Customer Reviews

River Thunder

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

River Thunder, written by Will Hobbs, is a great book for readers who are addicted to adventure and love fiction stories. I think the author laid this story out very well. It is an exciting adventure that takes place at the river, by the Grand Canyon, where Troy thinks he has a chance to prove to the others that he has changed. Changed from what? Troy and his friends, Jessie, Adam, Star, Rita, and Pug, all try to believe him but end up discovering other things. This is a group of kids who went to have a good time, but end up meeting the challenge of their lives. I'll leave you with that information and hope you take time to read this book. I myself am not an adventurous person, but my friends like adventure stories and they enjoyed this book; I hope you will too.

The book River Thunder by Will Hobbs is about six friends on a river journey through rapids of the Colorado River. One of the conflicts in the book is when Troy (one of the six) tries to rebuild a relationship that was broken a long time ago with Jessie.
When I started the book I thought it was wearisome; but also somewhat interesting enough to keep reading. Eventually the action started taking place and I couldn't put it down.
Jessie and the rest of her friends take off down the Colorado river with 225 miles to go and only two rafts. This book has lots of turns and twists, it will make you dizzy. There are two parts to this book; one that is exciting and sweet, and the other one appreciates nature's wonders and the beautiful creations that the book describes.
During the rafting trip, Jessie and her friends experience many problems in which the she has to overcome. During the trip they have to go through several rapids that will make you want to read till your eyes go numb. If you're looking for a book to get your adrenaline pumped up and your imagination to go berserk then this is the book that is right for you.

I checked River Thunder out from the library, not realizing it was a "young adult" book. Despite being twenty years older than the intended audience, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. River Thunder follows the summer adventure camp follies of Jessie who is struggling to get along with her father. She finds herself in the woods of Colorado with a group of semi-delinquents sent to recover, or grow up, through the hardships of life in the woods. The kids bond and blossom while rebelling against the quasi sadistic group leader Al. They eventually steal his van and gear and set off to raft the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon without him. The gang finds themselves traversing increasingly risky rapids, and the book manages to be suspenseful in a backdrop of beautiful, desert nature. I found this a welcome treat after having listened to too many suspense novels centered around urban crime and murder. The book manages to be full of action and suspense without resorting to violence, and a world which is not human is what teaches the characters humility and leaves them with new found maturity. The teens eventually learn lessons, but author Will Hobbs manages to keep them from feeling trite.

Audiobook performer Christina Moore does a masterful job which I believe is hard to do when asked to speak as a cast of teens. She manages to sound authentically youthful without trying too hard to sound young and hip. She seamlessly moves, for example, from speaking as an angst ridden teen girl, to being a withdrawn Native American youth, to being a male class clown, without skipping a beat. Each voice embodies the individuality of the character without any regard for Moore's true gender or age. River Thunder will please young and "old" adults alike.

River Thunder is a very good and exciting book. The book takes place on the Colorado River for 14 days. A group of friends met at the river to go on the best journey ever. Throughout the book it takes you through countless rapids second by second. It has crashes, thrill rides, and relationships. The best part is where they go over the lava rapid, the most deadly rapid at three times its normal force. It's got everything in it that you could want: mystery, excitement, and adventure. It's a book for people who like a good mystery and who like cool, at the edge of your seat, thrill rides in your mind. This is an awesome book that really sucks you in.

This book is for anyone who likes an outdoor adventure. It is about white water rafting and how friends must depend on each other to survive. It is one of the best books I have read in my life. It is a book that describes real dangers of the outdoors. The characters learn the hard way, how people must work together. I think everyone should read it.

I never knew there was so much life below the Grand Canyon walls. Seeing the Canyon from the visitors center 1 mile above the Colorado River can be quite overwhelming, but wait until you see it from the river itself. This book is more than an adventure down the Colorado by raft, it's geography, hiking guide and biography. I have never wanted to explore the Canyon more than since I read this book, and feel I already have. The book is well written and well developed. It's excitement and adventure will keep the attention and build imagination. It's also great for adults and tells a lot about the Canyon itself. It's based on a real actual accounts Will Hobbs (author) had himself while in the Canyon. I reccomend this book for all ages and abilities. Get surged witin the River Thunder!

