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The Riverman Trilogy #1
The Riverman
"To sell a book, you need a description on the back. So here's mine: My name is Fiona Loomis. I was born on August 11, 1977. I am recording this message on the morning of October 13, 1989. Today I am thirteen years old. Not a day older. Not a day younger."
Fiona Loomis is Alice, back from Wonderland. She is Lucy, returned from Narnia. She is Coraline, home from the Other World. She is the girl we read about in storybooks, but here's the difference: She is real.
Twelve-year-old Alistair Cleary is her neighbor in a town where everyone knows each other. One afternoon, Fiona shows up at Alistair's doorstep with a strange proposition. She wants him to write her biography. What begins as an odd vanity project gradually turns into a frightening glimpse into a clearly troubled mind. For Fiona tells Alistair a secret. In her basement there's a gateway and it leads to the magical world of Aquavania, the place where stories are born. In Aquavania, there's a creature called the Riverman and he's stealing the souls of children. Fiona's soul could be next.
Alistair has a choice. He can believe her, or he can believe something else...something even more terrifying.
Fiona Loomis is Alice, back from Wonderland. She is Lucy, returned from Narnia. She is Coraline, home from the Other World. She is the girl we read about in storybooks, but here's the difference: She is real.
Twelve-year-old Alistair Cleary is her neighbor in a town where everyone knows each other. One afternoon, Fiona shows up at Alistair's doorstep with a strange proposition. She wants him to write her biography. What begins as an odd vanity project gradually turns into a frightening glimpse into a clearly troubled mind. For Fiona tells Alistair a secret. In her basement there's a gateway and it leads to the magical world of Aquavania, the place where stories are born. In Aquavania, there's a creature called the Riverman and he's stealing the souls of children. Fiona's soul could be next.
Alistair has a choice. He can believe her, or he can believe something else...something even more terrifying.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2014
83 people are currently reading
6066 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 564 reviews
September 5, 2018
this book is a coming-of-age story with a fantasy twist. its central character is alastair, a boy who is good at keeping secrets. it is also about his "best friend" charlie, a video-game obsessed pain in the ass, and fiona loomis, a girl who has been to another world.
alstair is more or less a loner. he hangs out with charlie, but it is more out of convenience and habit than anything else. fiona is a girl he used to play with when they were little, but as they got older, their lives diverged.
She was unknowable in the way that all girls are unknowable, but also in her own way.
so when she shows up on his doorstep with a box containing a tape recorder and a command to "pen her biography," alastair is caught off guard, but the more he hears, the more intrigued he becomes.
fiona claims she needs a witness with an imagination, and she begins to tell him the story of aquavania, the magical world she can enter through a portal in her basement. alastair is skeptical, but transfixed and she tells him about the creatures and landscapes of aquavania, where anything that can be imagined can be created. however, there is a dark side to aquavania, and lately, friends that she has encountered there have gone missing, and have also gone missing in the real world. fiona attributes this to the riverman, a shadowy figure who is rumored to steal the souls of children who have entered aquavania.
alastair listens to her, and records her story, but begins to believe she is trying to tell him something altogether different, and his imagination, which fiona had hoped would allow him to believe her story, goes in the other direction, trying to find real-world situations and explanations for the story of kidnapping and abuse she is sharing.
and even though he is a boy who keeps secrets, at some point, the secrets become more dangerous than the truth.
it's a really strong book about that delicate cusp between growing up out of the power of childhood fantasies and into the reality of the adulthood and the mistakes and misperceptions that haunt that liminal space.
i see this listed as middle grade in some places, but i would hesitate to give this to anyone under 13, honestly. and, again - i know nothing about kids, but there's a bunch of violence, and one particularly icky scene involving a cat, sexual innuendos, a little drinking and drugs.. nothing major, but i mostly think that the message here is a little too psychologically sophisticated to spring on an eight-year-old. i feel like older teens would recognize something in the character's experiences that a younger reader would have no context for. yet.
a for-real spoiler, so just don't
definitely one to check out, but wait 'til you're older.
come to my blog!
alstair is more or less a loner. he hangs out with charlie, but it is more out of convenience and habit than anything else. fiona is a girl he used to play with when they were little, but as they got older, their lives diverged.
She was unknowable in the way that all girls are unknowable, but also in her own way.
so when she shows up on his doorstep with a box containing a tape recorder and a command to "pen her biography," alastair is caught off guard, but the more he hears, the more intrigued he becomes.
fiona claims she needs a witness with an imagination, and she begins to tell him the story of aquavania, the magical world she can enter through a portal in her basement. alastair is skeptical, but transfixed and she tells him about the creatures and landscapes of aquavania, where anything that can be imagined can be created. however, there is a dark side to aquavania, and lately, friends that she has encountered there have gone missing, and have also gone missing in the real world. fiona attributes this to the riverman, a shadowy figure who is rumored to steal the souls of children who have entered aquavania.
alastair listens to her, and records her story, but begins to believe she is trying to tell him something altogether different, and his imagination, which fiona had hoped would allow him to believe her story, goes in the other direction, trying to find real-world situations and explanations for the story of kidnapping and abuse she is sharing.
and even though he is a boy who keeps secrets, at some point, the secrets become more dangerous than the truth.
it's a really strong book about that delicate cusp between growing up out of the power of childhood fantasies and into the reality of the adulthood and the mistakes and misperceptions that haunt that liminal space.
i see this listed as middle grade in some places, but i would hesitate to give this to anyone under 13, honestly. and, again - i know nothing about kids, but there's a bunch of violence, and one particularly icky scene involving a cat, sexual innuendos, a little drinking and drugs.. nothing major, but i mostly think that the message here is a little too psychologically sophisticated to spring on an eight-year-old. i feel like older teens would recognize something in the character's experiences that a younger reader would have no context for. yet.
a for-real spoiler, so just don't
definitely one to check out, but wait 'til you're older.
come to my blog!
August 10, 2016
Loooved this. Reminded me of elements I love from Edward Eager, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Roald Dahl,and Philip Pullman--and I do not make any of those references lightly. Whimsical and humorous , yet weird and dark and slightly twisted at the same time, with unusual characters and a surprisingly complex, engrossing plot. The writing is sure-footed and subtle, and the story quite masterfully plotted, even if it gets a little confusing towards the end.
Middle grade like this is rare, and had I read this as a kid I would have read it a dozen times over. I regret not having had a chance to get this one last year, but now I don't have to wait to read the sequel! :D Onto The Whisper soon.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
Middle grade like this is rare, and had I read this as a kid I would have read it a dozen times over. I regret not having had a chance to get this one last year, but now I don't have to wait to read the sequel! :D Onto The Whisper soon.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
February 2, 2014
When a book has worked its way into your cranium and is making a home for itself within the darker recesses of your very soul, the natural inclination is to talk to somebody about it. And when that book was ostensibly written for kids, all the more reason. That’s the problem with my job as a children’s librarian. Sometimes I’m the only person I know who has read one book or another and I have to wait patiently in the interim. Usually this isn’t a problem, but once in a while a novel like The Riverman comes along and it’s all that I can do to keep myself from forcing it into the hands of family and friends repeatedly with desperate cries of “Read this, PLEASE!” emanating from my lips. Reviewing is the best possible therapy in these cases, so buckle up, kids. What we’re dealing with here is a book of contradictions worth noting and reading and loving and hating by turns. Mature stuff, to say the least.
What do you do when the girl next door asks you to write her biography? If you’re Alistair Cleary you’re initially quite flattered. Then, as you hear her story, that sense of pride may begin to fade. When Fiona Loomis informs Alistair that he needs to hear her tale because she regularly escapes to a magical land called Aquavania where a villain called The Riverman is waiting to steal her soul, he’s understandably perturbed. It seems far more likely that the creepy uncle living in her house is the source of these dark fantasies and the boy becomes determined to save her. Yet as more time goes on, Alastair begins to notice unnerving parallels between Aquavania and the small town in which he lives. Parallels that begin to suggest there’s more to Fiona’s story than anyone could possibly imagine.
First and foremost, we’re going to have to face facts here. I’ve been noticing a distinct increase in the number of books I’d categorize as “Middle School” being published these days. This year alone we’ve seen Nightingale s Nest by Nikki Loftin, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, and this. The books aren’t for 9-year-olds, but by the same token you wouldn’t immediately hand them to a 16-year-old. When a public librarian reads a book of this sort they have to make an assessment. Does it incline more towards children or teens? A lot of the time, I’d say children. A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar, for example, was a tale about middle school first love, but there wasn’t anything overtly mature about it. The same goes for the aforementioned Alexander and Loftin books. But when it comes to The Riverman I’m afraid I fall on the other side of the fence. First, there’s Alistair’s voice. He doesn’t read like a 12-year-old in the least. One might say this is because he’s looking back on a time when he was younger but then there are the other elements to the tale. Gunplay. Nude selfies alluded to, as well as a lot of innocuous allusions to sex. Alastair’s very real fear that Fiona is being sexually abused (though he never says that in so many words) is some of the most mature content, but overall this is just an older title. A book that a 15-year-old is going to get a LOT more out of than a 10-year-old. Would a teen willingly pick it up? If you sell it to them right they will.
For the young librarian working in the field of children’s literature, there comes a day when they are reading a work of historical fiction only to find that the book takes place when they themselves were a child. The number of books out there that are set in 1987 are few and far between but they do exist. For me to find that the characters in this book were pretty much my exact age . . . that was unnerving. If I’m going to be an honest reviewer, maybe it made the book that much closer to my own experiences and, therefore, my reading heart. So take what I say with a grain of salt, eh?
The writing sets this apart from every other book out there right from the start. Now if an author chooses to write in the first person then they face a vast and difficult problem. How does one go about imbuing a protagonist with personality when they are not the most interesting person in the room 90% of the time? This problem is particularly acute in The Riverman. Alistair, after all, is a Nick Carraway in a world of Gatsbys. Even his dad’s fascinating. Giving the boy a personality is imperative to the plot (for one thing, more than one person appears to be vying for his attention) but at the same time the book’s focus isn’t really on him. Fortunately, it seems to me that Alistair got a successful personality infusion right from the get-go. When a strange girl asks him to pen her biography he embraces the plan, patched elbows and all. His immediate desire to plunge into the unknown and goofy bodes well for the young man. What comes after is just gravy.
In terms of the other characters, there are those in this world who would say that by and large, men do not tend to write their female characters as funny. Plucky, sure. Strong-willed, absolutely. Intelligent, you betcha. But funny? It’s not as if it isn’t done, it just isn’t done often. Starmer, I am happy to report is a guy who can not only make a funny girl, but one that you would actually want to know as a result. If Fiona’s the potential victim here she’s not going down without a fight. And if she’s going to fight, she’s going to fight with funny. As dark as the book is (and baby, it’s dark) Fiona’s humor buoys the reader through safely. Until, of course, it doesn’t.
