've just been reading Elisi's novel 'Dating the Cleverest Boy in the World'  

An excellent read, a Dr Who novel, but relying almost entirely on well written original characters, who interact occasionally with the Master, Lucy Saxon, tenth Doctor and Jack Harkness.

It's a novel that looks at relationships between mortals and immortals, between human and non-human and asks what it's ethical to reveal/conceal.

The basic premise is an AU where the Master and Lucy Saxon had a son.  The boy grows up with both the Doctor and the Master as major influences in his life, trying to balance their conflicting ethics and their expectations of him. 

When he finally enters a romantic relationship with a human woman, he gets caught in the trap of how much to tell her about himself.

It's a novel that avoids quick, easy answers, and one that allows the characters to grow and develop in a believable manner. 

This is a gen novel.  Characters have sex (both gay and straight), but there are no explicit scenes. 

When it comes to sex, this is the way I prefer it.

(In days gone by, I sometimes skipped plot to get to the sex. Now, I skip sex to get to the plot.  There are more original plots than there are original sex scenes. )

The breakdown between chapters is well-balanced. Each is a distinct scene, but contributes to the overall storyline.  Made it very easy to read one or two chapters a day.

Definitely recommended.

Comments

[elisi]

Current emotions:



(I'll be back. But omg. This post is... *points to gif again* I have no words right now.)

[watervole]

Hug.

[igenlode]

My first -- knee-jerk -- reaction was the unworthy one that people don't get 'room-mates' at Cambridge: it's one study/bedroom per student, at least in all the colleges I knew of when I was there...

(Hits me in the 'graduating Hogwarts' zone; sorry.)

[espresso_addict]

Several colleges in my day did give sets to two friends, but as I recall it was in second/third year, when people could choose to apply in twos.

[elisi]

Like I say below, it was an error at the time of writing. Wish I'd know actual Cambridge students then...

[elisi]

I knoooow!

*hangs head in shame*

When I wrote it, it was nigh on impossible to research how it all worked. (My daughter has just started at Cambridge, so now I have first hand experience.)

I have debated changing it, but I like her room mate, so I am probably going to add a note about it being an AU...

[kerravonsen]

Oooh! Downloading to read later.

[watervole]

I'll be interested to see what you make of it.

The story line looks at a lot of ethical issues. There's one point, where the characters have their fortunes told, and a follow up many years later where something seemingly banal acquired a real meaning.

[elisi]

I think the thing is, I'm not used to people reccing my stuff. Certainly not in such a thoughtful and indepth way. And especially not this 'verse, which means an awful lot to me, because the characters (and to some extent the world) is/are all mine.

So it's hard to explain what it means to me for someone to be enjoying and caring enough to not just read & leave feedback, but also rec it. I feel a little like I write in a bubble, and then suddenly I realise it can have an impact beyond my little circle... Which is a very convoluted way of putting it, but I'm honestly not sure how to express it any better.

In short: Thank you. ♥

(Would have written sooner, but my computer has decided to work at the speed of a snail on crutches the last few days, so getting online has been problematic. And part of me wants to go through every one of your points, but then that seems stupidly selfish, so I'll just sit here and flail quietly.)