THE RIVERMAN TRILOGY
The Riverman
Volume 1 in The Riverman Trilogy
"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.
HC ISBN: 9780374363093
PB ISBN: 9781250056856
Readers: Upper Middle Grade (11 and up)
REVIEWS
"An ominous awareness of loss flows all the way through Aaron Starmer’s riveting and sophisticated novel for younger adolescents…There is plenty of surprise, though, and it resides in almost everything else that happens in this emotionally complex tale…The story of what follows…unfolds with disarming naturalness, yet every page feels so carefully written that, although we can’t predict what will take place, we feel certain that the author knows exactly where he is taking us." – Wall Street Journal
"Starmer weaves his fictional cloth out of gritty realism (there is a great dare scene) and sparkly fantasy, holding the whole together with lovely, careful language." – Newsday
"The Riverman is a delightful and surprising first installment of a new trilogy that should have broad appeal. This novel has humor, action, emotion, and an eerie, unsettling premise that is never quite absent from the reader’s mind. Things that matter are at stake. This book takes itself seriously in exactly the right sort of way: It is unflinching in asking honest questions and confronting dark moments." – Christian Science Monitor
"Lines between reality and fantasy blur in this powerful, disquieting tale of lost children, twisted friendship and the power of storytelling." – Kirkus Reviews (★ starred review)
"In this dark, twisting tale, readers are never sure if Fiona’s story is true or not, and they won’t want to stop reading until they find out...this magical tale is sure to please readers of urban fantasy, and with its theme of missing children and changing friendships, it will be perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint, too." – Booklist
"This novel built of stories yields nightmares...This writerly, chiaroscuro book is replete with the portent of violence, and thick with ideas about the psychological need for stories, all while questioning the ability of stories to redeem the tellers. Readers will find themselves confronted with deep, unanswered questions regarding the relationship of collective imaginary worlds to reality, the evolving nature of memories and friendships, and the unknowability of people. Those ready to explore darker realities will devour this book." – School Library Journal
"Somewhere between Holly Black's Doll Bones and Nova Ren Suma's 17 & Gone in audience and tone, this blend of magical realism and mystery blurs the line between reality and fantasy, setting up a creepy unease that both disturbs and propels the reader forward...the deliciously tangled web of a plot defies categorization." – The Bulletin of the Center For Children's Books (recommended)
"Starmer explores the relationship between creation and theft, reality and fantasy in this haunting novel...the novel's strength is in the pervasive aura of unknowing that Starmer creates and sustains." – Publisher's Weekly (PW Pick)
"There is a lot to ponder and recommend in this unusual tale." – VOYA Magazine
"Every culture has a magical river story. Some rivers promise the pleasures of eternal youth, while others promise the paradise of eternal salvation. The Riverman promises a more exhilarating alternative. Dive into this book and you may never resurface." – Jack Gantos, Newbery Award-winning author of Dead End in Norvelt
"It’s like Mr. Starmer wrote this manuscript and then relentlessly hammered on the backspace key until only the most compelling elements remained. It makes scores of books seem ponderous by comparison. The plot moves along nicely, but there’s excellent writing as well. Emotions and relationships feel honest. Characters are memorable. The setting is well-delineated. The creation of mood is off the charts ." – Travis Jonker, School Library Journal's "100 Scopes Notes" blog
"As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best of 2014...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." – Betsy Bird, School Library Journal's "Fuse #8" blog
TO ORDER
The Whisper
Volume 2 in The Riverman Trilogy
Twelve-year-old Alistair Cleary has washed up on shore. But where? It seems to be Aquavania, the magical realm where children create entire worlds from their imagination. There's something wrong, though. The creators have disappeared and the worlds are falling apart. All Alistair wants is to find his friend Fiona Loomis and go home. Easier said than done. Animals made of starlight, a megalomaniacal boy king, and astronauts who peddle riddles are hard enough to outwit, but they're only the beginning. To find Fiona, Alistair must travel from world to world. He must confront the mistakes of his past. And he must face countless monsters, including the soul-stealing stalker that some people call the Riverman, the merciless but misunderstood servant of Aquavania who refers to himself as the Whisper.
HC ISBN: 9780374363116
PB ISBN: 9781250073365
Readers: Upper Middle Grade (11 and up)
REVIEWS
"A riveting, imaginative, disconcerting, inscrutable, unresolved sequel, guaranteed to leave readers anxious for the finale." – Kirkus Reviews (★ starred review)
"Penning something of a cautionary tale, Starmer has constructed a multitude of worlds here, all tied to power of creation, and the boredom that power ultimately bestows. Ending with a staggering twist, readers adept at navigating this atemporal telling will clamor to get their hands on book three." – School Library Journal (★ starred review)
"Starmer’s sequel has more layers than Christmas ribbon candy and hops around and back and forth through time. What is real and what is fantasy? Are the story threads connected? Readers will find the possibilities numerous. The main characters, Alistair, Fiona, and Charlie, are multidimensional and often funny...fantasy lovers up to the challenge will devour The Whisper and crave the third book in the trilogy." – VOYA Magazine
TO ORDER
The Storyteller
Volume 3 in The Riverman Trilogy
Keri Cleary is worried about her brother, Alistair. Everyone is worried about Alistair. As the one witness to a shooting, he has been shocked into silence. But everyone needs to know three things: Who shot Kyle Dwyer? Where is Charlie Dwyer? What does this all have to do with the disappearance of Fiona Loomis?
Perhaps the answers lie in stories. As Alistair makes strange confessions to his sister, Keri becomes inspired. She tells stories, tales that may reveal hidden truths, fiction that may cause real things to happen. In the concluding volume of the Riverman Trilogy, readers are asked to consider the source of inspiration, the borders of reality and the power of storytelling. They are asked to forgive monsters, to imagine alternate dimensions, and to believe in a phosphorescent wombat who assures us that gone for now is not necessarily gone for good.
HC ISBN: 978037436313
PB ISBN: 9781250104182
Readers: Upper Middle Grade (11 and up)
REVIEWS
"'Story is the important thing' in this consistently imaginative, intense, thoughtful, and satisfying finale." – Kirkus Reviews (★ starred review)
"A stunning and thought provoking conclusion to The Riverman Trilogy." – Booklist (★ starred review)
"This title concludes the original and uniquely satisfying trilogy and will not disappoint fans of the first two books...In a subsection of publishing where trilogies often seem formulaic or forced, this refreshing take challenges traditionally reiterated narrative devices...Fans of fantasy and realistic fiction alike will find something to love about this book, in which narrative ambiguity has never been so well leveraged...a great recommendation for fans of the first two books as well as Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game or Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time." – School Library Journal (★ starred review)