The more you read the book, the more you want to. Starmer’s as good at one-liners as he is overarching themes and messages. Here then is a sampling of some of my favorite off-hand comments peppered throughout:
“Kids had given up on teasing him back in fifth grade when it became obvious that you can call a guy Captain Catpoop all you want, but if he embraces the name by having it ironed onto his own T-shirt, he basically has you beat.”
“Wore a cigarette behind his ear, carried a butterfly knife, kept his van stocked with a stack of blankets and a candle in a jar and a jug of something sweet and alcoholic to ease things in his direction.”
“Pretending, dear boy, is the definition of sophistication.”
“Not all memories rot away. Some sprout fungus.”
By the end (and you might consider this a bit of a spoiler so feel free to skip this paragraph if you like surprises), all I wanted to know was whether or not it was real. Call it the Doll Bones question, if you like. Was there magic? Is there such a place as Aquavania? Or was this all just some complex construct in the hero’s mind? I will say that it’s very interesting to read what appears to be a mystery novel where the reader is convinced that the detective is barking up the wrong tree. A kid reading this book (or teen) is going to be easily convinced from the get-go that Fiona is telling the truth about Aquavania. Yet as the book continues you grow less and less certain. Until, of course, there’s the moment when everything seems to confirm Fiona’s story . . . but what if it doesn’t? Is there more than one way to read her crazy tales? Does she absolutely HAVE to be telling the truth the whole time? Is Starmer, therefore, a good enough author that he can make a young reader, naturally inclined to believe a heroine as charming as Fiona, doubt their own assumptions? It’s a tricky proposition but I think he’s up to it.
I’ll now let you in on a little secret. You know that picture book, Harold and the Purple Crayon? You know why I don’t particularly like it? It’s because that book perfectly highlights my own personal nightmare. You’re trapped in a world of your own design and making and you haven’t the will to even wish yourself out of it. You’ve exchanged fantasy perfection (nine kinds of pie and all) for reality and you can no longer extricate yourself from your own brain. For me, that’s the beauty and pure unadulterated horror of The Riverman. Most fantasy novels cause their readers to wish they could rush headlong out of their mundane existence into a fantasy realm (Hogwarts being the best example). This book makes you want to cling to reality desperately with both hands and never ever let go. It’s probably significant that the parts of the book I found the most interesting weren’t the ones in Aquavania (though the penguin quoting Charlotte’s Web was cute) but the ones in the real world.
So in the end, what is this book? A cautionary tale for people who live too much inside their own heads? Can we truly say that it’s a coincidence that Charlie, the video game king, typifies this? Or is it a grand metaphor for first love? It’s the first in a trilogy though you wouldn’t know it from the packaging, design, or writing. To my mind, this book stands alone. The Riverman may also be the world’s greatest book discussion title. You could talk about this puppy with your peers until the cows come home. This review is just the tip of the iceberg (you don’t wanna think about the iceberg). Once everyone’s read it, I’m going to have SO much more to say. A good book does that. It gives your tongue wings. The Riverman may creep you out and make you want to hide under the covers for a good long while, but just TRY to set it down. Can’t be done. And that is what I look for in a book.
For ages 11 and up.
What do you do when the girl next door asks you to write her biography? If you’re Alistair Cleary you’re initially quite flattered. Then, as you hear her story, that sense of pride may begin to fade. When Fiona Loomis informs Alistair that he needs to hear her tale because she regularly escapes to a magical land called Aquavania where a villain called The Riverman is waiting to steal her soul, he’s understandably perturbed. It seems far more likely that the creepy uncle living in her house is the source of these dark fantasies and the boy becomes determined to save her. Yet as more time goes on, Alastair begins to notice unnerving parallels between Aquavania and the small town in which he lives. Parallels that begin to suggest there’s more to Fiona’s story than anyone could possibly imagine.
First and foremost, we’re going to have to face facts here. I’ve been noticing a distinct increase in the number of books I’d categorize as “Middle School” being published these days. This year alone we’ve seen Nightingale s Nest by Nikki Loftin, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, and this. The books aren’t for 9-year-olds, but by the same token you wouldn’t immediately hand them to a 16-year-old. When a public librarian reads a book of this sort they have to make an assessment. Does it incline more towards children or teens? A lot of the time, I’d say children. A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar, for example, was a tale about middle school first love, but there wasn’t anything overtly mature about it. The same goes for the aforementioned Alexander and Loftin books. But when it comes to The Riverman I’m afraid I fall on the other side of the fence. First, there’s Alistair’s voice. He doesn’t read like a 12-year-old in the least. One might say this is because he’s looking back on a time when he was younger but then there are the other elements to the tale. Gunplay. Nude selfies alluded to, as well as a lot of innocuous allusions to sex. Alastair’s very real fear that Fiona is being sexually abused (though he never says that in so many words) is some of the most mature content, but overall this is just an older title. A book that a 15-year-old is going to get a LOT more out of than a 10-year-old. Would a teen willingly pick it up? If you sell it to them right they will.
For the young librarian working in the field of children’s literature, there comes a day when they are reading a work of historical fiction only to find that the book takes place when they themselves were a child. The number of books out there that are set in 1987 are few and far between but they do exist. For me to find that the characters in this book were pretty much my exact age . . . that was unnerving. If I’m going to be an honest reviewer, maybe it made the book that much closer to my own experiences and, therefore, my reading heart. So take what I say with a grain of salt, eh?
The writing sets this apart from every other book out there right from the start. Now if an author chooses to write in the first person then they face a vast and difficult problem. How does one go about imbuing a protagonist with personality when they are not the most interesting person in the room 90% of the time? This problem is particularly acute in The Riverman. Alistair, after all, is a Nick Carraway in a world of Gatsbys. Even his dad’s fascinating. Giving the boy a personality is imperative to the plot (for one thing, more than one person appears to be vying for his attention) but at the same time the book’s focus isn’t really on him. Fortunately, it seems to me that Alistair got a successful personality infusion right from the get-go. When a strange girl asks him to pen her biography he embraces the plan, patched elbows and all. His immediate desire to plunge into the unknown and goofy bodes well for the young man. What comes after is just gravy.
In terms of the other characters, there are those in this world who would say that by and large, men do not tend to write their female characters as funny. Plucky, sure. Strong-willed, absolutely. Intelligent, you betcha. But funny? It’s not as if it isn’t done, it just isn’t done often. Starmer, I am happy to report is a guy who can not only make a funny girl, but one that you would actually want to know as a result. If Fiona’s the potential victim here she’s not going down without a fight. And if she’s going to fight, she’s going to fight with funny. As dark as the book is (and baby, it’s dark) Fiona’s humor buoys the reader through safely. Until, of course, it doesn’t.
The more you read the book, the more you want to. Starmer’s as good at one-liners as he is overarching themes and messages. Here then is a sampling of some of my favorite off-hand comments peppered throughout:
“Kids had given up on teasing him back in fifth grade when it became obvious that you can call a guy Captain Catpoop all you want, but if he embraces the name by having it ironed onto his own T-shirt, he basically has you beat.”
“Wore a cigarette behind his ear, carried a butterfly knife, kept his van stocked with a stack of blankets and a candle in a jar and a jug of something sweet and alcoholic to ease things in his direction.”
“Pretending, dear boy, is the definition of sophistication.”
“Not all memories rot away. Some sprout fungus.”
By the end (and you might consider this a bit of a spoiler so feel free to skip this paragraph if you like surprises), all I wanted to know was whether or not it was real. Call it the Doll Bones question, if you like. Was there magic? Is there such a place as Aquavania? Or was this all just some complex construct in the hero’s mind? I will say that it’s very interesting to read what appears to be a mystery novel where the reader is convinced that the detective is barking up the wrong tree. A kid reading this book (or teen) is going to be easily convinced from the get-go that Fiona is telling the truth about Aquavania. Yet as the book continues you grow less and less certain. Until, of course, there’s the moment when everything seems to confirm Fiona’s story . . . but what if it doesn’t? Is there more than one way to read her crazy tales? Does she absolutely HAVE to be telling the truth the whole time? Is Starmer, therefore, a good enough author that he can make a young reader, naturally inclined to believe a heroine as charming as Fiona, doubt their own assumptions? It’s a tricky proposition but I think he’s up to it.
I’ll now let you in on a little secret. You know that picture book, Harold and the Purple Crayon? You know why I don’t particularly like it? It’s because that book perfectly highlights my own personal nightmare. You’re trapped in a world of your own design and making and you haven’t the will to even wish yourself out of it. You’ve exchanged fantasy perfection (nine kinds of pie and all) for reality and you can no longer extricate yourself from your own brain. For me, that’s the beauty and pure unadulterated horror of The Riverman. Most fantasy novels cause their readers to wish they could rush headlong out of their mundane existence into a fantasy realm (Hogwarts being the best example). This book makes you want to cling to reality desperately with both hands and never ever let go. It’s probably significant that the parts of the book I found the most interesting weren’t the ones in Aquavania (though the penguin quoting Charlotte’s Web was cute) but the ones in the real world.
So in the end, what is this book? A cautionary tale for people who live too much inside their own heads? Can we truly say that it’s a coincidence that Charlie, the video game king, typifies this? Or is it a grand metaphor for first love? It’s the first in a trilogy though you wouldn’t know it from the packaging, design, or writing. To my mind, this book stands alone. The Riverman may also be the world’s greatest book discussion title. You could talk about this puppy with your peers until the cows come home. This review is just the tip of the iceberg (you don’t wanna think about the iceberg). Once everyone’s read it, I’m going to have SO much more to say. A good book does that. It gives your tongue wings. The Riverman may creep you out and make you want to hide under the covers for a good long while, but just TRY to set it down. Can’t be done. And that is what I look for in a book.
For ages 11 and up.
April 29, 2015
3.5 stars, rounded down.
????
I think this book has left me speechless.
It's a mind**** for 12-year-olds which messes just as hard with adult heads. And I do feel messed with, in a dark and creepy way, and yet I'm completely awestruck by how the author did it.
(And despite the middle-grade categorization of this story, I personally would not give this book to anyone under high school age, because some of the events and implications are very frightening and ugly, both in a fantasy way and in a real world way. So if you're sensitive, you've been warned.
This is one reason I've rounded my rating down: I can't tell who this book is "for". The two protagonists are both 12, but they never felt that young to me, and the situations in the story would be far more appropriate for a YA audience than the 9-12 age group this appears to be targeted towards. I really wish the hero and heroine were 15 or 16, tbh.)
A little more detail:
Things I Liked: The writing really carried me along; I could hardly put the book down and zoomed through it very quickly. Alistair and Fiona both came across well, as whole characters with their own interests and agendas. The story did a great job of feeling equally like a contemporary novel and like a fantasy, so Fiona's vivid, detailed story seemed just as believable as Alistair's "real world" interpretation of what she must be telling him. And whoa -- the repercussions of what Alistair decided to think were really dark and frightening, and had me on the edge of my seat wondering how things would go.
