Riverkeep

Fantasy, friendship, gothic horror, humour, discovery, courage. What is the story about? Here's the blurb: '15-year-old Wulliam is dreading taking up his family's mantle of Riverkeep, tending the river and fishing corpses from its treacherous waters. But then everything changes. One night his father is possessed by a dark spirit, and Wull hears that a cure lurks deep within the great sea-beast known as the Mormorach. He realizes he must go on an epic journey downriver to find it - or lose Papa forever. Interesting. There is such a thing as a Riverkeep. The Glasgow Humane Society, the real life watermen of Glasgow, rescuing and recovering those that have fallen, by accident or grim intent, into the waterways in and around the city. Incredible. My gorgeous copy of Riverkeep (I'm a big fan of cover illustrations) arrived with a bit of detail on the book and also a little about the author, Martin Stewart, which led me on a trail to a newspaper article in The Scotsman from Oct 2013. In that article I met George Parsonage, effectively the last of Glasgow's rivermen, and I see the seeds of Martin's novel, Riverkeep. I'd encourage you to seek out that article, it's fascinating, incredibly fascinating. Riverkeep is born from the combined inspiration of the real life rivermen of Glasgow, members of the Glasgow Humane Society and the young students in Martin's classroom who were carers for family members, - an army of silent heroes, taking care of the people they love. Wulliam takes on the mantle of a position he never wanted, upholding those responsibilities while trying to care for a father who for the most part is unreachable within his own body, catching glimpses of his father riding to the surface momentarily eclipsing and conquering the creature within. Essentially a father with dementia, growing further away. As Wull's quest to restore his father begins (by conquering the mighty Mormorach) they inevitably pick up passengers on the way, each with their own take on life and each with their own journey - Tillinghast being my favourite, though I'd love to know more about Mix. We meet more fantastical creatures, animal and human, in fact the book reads like a fantasy fairytale from the school of Grimm; there are beasts to vanquish (Faelkons and Ursas to name but two) and grotesque people to avoid; the bulk of Mr Pent comes to mind - and the body count is high thanks to the Mormorach - but there is warmth and laughter too! Riverkeep takes you by the hand and wades into the murky waters of the Danek where you are buoyed by the friendship and love, the compassion and the life of the characters and weighted by the frailty and darkness of that same life, the monsters that lurk in the depths. Give it a go! 368 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Catherine Purcell, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 11+