Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean

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**Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean**

Author	Justin Somper
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children, Horror, Novel
Publisher	Little Brown & Simon and Schuster
Released	4 October 2005
Media Type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	336 p. (hardback edition)
ISBN	ISBN 0-316-01373-0(hardback edition) & ISBN 0-689-87263-1(paperback edition)
Followed by	Vampirates: Tide of Terror

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean is a novel by Justin Somper about two children who get separated at sea and are picked up by two very different ships.

Justin Somper started as a children's book publicist and has worked with both publishers and authors. Now, he's embarking on his own writing career with the Vampirates sequence. Drawing together the world of pirate history and vampire myth, Justin even had sword-fighting lessons to add realism to the lives of his characters.

[edit] Plot introduction

Connor and Grace are twins, recently orphaned after their widowed father’s death. Their options are to be adopted by the town’s busybodies or to set sail for new pastures in their father’s single last possession, his sailing boat.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The twins set sail, but a vicious storm sees their boat capsize and the twins are separated. Two mysterious ships sail to their "rescue" – each picking up one twin before disappearing into the mist.

Connor awakes to find himself on a pirate ship and is soon being trained up with a cutlass. Meanwhile Grace finds herself locked in a darkened room, as the vampirates wait for night to fall and their feasting to begin. Determined to find each other, yet intrigued by their new shipmates.

The novel continues with Connor becoming one of the pirate crew of Wrathe's ship. While on board he prevents the Captain from being murdered and participates in boarding and pillaging a ship.

Grace however is kept captive by the Vampirates' mysterious captain and is kept under the watch of Lorcan Furey. The captain appears to be holding her prisnor but he hides her presence on the ship from the other vampirates. Is he perhaps protecting her from them? As the novel progresses Grace learns more about the vampirates and their mysterious feasting but despite the Captain's protection she is still in danger.

The rebel vampirate Sidorio driven mad by his hunger for blood defies the Captain and attempts to feed off Grace. Before he can do so the Captain defeats Sidorio and banishes him before he does Grace harm.

This however is not the end for Sidorio. He manages to meet with Connor and gives him information of the whereabouts of his sister and the Vampirate ship - hinting that Grace is in grave danger. Wrathe willingly supports Connor and they catch up with the Vampirates whose ship is partially concealed by mist. Connor seeing only Grace and Lorcan on deck chooses to board the ship alone.

Brother and sister reunite and all seems to end well peacefully. However when Darcey rings the Dawning Bell. The signal that the sun is rising and that the Vampirates should not venture outside. Alarmed by the bell and thinking it to be a call to battle Bartholomew charges on to the Vampirate ship.

Lorcan sees this as sign that the ship was being boarded and obeys the Captain orders of defending Grace by attacking Bart. This fight continues as the sun rises until finally Grace manages to convince Lorcan that she will be fine. Lorcan leaves the deck with his eyes severely damaged by the sunlight.

The novel ends with the siblings reunited and faced with the choice of what to do next.

[edit] Characters in "Vampirates : Demons of the Ocean"

Connor Tempest – the fourteen year old orphan, protagonist
Grace Tempest – also fourteen year old orphan, protagonist and twin sister to Connor
Lorcan Furey – Grace's rescuer
Captain of the Vampirates – wears a mask
Darcy Flotsam – figurehead by day, lively crewmember by night
Sidorio – rebel crewmember, one to fear
Cheng Li – Connor's ally or enemy. A ruthless and ambitious pirate. Cheng Li is the official second in command of Molucco's ship as well as the head of the ship's security. She graduated with honours from the Pirate Academy and her father was the famous pirate Chang Ko Li. It was her who saved Connor from the storm when the twins' both capsized.
Captain Molucco Wrathe – A famous and well respected pirate who is constantly at ends with Cheng Li.
Bartholomew – Longtime pirate
Cutlass Cate – she thinks before she fights
Ma Kettle: Owner of Ma Kettle's Tavern, a place for pirates to gather and have a drink or ten. Wears a ballgown made entirely of skull and crossbones flags with another skull and crossbones mark on her back in rhinestones.