It was also nice to see a more nuanced view of the Seablite Gang. We get to see Gemma become a stronger character as she grows to accept her new subsea life. I also enjoyed the character development. It really made the story that much easier to imagine for me.

When there were scenes set in a flooding jail I felt like I was slogging through the water along with everyone else.

When scenes of characters cooking seafood were described it was almost as if I could smell shrimp being fried and clams being roasted. The descriptions in this book were really great. However, the Surfs turned out to have a vibrant and fascinating culture that I enjoyed getting to know. Admittedly, I was kind of hoping that the Native American stand-ins would turn out to be something like Atlanteans or mermaids. Territorial disputes with the pioneers have forced them onto reservation-esque settlements known as townships that float on the surface of the ocean. They’re called Surfs, short for Surface Population, and they were the original ocean settlers before the subsea pioneers came along. In this installment we get to meet the analog to the Native Americans. You’ll recall that the Dark Life series is a Western set in a subsea science fiction setting. In fact, I’m almost tempted to say it was even better than its predecessor. So, you guys know that I loved Dark Life, but how well does Rip Tide stack up? Overall it does extremely well. Ty’s going to need the help of his topsider friend Gemma, and maybe even a few outlaws, if he’s going to get to the bottom of this mystery. Now it’s a race against the clock to save them before it’s too late. That all changes when Ty’s parents are kidnapped. Things have been going pretty well for Ty and the people of Benthic Territory. Rip Tide picks up a few months after the events of Dark Life. Today we’ll be discussing Rip Tide, Dark Life book 2, by Kat Falls. Dark Life was a pretty good book, but what if you’re looking more books on ocean colonization? Have no fear, the sequel is here! Subsequently, this means that books about ocean colonization are significantly rarer than books about space colonization.

If you’ve read my review of Dark Life you’ll recall my spiel about how the Moon has received more exploration than our own deep oceans.

Rip tide kat falls