The Whisper: The Riverman Trilogy, Book 2
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Deep-thinking fantasy lovers will dive into this sequel.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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What's the Story?
Alistair enters the fantasy realm of Aquavania through the boiler in his friend Fiona's basement with one goal: He has to find and save Fiona from the Riverman, who's out to steal her soul. He's worried the Riverman may already have her, but if so, he'll figure out a way to get her back. The fact that Alistair knows the Riverman, even grew up with him, gives him a little advantage, or so he thinks. The Riverman, who also goes by the name the Whisper, is always one step ahead, pushing him from one world to the next, each filled with dangerous ciphers (monsters) the Whisper created. Alastair makes his way to a space station and meets two scientists bent on destroying the ciphers and figuring out how to defeat the Whisper. One scientist hands him an incomplete atlas of Aquavania's many worlds and urges him to follow his instincts and save all the kids the Whisper has claimed. Suddenly his quest for Fiona has gotten a whole lot bigger.
Is It Any Good?
This doesn't follow the standard "book 2 of a trilogy" formula of stringing readers along with an intriguing side plot and some character development, saving all the meaty stuff for the last book. We're barely even in Alistair's real New York town in THE WHISPER, where most of The Riverman took place, except in flashback. Instead, we're thrust into the fantasy worlds of Aquavania, puzzling out along with Alistair how they're connected, what happened to all the creators of the worlds, why monsters run rampant, and whom to trust. It's a confusing web with loads of questions stuck to it.
Sometimes the web is too confusing, especially at the finale, when more clarity is always welcome. It's hard to trust the author to make everything clear by Book 3, but the satisfaction in this series may not be about clarity. For all the young philosophers out there who are bound to enjoy the Riverman trilogy most, it's about the profound questions posed, coming-of-age and otherwise. And there are many.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fantasy, reality, and growing up. What's the problem with the world Fiona creates? What's wrong with the fantasy version of Alistair? Why do you think the world creators never age?
Why is fantasy such a popular genre of literature? Which other fantasy series have you read?
What do you think Alistair will do in Book 3? Has Charlie influenced him as much as he thinks he has?
Book Details
- Author: Aaron Starmer
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date: March 17, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 368
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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