| Title | : | The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1448141338 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781448141333 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 80 |
| Publication | : | First published November 1, 2012 |
The book, fictionally written by River Song under the detective pen-name Melody Malone. It was featured in the episode "The Angels Take Manhattan", with The Doctor reading it.
The story of "The Angels Take Manhattan" is formed in
The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery Reviews
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"The Angel's Kiss" is everything I ever wanted in a solo River Song story. The sass. Her brains. The sass. Guns. The references to the Doctor and her life, which I thought were fantastic. The sass. You can tell this was deliberately hyped up in a pulp fiction manner, but the core of it is all River Song. If you're a fan of River, you're going to love this story. You can hear Alex Kingston's voice in your head as the narration goes along, and it ties in extremely well into "The Angels Take Manhattan," pretty much leading right into the first scenes of that episode. If you're not a fan of River, this story isn't going to change your mind.
Because this was a lead-in into "The Angels Take Manhattan," I doubt we'll see anymore Melody Malone stories, which is a shame. But Justin Richards, who wrote this book and a plethora of other Doctor Who stories, has proven that he can write River Song. This gives me hope that eventually they'll allow her to be in the New Series Adventures books. -
Before I read this I was completely aware that it wasn’t the same book that’s in the episode, The Angels Take Manhattan. I’m wasn’tsure what it was intended to be…a prequel or something completely different. Nevertheless, I was disappointed.
Reading the first chapter, I had to stop part way through just to laugh. I thought the writing was terrible. It felt rushed to me and it didn’t capture the essence of River Song. As a huge fan of River Song, I would expect a better story from her. I understand that she’s a fictional character and therefore can not write the story herself. Though, River is an archaeologist and a professor, therefore a lot more capable of writing a decent piece. There were far too many cliches throughout the book. My favourite cringe moment was after reading, “I glanced out of the window now, and saw that in a sense it was still raining cats and dogs”. At that point, I had given up all hope of a great story.
What was worse than the writing however, was the mother of all plotholes that was this story. It’s obviously set in the same place and time as The Angels Take Manhattan but it makes no sense in relation to the show, or the entire Doctor Who television series. The Angels in The Angel’s Kiss are helping a movie producer (or something of the like, I’m bad with remembering character names) to turn ordinary people into clones of actors. These people have no recollection of their former self, and eventually they rapidly age, die and turn to dust. The Angels then feed off that time energy. However, Angels don’t work this way. They have never done this in a Doctor Who episode, so why are they doing it in this book? If The Angel’s Kiss was a prequel to The Angels Take Manhattan, then why was this important new ability not mentioned in the episode? I feel an evolutionary trait is important to the show. To me this story feels like a poorly written AU fanfiction. It makes no sense as a prequel. It makes no sense in relation to the show. The Doctor is only mentioned once and not even by name, the Ponds aren’t mentioned at all and River’s personality is nothing like that of her personality on the television show. Not to mention the Angels are never referred to as ‘The Weeping Angels’.
The story ends with, “But I am Melody Malone, with ice in my heart and a kiss on my lips. In the city that never sleeps and should never blink, mysteries are my business”. This is perhaps the only piece of the story (besides the ‘about the author’) that suggests it is a prequel to The Angels Take Manhattan. Perhaps if it had been written by Moffat, or another writer for the show, it may have made sense.
I for one am disappointed that the BBC didn’t release the book that featured in the episode. I would absolutely love if they printed that book and sold copies. I am a huge fan of River Song and I long for more to her story arc. To have a copy of that book and to be able to read about River’s struggles with what happened to her parents…I WANT THAT SO MUCH. -
This was absolutely perfect, brilliant, sassy and so so RIVER. MY LORD, I could hear her voice when I was reading the dialogue. It was a fantastic read and I couldn't get over all of the flirting and the sass and the pure wit sprinkled throughout. Did I mention the SASS? This was exactly what I wanted in a solo River book and I am so pleased that I wasn't disappointed.
