Riverkeep, Martin Stewart
Riverkeep, Martin Stewart
1 Rating(s)
List: $28.49 | Sale: $19.95
Club: $14.24

Riverkeep

Author: Martin Stewart

Narrator: James Cosmo

Unabridged: 12 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/26/2016


Synopsis

In this “brutal and beautiful” (The New York Times Book Review) fantasy, a boy on the cusp of adulthood sets out to find the cure for his father’s curse and faces death, alchemy, and madness along the way.

“Woven of threads and snippets of fantasy and myth, Riverkeep presents something entirely unique and innovative.”—VOYA

“A rare work that feels like a sophisticated, gritty folktale, full of impossibilities and dramatic tension . . . both hilarious and tragic in equal measure.”—BCCB, starred review

One boy. One boat. One epic journey.

The Danék is a wild, treacherous river and Wulliam Fobisher’s family are the ones who tend it—clearing away ice and weed so boats can get through, and fishing corpses from its bleak depths. Wulliam’s father is proud to be Riverkeep. Wull dreams of a different life. But in one week he will come of age and must take his father’s place.

Then the unthinkable happens. While recovering a drowned man, Wull’s father is pulled under—and when he emerges, he is no longer himself. A dark spirit has taken possession of his body and mind, devouring him from the inside. In an instant, Wull is Riverkeep. And not only must he tend the river, he must tend his father, too.

When he learns that a cure for his father lurks in the body of a great sea-dwelling beast known as the mormorach, Wull embarks on an epic journey down the river that his family has so long protected—but never explored. Along the way, he faces death more than once, meets people and creatures touched by magic and madness and alchemy, and grows from boy to man.

About The Author

Martin Stewart has previously worked as a recycling technician, university lecturer, barman, golf caddy, and English teacher. A native of Glasgow, where he still lives, he enjoys buying books to feed his to-be-read pile, and combining the city’s urban splendor with walks on the beaches of Scotland’s west coast. Riverkeep is his first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Yzabel on June 15, 2016

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.] A coming-of-age adventure in a world that is both threatening and full of wonders, following a boy who embarks on a journey to save his father: after Wulliam witnessed his dad being possessed by a river spirit, he d......more

Goodreads review by Robin on February 16, 2016

A truly extraordinary, rich and vivid debut. Martin has built a world and concocted a story you can get lost in - this is one of the most engrossing books I've read this year, and I loved every second of it. One for fans of Pratchett and Gaiman.......more

Goodreads review by Beth on June 05, 2016

Didn't finish it- abandoned after a few chapters. The boasts on the cover of the proof copy I received were enough to annoy me initially, and the book really didn't live up to them. It was a slow start, and Wulliam? Really? The third chapter was a little better, but not enough to keep me reading. On......more

Goodreads review by Milou on October 08, 2016

This story was so beautiful and it made me feel all the feels. At times I had a few good laughs, at others I shed some tears. Parts made me all warm and fuzzy inside, while others freaked me a bit out with their weirdness and their gore. It took me a while to get into the story, with the first 100 pa......more

Goodreads review by Karina on May 03, 2016

It took me a while to get into this book - I found the first 30 pages or so a bit of a slog. It doesn't help that the proof copy is emblazoned with comparisons to Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman and Ursula Le Guin - those kind of comparisons make me deeply sceptical and prejudice me against the book fro......more


Quotes

“[Stewart’s] descriptions of Wull’s world gripped in winter are brutal and beautiful, his monsters are terrifyingly plausible, and there are striking moments.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Stewart shows a dab hand at crafting memorable characters and thoroughly frightening opponents for them to face . . . A rich debut: Huck Finn meets Moby-Dick.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Filled with wild adventure and hilarious dialogue . . . this vivid, engrossing fantasy will delight readers.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“There isn’t a single forgettable person, monster, or creature in the whole adventure; it’s impossible to not be deeply invested in all of their successes. This is a rare work that feels like a sophisticated, gritty folktale, full of impossibilities and dramatic tension, and it is both hilarious and tragic in equal measure.”—BCCB, starred review

“A unique and distinctive fantasy world, ably conveyed through very readable dialect and buoyed by near-constant action . . . [a] riveting read.”—Booklist

“With a humorous, light touch and an excellent feel for dialogue, Stewart has created a first-rate fantasy. . . Excellently written.”—School Library Journal

“Woven of threads and snippets of fantasy and myth, Riverkeep presents something entirely unique and innovative. The constant interjection of humor forms an odd juxtaposition with the seriousness of Wull’s quest. Add to that black humor, weird characters and graphic violence, and it is compelling in the same quirky way that Monty Python is. The narrative is both harsh and beautiful.”—VOYA

“The fast-paced action is compelling. Students who appreciate well written horror fiction will thoroughly enjoy this novel. This gripping supernatural tale includes adventure, monsters, love and loss, and thought-provoking issues.”—School Library Connection

“Martin Stewart's atmospheric debut blends fantasy and horror into a rollicking Scottish adventure about fathers and sons, monsters and magic, and the choices that make us human . . . A dark delight, Stewart's riverboat ride should impress teen horror fans and anyone seeking a YA novel with no romance but plenty of heart.”—Shelf Awareness