Not sure the author, or the writers of the show, have a full grasp of Capaldi yet. This was decent enough, though. Justin Richards is reliably entertaining. ( )

I think by the time Doctor Who got past the 50th anniversary and to the Peter Capaldi era, the BBC were in a bit of a pickle. They had reinvented the Who book range for kids in 2005, but in 2014 the audience was increasingly veering older, with a lot more attraction for older fans who remembered the old days - and the much darker, more complex novels.

This is a book that is probably passingly successful in the 2005 framework but feels very wanting almost ten years later. The premise is intriguing, but it never gets beyond feeling like a TV episode on paper. At 11 or 12 years I would have really liked that, I think. As an adult in my 30s, it feels thin. It feels thin even as a kids' story.

When I was actually 11 and 12, Justin Richards was writing books for that more complex 1990s range. I liked them a lot - they were straightforward stories, probably with much of the same "TV on paper" qualities. The difference is I always remember Richards doing a great job of replicating the dialogue of the Doctor and other regulars. They sounded right. His Doctor in this book, on the other hand, is completely generic - doubtless a product of his only getting to read a script or script sections including the new Doctor, and without seeing Capaldi's performance. If I had to make a stab at it, he comes over like an intensely serious Tom Baker - or maybe a humorless Matt Smith. (And maybe one of those is what Richards went for.)

I can even understand the limits of writing for a brand new Doctor, but I'm utterly baffled at the inclusion of Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, all of whom Richards has written for before and all of whom appear prominently on the cover. Sadly, they are only really utilized as plot shortcuts. Vastra barely appears at all, and only Strax makes an impact because, yes, he's the one character blessed with unique and interesting speech patterns.

I wanted to like Silhouette, and there's probably an 11-year-old out there who finds it pretty ripping. That's good! I was disappointed because of the underutilized potential: in the ideas, in the characters, and in the writing. It all felt, to me, like a very tepid version of something that could have been much more fun. ( )

I loved this book! The 12th Doctor was portrayed brilliantly and was Clara. It was like watching an episode in my mind. I liked how the Doctor’s old friends Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax are also involved in this gripping story to save London and the earth.

The villains in this story you come to feel sorry for them as they are being manipulated and used for their gifts. Orestes Milton in my mind is a stuck up careless man who will use anything and anyone to gain a profit! How the Doctor and Affinity fool him is amazing. I love the ending that Silhouette asks Affinity to be himself and they fall in love. ( )

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. ( )

Justin Richards’ Doctor Who: Silhouette builds a mystery set around the Carnival of Curiosities at the London Frost Fair, where the Doctor and Clara help the Paternoster Gang – Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax – to discover the source of mysterious murders and how they connect to an industrialist. As Madame Vastra is meant to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in creating Sherlock Holmes, some of the mystery elements recall Sherlock Holmes stories, though with added science fiction elements. The Victorian setting adds a feeling of menace and uncertainty while the characters team up in ways that highlight the characterizations which make them so entertaining. Seeing the Twelfth Doctor and Strax, or Clara and Strax, or Madame Vastra and the Doctor creates opportunities for great interactions. This was the second novel featuring the Twelfth Doctor in the BBC New Series Adventures, and the fifty-fifth novel overall in the series. It is sure to delight Doctor Who fans, particularly those who wanted more stories with the Paternoster Gang. ( )