Things I Liked Less: I wasn't entirely prepared for how really dark and gritty this book is, what with the truly whacked-out older brother, the gun, the creepy uncle, the 17-year-old mother, the actually disappeared kids, etc. etc. This stuff made me wonder who the target audience for this book actually is. It seems to be considered "juvenile" or "middle grade," but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable giving this book or recommending it to anyone under high school age (a movie of this book would surely be rated PG-13!) -- but a high school age kid would think they're too old for the 12-year-old protagonists. Speaking of Alistair and Fiona, I'm not quite sure I believe either of them as 12-year-olds, and I think this book would have worked just fine if they'd been advanced to, say, 15. (Okay, so Fiona asserted the whole way through that she wasn't 12 anyway, but still.) And I'm not sure everything quite came together for me at the end, but that may just be because the ending was so inconclusive.
I really applaud the bravery of this book. It's totally different from anything else I've read, and the questions it raises about "where do stories come from? Are creators truly special and different? What exactly is creativity?" are really good food for thought. The worlds created by the kids in Aquavania are truly fascinating, and I desperately wanted to be able to go there myself! And I'm not sure I could have stayed away, either, even knowing the danger the Riverman posed on every visit. But at the same time, I'm afraid my 12-year-old self wouldn't have been able to focus on these intriguing parts of the book around the terrifying contemporary story.
March 31, 2014
What WAS that?
March 18, 2014
No one's all right anymore. It's so unfair. It's so stupid and so unfair.
Well, whaddaya know? That's precisely what I was muttering after I finished The Riverman.
Now this here, we have a story of memories, twisted memories, ones not remembered the right way, secret memories, the ones you did remember the right way and yada yada.
Not all memories rot away.
The main players are Alistair Sinclair, Fiona Loomis and Charlie Whatever. There'll be dangerous men, teenagers with a penchant for destruction, nosy women and the rest of the components of a small, mostly isolated town on the side. It's a very dark book wherein nothing itself is either gory or perverted, but it's the writing, the imagery, the atmosphere that's set that gives it a very grim feeling.
And may just I mention that I loved that?
Fiona Loomis unravels her secrets to Alistair Sinclair, who in turn, tries to find her real story. A mad dance, which involves lots of speculation, skulking around, emotions in turmoil, as Alistair wants to save Fiona from the monster she doesn't speak about.
There's this hurried pace that begins to mar the narration as the story moves on; Fiona and Alistair speak in this urgency with all the frustration and desperation that settles down deep in your stomach, and doesn't let go for days after you've finished the book.
Fiona Loomis could be described perfectly in this sentence:
She left reminders of herself, but she didn't leave herself, and I was sick of it.
Fiona's been to Aquavania, but she's not Dorothy, nor Alice. She's much more than all those put together, but Fiona has a mission. She has to save/warn other kids of Aquavania; if not, she must leave something of herself once the The Riverman's taken her, so she asks Alistair Sinclair to write her story. She knows she will have to give in, but not just yet.
Alistair doesn't want her to give in. Ever. But he himself has secrets he knows not of; memories he has suppressed, despite that he'll try to convince he remembers everything. Alistair thinks he's stable; that he'll be the one to save Fiona, but the fact remains that he's even more lost than Fiona. Traversing around Fiona's mines, he unravels his own secrets from the deepest niches of his mind. He's a loner, with a few friends he spends Halloween with, and a "best friend of convenience," Charlie. He used to be friends with her, but it's a classic side effect of growing up.
The fantasy element to The Riverman almost passive, experienced in Fiona's words, and it's not the Aquavania setting that sets this book apart, nor is it the best facet of the novel; yet, to be seen, to be explained in words of an addict, you could say, a world where your thoughts give way to reality, where thoughts are reality seems infinitely, dangerously scary. Where a breath of wish becomes a bush baby companion.(Excuse me, but that scene was really creepy.) And to make Wonderland a scary place, sans the inclusion of chains and a grinning mad rabbit, sans deliberation is a mighty feat indeed.
And to have this done before the Riverman, who in itself was a frightening boogie, comes into play.
The setting that does endear the book to me is the small town setting, with all the characters. So many of them, so many made me sad because I loved, fucking loved the teenage dude.
Here are some special quotes that resonated with me, regardless and because of the context.
For today, let's believe that anything is possible
I didn't see him as malicious. I saw him as weak, and weakness was something I could forgive.
The ending nearly had me in tears, but I'm so excited to know this is going to be a trilogy. I wouldn't have guessed from the conclusion, although it's open-ended. Sooooooo very excited!
!**!*!**!!*!**!**!**!
[I'm seeing starbursts.]
The Riverman is a story that will mean something different to each reader, treat every one to something new. I hope you find something special in its pages like I did.
...because gone for now is not necessarily gone for good.
Thank you Macmillan's Children!
Well, whaddaya know? That's precisely what I was muttering after I finished The Riverman.
Now this here, we have a story of memories, twisted memories, ones not remembered the right way, secret memories, the ones you did remember the right way and yada yada.
Not all memories rot away.
The main players are Alistair Sinclair, Fiona Loomis and Charlie Whatever. There'll be dangerous men, teenagers with a penchant for destruction, nosy women and the rest of the components of a small, mostly isolated town on the side. It's a very dark book wherein nothing itself is either gory or perverted, but it's the writing, the imagery, the atmosphere that's set that gives it a very grim feeling.
And may just I mention that I loved that?
Fiona Loomis unravels her secrets to Alistair Sinclair, who in turn, tries to find her real story. A mad dance, which involves lots of speculation, skulking around, emotions in turmoil, as Alistair wants to save Fiona from the monster she doesn't speak about.
There's this hurried pace that begins to mar the narration as the story moves on; Fiona and Alistair speak in this urgency with all the frustration and desperation that settles down deep in your stomach, and doesn't let go for days after you've finished the book.
Fiona Loomis could be described perfectly in this sentence:
She left reminders of herself, but she didn't leave herself, and I was sick of it.
Fiona's been to Aquavania, but she's not Dorothy, nor Alice. She's much more than all those put together, but Fiona has a mission. She has to save/warn other kids of Aquavania; if not, she must leave something of herself once the The Riverman's taken her, so she asks Alistair Sinclair to write her story. She knows she will have to give in, but not just yet.
Alistair doesn't want her to give in. Ever. But he himself has secrets he knows not of; memories he has suppressed, despite that he'll try to convince he remembers everything. Alistair thinks he's stable; that he'll be the one to save Fiona, but the fact remains that he's even more lost than Fiona. Traversing around Fiona's mines, he unravels his own secrets from the deepest niches of his mind. He's a loner, with a few friends he spends Halloween with, and a "best friend of convenience," Charlie. He used to be friends with her, but it's a classic side effect of growing up.
The fantasy element to The Riverman almost passive, experienced in Fiona's words, and it's not the Aquavania setting that sets this book apart, nor is it the best facet of the novel; yet, to be seen, to be explained in words of an addict, you could say, a world where your thoughts give way to reality, where thoughts are reality seems infinitely, dangerously scary. Where a breath of wish becomes a bush baby companion.(Excuse me, but that scene was really creepy.) And to make Wonderland a scary place, sans the inclusion of chains and a grinning mad rabbit, sans deliberation is a mighty feat indeed.
And to have this done before the Riverman, who in itself was a frightening boogie, comes into play.
The setting that does endear the book to me is the small town setting, with all the characters. So many of them, so many made me sad because I loved, fucking loved the teenage dude.
Here are some special quotes that resonated with me, regardless and because of the context.
For today, let's believe that anything is possible
I didn't see him as malicious. I saw him as weak, and weakness was something I could forgive.
The ending nearly had me in tears, but I'm so excited to know this is going to be a trilogy. I wouldn't have guessed from the conclusion, although it's open-ended. Sooooooo very excited!
!**!*!**!!*!**!**!**!
[I'm seeing starbursts.]
The Riverman is a story that will mean something different to each reader, treat every one to something new. I hope you find something special in its pages like I did.
...because gone for now is not necessarily gone for good.
Thank you Macmillan's Children!
February 12, 2016
Adult Worthy~
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** GoodBooksforKids (booksforkids-reviews.com)
THE RIVERMAN was amazing. I received it as a review copy and I have to say that it's one of the best books I read this year. And if I get a chance again in my schedule, I'd love to read it again. It was that good!
BACKSTORY
It all sounds rather sweet at first. There's a small town where children bike in the summer and throw rocks and do the things that are reminiscent of gentler times. But it all goes scary and scarier when a girl named Fiona Loomis asks 12 year old Alistair Cleary to write her biography.
It's such a curious request that Alistair agrees. And that is how he discovers that there's a land called Aquavania and that Fiona and other children have been escaping there on-and-off for months. It's a wonderful place on the surface of it. A place to get away, where every imagining can come true. ONLY there's a problem. The Riverman. As Fiona spins the tale she tells of how the Riverman is stalking her -- threatening to suck her soul out with a straw.
The wonderful, wonderful part of this story is that like Alistair it's difficult to tell how 'disturbed' Fiona is. And thus we follow Alistair as he waits and watches and tries to find Fiona's real world threat. He's down to studying the relatives that Fiona lives with, when his own life becomes jeopardized.
So I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE RIVERMAN. It's a layered story that is very well written. The author captures the feel of growing up in a small town, and he draws the characters --good, bad, first- and second-string-- perfectly. Alistair and Fiona's relationship is realistic and charming. And perhaps most importantly, it's not clear what's real and what's fantasy --who or what the danger is.
Creepy enough for adults and young adults. It might be too intense for some middle-graders.
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND.
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** GoodBooksforKids (booksforkids-reviews.com)
THE RIVERMAN was amazing. I received it as a review copy and I have to say that it's one of the best books I read this year. And if I get a chance again in my schedule, I'd love to read it again. It was that good!
BACKSTORY
It all sounds rather sweet at first. There's a small town where children bike in the summer and throw rocks and do the things that are reminiscent of gentler times. But it all goes scary and scarier when a girl named Fiona Loomis asks 12 year old Alistair Cleary to write her biography.
It's such a curious request that Alistair agrees. And that is how he discovers that there's a land called Aquavania and that Fiona and other children have been escaping there on-and-off for months. It's a wonderful place on the surface of it. A place to get away, where every imagining can come true. ONLY there's a problem. The Riverman. As Fiona spins the tale she tells of how the Riverman is stalking her -- threatening to suck her soul out with a straw.
The wonderful, wonderful part of this story is that like Alistair it's difficult to tell how 'disturbed' Fiona is. And thus we follow Alistair as he waits and watches and tries to find Fiona's real world threat. He's down to studying the relatives that Fiona lives with, when his own life becomes jeopardized.
So I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE RIVERMAN. It's a layered story that is very well written. The author captures the feel of growing up in a small town, and he draws the characters --good, bad, first- and second-string-- perfectly. Alistair and Fiona's relationship is realistic and charming. And perhaps most importantly, it's not clear what's real and what's fantasy --who or what the danger is.