I have three wishes concerning this book:
1.) I wish I could have a hard copy
2.) I wish it was longer
3.) I wish we could get an audiobook with Alex Kingston voicing it. -
This is a short story that is part of the Doctor Who universe. This one does not have the Doctor as River Song is the main character and is a prequel to the episode "Angels Take Manhattan". In this one, a prominent movie star asks Melody for her help as he believes that someone is trying to kill him. Since this universe rarely believes in an old fashioned mystery there is more to it than that.
I know my rating is harsh and I struggled with giving it. It was surprising too because right away I was loving this story. It is told in a tongue in cheek noir style and I was all in. Having a strong female character like River as the lead was terrific too as usually in this type of genre it is a male figure. I could not believe the low ratings I saw on this site. Was I reading the same story? Then this universe's aspect came into play and this is where it all fell apart. The antagonist is a weeping angel which is one of the more formidable antagonists from this universe. The problem is the author attributed a power to them that I believe has never been mentioned throughout the television series. Where did this come from? I am a strong believer that if an author is writing in a particular universe they should stick with the lore. This didn't happen and I could not get past it. I am so surprised by this too as this author has written in the universe before this one.
I believe a reader's enjoyment of this book depends on how much of a fan they are. If you are a casual fan this book will be enjoyed by you. If you are deep in the lore and more of a fanatic this book will aggravate more than provide enjoyment. I guess I am more of a fanatic than a casual fan. -
Unfortunately I wasn't as impressed as I hoped to be, I still enjoyed reading it as a very short book (I doubt I would have wanted to read much more of it if it was a fully length novel). The character portrayed isn't the River I know and love, she didn't seem as smart and made far too many egotistical remarks.
The story was okay, although not without it's imperfections, but the reason I rate it so poorly is because of the writing. The writer may have captured the 'sass' of River but that character was anything but her, none of her charms were there and it was as if you were reading a book about some woman who thought she was the most perfect thing in all of creation and she was better than everyone else in existence. However, I did feel like I was reading a 1930's detective novel, which is one thing I liked about the writing, but unfortunately the portrayal of 'River' turned one of my favourite characters into a reinvention of her far too invested in flaunting her aesthetics than using her brain. -
Review
This is pretty much a perfect book. I was not expecting much from it but it had me hooked from the very first page and was absolutely hilarious.
The character of River was captured perfectly and I could see and hear Alex Kingston in every line. The prose was so tightly constructed that there was almost a joke or a double meaning in every sentence. It isn’t just that it was a good story, the control the author had over each word was amazing.
I don’t imagine that many non-Whovians will read this book but I would certainly recommend this to them. Whilst there are lots of bits for Whovians to pick up on this isn’t really a Doctor Who book and there is plenty to enjoy by simply reading this a straight-forward pastiche of the detective story genre.
As another reader said, the only thing that could make this book better is if there was an audiobook of Alex Kingston reading it.
Favourite character
Melody Malone
Favourite quote
“Everything about me is pretty and a lot of it is shrewd. So I had a pretty shrewd idea what was going on.” -
River Song is my favorite Doctor Who character, and she just may be the perfect woman. She is smart, sexy, and sassy, and she's not afraid if the entire universe to knows it. She's also a hopeless romantic, but her love is reserved for only man. This book is the only stand-alone River Song story in the Doctor Who universe and it's just about perfect. The tone, the syntax, the vocabulary, it's all spot-on. The only reasons I'm not giving it five stars are 1) it's too short, and 2) the "mystery" is very thin and easily solved. I listened to the audiobook because I want to hear Alex Kingston's narration, and it's just as wonderful as hoped. Of course, as expected, she reads the story perfectly from River's point of view, but she also does a great job with the voices and speech patterns of other characters. I laughed and I sighed with melancholy, and that's exactly how a Doctor Who story should be.
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This was a fun read, or listen as I listened to the audio version. I loved hearing Alex reading the story, it brought a lot more to it. She did a great job not only with Melody but with the other characters as well, I loved all the different voices she was able to do.
