The world is Atherton; the inhabitants are human; the government is dystopian—a standard science fiction/fantasy formula. But there is more than that. Carman's complex plot frequently surprises even though he plants hints galore and indulges in a judicious amount of foreshadowing. Epigraphs from Shelley's Frankenstein introduce each of the novel's sections, along with snatches of dialogue—bits and pieces that hint that Atherton may be more than it appears to be—a world with three levels: a lush highland, an arid middle plateau and a seemingly sterile lowlands. The child characters—orphaned hero Edgar and his two friends Samuel and Isabel—are well-developed, while the "evil" lords are more stereotypical, living in the Highlands and ruling Tabletop's denizens by terror, pushing them into rebellion. As the story unfolds, Edgar discovers how Atherton was created and where it is located. Black-and-white illustrations add facts about the world and its ecology. A humdinger of a cliff-hanger will leave even reluctant readers demanding more, and soon. (Science fiction. 9-12)

The social structure of Atherton perfectly matches its geography: the powerful live in the uppermost Highlands, source of the world's water supply; the middle tier, Tabletop, is occupied by serflike laborers. Then, a strange, seismic disturbance sends the Highlands collapsing into its lower neighbor, erasing the physical boundaries between the two communities. At the same time, a 12-year-old Tabletop boy named Edgar undertakes a quest centering on a forbidden book. Among other things (like the nasty monsters prowling the planet's lowest tier), he discovers that Atherton is a colony of a used-up Earth d a vast social experiment. From good, courageous Edgar to the planet's mad-scientist creator, the characterizations remain rather simplistic, but readers may object more to the deliberate manner in which clued-in adult characters dodge Edgar's many questions, leaving numerous story threads dangling. Presumably this will stretch the puzzles across sequels, but in advance of that, readers will be caught up in the accessible, sf premise, extended with evocative illustrations. Meaty points about the arbitrary nature of privilege and ecological responsibility will provoke thought. A Web site and a huge print run indicate the publisher's high hopes for Carman's latest, which follows his New York Times best-selling Land of Elyon series.

Orphan Edgar learns secrets about Atherton, the world in which he lives. He travels between Atherton's three levels, finding new friends and new mysteries as the story progresses. Drawings and journal entries from Dr. Harding--Atherton's creator--add complexity to the plot. The world's landscapes are distinct and well realized. A CD-ROM of bonus material is included.

Gr 7-10-This first book in the series starts out reading like a pastoral fantasy set on a fig farm where children and adults labor side by side to handle the trees and reap the harvest. The farm is on Tabletop, which is bordered by a rising cliff on one side and a drop-off on the other. Edgar vaguely remembers his deceased father telling him that he had placed something in the cliffs for his son. The boy teaches himself to climb up there even though it is forbidden. When he finds the book his father left him on the cliff face, he knows that he must travel all the way to the Highlands above to have someone read it to him. But the world is getting more treacherous as the ground itself begins to rumble, shift, and change. The book that Edgar has holds the secrets of their entire world and its changing future. Despite the setting, this novel is actually not a fantasy but rather pure science fiction where a manufactured world created by a madman is throwing the inhabitants' lives into turmoil. It is a fast-paced novel with a unique setting, fascinating plot, and cliff-hanger ending. It shines because of the author's imagination and skill. The characterizations of even the secondary figures are skillfully done, which makes the world all the more vivid and believable.-Tasha Saecker, Menasha Public Library, WI Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

In this launch title of the Atherton series, as with his <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">The Dark Hills Divide, Carman creates an isolated world whose very existence relies upon the hero venturing out of bounds. A trio of waterfalls connect the three-tiered world of Atherton, which is comprised of the upper-level Highlands, where the wealthy and powerful reside, the agrarian Tabletop beneath it, and the poverty-stricken Flatlands "at the distant bottom." Eleven-year-old Edgar lives in Tabletop, harvesting figs and scaling the cliff walls. A faint memory directs him to search for something hidden ("<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">It will come for you," says the voice in his memory)—and he discovers it on the way to the forbidden Highlands. Edgar's discovery is a book, and he must enlist the help of a Highlands servant boy to read it to him (the residents of Tabletop are illiterate); thus the author points out the importance of cooperation. The book, it turns out, was written for Edward and offers up a cautionary tale: Atherton was built as a home for escapees of an Earth-like "Dark Planet," now poisoned and dying. With subtlety, Carman delivers a strong message; he constructs a world in which water is precious above all, and tampering with nature always ends badly. The author occasionally breaks out of the narrative to address readers directly, and these intrusions mar the flow of what is otherwise a fluid and compelling fantasy and mystery. Ages 8-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

Edgar knows that in his world of Atherton, the Highlands above are forbidden and the Flatlands below are a wasteland. Yet he repeatedly climbs the walls between Tabletop and the Highlands. People think that he does it to annoy his employer, Mr. Ratikan, who controls access to water on Tabletop as it flows from above. Edgar, however, seeks a treasure in the rocky cliff wall. When mysterious earthquakes transform the landscape around his home and bring him closer to the Highlands, Edgar finds what he has been searching for. With this discovery comes a new friend, pasty bibliophile Samuel, as well as new enemies. Scheming Highlanders Lord Phineus and Sir Emerik will stop at nothing to maintain the hierarchy between the levels and keep the truth about the earthquakes hidden. As Edgar's world continues to change, he learns the frightening history of Atherton's existence. This first of three novels provides a compelling read for science fiction/fantasy aficionados and those who know the author's previous series, Land of Elyon. The novel's short, abruptly ending sections will keep many a reader up nights for "just one more chapter." Drawings interspersed throughout the text document the multilayered world, and appendixes illuminate its mysterious history. The publishers plan an interactive experience for the reader between the book and its tie-in Web site including audio/video clips. Carman includes frequent quotations from Shelley's Frankenstein; expect increased circulation of this classic as readers become engrossed in Carman's new saga.-Angelica Delgado.