Creepy enough for adults and young adults. It might be too intense for some middle-graders.
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND.
March 4, 2014
If Hokey Pokey and Far Far Away had a book baby, it would be The Riverman by Aaron Starmer. With one big exception, I actually liked the characters in The Riverman, which means I was invested. In the end I was torn between my liking for the characters and appreciation of the prose and some issues I had with the plot and setting. Despite my reservations it is a dark haunting tale that is beautifully written.
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
(I received an ARC from publisher in exchange for a fair review)
Alistair and Fiona are kids on the brink. On the brink of leaving their childhoods behind. On the brink of discovering each other. On the brink of oncoming sadness and disaster. Fiona desperately needs someone to listen to her and she chooses Alistair. The more he listens to her the more Alistair needs her to be okay. The more he needs to be the one to make her okay. To be her hero. She is elusive. He reads things into her story and draws his own conclusions about what she is saying. And then acts on them. The predictable disasters ensue (and some not so predictable ones as well). I thought they were at the perfect age to tell a story such as this. There was an underlying tension in their relationship, but they conducted it while riding bikes, sitting near a rock, and talking on swings. It is a hard to reach balance in a book with such dark undertones, but Starmer finessed it well. Fiona is terrified of The Riverman in her fantasy world, who is stealing other kids and making them disappear. Her fear is so real and it leads Alistair to desperately want to figure out what reality she is substituting her fantasy for. Who is the Riverman really? This book is about both their journeys of discovery and loss. There were times when I felt Alistair's voice sounded too mature and world weary in contrast to how he acted and actually spoke. That was explained at the end though. Sort of. I think. (More on that confusion in a moment.)
The prose and imagery Starmer uses is excellent. The descriptions bring everything to life. And there are some gems of philosophy hidden as well, but not in a way that is pretentious or obnoxious. It's done in a way that will work for the intended audience I think. The mystery of Fiona's world and how it overlaps the real world kept me turning pages. I knew the identity of the Riverman almost from the beginning, but I don't think kids will. (And it didn't temper my enjoyment of watching Alistair get there.)
My enjoyment was not without some serious reservations though. One of those was the length of some of the scenes and how unimportant things were drawn out. An example of this was Halloween which took up three chapters and a whole lot of detail when only one small section of it really advanced the plot, or even spoke to character development. That whole sequence felt more like a nostalgic look back at the awesome fun of neighborhood Halloween. I was bored. I laughed when I hit this particular line not even halfway through the book because it was so descriptive of my own feelings reading the book:
Stories taunted me. Even ones I didn't believe dared me to see them through to the end. The idea of Aquavania was absurd, but Fiona's fear seemed so real. I suspected that the end of her tale would reveal the true source of that fear, and I hated her for roping me in, but I hated myself even more for letting her drag me along. Because the tension-the not knowing-was unbearable. Why can't someone spoil the ending for me? I thought.
Ironic. Probably unintentional.
The other element that bothered by was the time period. It is set in 1989 and I can't see any good reason why except that it conveniently go rid of all modern technology. Or possibly this was also part of the nostalgia of the author.
Most of all however, the end bothered me. I don't mind ambiguous or open endings. I don't need perfect closure. What I do need is for the end to make some kind of sense. To give me something. This book reminded me a lot of the TV show Lost. Great concept, excellent set-up, characters that were intriguing and made you want to see them make it, but then it went on a little too long until the original vision was lost and there was nothing to do but end it in a confusing and completely unfulfilling way. I've seen a lot of people say they thought it was brilliant and mind-blowing. To me it felt like a bit of a cop-out.
I would certainly recommend this to readers who like books that blur the line between fantasy and reality. And don't mind lack of closure. I would be careful about handing it to younger MG readers. This is one where you should know the content and the potential readers if they are younger than 12.
I read an ARC of The Riverman received from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, via NetGalley.
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
(I received an ARC from publisher in exchange for a fair review)
Alistair and Fiona are kids on the brink. On the brink of leaving their childhoods behind. On the brink of discovering each other. On the brink of oncoming sadness and disaster. Fiona desperately needs someone to listen to her and she chooses Alistair. The more he listens to her the more Alistair needs her to be okay. The more he needs to be the one to make her okay. To be her hero. She is elusive. He reads things into her story and draws his own conclusions about what she is saying. And then acts on them. The predictable disasters ensue (and some not so predictable ones as well). I thought they were at the perfect age to tell a story such as this. There was an underlying tension in their relationship, but they conducted it while riding bikes, sitting near a rock, and talking on swings. It is a hard to reach balance in a book with such dark undertones, but Starmer finessed it well. Fiona is terrified of The Riverman in her fantasy world, who is stealing other kids and making them disappear. Her fear is so real and it leads Alistair to desperately want to figure out what reality she is substituting her fantasy for. Who is the Riverman really? This book is about both their journeys of discovery and loss. There were times when I felt Alistair's voice sounded too mature and world weary in contrast to how he acted and actually spoke. That was explained at the end though. Sort of. I think. (More on that confusion in a moment.)
The prose and imagery Starmer uses is excellent. The descriptions bring everything to life. And there are some gems of philosophy hidden as well, but not in a way that is pretentious or obnoxious. It's done in a way that will work for the intended audience I think. The mystery of Fiona's world and how it overlaps the real world kept me turning pages. I knew the identity of the Riverman almost from the beginning, but I don't think kids will. (And it didn't temper my enjoyment of watching Alistair get there.)
My enjoyment was not without some serious reservations though. One of those was the length of some of the scenes and how unimportant things were drawn out. An example of this was Halloween which took up three chapters and a whole lot of detail when only one small section of it really advanced the plot, or even spoke to character development. That whole sequence felt more like a nostalgic look back at the awesome fun of neighborhood Halloween. I was bored. I laughed when I hit this particular line not even halfway through the book because it was so descriptive of my own feelings reading the book:
Stories taunted me. Even ones I didn't believe dared me to see them through to the end. The idea of Aquavania was absurd, but Fiona's fear seemed so real. I suspected that the end of her tale would reveal the true source of that fear, and I hated her for roping me in, but I hated myself even more for letting her drag me along. Because the tension-the not knowing-was unbearable. Why can't someone spoil the ending for me? I thought.
Ironic. Probably unintentional.
The other element that bothered by was the time period. It is set in 1989 and I can't see any good reason why except that it conveniently go rid of all modern technology. Or possibly this was also part of the nostalgia of the author.
Most of all however, the end bothered me. I don't mind ambiguous or open endings. I don't need perfect closure. What I do need is for the end to make some kind of sense. To give me something. This book reminded me a lot of the TV show Lost. Great concept, excellent set-up, characters that were intriguing and made you want to see them make it, but then it went on a little too long until the original vision was lost and there was nothing to do but end it in a confusing and completely unfulfilling way. I've seen a lot of people say they thought it was brilliant and mind-blowing. To me it felt like a bit of a cop-out.
I would certainly recommend this to readers who like books that blur the line between fantasy and reality. And don't mind lack of closure. I would be careful about handing it to younger MG readers. This is one where you should know the content and the potential readers if they are younger than 12.
I read an ARC of The Riverman received from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, via NetGalley.
February 19, 2014
Ok. Where do I start. This book is fantastic. The most original book I've read in a long time. I will be recommending it to teen readers (and some adults) but unfortunately I won't be purchasing it for my elementary library. There are a few sexual references, there's talk of a girl taking "nudie" pictures in her basement, and the tone is just a little more mature than what my students are used to. This is very frustrating for me. My natural inclination is to shove this book into the hands of everyone I talk about books with, and most of these people are elementary students. Still, though. I'm so glad it's going to be a trilogy. I can't wait to read the next book. I believe the Newbery committee will be discussing this one for a long time in January. This book lends itself to lots and lots of discussion...
March 12, 2014
REVIEW ALSO ON: http://bibliomantics.com/2014/03/11/s...
I have to admit, The Riverman (which GoodReads claims is the first in a trilogy) originally caught my attention because the cover looked super similar to the artwork on Colin Meloy's trilogy Wildwood (illustrated by Carson Ellis), which is about some magic woods and their relation to the lives of the hipster children (kid hipsters and the children of hipsters) living in Portland. You can see a comparison of those two covers below (waaay below) if the mood strikes you.
However, I am extremely glad I was pulled in by Yelena Bryksenkova's artwork, because author Aaron Starmer's premise was just the right level of intriguing and creepy, seeking to explore a boy and a girl fighting against the forces of the mysterious Riverman, who steals the souls and stories of imaginative children. Or so it would seem on the surface. Kindly insert your dun dun duns here.
Sure on the outside the novel seems like a book about a boogie man that children need to fear, but it goes so much deeper than that, exploring the flawed nature of memories (although the majority of this occurs in the opening of the novel and the epigraph) and even more so about how the unbelievable stories people tell themselves in their own imaginations are merely coping mechanisms to deal with the world at large.
This is explored through Fiona, who comes to her childhood friend Alistair and claims that she is able to travel to a world called Aquavania (through some floating water near her radiator), where her imagination can actually create worlds. As she explains, Aquavania is the place "where stories are born" and travel into the minds of artists and writers to come to fruition. The children who enter Aquavania use their imagination to fill their needs -- as they seek to do in the real world, but in this case their imaginations are made flesh. Or as real as they can be in this other dimension. I'm a little fuzzy on the exact mechanics.
Unfortunately, her friends, other children inside Aquavania are being destroyed by the nefarious Riverman, who uses his pen to steal their souls. In this case their souls (their essence) are their very selves, their imaginations if you will, which he takes to suit his own needs. They don't quite know what he wants, all Fiona knows is that her friends are disappearing in Aquavania and going missing in the Solid World as well.
Ever the realist, Alistair takes this fantastical tale and assumes that Fiona is attempting to cope with her deranged Uncle, who rumor has it -- thanks to the town gossip -- returned from the war a tad altered. Furthermore, Alistair sees the Riverman as not only a physical person threatening Fiona but as a metaphor for those who seek to steal that which we most need in our lives. Happiness? Love? Pick your poison.
But could Fiona's story be real and her Uncle merely the adult version of the class weirdo? When Fiona says she's now aged mentally while in Aquavania does she mean this literally or does she mean that the situation at home has made her an old soul? These are questions that Alistair spends the majority of the novel unpacking on his own. As the ever helpful adults in the story he is recalling to the reader tell him, "Cries for help aren't always cries. Sometimes they're stories."
The Riverman isn't just about all that however, it's also about young and first loves, which seem cute to the adults watching them blossom, but hold a greater meaning to those who are experiencing them. Just ask Romeo and Juliet and their notions of true love. Alistair experiences this more than most as he goes around asking his elder sister if girls need boys to save them. As most boys raised in our society, he is under the false belief that girls need protection from monsters and may be in need of a Lancelot of their own, although he seeks to save Fiona from her own personal demons which are a little more real than most.
