'They are good stories, but aren't anything special'
Summer Falls and Other Stories is a collection of three stories, all with a Doctor Who theme, or links to the very popular TV show.
Summer Falls tells the story of Kate, a girl living in a seaside town, wishing it wasn't the last day of the holidays. When Kate discovers an unusual picture in her new house, she doesn't know that everything is about to change.
With the whole town transformed into a freezing winter 'wonderland', and with everybody apart from Kate, and two boys gone, can she save the town from the Lord of Winter?
I liked this story, but I didn't think it was particularly exciting and I thought the plot line didn't completely make sense. For the eagle-eyed, there are references to the doctor, subtle(ish) but still there; enough to keep Whovians, as fans are known, hooked on the story.
The Angel's Kiss is the book based on the episode Angels In Manhattan, written by Melody Malone who is supposedly River Song from the TV programme.
Melody is a detective in New York city. A new case comes up, a filmstar asking Melody to help him, because he claims there is somebody out to kill him.
When, the next day, an old man tells Melody that she promised to help him the previous day, she brushes it aside. Yet when she finds the man she believes she spoke to the day before and he claims to have no recollection of the event, she knows that something is up.
I found this story more exciting than the first, and it felt like it was probably targeted at a much older audience: where the first seemed aimed at children, this seemed to have a much wider target. This is not to say that it is not suitable for a young child, just that it would be better reading for somebody older.
The third story is Devil in the Smoke, which features Jenny, Madame Vastra and Strax, all characters in the TV series. Madame Vastra is a detective working on the crime-riddled streets of London. She is known as 'The Great Detective' or, by some, as 'The Lizard Woman' because she is Silurian and has the scaly body of a lizard.
Two boys from the workhouse build a snowman, and are shocked and terrified when it begins to bleed. As the case is taken on by Madame Vastra, the boys are in for a terrifying experience, as the mystery takes a darker turn. This was my favorite of the three stories, as I found it much more fast-paced and well thought out than the previous two stories.
Overall, I found Summer Falls and Other Stories an enjoyable collection of stories, perfect for reading comfortably, tucked up inside away from the elements. They are good stories, but aren't anything special.
I would rate them a 6.5/10, but would recommend them to most to while away those winter nights, although they will be most enjoyable for a fan of Doctor Who, who would understand all the sneaky references.
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