Vampirates

by Justin Somper


This is definitely an original story done as a haunting tale of piracy. This story takes place in 2505 down on the coast of Australia. The main characters are a set of twins named Connor and Grace. After their father, the lighthouse keeper, dies the twins take off to sea to get away from the bad memories of the town of Crescent Moon Bay.

Once at sea the boat is capsized and the twins are separated. Connor is picked up by a pirate ship and Grace is picked up by a Vampirate ship. Connor's new life as a pirate is a good one. He takes to pirate life like a fish to water on the ship The Diablo under Captain Mulucco Wrathe. As for his sister, Grace, life isn't as cracked up as it could be. Once she is on board the Vampirate ship she is kept in solitude and only the Captain and Lorcan know about her at first. The only people onboard this ship are Donors and Vampirates. When some of the crew sees Grace her reprieve is over.

But, unlike most siblings, the twins share a special bond that lets each of them know that the other is still alive, even though everyone doesn't believe in this special bond. It's through this bond that they find each other again and the voice of their dead father giving them hope.

This is definitely an original story that takes the pirate mythos to a whole new level. The only thing that I found that was unbelievable was the time period it took place. The only way the reader knows it's 2505 is by the prologue when it tells the reader, otherwise, it feels like the piracy of the Renaissance. The details and the pacing were done very well and in a timely manner. I specifically enjoyed the lullaby shanty that the father sang to the twins to get them to go to sleep. The shanty helps them remember that it could always be worse. This is a novel that will be a great addition to anyone's library and it's a great story for any age.

 

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