Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean
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| Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean | |
 First edition cover |
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| Author | Justin Somper |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Vampirates series |
| Genre(s) | Children's, Horror novel |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster & Little Brown |
| Publication date | 6 June 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardback) |
| Pages | 304 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-689-87263-1 (first edition, paperback) |
| Followed by | Vampirates: Tide of Terror |
Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean is a novel by British author Justin Somper, about two children who get separated at sea and are picked up by two very different ships.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
The book is set in the year 2512 in a place called Crescent Moon Bay, in Australia. The two protagonists, Grace Tempest and Connor Tempest, have just lost their only known parent, their father, who used to work the lighthouse, which was also their home. The Busbys, a couple who have never managed to be blessed by children, offer to adopt them. Connor has always had an edge over others in sports, and Grace has never been second to anyone in the field of knowledge. However, both children are classified as misfits.
[edit] Plot summary
Grace and Conner 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 one of their father’s possessions that was taken by the bank, his sailing boat.
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 after saving the Captain (Wrathe) from an attack which involved two hidden assassins in the vases of Wrathe's room. Meanwhile, Grace finds herself locked in a darkened room, as the vampirates wait for night to fall and their feasting to begin. Connor and Grace are determined to find each other, however intrigued they are by their new shipmates.
The novel continues with Connor becoming one of the pirate crew on Wrathe's ship. While on board he 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 young midshipman (in the second book, he is promoted to lieutenant after the exile of Sidorio). The Captain appears to be holding her prisoner but he hides her presence on the ship from the other vampirates, perhaps to protect her from the vampirates who feed on living blood. 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 was driven mad by his hunger for blood and defies the Captain's rules and attempts to feed off Grace. Before he can do so however, the Captain defeats Sidorio ( with little effort) and banishes him before he does Grace harm. The Captain was forwarned of Grace's disappearance after a Feast by Lorcan Furey and comments that he himself was not as understanding of Sidorio's intents as Lorcan.
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, which was 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's order to defend Grace by attacking Bartholomew. This fight continues as the sun rises until finally Grace manages to convince Lorcan that she will be fine. Lorcan leaves the deck, severely harmed by the sunlight and rendering his eyesight nearly useless.
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 – A fourteen year old orphan who is a protagonist of the story. He is physically strong and excels at sports. He, along with his sister, was often an outsider in his hometown. He is afraid of heights, and that he, along with his sister, has very vivid green eyes, and Auburn hair.
- Grace Tempest – A fourteen year old orphan who is a protagonist of the story. She's mentally strong and excels at academics. She, along with her brother, was often an outsider in her hometown. She enjoys watching the ocean and listening to storms. She shares green eyes and Auburn hair with her brother and twin, Connor Tempest. She falls in love with the Vampirate Lorcan Furey.
- Lorcan Furey – A Vampirate aboard the Nocturne who saves Grace from drowning. He has a deep relationship with her, which throughout the books hints of romance. Which leads up to them together in the end of the book 3. His position on the ship was at first Midshipman, but after the Lieutenant Sidorio is exiled, he is promoted to Lieutenant. He is described as having very sky blue eyes, black hair, and wears a claddagh ring, (A ring with a heart held in two hands.) However, where the hands would normally hold a heart, they hold a skull.
- Captain of the Vampirates – Little is known about the Vampirate captain, although he is described as having deep brown skin, and wearing a mask. When Grace first meets him, he wears a rigid death mask, which Grace asks the purpose of. She seems to see a flash of his life, "blood on dark skin." She then tentatively asks him if he is covering up a wound, to which he replies yes. He is enigmatic and does not require blood for survival.
- Darcy Flotsam – Darcy Flotsam is a Vampirate on board the Nocturne, serving as the figurehead of the ship and the bellringer, which signals either the presence or absence of sunlight, thereby warning the Vampirates whether it is safe to venture on board. She introduces herself as Darcy Flotsam, "Figurehead by day, figure of fun by night!" We are led to believe that she is quite pretty, with a variety of dresses. When Grace first meets her, she is wearing a Flapper dress. Grace remarks on how it suits her, pleasing Darcy greatly. On the front cover of the book, Darcy is very tall and has short, blonde bob hair.
- Sidorio – Sidorio is a Vampirate on board the Nocturne for a brief period in the first book. He is referred to as Leiutenent Sidorio, and described as bald, with two sharpened gold canines.He is a rebel who wishes to take blood as often as he wants. He is exiled in the first book by the Vampirate Captain, though he returns in the later books. Curiously, chapters about Sidorio are always written in present tense, while chapters about other characters are written in past tense.
- Cheng Li – Cheng Li is a pirate on board the Diablo, Molucco Wrathe's ship. She is second in command, "Fresh outta the pirate academy," and shows displeasure towards Wrathe. She is something of an anti hero, and constantly challenges Molucco Wrathe's authority until she returns to the Pirate Academy somewhere between the first and second book.
- Captain Molucco Wrathe – Molucco Wrathe is the Captain of the Diablo, the ship which saves Connor from drowning. He owns a snake named Scrimshaw who lives in his hair. He is a famous and glamorous figure in the pirate world, though held by Cheng Li, (and later Connor and Bartholomew) To be held as irresponsible and foolhardy.
- Cutlass Cate – Cutlass Cate is a pirate on board the Diablo. She is described as a master swordswoman, and Bartholomew explains, "What she doesn't know about swords ain't worth knowing." She has red unruly hair, which is generally underneath a bandanna. After Cheng Li leaves, she takes over the position of second in command, and seems to be better suited to it. Cutlass Cate's real name is Catherine.
- Bartholomew – Bartholomew(Bart) is a pirate on board the Diablo who gradually becomes a good friend of Connor Tempest. He is one of the few pirates who's age we have for definite, as he questions Connor on how old he believes him to be. Connor guesses thirty, to which Bart replies he is twenty two. He also says he couldn't bear living on the land, saying that "I've lived more in these two and twenty years than most landies do in a lifetime."There are hints of him having a crush on cutlass cate. He is one of the youngest in the crew
- Jez – Jez is a pirate on board the Diablo up until early into the second book, when he is killed in a duel against a rival pirate. Sidorio later finds his coffin and brings him to life, thereby changing him into a vampire. Jez's loyalties are questionable, though to begin with, he Bart and Connor were dubbed, "The Three Buckaneers," their motto being "All for one and one for all!" In the 3th book, Jez comes back to Conner and Bartholomew, to ask them for help.
[edit] Release details
- 2005, UK, Simon & Schuster (ISBN 0689872631), pub date 6 Jun 2005, paperback (First edition)
- 2005, USA, Little Brown (ISBN 0316013730), pub date 4 October 2006, hardback
- 2007, USA, Little, Brown (ISBN 0316014443), pub date ? April 2007, paperback (reissue)
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