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laurahonest's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.
Justin Richards is a rather prolific writer. He has written quite a few Doctor Who novels and oversees many others in his role as Creative Consultant for the BBC licensed novels. This is the first book I have read that was written by him but it is unlikely to be the last.
The Doctor and Clara are drawn into Victorian London when they observe a power spike that should not exist in that era. The Doctor doesn't want to involve "The Great Detective" and sets out to investigate on his own. Meanwhile Madame Vastra is working on an investigation of her own and Strax is trying to find the man who murdered his friend. The three investigations lead them to the Frost Fair and the Carnival of Curiousities. Coincidences are piling up all around them and as the Doctor knows, coincidences are rarely actually coincidental.
Silhouette is new territory for me. Twelve is fresh and new and a bit of an unknown but he worked well alongside Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax and Clara Oswald. I felt that Richards' portrayal of the four regulars was very well done. Clara's cheekiness, Jenny's accent, and Strax' inability to tell man from woman were all included in here and I could nearly hear their voices as I read.
The villain in this story was a good match for the Doctor. He was quick and clever and gave the Doctor a good challenge. It was not immediately obvious to the reader who the true villain was or even what he was. The Frost Fair was a good distraction to refocus both the Doctor and the reader and keep them in the dark.
All in all this was a good book. The story kept me interested, the characters rang true and the length was perfect. There were a few minor grammatical errors that bugged me but nothing that made the book unreadable. I felt like the setting was borrowed from some other source material but the longer the story went on the more the author made it his own. If you are a fan of Doctor Who you should definitely read this one. If you are not a fan of Doctor Who....well why aren't you?
Justin Richards is a rather prolific writer. He has written quite a few Doctor Who novels and oversees many others in his role as Creative Consultant for the BBC licensed novels. This is the first book I have read that was written by him but it is unlikely to be the last.
The Doctor and Clara are drawn into Victorian London when they observe a power spike that should not exist in that era. The Doctor doesn't want to involve "The Great Detective" and sets out to investigate on his own. Meanwhile Madame Vastra is working on an investigation of her own and Strax is trying to find the man who murdered his friend. The three investigations lead them to the Frost Fair and the Carnival of Curiousities. Coincidences are piling up all around them and as the Doctor knows, coincidences are rarely actually coincidental.
Silhouette is new territory for me. Twelve is fresh and new and a bit of an unknown but he worked well alongside Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax and Clara Oswald. I felt that Richards' portrayal of the four regulars was very well done. Clara's cheekiness, Jenny's accent, and Strax' inability to tell man from woman were all included in here and I could nearly hear their voices as I read.
The villain in this story was a good match for the Doctor. He was quick and clever and gave the Doctor a good challenge. It was not immediately obvious to the reader who the true villain was or even what he was. The Frost Fair was a good distraction to refocus both the Doctor and the reader and keep them in the dark.
All in all this was a good book. The story kept me interested, the characters rang true and the length was perfect. There were a few minor grammatical errors that bugged me but nothing that made the book unreadable. I felt like the setting was borrowed from some other source material but the longer the story went on the more the author made it his own. If you are a fan of Doctor Who you should definitely read this one. If you are not a fan of Doctor Who....well why aren't you?
readerreborn's review against another edition
3.0
A fun little adventure, but lacking in character and missing the wit of the show.
empng's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pinarnia's review against another edition
4.0
Yeni yıla çok keyifli bir kitapla girdiğimi düşünüyorum.
Çok sevdiğim 12. Doktor'a kısa bir süre önce yayımlanan Noel Özel Bölümü ile veda etmiştik. Gelecek sezonda Doktor rolünde Peter Capaldi'yi göremeyecek olmayı henüz hazmedememişken Clara'lı günlerde geçen bu olayı okuyarak anılarda yaşatmak istedim kendisini... :'( Kitaptaki olaylar kış mevsiminde geçtiğinden okumak için iyi bir zamanı seçmişim bence.
12'nin başlarda ne kadar huysuz olduğunu unutmuşum. :') Clara'yı da hatırladığımdan farklı buldum, karakterin derinliğinin yeterince yansıtılamadığını düşünüyorum. Vastra, Jenny ve Strax'ı yeniden görmek ise çok çok güzeldi.
Siluet, kitaptaki önemli karakterlerden olsa da neden kitaba isim olarak seçildiğini anlayamadım.
Eğer siz de Doctor Who'yo ve 12. Doktor'u seviyorsanız bu kitabı siz de benim kadar beğenirsiniz sanıyorum. :)
Çok sevdiğim 12. Doktor'a kısa bir süre önce yayımlanan Noel Özel Bölümü ile veda etmiştik. Gelecek sezonda Doktor rolünde Peter Capaldi'yi göremeyecek olmayı henüz hazmedememişken Clara'lı günlerde geçen bu olayı okuyarak anılarda yaşatmak istedim kendisini... :'( Kitaptaki olaylar kış mevsiminde geçtiğinden okumak için iyi bir zamanı seçmişim bence.
12'nin başlarda ne kadar huysuz olduğunu unutmuşum. :') Clara'yı da hatırladığımdan farklı buldum, karakterin derinliğinin yeterince yansıtılamadığını düşünüyorum. Vastra, Jenny ve Strax'ı yeniden görmek ise çok çok güzeldi.
Siluet, kitaptaki önemli karakterlerden olsa da neden kitaba isim olarak seçildiğini anlayamadım.
