Vampirates
Demons of the Ocean
-
-
4.4 • 98 Ratings
-
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to swordfight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other?
"Totally original...I wish I'd had this idea." -Anthony Horowitz
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in the 26th century on Australia's Crescent Moon Bay, Somper's portmanteau of two fiction favorites pirates and vampires is a gleefully quick read. When lighthouse keeper Dexter Tempest passes away, heavily laden with debt, his 14-year-old twin children, Connor and Grace, find themselves suddenly homeless. The teens cannot bear the offer of sanctuary from the town's wealthy bank manager ("I'd rather die," says Connor), so they steal their father's boat and cast out to sea. A storm quickly dashes their vessel, and Connor is rescued by a passing pirate ship. Grace has been rescued, too, but by the Vampirate ship, "a dark ship that has been sailing through all eternity," the topic of a beloved shanty the twins' father always sang to them. The narrative alternates between the two ships, painting a vivid picture of life on a pirate ship while simultaneously stretching and teasing out the mystery of the vampirates for much of the book. Grace eventually meets the captain of her ship, an elusive figure who lets slip that he may have known their father and later learns that she is to be the ship's new "donor." Somper deftly draws parallels to the real world its hungers, its sicknesses, its gluttony with his fascinating vampire captain, who imposes a strict regimen of "take only the blood you need" on his crew, ensuring that the donors remain healthy, too. An enigmatic conclusion leaves the galley door wide open for sequels. Ages 8-12.
Customer Reviews
Pretty good, but strange ending.
Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean Book Review
by Justin Somper
I'd give this book 4 donors out of 5.
Vampirates...the concept... the title... its one of those things that I wished I had come up with. It's a great concept. I must say, though, that I feel bad for the author. As I gathered my thoughts for this review I took a look at other reviews of the book, and some of them are just cruel. The book was a good book, in my opinion, even though it had a few quirks.
This book has a ton of covers. Perhaps that a function of being originally published in 2005, and refreshing the book cover is a way to make it new again (marketing) and drive sales. Either way, the book has several fantastic covers, and as you know, I love a good cover.
The story follows Connor and Grace Tempest, a couple of humble children that live with their father, who man's the lighthouse. One of their bonding traditions is for him to sing them a shanty as they go to bed. The thing is, its a little bit creepy, as its about Vampirates. Here it is:
I'll tell you a tale of Vampirates,
A tale as old as true.
Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
And its mighty fearsome crew.
Yea, I'll sing you a song of an ancient ship,
That sails the oceans blue...
That haunts the oceans blue.
The Vampirate ship has tattered sails,
That flap like wings in flight.
They say the captain, he wears a veil
So as to curtail your fright.
At his death pale skin
And his lifeless eyes
And his teeth as sharp as night.
Oh, they say the captain, he wears a viel
And his eyes never see the light
You'd better be good, child- good as gold,
As good as good can be.
Eles I'll turn you in to the Vampirates
And wave you out to sea.
Yes, you'd better be good child- good as gold,
Because- look! Can you see?
There's a dark ship in the harbor tonight
And there's room in the hold for thee!
(Plenty of room for thee)
Well, if pirates are bad,
And vampires are worse
Then I pray that as long as I be
That though I sing of Vampirates
I never one shall see.
Yea, if pirates are danger
And vampires are death
I'll extend my prayer for thee-
That thine eyes never see a Vampirate...
...and they never lay a hand on thee.
The children's father abruptly passes away one night and, unfortunately, he has left them with nothing. The children, after listening to the local banker offer to take the children in, or to be forced into the orphanage, decide that their only chance is to steal their father's ship (it no longer belongs to him) and to test their luck on the open seas.
They do this for some time, and get some distance out into the ocean, until a great storm brews and dashes their boat into pieces. The twins are separated, each scooped up by a different pirate ship. One crew consists of normal pirates, and the other, you guessed it, the Vampirates.
The rest of the tale explores each of the twin's experiences on their respective ships, and their efforts to not give up hope of finding each other again.
I felt the quality of the writing was very good, and so was the storytelling, even though the plot seemed to have some holes that could be addressed. The characters were fun, and distinct, even though some of the more critical reviews underscored the characters as something they wanted more from.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the one thing that I found strange was the ending. The climax built up to what felt like might be an awesome pirate brawl, but it ended up getting resolved by simply correcting a character's identity, and then all was well. It was a little anti-climactic. Overall, though, it was a good read. I'll probably continue on with the next book at some point. Happy reading!
It’s Not That Interesting
Great concept and the characters were initially interesting but man… I got so tired of everyone being a nice pirate. This is definitely for a younger audience.
Vampires
this was a quick read...enjoyed it...looks like the first book of a series...don't want the story to end. but not sure I want to spend $6.99 each for the next 4 books that follow.