A little reminiscent of The Giver and the two follow-up books by Lois Lowry, or of the "Ember" series by Jeanne DuPrau, this series is set in a construct world designed as a post-apocalyptic refuge from a dying home planet. Atherton is a three-tiered world. The top tier is populated by a ruling elite who send water down to the second level. The middle tier holds a working class population who harvest figs and breed livestock, which they send up to the top tier in exchange for water. The lower level is a vast wasteland which is home to Cleaners, creatures who devour all of Atherton’s waste.

Atherton was created by the mysterious Dr. Maximus Harding who insisted that the new inhabitants have their memories of "The Dark Planet," their original home, erased. Then the planet’s creator mysteriously disappeared, leaving Atherton to evolve without his guidance. While most of the planet’s inhabitants were transported there, some were actually born on Atherton. Among these is Edgar.

Young Edgar is an orphan who lives in the middle level, but who has an insatiable desire to climb the cliffs leading to and from the other two levels. In book one, Edgar managed to climb up to find a friend (and enemies) in the top tier, as well as down (to find friends and some answers) to the bottom tier. Then the levels began to collapse in on one another, causing chaos, fear, and war.

In Rivers of Fire, the shifting of Atherton accelerates, causing enemies to join forces. Edgar and his friends from each of the levels must travel deep into the center of Atherton itself to discover the cause of the planet’s collapse and save their world. This book is an outstanding addition to science fiction for young readers, a genre whose sparse offerings are often not very good. Kudos to Patrick Carman - you made me a believer again.