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The Riverman

(The Riverman Trilogy #1)

Aaron Starmer

3.81 · Rating details · 2,541 ratings · 526 reviews

"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 Wo ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published March 18th 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

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Average rating 3.81 ·

Rating details

· 2,541 ratings · 526 reviews

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Start your review of The Riverman (The Riverman Trilogy, #1)

Nov 07, 2013 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, netgalley

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 ...more

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Apr 14, 2015 Wendy Darling rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-publication, middle-grade, read-2015, macmillan, male-ya-author, 2014-favorites, male-pov, own-dtb-tbr, magical-realism

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 (view spoiler), 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 t ...more

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Jan 13, 2014 Betsy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: american-history, middle-school-books, creepy-books, magical-realism

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 Riv ...more

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Mar 04, 2015 Eilonwy rated it liked it

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 re
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. ...more

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Feb 23, 2014 Stuti Rai rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: fans of the whole stupid way we are

Shelves: fantasy-pr-everything-untoward

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, ...more

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Mar 26, 2014 Chelsea Couillard-Smith rated it it was ok

Shelves: middle-grade-fiction

This is an undeniably thought-provoking book, but I'm not as bowled over by it as so many other reviewers have been. It tries to walk a challenging line between children's and teen, and I'm not sure it manages to find its audience.

I am impressed with the themes of stories, truth and lies, friendship and loyalty, and secrets, and I think Starmer is skilled at teasing out the complexity and darker questions that lie behind these topics. At the same time, I struggled with the momentum and pacing, ...more

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Feb 23, 2014 Brandy Painter rated it liked it

Shelves: galleys, fantasy, historical-fiction

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 publish 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.
...more

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Feb 16, 2014 Benji Martin rated it it was amazing

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 eve ...more

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Mar 11, 2014 Cassie-la rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-reads

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 (w 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. ...more

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Nov 19, 2013 ☼Book her, Danno☼ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-review-copy, where-is-the-next-book, young-adult

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 g ...more

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Dec 30, 2013 Donalyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-nerdy-shortlist, ya-fantasy

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. ...more

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Apr 10, 2014 Danielle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: x2014-reading-challenge, x2014-new, x2014-middle-grade

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.

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Jun 11, 2014 Sam Poole rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-in-2014, 1-star-in-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. Utter ...more

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Feb 03, 2014 Karyn Silverman rated it really liked it

Shelves: nook, z2014-reads

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. ...more

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Feb 07, 2014 Rogier rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, middle-grade, wishlist, 2014

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 rive ...more

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Nov 18, 2013 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, favorites-childrens-lit, series-not-finishing

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 ...more

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May 06, 2015 Asheley rated it really liked it

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 cen ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 André Mwansa rated it it was amazing

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. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ...more

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Mar 18, 2014 Samantha Fraenkel rated it really liked it

Shelves: friendship, monsters, adventure, family, childrens-lit, magic, historical-fiction, mystery, small-town

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 ...more

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Feb 04, 2014 Patty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens-fiction, middle-grade-fiction, read-in-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 ro ...more

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Jan 24, 2014 Mary Ann rated it liked it

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. T ...more

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Apr 20, 2014 Kelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, supernatural-fantasy, historical-fiction, friendship

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. ...more

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Nov 25, 2015 Suad Shamma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, favourites, 2016

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 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. ...more

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Dec 29, 2013 Molli Moran rated it liked it

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 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! ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Drew rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade, historical-fiction

“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, ...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Lizzie rated it it was amazing

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 myst ...more

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Apr 18, 2014 Nicole C rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-goal

Ok... What just happened? This was a strange and creepy book (right from the cover), and I'm not sure I understand the ending. However, I assume that was Starmer's intention. I have so many questions. Where is Fiona? What happened to Charlie and Kyle? Was Aquavania real? Mind. Blown. ...more

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Jan 04, 2015 Aaron rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: must-read-in-2015

This is a book that will keep me thinking for some time, puzzling through what it was really all about. Was anything what it seemed? I am somewhat pleased that I am late to the party with this title, as now I can head to the library and grab the sequel.

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Feb 25, 2015 Astra rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club

How the hell is this a children's book?

Seriously, this is one of the most imaginative thing I've read in a while. It was really dark in tone, but always fun at the same time. I feel like it would make a really good movie. ...more

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Feb 05, 2014 Michele Knott rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2015, middle-grade-upper

Now I get all the reviews that say WHAT???????

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About Aaron Starmer

Aaron Starmer

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The Riverman Trilogy (3 books)

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Quotes from The Riverman

“If you name things, then you treat them better.” — 11 likes

“The more time you spend with someone, the more you realize they’re not perfect. Everyone comes from a different place with different problems.” — 10 likes

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