As with a number of the recent Who novels, this is aimed at a slightly younger readership, with the Doctor's co-adventurers being three children rescued from a spaceship by him after their parents' death (no novel with Clara yet, as far as I know, although she has been on the show since April, or perhaps longer depending how you count). I was very interested to note that, like Malorie Blackman's The Ripple Effect published last month, The Dalek Generation presents a situation where the Daleks are perceived as a force for good rather than evil, with the Doctor frustrated in his attempts to warn against them. I do wonder if this is a subtle (or maybe even unsubtle) hint about a storyline we can expect for the two episodes due to air later this year.
That apart, it's quite a different story from Blackman's; it's clear to the reader from the first chapter that the Daleks really are evil here, but the story of what they are looking for, and how the Doctor and his traumatised young friends thwart their plans in the face of a wilfully ignorant totalitarian society which won't believe them, is nicely convoluted and also evocative of various previous Who stories. If you are happy to adjust for the target readership, it is very enjoyable.
It is interesting that although there has been no Eleven-on-his-own TV story (unless you count Closing Time) there have been several books and audios now featuring neither Amy nor Clara. This does give the writers a chance to demonstrate their skill in catching the nuances of Matt Smith's portrayal, but I'm not really a fan of the Doctor-on-his-own stories. They can sometimes work very well - indeed, The Deadly Assassin is one of my personal favourites - but the interaction between Doctor and regular sidekick is an important part of the show's dynamic, and should be omitted sparingly, if at all.