The story though, while good and pretty enjoyable, wasn't as great as I thought it would be. Still glad I listened to it and I liked learning a bit more of what Melody was doing in New York before The Angels Take Manhattan.
I would recommend it to Whovians. -
This unique Doctor Who novella is a direct tie-in to The Angels Take Manhattan, episode 5 of Season 7 of Doctor Who. A book featuring Melody Malone is an integral part of that story. But just to clarify, this novella is the events leading up to the beginning of that DW episode that happened to Melody Malone. The novella does not retell the events of the television episode. The novella ends right around the line that the Doctor first reads in the episode:
"My stocking seams were straight, my lipstick was combat-ready, and I was packing cleavage that could fell an ox at twenty feet."
The book really has the 1930's Dashiell Hammett hard-boiled detective novel feel, as can be seen from the first line:
"On some days, New York is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This was one of the other days."
And like any Doctor Who novel or show, has some good lines:
"I can't help you turn back time. Not without calling in many more favours than I currently have saved up."
"'Mr. Railton,' I said smokily, "Complicated" is my middle name.' Actually, it's not my middle name - any more than Malone is my last name. Whether Melody is really my first name is, well, complicated."
It isn't very long, but the price is very good! -
To be honest I hadn't really read the synopsis when I bought this book, so initially I had expected it to be the book the Doctor was reading in The Angels Take Manhattan. When I started reading it and realised that this wasn't the case, I was pleasantly surprised. It is actually a prequel, if you will, of the episode. If you're a fan of River Song, which I am, then this is the book for you. It's 100% sass and sexy, and very much in-character. I could definitely hear Alex Kingston's voice in my head as I was reading it. It's a great background story which really sets the tone for the episode The Angels Take Manhattan. So if you love Doctor Who and you love River Song, then this is definitely the book for you. Just download it, it's not expensive, and I can guarantee that you won't regret it.
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Cute, fun, funny, and very short ebook to tie in with the Doctor Who episode The Angels Take Manhattan. Very in keeping with the character of River Song - I loved the witty way it was written and the narrative did a very good job of combining the atmosphere of a noirish, pulpy mystery with near-constant wisecracks and puns. There probably won't be any more of these but if they were written, I would certainly read them!
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This is everything a solo River Song story should be: full of sass, River's trademark gun and personality! I can't tell you how much I loved reading this book! I know I'll be reading this book again and again, especially now post-Name of The Doctor! And it's River! Who doesn't love River?
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Alex Kingston, naturally, narrates the audiobook for this story voiced by her character, River Song, who poses as Melody Malone to tell the tale of
The Angel's Kiss, and as always, her talent shines through to make it a better story than it might have been, were it told in a different voice. To have a TV-tie-in audiobook completely voiced by the first-person narrator is an unusual thing, but it works very well for this.
The story itself isn't particularly strong, as I've said in my review of the ebook edition; it was written as a prequel and lead-in to the Doctor Who episode The Angels Take Manhattan, and the story suffers for its length, but Kingston's reading makes an improvement, giving life to parts that seem dreary on Kindle and moving the story on at a good pace when the words would cause anyone else to get bogged down in the details.
This is definitely an improvement to the written edition. -
This short e-book is a prequel to the Series 7 Doctor Who episode "The Angels Take Manhattan". It's narrated by River Song in her guise of New York detective Melody Malone. It's actually written by Justin Richards who is the lead writer in the book range, though this is very different from any other Doctor Who book.
The story sees Melody Malone investigate when a movie star pays her a visit worrying for his life then appears to forget it ever happened the next day. It's more a story of human evil with a brief but pretty scary appearance from the weeping angel Julius Grayle has acquired in the TV episode.