That's rough, buddy.
Bonus: the entire novel takes place over the course of six weeks, from October 13, 1989 (Friday the 13th to be precise) all the way through November 20th. So expect plenty of fun '80s tidbits like tape players and neon jackets and white leggings. I'm having flashbacks. Horrible, horrible flashbacks.
I have to admit, The Riverman (which GoodReads claims is the first in a trilogy) originally caught my attention because the cover looked super similar to the artwork on Colin Meloy's trilogy Wildwood (illustrated by Carson Ellis), which is about some magic woods and their relation to the lives of the hipster children (kid hipsters and the children of hipsters) living in Portland. You can see a comparison of those two covers below (waaay below) if the mood strikes you.
However, I am extremely glad I was pulled in by Yelena Bryksenkova's artwork, because author Aaron Starmer's premise was just the right level of intriguing and creepy, seeking to explore a boy and a girl fighting against the forces of the mysterious Riverman, who steals the souls and stories of imaginative children. Or so it would seem on the surface. Kindly insert your dun dun duns here.
Sure on the outside the novel seems like a book about a boogie man that children need to fear, but it goes so much deeper than that, exploring the flawed nature of memories (although the majority of this occurs in the opening of the novel and the epigraph) and even more so about how the unbelievable stories people tell themselves in their own imaginations are merely coping mechanisms to deal with the world at large.
This is explored through Fiona, who comes to her childhood friend Alistair and claims that she is able to travel to a world called Aquavania (through some floating water near her radiator), where her imagination can actually create worlds. As she explains, Aquavania is the place "where stories are born" and travel into the minds of artists and writers to come to fruition. The children who enter Aquavania use their imagination to fill their needs -- as they seek to do in the real world, but in this case their imaginations are made flesh. Or as real as they can be in this other dimension. I'm a little fuzzy on the exact mechanics.
Unfortunately, her friends, other children inside Aquavania are being destroyed by the nefarious Riverman, who uses his pen to steal their souls. In this case their souls (their essence) are their very selves, their imaginations if you will, which he takes to suit his own needs. They don't quite know what he wants, all Fiona knows is that her friends are disappearing in Aquavania and going missing in the Solid World as well.
Ever the realist, Alistair takes this fantastical tale and assumes that Fiona is attempting to cope with her deranged Uncle, who rumor has it -- thanks to the town gossip -- returned from the war a tad altered. Furthermore, Alistair sees the Riverman as not only a physical person threatening Fiona but as a metaphor for those who seek to steal that which we most need in our lives. Happiness? Love? Pick your poison.
But could Fiona's story be real and her Uncle merely the adult version of the class weirdo? When Fiona says she's now aged mentally while in Aquavania does she mean this literally or does she mean that the situation at home has made her an old soul? These are questions that Alistair spends the majority of the novel unpacking on his own. As the ever helpful adults in the story he is recalling to the reader tell him, "Cries for help aren't always cries. Sometimes they're stories."
The Riverman isn't just about all that however, it's also about young and first loves, which seem cute to the adults watching them blossom, but hold a greater meaning to those who are experiencing them. Just ask Romeo and Juliet and their notions of true love. Alistair experiences this more than most as he goes around asking his elder sister if girls need boys to save them. As most boys raised in our society, he is under the false belief that girls need protection from monsters and may be in need of a Lancelot of their own, although he seeks to save Fiona from her own personal demons which are a little more real than most.
That's rough, buddy.
Bonus: the entire novel takes place over the course of six weeks, from October 13, 1989 (Friday the 13th to be precise) all the way through November 20th. So expect plenty of fun '80s tidbits like tape players and neon jackets and white leggings. I'm having flashbacks. Horrible, horrible flashbacks.
March 28, 2014
Don't let the childish cover fool you, this isn't a middle grade novel--mild sexual references and violence push The Riverman toward a middle school audience. Fiona's trippy dream world, Aquavania, reminds me of Roxaboxen on acid, but the world-building and characterization in this book are the work of genius. That odd, but brilliant kid in your 6th or 7th grade class? Give her this one.
April 29, 2014
I am pretty sure I have never read anything like that before.
I am pretty sure I loved it.
I am pretty sure that I am not sure about anything that happened.
And for some reason the music of TWIN PEAKS is going through my head.
I am pretty sure I loved it.
I am pretty sure that I am not sure about anything that happened.
And for some reason the music of TWIN PEAKS is going through my head.
September 14, 2020
8 - 15 September 2020 / 4.5 out of 5 . see my first read through for my thoughts
march 5 -17 - 2014 / 4.5 out of 5
My thoughts
We've all used our imaginations during our childhood ,current children still do and future ones will do the same. As we grow older were confronted with reality and the fantasies , forts build out of pillows and blankets and playing with stuffed animals stops and fades away. Of course authors never lose this marvelous thing. Though some are better then others . The riverman is a tale of the girl who imagined, the boy who wants to believe - beliefs and at the same still remains sceptic and that mysterious evil that steals all .Both real and imaginative .
You should not judge a book by its cover but I do anyway , from time to time and requested The riverman on NG for that sole reason .So glad I got approved. The riverman is about Fiona loomis and Alistair Cleary who were once close friends when they were younger . But now at the age of 12 in 1989 , they have drifted apart like some friends do when growing up. On a particular day in October Fiona needs his help to save Aquavania and stop the Riverman. Ooh , how I like Alistair . In A very skeptic way Alistair listens to her and tries to play along and helps her . He tries to figure it out but can't figure it out if it's real or not and starts to believe , still a skeptic thought remains. The story of Fiona loomis in Aquavania is written anecdotally and in the 3rd person. In this way it does not feel like there was any info dumping and it could be seen as the detachment from Alistair from what Fiona tells him.
Characters
The main characters are Fiona , Alistair and Charlie , who's Alistair best friend. I will mention my thoughts of them briefly.
Alistair is the one I could so relate with. He feels like an outsider and is friend with Charlie not because Charlie is that good of a friend but because it is convenient and Alistair is scared that he will lose that only friend if he demands Charlie to be better friend . When they hang around they only do what interests Charlie and that is playing video games. Alistair has certain maturity to him but you can still see he is still a child. I loved his eye for detail and observation. Also he's a kind kid that gets in though situations in this book but still keeps his head in the mid of it.
I've had some difficulty with Charlie. He's the resident cat lady or rather cat boy and gets bullied because of it but he does not give a kaka about that. I've had sympathy for him but along the way my liking for him changes. A mix between hatred , confusion and sympathy after the things he did and a accident that happened to him . He will be an interesting character to watch in the other two books of this trilogy.
And finally Fiona . She is very mysterious and once you think you know her , she does something unexpected . And this puzzling ambiance of her makes Alistair fall in love with her but at a steady pace. You don't really get to know Fiona at all but only see glimpses of her and this quote explains her perfectly .
She left reminders of herself, but she didn't leave herself, and I was sick of it.
I hope we get to know more of her in future books .
Ok , I was never really scared of the big kahuna . The riverman only appears at the last 30 pages but the tension is creepy and unnerving. I don't know a lot about him but I put him the same class of that of count Olaf.
The setting
Yes we get to know about Aquavania , it is fantastical and anything you can dream of can happen it but what drew me in the first place starting from page one is the town of Thessaly. I've always loved the small town feeling in books maybe because of the reason that Paramaribo , Suriname has that same atmosphere. Thessaly has that close knit community and even has a Christmas tree with lights that represent every Thessaly originated battle perished soldier. That's really cool is you ask me. This is middle grade book but an amount of darkness is present. There are mentions of sex, trailer parks, drugs , vandalism and even an scene were someone tells about murder that was committed. This book is not for the smaller of the smalls but more for upper middle grade and even an upper YAer or Adult can read it .
A younger person will enjoy the marveling Aquavania and an Adult has an coming of age book to come too. This book tells you about death in some way or an other , that living in a fantasy world or using your imagination is fine and dandy but that you should break from that and be in the present as well. I can't wait for the sequels and hoping to get ahold of Mr starmer previous books. I hope you will enjoy this mysterious , magical , grounded and smart middle grade book that people from different ages will get something out of. I will not easily forget about this book.
April 29, 2014
5 stars right up until the last handful if pages, when it went a little pear shaped.
Gorgeous prose. Totally not kid like, but lovely and imaginative and wow, although I wish it wasn't first in a trilogy.
Really glad we did this for book club because I am looking forward to talking about it. Also thinking that the cover does it a HUGE disservice since it looks so young. Sophistication wise this is much older than package or character age would indicate.
Gorgeous prose. Totally not kid like, but lovely and imaginative and wow, although I wish it wasn't first in a trilogy.
Really glad we did this for book club because I am looking forward to talking about it. Also thinking that the cover does it a HUGE disservice since it looks so young. Sophistication wise this is much older than package or character age would indicate.
October 4, 2014
An Important Book that teeters between reality and possibly totally false fantasy. Completely excessive, disturbing and built around concepts of children hurting children, stealing each other's souls etc. The kind of book that feels good on a superficial level but is really just more of the same- so dark and stuffed with unrealistic characters who do unrealistically dark things that it is essentially impossible for me to take seriously. In a "so dark omg you have to read this" kind of way. Utterly humorless and overly self serious. Yuck. Also- fantastic ableist tilt at the end. Really sealed the deal for me. I would say to avoid but many people will like this because it masquerades as subversive or unorthodox...when really it's no different than countless other "serious young adult fiction" novels out there.
August 10, 2016
The blurb of The Riverman pulled me in but also repelled me. How can I not be intrigued by a book that name-drops such awesome titles. But, by the same token, the audacity! It’s not necessarily a good idea to draw comparisons to Carroll, Lewis, and Gaiman, because that sets a seriously high bar. In this case, though, the blurb was spot on. The fantastical other-worldness of Lewis, the weirdness of Carroll, and the creep-factor of Gaiman combine in The Riverman.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
May 7, 2015
I sat down with The Riverman by Aaron Starmer early in the morning yesterday, thinking I would read a few pages and take my time with it - sometimes I like to read middle grade books slowly, you see. They feel so luxurious sometimes, the books written for the younger ages, being able to lose my mind in a story intended for a child. Anyway, this is not what happened to me. I was pulled into these pages immediately and I just could not let go - I read the entire story in one sitting.
The story centers around three children, twelve-ish in age:
Alistair is taken aback somewhat when Fiona makes her request and as she begins to tell her tale, his imagination begins to spin and take over. Not necessarily to quote Fiona, but:
As Fiona tells of friends going missing in both Aquavania and the Solid World (aka the real world), Alistair begins to wonder if maybe there is more to Fiona's story.
He listens and takes down the story as Fiona feverishly tries to figure out where her missing friends are and also to track down the shady character known as The Riverman. While Fiona is working things out and relaying her story so people will know her tale in case The Riverman comes for her next, Alistair begins playing detective too...except Alistair's imagination, which Fiona prized in the beginning, begins to grows and grow and it takes him to places other than where Fiona is looking.
