I suspect that CoaRP is the type of novel which will leave many readers oh so slightly dissatisfied. There's no one reason for this; it's more a matter that Lawrence Miles comes very close to writing something remarkable, but falls a little short on all counts. Those who prefer "avant garde" NAs like "Transit" and "Falls the Shadow" will probably be a little dissapointed with Miles' more accessible style. Despite its high concepts, themes and events, Miles is careful not to muddy the waters too much in CoaRP; while I personally appreciated this, some might see it as "dumbing down" the book. Meanwhile, the traditionalists will no doubt be dismayed by the fact that the book tries to be avant garde at all. CoaRP has many things to say about reason and chaos, and does not tread lightly through the main characters' psyches, nor through the Time Lords' past. It successfully raises a number of disturbing issues, and few are resolved at the novel's end.

As far as the plot itself goes, there's really not all that much of it; a lot of the action is directly related to CoaRP's themes, and hence forward progress is relatively slow. As usual, the TARDIS crew are separated for much of the book, and each must deal (on their own or with the book's secondary characters) with the growing madness, both in Woodwicke and within the TARDIS. (It is the virtual destruction -- again -- of the TARDIS which is CoaRP's most tedious element. We've seen it all before, and the inclusion of Interface as a way of interacting directly with the time machine hardly gifts it with increased originality.) There are a fair number of intriguing concepts introduced, and Miles makes good use of the historical setting without hitting us over the head with it. The insight into the early days of the Time Lords is interesting, and lacks any sense of gratuitousness. However, it is difficult to ignore the feeling that it doesn't all quite come together, that there is just a little more that Miles could have done with the events. As it is, there's not that much to differentiate CoaRP from other stories (particularly NAs) where an unwelcome, ancient force sweeps over and fundamentally alters a small collection of people.

Unusually, Miles proves capable at giving each time traveller equal storytime. No one feels slighted, marking a welcome change from recent times. However, nothing much really happens to them either. The ground Miles covers in CoaRP is ground we've already trodden in past books, and dealing with the issues again here is, frankly, a little monotonous. The Doctor is once again facing up to his role in the universe, and to his people's actions; Roz takes a page out of "Set Piece" by being stranded in an unwelcoming culture centuries before her own time. Only Chris really sees some forward advancement, as he experiences the Carnival Queen's vision in its entirety, and actually gives birth (in a mostly literal sense) to agents of chaos. The scenes in the crumbling TARDIS, in particular, give Chris a chance to use his brain and are very enjoyable as a result.

The secondary characters are fairly interesting, but Miles sacrifices their well-roundedness in favor of emphasising their relevance to his themes, namely their vision and interpretation of rationality (or, more precisely, Rationality) and its importance (or lack thereof) on their lives and the future in general. Throughout CoaRP, we are confronted with people who have embraced or discarded Rationality, and Miles demonstrates the varying effects this has on them in the long run.

Perhaps the most enjoyable element of CoaRP is Miles' prose, which is fluid and casual: highly readable. Even though CoaRP proceeds fairly slowly, Miles' style of writing ensures that there's rarely a dull moment. He also interjects several in-jokes which will be appreciated by Doctor Who fans generally and NA fans particularly. Unlike other writers, however, these in-jokes are rarely annoying or unfunny; it's been a long time since I've smiled this much at references to everything from the TV movie to "The Feast Of Steven". (Although one or two small continuity glitches do crop up as a result -- for instance, Miles seems unaware that Abslom Daak was integrated into 'real' Doctor Who continuity in "Deceit".)

Overall, "Christmas On A Rational Planet" is an entertaining, thought-provoking novel which just doesn't quite come together as perhaps it should. That's not really a criticism; there are a lot of novels which have squandered their potential far more offensively. But it does leave the reader with just a lingering sense of not quite fully benefitting from everything CoaRP was trying to say.

7/10.

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