It's works as a great story but the highlight here is how brilliantly Richards has managed to catch River Song's voice. It's full of great lines as she subtly talks about the bets parts of her body and flirts her way through the investigation. It's incredibly convincing that it's written by the character and sets up "The Angels Take Manhatten" TV story really well. -
Even though this book is affiliated with the TV show Doctor Who, it works pretty well as a standalone story - if you have a slight understanding of the show's baddies The Weeping Angels. It reads as a typical hard-boiled detective novel set in the 1930s, with Melody Malone's hilarious wit and way with words. As it says in the book and in the TV show, "She's got ice in her heart, and a kiss on her lips." and she is totally delightful - Melody's personality is wonderfully brought to life in this short mystery. The actual story had some surprises for me - the Angels involvement was really not what I was expecting. I wish there was more to this story, as Melody is such a fun character and I didn't want it to end!
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I very much enjoyed the familiarity in the character, Melody Melone aka River Song. It was perfectly written in my opinion and the flow was very well to read. There are many very very brilliant lines that just made this book very enjoyable and much River/Doctor-like.
On a personal level I give this book 5 Stars because I simply enjoyed reading it. If it really deserves 5 stars based on the story etc, that I am not sure of.
It is a very short book, seemed a bit fast paced BUT the story turned out more interesting and a little surprising than I had thought. It isn't your typical 'man goes missing' kinda detective story, it DOES HAVE A GOOD TOUCH OF SPACEY DOCTOR WHO flair to it. -
I think this was the only eBook I actually bought from Amazon. Once I learned that they were actually releasing this book, I had to find and read it.
It was so easy to slip into River's--ahem, I mean Melody's voice and it had that wonderful sassiness that she pulls off so well. It was a very quick read, and I really wouldn't recommend it to those who aren't Whovians. She drops a lot of hints as to who she really is and her time traveling days, but you really wouldn't catch them if you weren't looking for them.
It was a very fun read, although I wish it had the afterward that Amy wrote like in The Angels Take Manhattan.
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*4.5*
Love River Song. Love Melody Malone. Favorite character in Doctor Who (besides the Doctor obviously).
The author did a great job with her dialogue. Could hear her voice in my head when I read the dialogue. There were only a few spots where I said 'really?' to the dialogue choice.
Only wish it was longer! -
Edited review because my first one was too rant-y. (Man, it felt good to publish it for a minute though...)
To say this was a disappointing read would be a pretty big understatement. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, and Riversong is one of my favorite characters. On top of that, the angels are BY FAR my favorite DW villain, and I absolutely loved the Angels in Manhattan episode. This should have been an insta-fav for me! But my goodness...what an annoying slog.
Here are my main criticisms:
-- It reads like fan-fiction. The plot is horribly slow and there are wayyyyy too many weird descriptions and forced sexual innuendos.
-- The actions/capabilities of the Angels are not true to what has been described in the show. Frankly, the plot involving them is boring and the Angel might as well have not been there for all it played in the action.
-- The character of Melody Malone is NOT the Riversong that Alex Kingston portrayed. Way too much overt sexual content - you can't go a single page without a boob reference or comment about her "sexy bits." This is not true to River. (In my opinion, the essence of River's sex appeal is subtlety. This version of Melody Malone is anything BUT subtle.)
-- The plot is extremely slow for a short story, and the characters and dialogue are cheesy and unengaging.
If this hadn't been only an 80-page read (and if I weren't horribly behind on my reading goal...), it would have been a DNF in a HEARTBEAT.
1 star - do not recommend. -
”New York was growling outside, but I was ready for it. My stocking seams were straight, my lipstick was combat-ready, and I was packing cleavage that could fell an ox at twenty feet.”
I love River Song so freaking much. I loved reading her charm, sass, and flirtatious remarks. I miss her so much.
I found this to be a cute book seeing the Doctor read it on the show and fall in love with it (and Melody), however I found the actual mystery to be boring. The writing wasn’t that good and it felt rushed in the sense that there weren’t enough details where there should’ve been. It was really short and I was expecting the whole book the one the Doctor has in the episodewith Amelia’s afterword included since I love a good cry. -
Fun!
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Oh, Melody Malone, Melody Pond, River Song, or any other name you go by these days, how I wish for you not to set your foot in that damn library.
