Product Description

In bestselling author Patrick Carman's rich and riveting follow-up to The House of Power, an extraordinary world meets its destiny in an epic and unforgettable rebirth.

The world of Atherton has collapsed and the three levels have become one. Humans and monsters, once separated by vast cliffs, now roam the surface of Atherton together. The inside of Atherton--where the most troubling secrets are hidden--has been breached. While Edgar embarks on a life-or-death quest to find Atherton's mad maker, his two friends, Samuel and Isabel, venture through dangerous underground realms, confronting deadly cave dwellers, rivers of fire, and waters of life.

Atherton is not what it seems at all, but something far more dangerous, with a history locked inside the mind of a madman and a future beyond Edgar's wildest imagining.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17316 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780316166737
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 6–9—In this sequel to The House of Power (Little, Brown, 2007), manmade planet Atherton continues its calamitous changes. With Vincent and Dr. Kincaid, good-hearted Edgar, 11, warns Tabletop of the approaching hungry Cleaners. The villagers and Highland refugees must unite to survive grotesque creatures and unstable terrain. Samuel and Isabel travel beneath the sinking Highlands searching for Atherton's secret water source. Interesting new locales inside Atherton and the altering lands above present fresh and familiar dangers and (somewhat predictable) discoveries. Answered are the mysteries of Edgar's unconventional roots and the fates of Sir William (Samuel's father) and Dr. Harding (Atherton's creator). With third-person omniscient narration, Rivers of Fire has thought-provoking commentary on social hierarchy and environmental concerns. The action, looming peril, and unique concept make this book. Characterization shifts like the planet. Bookish, curious Samuel continues to test his mettle and daring Isabel shows vulnerability. Orphan Edgar takes on the role of Atherton's caretaker, and evil Lord Phineus becomes a self-sacrificing parent. Readers will root for the perceptive, capable children and sympathize with their frustrations as they face well-meaning and sinister adults alike. The pencil illustrations, opening introduction, and character descriptions refresh and enhance the story. It's important to have read the first book to appreciate and understand this one.—Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Patrick Carman's previous books in the Land of Elyon series (The Dark Hills Divide, Beyond the Valley of Thorns, and The Tenth City) have all been New York Times bestsellers. He is also the Creative Director of pcstudio, a packager and pioneer of the multimedia "vBook" (video+book), a format launched in 2009 with Skeleton Creek. He recently authored the fifth title in Rick Riordan's 39 Clues series, The Black Circle.

Customer Reviews

Gripping, page turner
Patrick Carman is quick becoming one of my favorite contemporary children's authors. This is the second book of Atherton but the first book outside his Elyon series that I have read. In this book the Land of Atherton was once three levels - the highlands, home of the ruling class, the flatlands below where strange creatures called cleaners live, and the table top with the three villages that provide the food for both it and the highlands. These three have been collapsing in upon themselves. As this world reshapes itself, the social structure is changing and the threats are not just from the changing landscapes. New creatures have been unleashed from the flatlands unto the rest of Atherton.

Edgar, Samuel and Isabel are three young people drawn into an adventure they never expected. Each feels they have a role to play in trying to save this world. Each must attempt tasks that they never imagined. Yet this world was also designed and built by man, by Dr. Maximus Harding to be precise, and it was designed to change. But will the transformation take place as planned? Will the wild creatures called the cleaners be defeated? Read the book to find out. This is another great book by Patrick Carman.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
RIVERS OF FIRE is the sequel to the first book in the ATHERTON series, THE HOUSE OF POWER, by Patrick Carman. The book contains a great synopsis of the first book and a list of main characters that allows a person who has not read the first title to enjoy this second book. Although, I would still suggest reading the first book, because without it, character-driven activities and background can still be confusing at the beginning of the story.

During this book, we see Isabel and Samuel work together to seek out the truth to the collapse of Atherton and face the dangers of the world that they are realizing they barely understood. There is also Edgar, who embarks on a journey of his own to find Dr. Harding, the only man believed to understand the devastation and how to recapture peace in Atherton.

As these young people meet their destinies, there is a great deal of danger, action, and mystery to keep the reader interested in their plight. They begin to realize how fragile their planet truly is, and the repercussions of changing things in their eco-system; which provokes thoughts and concerns about the struggles of our time and creating a sustainable Earth.

Carman creates a world in Atherton that allows the reader to tackle some major modern concerns while following the well-developed characters of Edgar, Samuel, and Isabel through their own coming-of-age journeys.

RIVERS OF FIRE keeps the reader interested and is a great fantasy book for young adults and reluctant readers. There are even simple illustrations that add to the overall ease of imagination and story development.

Reviewed by: LaLeesha Haynes

A fast-action story with heart-stopping moments throughout
Three lands previously separated by tall cliffs were now together as one...Danger seemed to close in from all sides, as it never had before, because the world of Atherton was flat.

Or was it?

When last we left Atherton, much was still in the process of change. Young Edgar, continuing to search for answers, is trying to adjust to the newness of Atherton's layout --- the cliffs he so loved to climb have disappeared along with the three layers that made up Atherton's geography. There are still dangerous-sounding rumbles coming from the Flatlands, and it is obvious that the Highlands are in the process of sliding down inside Atherton. For Edgar this is a mixed blessing. He sees that new cliffs are actually being created --- cliffs he can climb --- but he knows this world is at risk and somehow must, with Dr. Kincaid's help, find The House of Power and Dr. Harding (if the doctor is still alive.) One of the most fearsome dangers at present is the hideous Cleaners who now have easy access to the people.

The Cleaners were giant, ferocious creatures designed to find and kill anything in their paths. They had always been trapped in the Flatlands, but the Flatlands had risen and a thousand Cleaners had been unleashed on the world of Atherton.

In the time being, the evil Lord Phineus, leader of Atherton, is planning his next move so he can maintain complete control over the people and their water source. He will not relinquish his powers or his secrets because of some eager little boy, nor will he offer any information on the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Harding.

When Edgar and his party finally confront Lord Phineus, he has been bitten by a Crat (a cross between a rat and a cat --- one of Dr. Harding's creations), and this gives him only hours to live. As their prisoner, Lord Phineus alternates between his madness and something else. Readers will not expect the revelations that come from the dying man and the consequences to Edgar and his friends as they struggle through a place called the Infernal (rivers of fire, cave eels, fire bugs).

As all of these things are happening to the little traveling group, on the Flatlands their families and friends are in a mortal struggle against the Cleaners. Horace, once a follower of Lord Phineus, has vowed to protect his people. And along with the wise and kindly Wallace, they engage in an unforgettable struggle with the vicious beasts. There are heartbreaking sacrifices made as these brave men and their companions put up a dreadful fight against the blood-thirsty Cleaners.

When Edgar and his companions are finally near the end of their dangerous journey through the Infernal, Isabel, who has been bitten twice by fire bugs, encounters one last (known to be fatal) bite:

While no one was paying much attention, a fire bug danced out to the bay all alone and landed softly on Isabel's hand, and she felt something deep inside that made her think she was about to die. This time she did not convulse at the touch of the fire bug. She only went limp, barely breathing at the edge of the infernal.

RIVERS OF FIRE is a fast-action story with heart-stopping moments throughout. The development of the characters and the surprising revelations of their relationships give the book some intense twists. Readers will be riveted by the constant edge of mystery and adventure, which hopefully will continue in the third installment of Patrick Carman's compelling series.

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts