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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.
eve_whitby's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
I found this book too predictable. So much so that I couldn’t finish reading it. I much preferred ‘Only Human’ (Ninth Doctor) and ‘The Shining Man’ (Eleventh Doctor).
scriberjack's review against another edition
3.0
A fun little adventure, but lacking in character and missing the wit of the show.
djspiderman's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
fishspark's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Really well written but missing the Twist most mysteries have
Really well written but missing the Twist most mysteries have