This is kind of a big deal.
Fiona and Alistair are soon looking for the same things, the same people, wanting to save the same things -- but they're both looking in very different directions. One is looking in all of the right places and one is looking in all of the wrong places.
I could spend time talking about characterization here and how I wish I had done a better job of keeping up with the secondary characters, but the truth is that I read this book so quickly - I couldn't take the story in fast enough - it's no wonder that I had a little bit of trouble with some of the minor cast. No big deal. I'll pay more attention on future rereads, I PROMISE. I did really love one secondary cast member quite a bit, Kyle, brother to Charlie. A misfit with a bad reputation in the community, Kyle had a good heart, I think, but had a difficult time breaking out of a mold that people had placed on him for certain reasons, and he was the "bad boy" character of the book. I do think that Kyle wins as my favorite character in this book. My least favorite? Charlie. I never really liked that kid, from the beginning, up until the end. There was something about him that just rubbed me wrong - lazy, opportunistic, that sort of thing. I found myself wishing him away at certain parts of the story, but by the time I got to the end, I found myself curious about how his role in the trio of friends and in the story arc would play out in future installments in this trilogy.
I will say that after I finished reading The Riverman, more than anything, I felt a mixture of WHAT ON EARTH DID I JUST READ?, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, MORE MORE MORE! and WHO CAN I PUSH THIS BOOK ON SO I CAN DISCUSS IT, WHO? part of my reaction probably comes from the fact that I kept forgetting that this is a middle grade book - certainly the characters are young, act young, and have a young feel to them, but there are some non-middle grade things that happen in the book, I think, and I'm not sure that my youngest middle-grader would be ready for those themes just yet even though he falls into the recommended age. Another part of my wide-eyed and excited reaction comes from the layering of this story, how very discussable it is, and the blend of world-building and fantasy that is present here. Also, the big reveal near the end - I didn't see it coming, I didn't even have a clue. Gosh, I love it. I sat in my reading chair and took a few deep breaths because WHAT, WHAT. This is middle grade that made me feel this way, and I'm a big kid. It's fantastic.
I don't really know that I've done justice to this story, because there is too much to give away and still so much more for me to find out. I will be rereading this one, certainly. Ultimately, this book felt to me like both a tribute to imagination and also a warning about it, as well as an ode to being on that precious line between still-a-kid and not-a-kid-anymore. Aging and maturity level, the way we think as we begin to mature, these things are silently in this story. There is so much in here, actually, that I saw as an adult and I'm curious about what a middle grader would actually pull from this story. Would it be as layered? Would it mean so much and represent the same things? I do not know, but DANG IT this is some good stuff right here. High fives to you, Mr. Starmer. I am quite charmed by this one.
The story centers around three children, twelve-ish in age:
*Alistair, the narrator and best friend to Charlie, known widely as a boy who can keep secrets; asked by Fiona to pen her autobiography because she needs a "witness with an imagination"
*Charlie, the less-than-cool gamer-boy that Alistair merely tolerates and maybe feels sorry for, just a little
*Fiona, the maybe-quirky, maybe-aloof girl from down the way; the one that rides her bike by Alistair's house with heavy-metal music playing from her small radio; the one with the slightly messed-up nose; the one that isn't quite popular, but manages to be noticed; the one that Charlie used to play with when they were younger
Alistair is taken aback somewhat when Fiona makes her request and as she begins to tell her tale, his imagination begins to spin and take over. Not necessarily to quote Fiona, but:
There is a portal in Fiona's basement that allows her to travel to another land called Aquavania where anything she imagines comes to life. There are many different magical worlds within Aquavania with many different creatures, and Fiona has friends there that are real children from all over the real world. Lately, though, something had has been happening - rumor has it that The Riverman has been stealing the souls of children in Aquavania and when they go missing there, they also become missing in the Solid World.
As Fiona tells of friends going missing in both Aquavania and the Solid World (aka the real world), Alistair begins to wonder if maybe there is more to Fiona's story.
He listens and takes down the story as Fiona feverishly tries to figure out where her missing friends are and also to track down the shady character known as The Riverman. While Fiona is working things out and relaying her story so people will know her tale in case The Riverman comes for her next, Alistair begins playing detective too...except Alistair's imagination, which Fiona prized in the beginning, begins to grows and grow and it takes him to places other than where Fiona is looking.
This is kind of a big deal.
Fiona and Alistair are soon looking for the same things, the same people, wanting to save the same things -- but they're both looking in very different directions. One is looking in all of the right places and one is looking in all of the wrong places.
I could spend time talking about characterization here and how I wish I had done a better job of keeping up with the secondary characters, but the truth is that I read this book so quickly - I couldn't take the story in fast enough - it's no wonder that I had a little bit of trouble with some of the minor cast. No big deal. I'll pay more attention on future rereads, I PROMISE. I did really love one secondary cast member quite a bit, Kyle, brother to Charlie. A misfit with a bad reputation in the community, Kyle had a good heart, I think, but had a difficult time breaking out of a mold that people had placed on him for certain reasons, and he was the "bad boy" character of the book. I do think that Kyle wins as my favorite character in this book. My least favorite? Charlie. I never really liked that kid, from the beginning, up until the end. There was something about him that just rubbed me wrong - lazy, opportunistic, that sort of thing. I found myself wishing him away at certain parts of the story, but by the time I got to the end, I found myself curious about how his role in the trio of friends and in the story arc would play out in future installments in this trilogy.
I will say that after I finished reading The Riverman, more than anything, I felt a mixture of WHAT ON EARTH DID I JUST READ?, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, MORE MORE MORE! and WHO CAN I PUSH THIS BOOK ON SO I CAN DISCUSS IT, WHO? part of my reaction probably comes from the fact that I kept forgetting that this is a middle grade book - certainly the characters are young, act young, and have a young feel to them, but there are some non-middle grade things that happen in the book, I think, and I'm not sure that my youngest middle-grader would be ready for those themes just yet even though he falls into the recommended age. Another part of my wide-eyed and excited reaction comes from the layering of this story, how very discussable it is, and the blend of world-building and fantasy that is present here. Also, the big reveal near the end - I didn't see it coming, I didn't even have a clue. Gosh, I love it. I sat in my reading chair and took a few deep breaths because WHAT, WHAT. This is middle grade that made me feel this way, and I'm a big kid. It's fantastic.
I don't really know that I've done justice to this story, because there is too much to give away and still so much more for me to find out. I will be rereading this one, certainly. Ultimately, this book felt to me like both a tribute to imagination and also a warning about it, as well as an ode to being on that precious line between still-a-kid and not-a-kid-anymore. Aging and maturity level, the way we think as we begin to mature, these things are silently in this story. There is so much in here, actually, that I saw as an adult and I'm curious about what a middle grader would actually pull from this story. Would it be as layered? Would it mean so much and represent the same things? I do not know, but DANG IT this is some good stuff right here. High fives to you, Mr. Starmer. I am quite charmed by this one.
December 9, 2020
One of the most unique captivating books I've ever read.
This is the first book in a trilogy about a girl who claims she is visiting a parallel universe where a nefarious being called The Riverman is stealing the souls of children. She then asks a boy to write her biography because she fears her soul may be next.
Drat! Can't wait for book 2. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is the first book in a trilogy about a girl who claims she is visiting a parallel universe where a nefarious being called The Riverman is stealing the souls of children. She then asks a boy to write her biography because she fears her soul may be next.
Drat! Can't wait for book 2. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
March 24, 2014
I really liked this one. I find that I haven't read a lot of 9-12 that I would consider to be dark and spooky but The Riverman does both very well. There are a lot of comparisons flying around saying that this borrows ideas from the likes of Alice in Wonderland and Coraline and I will admit that I can see traces of that happening here.
So, The Riverman. First of all, how cool is Fiona Loomis?? I loved her character from page one and she just grew on me throughout the novel. Speaking of characters, Aaron Starmer creates a whole bunch of interesting ones that draw you into this world and don't let you go until the last page! (Charlie! Kyle!) The mystery in this story fascinated me because you really couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't, what was from the real world and what wasn't. The one thing that frustrated me was the ending because I was left in a state of confusion. But honestly, I think that was the point; not everything is suppose to tie up in a nice neat bow at the end of the story. Goodreads is saying that this is the fist in a trilogy and by god I hope so. I need to find out more!
So, The Riverman. First of all, how cool is Fiona Loomis?? I loved her character from page one and she just grew on me throughout the novel. Speaking of characters, Aaron Starmer creates a whole bunch of interesting ones that draw you into this world and don't let you go until the last page! (Charlie! Kyle!) The mystery in this story fascinated me because you really couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't, what was from the real world and what wasn't. The one thing that frustrated me was the ending because I was left in a state of confusion. But honestly, I think that was the point; not everything is suppose to tie up in a nice neat bow at the end of the story. Goodreads is saying that this is the fist in a trilogy and by god I hope so. I need to find out more!
June 28, 2014
I really need to give this to everyone I know and yell "READ THIS AND THEN TALK TO ME ABOUT IT!"
I don't even know what to do with this book. It's amazingly well written and ostensibly a middle grade novel, but it has the feeling of an adult novel written about 12 year olds. Alister's voice certainly doesn't sound like a 12 year old, but that could be because maybe he's not a 12 year old, that's wrapped up in the ambiguousness of the ending. And that ending? I didn't throw the book across the room but it was a close thing. There was a lot of involuntary yelling for the last 20 pages.
I'm surprised to hear that this is the first book of a trilogy. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I like the openness of this book and I'm not sure I want everything tied up. But then again I can think of plenty of ways this could be a trilogy without sacrificing the ambiguity that runs through the book.
I don't even know what to do with this book. It's amazingly well written and ostensibly a middle grade novel, but it has the feeling of an adult novel written about 12 year olds. Alister's voice certainly doesn't sound like a 12 year old, but that could be because maybe he's not a 12 year old, that's wrapped up in the ambiguousness of the ending. And that ending? I didn't throw the book across the room but it was a close thing. There was a lot of involuntary yelling for the last 20 pages.
I'm surprised to hear that this is the first book of a trilogy. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I like the openness of this book and I'm not sure I want everything tied up. But then again I can think of plenty of ways this could be a trilogy without sacrificing the ambiguity that runs through the book.
August 14, 2016
Rating is more like a 3.5. Fascinating, engaging, and sometimes like a runaway train. The Riverman still has me wondering what's real and what's just vivid, youthful imagination. I'll be curious to know what the younger teens think of it, particularly the ending (or lack thereof?) The story as a whole is one that anyone who is, or who remembers being, 12 years old can relate to. The reality of shifting friendships, family relationships, and perception of the world around you is well portrayed. Throw in the challenge of an alternate world and you've got some rather confusing situations to sort out. Can't say I loved the ending since it wasn't neat and tidy, but it may have been most fitting for the story. Received the e-galley through NetGalley.com.