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I don't think I'm alone in saying that River Song is not my favorite Doctor Who character (the Doctor is, duh! lol). For some reason the developments during seasons 5 and 6 have put a real bad taste in my mouth for her. She's a great character, but I don't like how they've related her to Amy/Rory. It bothers me.
But, anyway, I want to say that this book has reminded me why I like her character. It doesn't really matter where she came from, she's still hilarious. This book does well showcasing her unique voice and tone. I enjoyed it! I laughed hard many times throughout. :)
The plot was pretty good. I'm not sure how the villain was doing what he was (), but other than that the story was good and it flowed well. It is very short, but it didn't feel short. Unlike some other 'quick read' DW books, it did not feel like they were cramming a novel-sized story into a short novella. I was a little disappointed in the end, because , but it did work anyway.
I hope they write more River Song books, and incorporate in them her unusual relationship with the Doctor as well. -
This book is a prequel to the Doctor Who episode –Angels in Manhattan, which is not exactly what I was expecting but I was still every entertained. The last line or two of this story are the lines we hear read by the Doctor to Amy at the start of the Angles episode. I was expecting to read about events that happened during the episode but I think that what I got was something better since it is probably more interesting to read about the events leading up to the episode than rereading events that I already witnessed.
Aside from the plot the book itself was fantastic. River as Melody Malone could be its own spin off. Malone/River is sexy, smart, and sassy. I listened to the audio version which is narrated by Alex Kingston adding to the awesomeness. The writing style is meant to parody a 1930's gumshoe pulp, which works out quite well. This is a MUST READ for any Whovian especially if you are a River fan, but don’t expect too much Weeping Angel action or any appearances from The Doctor plus Ponds.
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This is maybe a 3.5 rounded to 4 stars more than a solid 4 stars. But that's not because I didn't like it. No, it's because I wish there had been more. But of course, this is more of a prequel to the Angels Take Manhattan episode, not the full story. Remember the rule Eleven explained, once you read it, you can't change it? In theory, you could read this, then watch the episode, and have the complete plot.
The Melody Malone character in the book isn't exactly the River Song we know and love. But I don't think it's supposed to be. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a "fictional" story written by River, so it shouldn't read like the same woman. Melody is just a close second.
As for the writing- a lot of people have complained it was 'over the top', but it is written in the noir style, so it's meant to sound a bit cheesy. That's part of the fun of old detective novels. -
An over-the-top celebration of noir and the assets of Melody Malone aka Melody Williams aka River Song. Alex Kingston makes the most of every pun and double entendre. There is no depth here, but I enjoyed listening to her read this silly story. If you are a fan of Doctor Who, River Song, and Alex Kingston, you will probably find it a diverting hour and forty-five minutes. Otherwise I suspect you just won’t get it.
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Entertaining for all Whovians
This book is a loose tie in to the Eleventh Doctor episode - The Angels Take Manhattan. I was a little disappointed it wasn't a direct tie in. For example the chapter names don't match those of the book used in the episode. There is also no hand breaking here.
What you do get is a great little adventure staring River Song and a Weeping Angel. This could have been an early draft of what became the episode we saw on TV. Very entertaining! -
Na túto knihu som sa veľmi dlho tešila a bola som úplne happy, keď som ju včera konečne objavila. Čakala som logicky to, že bude obsahovať príbeh, ktorý čítala Amy v Angels take Manhattan. Jop, boli tam anjeli, ale chýbali Pondovci aj Doctor.
A celkovo to bolo také suché, že ani River to nezachránila... -
Well. Okay. First of all, I rather enjoyed this. It had some fun moments, and Alex Kingston's reading was worth the price of admission, not perfect but quite a bit of fun. But what I wanted, what I really wanted, was what was featured in "The Angels Take Manhattan". That wasn't this.
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I really enjoyed this "River Song" narrated tale. Full of all the pithy one liners you would expect. A total guilty pleasure cheese fest! V""V
