A Book Review of "Doctor Who: Silhouette"

My husband got me hooked on watching the BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw this novelization.

After detecting an abnormal power spike, the 12th Doctor and Clara once again arrive in Victorian England where they reunite with their old pals Strax, Madame Vastra, and Jenny. The gang is back together, and, of course, a man named Marlowe Hapsworth is found dead at home in no time at all.

After some investigating by the Doctor and gang, they discover Hapsworth had attended the local Frost Fair where he took in a mysterious shadow puppet show (at the Carnival of Curiosities) run by the even more mysterious woman Silhouette.

More brutal murders follow. Who's the mastermind behind the plot? Well, that has to wait on the closing pages.

But what struck me about Silhouette is the way it captures the voice of Peter Capaldi as The Twelfth Doctor. While I've only seen him in a couple of episodes now, this novel was a treat because all his grouchy, arrogant, rude, funny, and demanding glory was on display.

In fact, every one of the characters' cores got just the right display.

It's all too possible for Who stories to leave characters with nothing to do. Not Silhouette.

So if you can't get enough of the Twelfth Doctor, pick up this book! It's a real treat!

I received this book free, from the Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

Comments

My Review of "Misfit Faith"

Jason Stellman's Misfit Faith: Confessions of a Drunk Ex-Pastor was not quite the book I had expected it to be. It was so much better! Jason Stellman was a Presbyterian pastor, but he became a Roman Catholic. I expected Misfit Faith to be, therefore, a semi-autobiographical work of Catholic apologetics. I read of Scott Hahn's mentorship of Stellman, and expected Misfit Faith to be a new, milder version of Hahn's scholarship. But I did not see any defense of Peter being the first pope in Misfit Faith , or any criticism of Sola Scriptura, or an explanation and defense of the Catholic understanding of justification. Instead, I read the story of Stellman's own spiritual journey. From the opening confession that Stellman had flirted with Christian universalism, I knew this wasn't going to be a Catholic apologetic. I wouldn't even characterize Misfit Faith as an apologetic at all. Because if there's one thing Stellman isn't sure on...

My Review of "Radical Spirit"

Joan Chittister's Radical Spirit: 12 Ways to Live a Free and Authentic Life continues her literary tradition of making Benedictine spirituality accessible for new generations. I read her Distilled from the Daily several years ago and found her spiritual wisdom deep and transformative. In Radical Spirit Chittister focuses on the tough "spiritual hinge" of Benedict's Rule: The 12 steps of humility. Through her judicious use of spiritual parables from around the world and events from her own life, Chittister engages readers with narrative and humor, drawing them down a path to self-revelation and spiritual grounding. These thoughtfully choreographed chapters address the individual and offer an antidote to contemporary trends where "demagoguery is the new political brand, where narcissism is too often misunderstood to be leadership." Chittister writes that humility is the corrective to dangerous grandiosity, which "in religion ... makes i...

My Review of "Roadfood"

Jane & Michael Stern's Roadfood gives us another (this is the 10th edition!) gastro road trip across the US. Roadfood is like a road map through backroads and interstates for some of the best food in each state and region in the US. Roadfood celebrates venues most travelers would never venture near, let alone enter. Most of the state-by-state listed restaurants are, however, for dining on the cheap. Like Litton's in Knoville, TN -- which really does have amazing burgers. While one could hardly map a road trip by the Sterns' restaurant finds -- some cities, like Chicago, are overrepresented, while the rest of Illinois is all but ignored -- this fun and fanciful volume is pure pleasure. I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

The Mrs. & the Minister

Search This Blog