April 22, 2014
This book is about 6th graders and every time I look at it I find myself wondering, "Would a 6th grader pick this up or would they find the cover too kiddish? As a 30-something, I love the Wes Anderson-esque cover..."
This is one of the best books I've read recently and one of the best books I've read for the younger teen crowd. Most of my reviewed books have been getting 2/5-3 stars lately, but this one is a solid 4/5 for me.
This is one of the best books I've read recently and one of the best books I've read for the younger teen crowd. Most of my reviewed books have been getting 2/5-3 stars lately, but this one is a solid 4/5 for me.
March 7, 2017
Warning: spoilers ahead
Where do I begin? How do I begin? It doesn't really help that I read this book many months ago and have put off reviewing it until now. I was so overwhelmed by this book, and the trilogy in general, that I thought I needed time to process things before I could write about it. I was left bereft and puzzled by the end of this trilogy that I didn't know how to explain it all. And then I read so many books in-between that time that I now find myself speechless and lost.
All I know is that I really, truly, loved every single aspect of The Riverman. I started it and finished it so quickly, devouring every word, unable to stop myself from immediately picking up book number two to find out WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
I want to talk about this book as a single entity, but can't seem to separate it from the trilogy, now that I've read them all and know what happens and how it all ends. Truth is, I didn't enjoy The Whisper and The Storyteller as much, which makes it unfair to this one, because this one was absolutely incredible. The concept so unique, so brilliant, and the execution even more so. I'm not even sure how this was categorized as a middle-grade book, because it really isn't. I doubt that middle-graders would completely grasp the mind-blowing, underlying and intricate elements and themes of this book - I could barely grasp them myself.
OK, let's start at the beginning then.
In short, this is a wonderful, fantastical trilogy about a boy who gets caught up in a world of stories and imagination. A world where a monster exists…a monster referred to as “The Riverman”. A boy who struggles with the truth and tries to find real life situations to explain the bizarre stories that he was entrusted with. A boy who finds himself pulled into this world and has to deal with so much loss, while taking on the huge role and responsibility of becoming The Storyteller. OK...went a little too far here, so let's backtrack and focus on this book.
When Fiona approaches Alistair to write her biography, telling him that he was chosen because of a story he wrote for school once, which really stood out to her, he is initially quite flattered. He thinks she must be into him, this weird next-door neighbor, who doesn't really have any friends, but he is also somewhat pleased to have been picked for this strange endeavor, so he agrees to listen to her story. And so Fiona proceeds to tell him about a world in some other dimension of sorts, a land in which your imagination comes to life, a land they (the inhabitants) call Aquavania. Every thought can become a reality on this land, and you can meet other inhabitants if they invite you in and vice versa. There is one dark shadow that befalls this land - the Riverman - a horrible, monstrous, villain, who waits for just the right moment to steal the soul of all those that inhabit the land, feeding on their imagination, quite literally.
Alistair is obviously horrified at being taken for a fool, and tells her so. For some reason though, he keeps coming back, compelled to continue listening to her story, noting and deciphering everything she says, until he starts to read all these little signs and parallels between her stories and everyday life. He convinces himself that she is actually trying to confide to him about something very serious that is happening in her real life, and this is the only way she knows how to tell him, by telling him fictional stories so he can save her. Soon, he is certain that what she's actually trying to confess is that her creepy uncle is sexually abusing her (not a very middle-grade topic, that).
All is not what it seems though, and when Fiona realizes that Alistair doesn't actually believe anything she's saying and has his own agenda, she gets angry and frustrated. Seeing her anger, Alistair begins to have doubts, and whether he likes it or not, he begins to notice changes in Fiona every time she tells him she's come back from Aquavania. Most notable is her maturity. Fiona explains to him that time works differently there, and what seems mere hours here could be years there, so every time she's back, she's actually aged many years. More importantly though, Alistair begins to recall certain events that have occurred to him at a much younger age that seem to confirm Fiona's description of things. The more Alistair is immersed in her story, the more attached he becomes, until he admits to himself that he's actually fallen deeply in love with this strange, bizarre girl.
This is such a brilliant story, one that is hard to define or put into words. You can't even pinpoint for certain what the moral of the story is. Is it about people with too much imagination, is it trying to encourage or discourage that? Is it for all those storytellers, who live too much outside of reality, who spend too much time in a world that does not exist - i.e. think digital age, video games, chats, etc. Or is it a romantic tale where our hero tries to save his damsel in distress? At this point, it's hard to tell. I'm going to guess it's a bit of everything, and that's what makes it so great. There's also the great mystery of the Riverman, who is he and why is he doing what he's doing? And more importantly, how is he getting away with it? How are all these children disappearing in different parts of the world, and the only connection is this imaginary land that no one - at least no adult - is even aware of and sounds absolutely insane!
The ending will have you mind-blown. I definitely did not see it coming, and it took my breath away. To finally put all the pieces together and find out who the Riverman actually is. You spend the whole book playing the guessing game, only to have Starmer shove you hard with an elbow between the ribs so you can barely take a breath. It is dark. It is twisted. And it is oh-so-creepy. I love it!
Many have said this book works as a standalone with a bit of an open-ended ending to it, and having read the whole trilogy, I personally would recommend that readers stop at this book. Unfortunately, in my opinion anyway, the sequels did not match the brilliance of this book, and once we knew who the Riverman was, the rest of the story seemed to crumble a little bit, and get lost in translation - or imagination.
Where do I begin? How do I begin? It doesn't really help that I read this book many months ago and have put off reviewing it until now. I was so overwhelmed by this book, and the trilogy in general, that I thought I needed time to process things before I could write about it. I was left bereft and puzzled by the end of this trilogy that I didn't know how to explain it all. And then I read so many books in-between that time that I now find myself speechless and lost.
All I know is that I really, truly, loved every single aspect of The Riverman. I started it and finished it so quickly, devouring every word, unable to stop myself from immediately picking up book number two to find out WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
I want to talk about this book as a single entity, but can't seem to separate it from the trilogy, now that I've read them all and know what happens and how it all ends. Truth is, I didn't enjoy The Whisper and The Storyteller as much, which makes it unfair to this one, because this one was absolutely incredible. The concept so unique, so brilliant, and the execution even more so. I'm not even sure how this was categorized as a middle-grade book, because it really isn't. I doubt that middle-graders would completely grasp the mind-blowing, underlying and intricate elements and themes of this book - I could barely grasp them myself.
OK, let's start at the beginning then.
In short, this is a wonderful, fantastical trilogy about a boy who gets caught up in a world of stories and imagination. A world where a monster exists…a monster referred to as “The Riverman”. A boy who struggles with the truth and tries to find real life situations to explain the bizarre stories that he was entrusted with. A boy who finds himself pulled into this world and has to deal with so much loss, while taking on the huge role and responsibility of becoming The Storyteller. OK...went a little too far here, so let's backtrack and focus on this book.
When Fiona approaches Alistair to write her biography, telling him that he was chosen because of a story he wrote for school once, which really stood out to her, he is initially quite flattered. He thinks she must be into him, this weird next-door neighbor, who doesn't really have any friends, but he is also somewhat pleased to have been picked for this strange endeavor, so he agrees to listen to her story. And so Fiona proceeds to tell him about a world in some other dimension of sorts, a land in which your imagination comes to life, a land they (the inhabitants) call Aquavania. Every thought can become a reality on this land, and you can meet other inhabitants if they invite you in and vice versa. There is one dark shadow that befalls this land - the Riverman - a horrible, monstrous, villain, who waits for just the right moment to steal the soul of all those that inhabit the land, feeding on their imagination, quite literally.
Alistair is obviously horrified at being taken for a fool, and tells her so. For some reason though, he keeps coming back, compelled to continue listening to her story, noting and deciphering everything she says, until he starts to read all these little signs and parallels between her stories and everyday life. He convinces himself that she is actually trying to confide to him about something very serious that is happening in her real life, and this is the only way she knows how to tell him, by telling him fictional stories so he can save her. Soon, he is certain that what she's actually trying to confess is that her creepy uncle is sexually abusing her (not a very middle-grade topic, that).
All is not what it seems though, and when Fiona realizes that Alistair doesn't actually believe anything she's saying and has his own agenda, she gets angry and frustrated. Seeing her anger, Alistair begins to have doubts, and whether he likes it or not, he begins to notice changes in Fiona every time she tells him she's come back from Aquavania. Most notable is her maturity. Fiona explains to him that time works differently there, and what seems mere hours here could be years there, so every time she's back, she's actually aged many years. More importantly though, Alistair begins to recall certain events that have occurred to him at a much younger age that seem to confirm Fiona's description of things. The more Alistair is immersed in her story, the more attached he becomes, until he admits to himself that he's actually fallen deeply in love with this strange, bizarre girl.
This is such a brilliant story, one that is hard to define or put into words. You can't even pinpoint for certain what the moral of the story is. Is it about people with too much imagination, is it trying to encourage or discourage that? Is it for all those storytellers, who live too much outside of reality, who spend too much time in a world that does not exist - i.e. think digital age, video games, chats, etc. Or is it a romantic tale where our hero tries to save his damsel in distress? At this point, it's hard to tell. I'm going to guess it's a bit of everything, and that's what makes it so great. There's also the great mystery of the Riverman, who is he and why is he doing what he's doing? And more importantly, how is he getting away with it? How are all these children disappearing in different parts of the world, and the only connection is this imaginary land that no one - at least no adult - is even aware of and sounds absolutely insane!
The ending will have you mind-blown. I definitely did not see it coming, and it took my breath away. To finally put all the pieces together and find out who the Riverman actually is. You spend the whole book playing the guessing game, only to have Starmer shove you hard with an elbow between the ribs so you can barely take a breath. It is dark. It is twisted. And it is oh-so-creepy. I love it!
Many have said this book works as a standalone with a bit of an open-ended ending to it, and having read the whole trilogy, I personally would recommend that readers stop at this book. Unfortunately, in my opinion anyway, the sequels did not match the brilliance of this book, and once we knew who the Riverman was, the rest of the story seemed to crumble a little bit, and get lost in translation - or imagination.
December 4, 2022
this was genuinely just… wow. i don’t even have words. i ordered the sequels before even finishing it, if you wrote stories as a kid, or if you’re a young writer, please read this.
March 21, 2014
Y’all, The Riverman was such a fantastic book! I don’t read nearly enough middle grade, so when Macmillan reached out about this title, I jumped on it. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but what I found? Was imaginative, and captivating. A spooky thrill-ride that had me questioning what was real, what wasn’t, and where the boundaries of our imaginations are.
Confession: I didn't re-read the synopsis or anything before I started The Riverman. I dove into Aaron Starmer’s book blind, and I was shocked and entranced. The Riverman reads like a fairy-tale in some aspects, then takes you on twists and turns you won’t see coming. There’s a mystery element, and a dark thread woven throughout the whimsical parts, and all of that definitely keeps you turning the pages!
