BBC Releases ‘Summer Falls’ by Amelia Williams on Ebook

Is it really Saturday again?!

The Ponds may be gone as companions but their involvement in the Who mythos isn’t quite over (and might not be over at all). The in-universe book Summer Falls as seen in the Series 7 part 2 opener The Bells of Saint John has, following the success of the Melody Malone The Angel’s Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery prequel to Angels Take Manhattan has earlier this week been released by the BBC as an ebook.  Discussed between Clara and her ward Artie in the episode, Clara treated it like a classic children’s novel and delivered the metatextual line when asking Artie about which chapter he was on; “Eleven’s the best. You’ll cry your eyes out… the good kind of crying.” Most eagle eyed fans noticed this book was written by none other than Amelia Williams aka the much missed Amy Pond.

Amy you’re a former model and published 1950’s classic children’s author beloved by maybe millions can you please not get any better. You’re not even here. Stop making all of us look bad.

It seems playing into Amy’s meta-nature about stories, fairytales and her past inclinations towards literature our time displaced companion did what many thought she would do as a career for herself; she became a children’s literature author. Summer Falls, written in 1954, is the first example of Amy’s writing seen in universe aside from her also time-loop inducing message to the Doctor in the afterward to River’s novel , perhaps one of a few to come (let’s hope?!).

Unlike The Angel’s Kiss which serves a purely narrative prequel, Summer Falls is its own stand alone fictional adventure as if written by Amy. It follows a girl named Kate trying to solve a mystery in the seaside village of Watchcombe. The book is extremely British, and extremely aware and pulls from Amy’s time with the Doctor, basing characters on her family and friends (The Doctor and River in particular have their own iterations in her novel and my good friend and partner in crime Jen posits Kate as possibly an analogy to Clara.)

It’s okay guys, I’m not gone. I got this. Imma write you books. People love books.

The book also indulges with a wink and a nod to the well informed Doctor Who fan, having plenty of tiny snippets of witty references that even Amy wouldn’t know but are without a doubt clearly there for the fans. So it serves quite a number of functions and does it all rather well if just a bit under-edited. The short and rather quick read is a well written adventure in its own right but it also seems to give possible thematic if not overt hints and visual clues for this current second half of the season and the 50th anniversary. The villain and other elements match the current threat of the The Great Intelligence and readers have already speculated if these allusions are purely for us viewers and readers as breadcrumbs for the fans to enhance this season’s progress or does Amy know something the Doctor does not and is trying to help without setting anyone’s fate by outright saying it? Or is that hoping for too much.  We’ll have to see.

another look at that cover. Look at it. Look at this cover.

Would you like to have a whole ongoing series of “Amy Pond” penned books?

I think it would be a great idea. Let me know what you think!

You can purchase Summer Falls on Amazon and Itunes for your e-readers.

Max Eber
Staff Writer/The Doctor
max@ihogeek.com
Twitter: @maxlikescomics