I was thrilled when i found out that there was a sequel to "Down River" and i knew i had to read it. "Thunder river" is an awesome book! i could not put it down. it is written beautifully and i never wanted the story to end! by the end you will be wishing fo another sequel!

Teenagers are always going through drastic changes, especially mental changes. These changes are hard to cope with sometimes. The book, River Thunder by Will Hobbs, demonstrates and cements how the changes that teenagers go through affects their peers in even life-threatening situations. Hobbs describes and shows these changes and effects in a unique way. Hobbs' familiarity with whitewater rafting provides an adventure filled trip full of serious problems, disagreements, and major decisions. There was never a moment that was boring. The six teens, Pug, Rita, Jessie, later Adam, Troy, and Star are back together for another trip down the Grand Canyon's Colorado River. Hobbs always kept me reading on, never wanting to stop. The decisions that Jessie, a sixteen-year-old girl with much to learn in life, has to make are more meaningful than most decisions anyone in life makes. Making the decisions only build the suspense and excitement. When Jessie decides to go on the trip, she begins to wish she never had. The Colorado River's water level is astronomically high and the whitewater rapids are totally unpredictable. Star, Jessie's adopted sister, and Kit, an experienced river rafter, provide Jessie with important background information, but in the end her choices are totally up to her. Troy is the hardest thing for Jessie to get by. She never got over Troy from the beginning, and now she must face his loneliness and lack of love. Troy is so determined to get Jessie back, but when she objects, he "blows" up and almost ruins the rest of the trip for everyone. I recommend this book for everyone, especially teenagers and young adults, because it is an incredible book that shows six teenagers learning how to work together and get over things in the past. Hobbs is an exceptional author in that he describes the problems the teens face with great detail. It was almost like I was part of it. You do not need to be an experienced whitewater rafter to read River Thunder; all you need to be is prepared for some high paced action and adventure.

Al is a river guide in a Discovery Unlimited white water rafting expedition who sends letters to Star, Pug, Rita, and Jessie who all took part in a white water rafting trip last year down the Grand Canyon River. They are surprised to find out that the letters were actually sent by a teenager named Troy who also took part in the trip last year. Troy got rafts, a permit and all the equipment from a sponsored company to run the Grand Canyon River once again. Last year they hadn't run the whole river because they all kept getting into arguments with Troy. Troy decided to plan this trip to make up for what happened last year and to try and get closer to Jessie. After much thought they all decided to try and run it again. Their one rule was that nobody alone was boss and they all had to work as a team to get something done. The river was traveling at 50,000 fps (feet per second) and that was high and hard to run. They made it through the first big rapids and their only challenge was Crystal Rapids and that would require more strength and thinking. The river was now climbing to 72,000 fps and was making history. Canyon Magic was another group running the river so Troy decided to hook up with them a few times. Later on, Troy decided that he was going to take over and do things his way and the others had to follow. Jessie, Star, Pug, Rita, and Adam, who joined later, decided Troy wasn't going to push them around. So Troy said fine. He had been stuck up and grumpy the entire trip and didn't participate in anything. Troy thought that he could go far with Jessie, but Jessie disagreed. They made it past Crystal and it was easy going from then on. Troy straightened out and cooperated the rest of the trip, but most of all, he learned the truth about himself.
I would rate this book a five star because it was an exciting, heart pounding story. The River Thunder was well told and very detailed about its adventures.
I really liked the book because it dealt with being in the outdoors, easy to read and it taught you to loosen up and move on with your life. This book is also a sequel to Downriver.

You always wander what happens next in a book. This book is the perfect example of a sequel. It's like reading from down river to river thunder without ever stopping it leaves you wanting to go adventure yourself. Go on the adventure River Thunder.