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Upriver, Downriver
People in the Sarpsis Valley don't want anything to do with cars, planes, leaf-blowers or anything else that can't be grown from the ground or caught in the river. All those things come from where they call The Fuss, the place that long ago ruined and drove them away. But when a drought endangers the livelihood of their small reclusive community, they're driven to accepting The Fuss' help––sending a rift through the valley that threatens to tear the place apart. And while the outsiders seem to have the valley's best interests at heart, they're bound to want something in return for all their good deeds. Though the Sarpsians may not have much, what they do have are some unusual children.
778 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2016
"Upriver, Downriver" is a story that rebels against classification. Is it a light-hearted coming-of-age tale about a kids living a placid next to river, yet always managing to get into trouble, like "Tom Sawyer"? Is it Dickensian tale about how stubbornness, greed, and crimes committed long ago can rot a community from the inside out? Or is a science-fiction tale of kids with strange mutations that draw the eye of corporations eager to exploit as new weapons in a war that has ravaged the Earth since time out of mind?
The story is all those thing and more. That this is author Aaron Ward's first published novel is impressive. The cast of characters (number in the dozens) are fully realized people. The pacing of the story is methodical, slowly escalating in tension as old crimes are uncovered and new mysteries presented. And the prose is polished to a shine; a book with this many story arcs is a feat some established authors would struggle to pull to together, but Ward weaves the threads of his tale like a season pro. It calls to mind Stephen King's stories centered on kids, such as "The Body" or "It". Nostalgic at first, but with sinister undertones lurking in the shadows.
So what ~is~ "Upriver, Downriver"? I think it can best be described as "magic". It's a portal into a world not too dissimilar to our own, but one whose inhabitants will be rattling around in your head long after you've finished the tale. I unreservedly recommend it, and cannot wait to read what's next from Aaron Ward.
The story is all those thing and more. That this is author Aaron Ward's first published novel is impressive. The cast of characters (number in the dozens) are fully realized people. The pacing of the story is methodical, slowly escalating in tension as old crimes are uncovered and new mysteries presented. And the prose is polished to a shine; a book with this many story arcs is a feat some established authors would struggle to pull to together, but Ward weaves the threads of his tale like a season pro. It calls to mind Stephen King's stories centered on kids, such as "The Body" or "It". Nostalgic at first, but with sinister undertones lurking in the shadows.
So what ~is~ "Upriver, Downriver"? I think it can best be described as "magic". It's a portal into a world not too dissimilar to our own, but one whose inhabitants will be rattling around in your head long after you've finished the tale. I unreservedly recommend it, and cannot wait to read what's next from Aaron Ward.
May 28, 2017
When outsiders arrive to help an isolated farming community struggling with drought, the technology they bring causes strife and division.
Following wars which have devastated the land, the people of the Sarpsis valley have deliberately isolated themselves from the technological civilization ‘upriver’ and everything that goes with it. They survive by farming and hunting, but it’s a hard life, especially when a long drought hits. Then upriver folk arrive to help them out — but are their motives purely altruistic, or are they more interested in the valley’s unusual mutant children?
Told from the point of view of three boys who despite unusual abilities are rather typical teenagers, this is a story of a usually peaceful community torn apart by toxic secrets. While the style is folksy the writing is sophisticated and accomplished. It’s rather long and the start is slow, but very readable and worth sticking with for the compelling plot and well-developed characters. There are some editing errors but nothing too annoying.
The story has a distinct allegorical feel, but thankfully it’s not heavy-handed and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions.
Following wars which have devastated the land, the people of the Sarpsis valley have deliberately isolated themselves from the technological civilization ‘upriver’ and everything that goes with it. They survive by farming and hunting, but it’s a hard life, especially when a long drought hits. Then upriver folk arrive to help them out — but are their motives purely altruistic, or are they more interested in the valley’s unusual mutant children?
Told from the point of view of three boys who despite unusual abilities are rather typical teenagers, this is a story of a usually peaceful community torn apart by toxic secrets. While the style is folksy the writing is sophisticated and accomplished. It’s rather long and the start is slow, but very readable and worth sticking with for the compelling plot and well-developed characters. There are some editing errors but nothing too annoying.
The story has a distinct allegorical feel, but thankfully it’s not heavy-handed and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions.
September 26, 2016
The opening scene reminded me, and bear with me as I’m not from the US, of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. An instantly familiar feel of the Deep South.
Just as I was soothed into this familiar backdrop, I was then subtly nudged with the concept that this is in fact a very different genre altogether, science fiction.
The three main characters, who in the first scene are casually fishing by the river, aren’t just boys, after all. The valley in which they live, the last line of nature’s defence against a vast post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Full review of Aaron Ward's Upriver, Downriver
Just as I was soothed into this familiar backdrop, I was then subtly nudged with the concept that this is in fact a very different genre altogether, science fiction.
The three main characters, who in the first scene are casually fishing by the river, aren’t just boys, after all. The valley in which they live, the last line of nature’s defence against a vast post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Full review of Aaron Ward's Upriver, Downriver
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews