by Aaron Starmer
Flap Copy Description:
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.
My Thoughts:
The recently released The Whisper is the second book in Aaron Starmer's Riverman trilogy. The author again employs the wiles of his quirky protagonist Alistair, but the story is written in a much more abstract and imaginative style than the first novel. Multiple narratives, flashbacks, a complex plot, and a somewhat unresolved conclusion, make for a challenging, but satisfying read. What I truly love about this book is the way that Mr. Starmer respects his young readers to "get it," and refuses to explain every detail. I would recommend The Whisper to readers aged ten and up, and anxiously await the final book in this Riverman series.
Click here to learn more about the author Aaron Starmer.
