The novel “Silhouette” by Justin Richards was published for the first time in 2014.
When the Tardis detects energy emissions that are truly out of the ordinary for Victorian London, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara go to investigate. In the city, they learn that strange murders happened that attracted the attention of Vastra, Jenny, and Strax.
The Carnival of Curiosities showcases unique people and may be hiding someone who works for more than just the visitors’ amusement. However, the investigations also seem to focus on the industrialist Orestes Milton, a situation that makes it more difficult to understand what’s happening.
“Silhouette” is part of a series of novels connected to the new “Doctor Who” series. They’re targeted to a wide audience by being linear enough to be appreciated even by very young readers but sophisticated enough to interest more mature readers. With the adventures of the Eleventh Doctor, there was a small change in the size of the novels about “Doctor Who” new series adventures, which have become slightly larger.
The so-called Paternoster Gang first appeared during the Eleventh Doctor era and then last appeared, at least for now, in the Twelfth Doctor’s debut episode. The success of these three recurring characters with the public led to their presence in other media as well, including the novel “Silhouette”.
The story begins with a series of strange murders that seem unrelated and attract the attention of Vastra, Jenny, and Strax for different reasons. Meanwhile, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara arrive in Victorian London for a reason that also seems unrelated to the murders, so much so that the Doctor initially thinks they shouldn’t bother the Paternoster Gang for his investigation.
The initial part with the protagonists acting separately allows each of them to have something to do but fragments the plot of a novel that has a limited length. Justin Richards keeps the characters separate for much of the story but they generally work best when at least some of them are together and can interact. Strax is the exception, as he found a kind of friend in a human with a violent disposition and his Sontaran nature comes out when the man gets killed. For this reason, in my opinion, Strax is the best-rendered protagonist in the novel.
The Victorian atmosphere is important to the story, with the science fiction elements initially barely hinted at in the tale of the strange murders and explicit only in the energy emissions detected by the Tardis. The Carnival of Curiosities contributes to that atmosphere and also to the sense of mystery in a story where many characters are not what they appear.
This is a novel where appearances can really be deceiving and it takes a while for the protagonists to figure out what’s really going on. That means there’s also a slow reveal of the villains and their intentions. From this point of view, in my opinion, Justin Richards did a good job creating some interesting characters who are at the center of various surprises.
My doubts about “Silhouette” are related to the somewhat fragmented first part, which seemed to me a bit too long for a relatively short novel. It takes a little patience to see the story take off but then it has a lot to offer, especially to fans of the Paternoster Gang.