I loved the main characters, Alistair and Fiona. Alistair is your average 12 year old boy, with a normal, loving family (which was awesome to read about.) Fiona is a dreamer who gets a lot of flak bordering on bullying for being different. Watching them come together as she told her story was magical. The Riverman dares you to remember what life was like when you were a child and anything was possible. When life was limitless. When the things that scared and challenged you were at once corporeal and ephemeral.
While reading The Riverman, I felt on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't help but thing of Stephen King’s IT — another book where fantastic and terrifying things happen to a group of kids. (Also where my fear of clowns came from.) Like in IT, The Riverman largely draws on the power of belief, and the notion that belief can transform a dream into reality, and vice versa. And that belief can bring people together, and make amazing things happen.
I loved The Riverman — from the gauzy, dream-like details of Aquavania, to the dreary fears of Alistair and Fiona, to the hope written into this story. My quibbles are that the writing at times felt a bit awkward, and some of the dialogue and moments definitely didn’t feel like 12 year olds talking or reacting but otherwise, this is a great book!
Confession: I didn't re-read the synopsis or anything before I started The Riverman. I dove into Aaron Starmer’s book blind, and I was shocked and entranced. The Riverman reads like a fairy-tale in some aspects, then takes you on twists and turns you won’t see coming. There’s a mystery element, and a dark thread woven throughout the whimsical parts, and all of that definitely keeps you turning the pages!
I loved the main characters, Alistair and Fiona. Alistair is your average 12 year old boy, with a normal, loving family (which was awesome to read about.) Fiona is a dreamer who gets a lot of flak bordering on bullying for being different. Watching them come together as she told her story was magical. The Riverman dares you to remember what life was like when you were a child and anything was possible. When life was limitless. When the things that scared and challenged you were at once corporeal and ephemeral.
While reading The Riverman, I felt on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't help but thing of Stephen King’s IT — another book where fantastic and terrifying things happen to a group of kids. (Also where my fear of clowns came from.) Like in IT, The Riverman largely draws on the power of belief, and the notion that belief can transform a dream into reality, and vice versa. And that belief can bring people together, and make amazing things happen.
I loved The Riverman — from the gauzy, dream-like details of Aquavania, to the dreary fears of Alistair and Fiona, to the hope written into this story. My quibbles are that the writing at times felt a bit awkward, and some of the dialogue and moments definitely didn’t feel like 12 year olds talking or reacting but otherwise, this is a great book!
September 22, 2018
This was a frustrating story. It clearly is meant for young adults, since the main character is a 12 year old boy, but the content was more mature than what I would want my daughters exposed to. The language & thought processes were more of a 30 year old. I know that people are cruel and mean, that boys can be sexual predators, but I don't want to have my kids reading those sorts of stories simply for entertainment purposes. This book wasn't about teaching morals or having empathy for others.
The story is about kids who enter into a magical world where all their dreams come true, except the true wishes of the heart; friendship, knowledge, love, acceptance. Each child's world is separated from the others, but kids can cross the barriers with some effort. Hunting the children through this world is a mysterious monster named The Riverman. After he sucks the soul from the child, they go missing in the real world & are never seen again.
Alistair learns about this world from a friend of his, Fiona. She is fearing for her life and worries the Riverman will take her next. Also featured in the story is Alistair's neighbor Charlie, and his older brother Kyle. Although Charlie is cruel, mocks girls for their looks or weight and makes weird sexual comments about the girls in his class, the book makes it clear that the reason his classmates don't like him is because he let his older brother's cool tree house fall into disrepair.
The book has themes of teen suicide, rape, teen pregnancy (one of the older teens specifically mentions she was pregnant at 14, but is presented as a role model), and suggests that it's a betrayal to protect someone by revealing their secrets.
"[Kyle] was a badass of the old mold. Wore a cigarette behind his ear, carried a butterfly knife, kept his van stocked with a stack of blankets and a candle in a jar and a jug of something sweet and alcoholic to ease things in his direction."
It was written in 2014, but was set in 1989. The story would be great, if it were for high school kids and adults. But with a 12 yr old main character? ...the themes didn't make sense for that age.
The story is about kids who enter into a magical world where all their dreams come true, except the true wishes of the heart; friendship, knowledge, love, acceptance. Each child's world is separated from the others, but kids can cross the barriers with some effort. Hunting the children through this world is a mysterious monster named The Riverman. After he sucks the soul from the child, they go missing in the real world & are never seen again.
Alistair learns about this world from a friend of his, Fiona. She is fearing for her life and worries the Riverman will take her next. Also featured in the story is Alistair's neighbor Charlie, and his older brother Kyle. Although Charlie is cruel, mocks girls for their looks or weight and makes weird sexual comments about the girls in his class, the book makes it clear that the reason his classmates don't like him is because he let his older brother's cool tree house fall into disrepair.
The book has themes of teen suicide, rape, teen pregnancy (one of the older teens specifically mentions she was pregnant at 14, but is presented as a role model), and suggests that it's a betrayal to protect someone by revealing their secrets.
"[Kyle] was a badass of the old mold. Wore a cigarette behind his ear, carried a butterfly knife, kept his van stocked with a stack of blankets and a candle in a jar and a jug of something sweet and alcoholic to ease things in his direction."
It was written in 2014, but was set in 1989. The story would be great, if it were for high school kids and adults. But with a 12 yr old main character? ...the themes didn't make sense for that age.
March 20, 2022
[1.5 stars] only giving this half a star for nostalgia
going into this i thought i was gonna really love it since i loved it so much when i read it as a kid … let’s just say that is not what happened at all. come childhood nostalgia books should stay childhood nostalgia books. this book was so boring and by the time i reached the halfway point i started skimming pages, only stopping when i got to the interesting parts about the riverman.
my first problem with this book is that it shouldn’t have been told from alistair’s pov. his pov added nothing to the story at all. most of the time we got stories upon stories that didn’t relate to the plot at all and didn’t need to be put in the book. it truly felt like filler and made the book drag. the story would’ve been so much better if it were told from fiona’s pov. we would’ve been able to learn more about the riverman and the world of aquavania firsthand instead of whatever the book tried to do.
genuinely i think the author was trying to do too much with limited pages. there was no character development, barely, if any, plot development, and just terrible writing all around. i didn’t care for any of the characters at all. the fact that for majority of the book alistair just straight up refused to listen literally drove me over the edge. the whole riverman reveal …. it was so stupid. none of it made sense at all. i wish they would’ve had the riverman be more of like a little nightmares 2 type of thing where alistair is the riverman and he’s trying to figure that out and also him and the readers and trying to figure out how he got to that point and all of the consequences that comes with that. that would’ve made for a better story
all in all, i was really disappointed in this reread. i was expecting to love it like i use to and came out absolutely hating it. the ending kinda gagged me a bit ngl and for a split second i thought about continuing, but after this i’ve decided against it. there was so much things this book could’ve done to be better.
going into this i thought i was gonna really love it since i loved it so much when i read it as a kid … let’s just say that is not what happened at all. come childhood nostalgia books should stay childhood nostalgia books. this book was so boring and by the time i reached the halfway point i started skimming pages, only stopping when i got to the interesting parts about the riverman.
my first problem with this book is that it shouldn’t have been told from alistair’s pov. his pov added nothing to the story at all. most of the time we got stories upon stories that didn’t relate to the plot at all and didn’t need to be put in the book. it truly felt like filler and made the book drag. the story would’ve been so much better if it were told from fiona’s pov. we would’ve been able to learn more about the riverman and the world of aquavania firsthand instead of whatever the book tried to do.
genuinely i think the author was trying to do too much with limited pages. there was no character development, barely, if any, plot development, and just terrible writing all around. i didn’t care for any of the characters at all. the fact that for majority of the book alistair just straight up refused to listen literally drove me over the edge. the whole riverman reveal …. it was so stupid. none of it made sense at all. i wish they would’ve had the riverman be more of like a little nightmares 2 type of thing where alistair is the riverman and he’s trying to figure that out and also him and the readers and trying to figure out how he got to that point and all of the consequences that comes with that. that would’ve made for a better story
all in all, i was really disappointed in this reread. i was expecting to love it like i use to and came out absolutely hating it. the ending kinda gagged me a bit ngl and for a split second i thought about continuing, but after this i’ve decided against it. there was so much things this book could’ve done to be better.
January 26, 2016
“We were weirdos, Fiona and I. Creative minds like ours were the minds of aliens.”
This is an incredibly imaginative, creepy, and well-written middle grade novel. The plot is about a Riverman stealing creative children's souls. Roughly.
One problem I have with a lot of books written for younger audiences is that the author seems to think they have to dumb down the writing for kids to understand it. I was delighted to find that this isn't the case with Aaron Starmer. While reading The Riverman, I never felt like he was holding back on his writing, and after that this book just kept continuing to surprise me, and quite exceeded my expectations.
I really liked the characters and their strange quirkiness in this book. Aaron Starmer also keeps them mysterious enough so most of the time you're not sure who to believe—Fiona, with her crazy tales of imaginary worlds, or Alistair, whose feet are firmly planted on the ground in the Solid World, and, although he has more of an imagination than, say, his school friend Charlie, his creativity is more harnessed than Fiona's artistic wildness.
I think too many questions were left unanswered by the end, though. I was worried about that from the start because a lot of the time a book can start out with a unique, original idea, but the author doesn't consider the whole plot, specifically the ending. There just wasn't enough depth to the plot and the ending was a bit of a letdown, with a ton of loose ends left unanswered.
October 19, 2014
My fav middle grade book all year hands down. READ AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT.
Fiona Loomis offers Alistair Cleary a strange yet intriguing opportunity - the chance to write her autobiography. Fiona’s story is anything but straightforward. Alistair finds himself haunted to make sense of Fiona, her family, and their close knit upstate New York town. Highly imaginative and thought provoking, Starmer's storytelling skirts the line between children’s and young adult literature. A mix of a gripping mystery and magical realism, Riverman whisks you along to the end and will have you thinking about the stories we tell ourselves, each other, and our children long after the last page
Fiona Loomis offers Alistair Cleary a strange yet intriguing opportunity - the chance to write her autobiography. Fiona’s story is anything but straightforward. Alistair finds himself haunted to make sense of Fiona, her family, and their close knit upstate New York town. Highly imaginative and thought provoking, Starmer's storytelling skirts the line between children’s and young adult literature. A mix of a gripping mystery and magical realism, Riverman whisks you along to the end and will have you thinking about the stories we tell ourselves, each other, and our children long after the last page
June 18, 2020
I had this weird phase when I was younger when I owned a bunch of really odd books. Dark, haunting, strange books I could never get out of my head. They flitted through my nightmares and scared me to the bone. This was one of them. I remember keeping it under my bed because I was too afraid to even look at it. To this day, I'm still a little freaked out by The Riverman. It sometimes comes back to haunt my dreams even now. I keep it in a shadowed part of my shelf for the day I'm brave enough to pick it up again.
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