Eğer siz de Doctor Who'yo ve 12. Doktor'u seviyorsanız bu kitabı siz de benim kadar beğenirsiniz sanıyorum. :)
bigotterbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Silhouette by Justin Richards. Silhouette is a book with the newest incarnation of the Doctor as played onscreen by Peter Capaldi. The tagline for the book is “Anyone can be a weapon”. Super creepy as our newest Doctor and his companion Clara head for Victorian London to look for a mysterious power source. They encounter old friends Vastra, Jenny and Strax as well as a weird Carnival of Curiosities and some very strange murders, one that involves a locked room.
The book was good but not great-I would recommend this for readers who are either die-hard fans of Doctor Who or for folks who have NO earthly idea about Doctor Who but they like steampunk mysteries with a sci-fi twist.
Here’s why: the book is tie-in for the new Peter Capaldi Doctor. But the book had to have been written MONTHS ago for publishing scheduling so Justin Richards could have only had the merest outline of the character, his style, attributes, attitude etc.
He does a good job but as we are now 4 episodes into the new series, Capaldi’s Doctor is growing and changing outside the confines of the character in this book, so what I’m reading and what I’m watching don’t really match. Not faulting Richards in any way-them’s the breaks in publishing. I do like his writing style and the way he constructed the story, he’s an old timer in the Doctor Who book arena so if you get the chance check out his other books.
I understand the process and why the characters of Vastra/Jenny/Strax were included in the book; it worked really well when they were center stage and the mystery of who killed, why they killed and HOW was brilliant. I enjoyed the book but kind of wish the Doctor had been a bit more behind-the-scenes since his character was fairly flimsy. There was a nice bit that I won’t give away but fans will get all warm and fuzzy when some old friends from the past show up …shhhh…
Don’t get me started on Clara-she is SO annoying in this book! She’s becoming annoying on the show as well but in this one I just wanted Strax to slap her-he calls her ‘Boy’ which makes me laugh every time!
So, as far as a review goes, this was 3 stars. I liked it but, as stated, I’m HUGE fan so it may not be the right fit for every reader.
The book was good but not great-I would recommend this for readers who are either die-hard fans of Doctor Who or for folks who have NO earthly idea about Doctor Who but they like steampunk mysteries with a sci-fi twist.
Here’s why: the book is tie-in for the new Peter Capaldi Doctor. But the book had to have been written MONTHS ago for publishing scheduling so Justin Richards could have only had the merest outline of the character, his style, attributes, attitude etc.
He does a good job but as we are now 4 episodes into the new series, Capaldi’s Doctor is growing and changing outside the confines of the character in this book, so what I’m reading and what I’m watching don’t really match. Not faulting Richards in any way-them’s the breaks in publishing. I do like his writing style and the way he constructed the story, he’s an old timer in the Doctor Who book arena so if you get the chance check out his other books.
I understand the process and why the characters of Vastra/Jenny/Strax were included in the book; it worked really well when they were center stage and the mystery of who killed, why they killed and HOW was brilliant. I enjoyed the book but kind of wish the Doctor had been a bit more behind-the-scenes since his character was fairly flimsy. There was a nice bit that I won’t give away but fans will get all warm and fuzzy when some old friends from the past show up …shhhh…
Don’t get me started on Clara-she is SO annoying in this book! She’s becoming annoying on the show as well but in this one I just wanted Strax to slap her-he calls her ‘Boy’ which makes me laugh every time!
So, as far as a review goes, this was 3 stars. I liked it but, as stated, I’m HUGE fan so it may not be the right fit for every reader.
frogetteno1's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
david_agranoff's review against another edition
2.0
Boring dw novel. It would have made a fine episode but if I am sitting down to read a novel I expect more story.
alos3478's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
crtsjffrsn's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.
After a string of mysterious murders in Victorian London, Madame Vastra and her associates find themselves on the case. The only connection they can seem to find is the Carnival of Curiosities, an attraction visited by all of the victims shortly before their deaths. Add to that a curious power spike, and the Doctor finds himself on the case with Clara in tow. But who (or what) is killing people? And to what end?
This is the second Doctor Who novel that I've read and it has definitely redeemed the idea of media tie-in novels for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characterizations of the team we know and love from the show were spot-on and this felt very much like a good episode of Doctor Who while I was reading it. (In fact, I do kind of wish this could be made into an episode--I'd love to see it and it's much better than anything Steven Moffat has come up with in at least the past two seasons.) It's a unique and engaging Doctor Who adventure and I'd recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the show.
After a string of mysterious murders in Victorian London, Madame Vastra and her associates find themselves on the case. The only connection they can seem to find is the Carnival of Curiosities, an attraction visited by all of the victims shortly before their deaths. Add to that a curious power spike, and the Doctor finds himself on the case with Clara in tow. But who (or what) is killing people? And to what end?
This is the second Doctor Who novel that I've read and it has definitely redeemed the idea of media tie-in novels for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characterizations of the team we know and love from the show were spot-on and this felt very much like a good episode of Doctor Who while I was reading it. (In fact, I do kind of wish this could be made into an episode--I'd love to see it and it's much better than anything Steven Moffat has come up with in at least the past two seasons.) It's a unique and engaging Doctor Who adventure and I'd recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the show.
raemelle's review
4.0
This was definitely one of the more enjoyable Doctor Who books I’ve read. I felt like the author did an excellent job of capturing the personalities of the 12th Doctor and Clara. My attention wavered a bit towards the end - the story got a little less, I don’t know, believable? Not sure what word I am trying to think of. But it’s why I gave it four stars instead of five, so do with that what you will.