Vampirates 5: Empire of Night [Hardcover]

Justin Somper (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Vampirates

After the surprising revelation of the Tempest family history, twins Connor and Grace face a newly-defined future marked by their Vampirate roots. Meanwhile, Sidorio's evil Vampirate Empire continues its expansion, making it tragically apparent that no ship is safe. As for the pirates, they have a new mission: wipe out the vampirates.

There's a bloody battle brewing in the seas, and each crew will need all hands on deck. And, this time, Grace and Connor may find themselves fighting for their lives-or against each other.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Justin Somper is a bestselling author in the UK. His Vampirates books have received international acclaim and have been published in over 20 languages. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (August 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316033227
• ISBN-13: 978-0316033220
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Justin Somper is an exciting creative talent in children's book publishing. Beginning his career as a writer/editor for Usborne, he joined Puffin Books as a publicist in 1992 and moved to Random House as Children's Publicity Director in 1996. In 1998, Justin broke free to become one of the UK's first specialist children's book publicists. He has since worked with Anthony Horowitz, Louise Rennison, the Roald Dahl literary estate and the Narnia literary estate amongst others.

Now, Justin has made the transition from leading book publicist to bestselling author with the Vampirates sequence. The first title, Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean debuted in 2005. Justin was dubbed "The Next Big Thing" by Sunday Times Magazine while, in Waterstone's "Harry Potter Report", the chain's buyers selected Demons of the Ocean as their top recommendation for fans of Harry Potter. The Sunday Times said Vampirates "promises to be an addictive series". The Evening Standard welcomed "a vivid and bloodthirsty debut", whilst The Times acclaimed "a clever combination of two genres that could make it as popular as Pirates of the Caribbean".

With Demons of the Ocean, Justin won the Birmingham KS3 "Explores" Book Award and the Solihull Children's Book Award. He was runner-up in the North East Children's Book Award and short-listed for the prestigious Red House Children's Book Award. Justin's work has also won praise from fellow children's book authors including Darren Shan who calls it, "An intriguing mix of piracy and vampirism. Justin Somper has brought new terrors to the blood-drenched seas - bravo!!!"

The Sequel
Vampirates: Tide of Terror was published in the UK in August 2006. It was book of the month for the Daily Telegraph's Family Book Club (with a rave review from Carol Thatcher - "I was swept along by the story... entertaining, relevant, interesting and thoroughly commendable") and Blue Peter Book of the Month. Tide of Terror instantly became a top 20 children's books bestseller.

In 2006, Justin made debut appearances at the Hay Festival of Literature, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, as well as visiting schools and libraries throughout the UK. Particular highlights included an event on the deck of the Cutty Sark and a very enjoyable return to his old primary school in Hatfield.

Vampirates goes Global
2006 saw the release of many of the international editions of Vampirates growing the global phenomenon. The US edition of Demons of the Ocean published in October 2006 and has garnered strong reviews. "This fantastic tale will find many fans," said School Library Journal. The Spanish edition of Vampiratas: Demonios Del Oceano has sold over 30,000 hardback copies and already been reprinted five times. Vampirates has been promoted on the Warsaw metro and in Brazilian cinemas. The Vampirates books are now available in 23 territories wordwide.

World Book Day
In 2007 the Vampirates reached new heights as Justin was invited to write a "£1 book" to mark the 10th World Book Day in March. Vampirates: Dead Deep achieved number 7 in the children's books bestseller lists and number 11 in general bestsellers.

Blue Peter Star Author
In March the same year, Justin was asked by Blue Peter to be the show's first online "Star Author". For this, he wrote a weekly blog on the Blue Peter site for 20 weeks from March to June. During July and August 2007, Justin embarked on his first foreign author tour - in Australia, meeting fans in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. On his return to the UK he appeared again at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Bath Children's Book Festival and the Windsor Children's Book Festival.

"Just read it"
The much anticipated fourth Vampirates novel, Black Heart was published in March 2009. It was widely praised.

"Readers who like their fiction fast, funny and a little gory will lap up Vampirates." The Irish Independent

"Page-turning, award-winning, genre-busting fiction." The Daily Telegraph

What's next?
The fifth book in the Vampirates sequence, Empire of Night will be published in March 2010 in the UK and in August 2010 in the USA. To mark the publication Justin will be touring in the UK in March and USA in September 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Changes, September 27, 2010

By 

SciFiChick "The SciFiChick" (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (Hardcover)

The Tempest twins Connor and Grace are back and on their deadliest mission yet. When Sidorio learns that he is their blood father, Both Connor and Grace are recruited as spies when the self-proclaimed Vampirate king invites them to his ship. Sidorio plans on making the twins feel at home and exploiting their thirst for blood, turning them to his side of an oncoming war.

More changes are in store in this ever-evolving and always suspenseful series. This is the 5th installment in the Vampirates series and the darkest by far. I have to admit that I didn't care for the direction Somper has taken the series, with Sidorio revealed to be the twins' father. At times, all seems hopeless, sad, and completely depressing. But by the climactic ending, I saw the turn the series is taking; and I'm on board to see where the story goes next. Full of swashbuckling excitement and mayhem, the Vampirates are back and as bloody as ever. Laced with plenty of dark humor and silliness to lighten the mood, the Vampirates always seem to be the most enjoyable characters to read, even if they are ruthless killers. This series continues to be one of my favorites. Fans of vampires and pirates, both young and old should not miss this extraordinary series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun and Thrilling Adventure!, January 23, 2011

By 

Elizabeth "Swords for Fighting" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (Hardcover)

Empire of Night is an exciting installment in the Vampirates series. After reading the fourth book, Black Heart, many months ago, it was fun to get back into the world of Vampirates. This one does seem to be darker than the previous books with more deaths and difficult life choices to make.

Empire of Night is mainly about Grace and Connor spying on the main villian, Sidorio, by living on his ships. Since Sidorio is actually their father, the twins do lose focus at times. Grace and Connor learn more about their family and themselves and what it means to be a dhampir. Along the way, Connor and Grace both make some bad decisions and essentially lose who they are, but they find their way back in the end. Connor finally excepts who he is to some point, but he still does not like it.

In Empire of Night, we get to know Sidorio more, and he has definitely changed! I did not find him as evil as he used to be. He easily accepts Grace and Connor as his own and takes them under his wing as his heirs. He obviously cares for his children.

I definitely enjoyed this book. There was plenty of pirate action with sword fighting, of course! The ending was completely unexpected. I am curious where Somper is going to take it. This series is a fun, thrilling ride, and I am looking forward to the next book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Son was excited, September 25, 2010

By 

Jacqueline Gallant - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (Hardcover)

We bought this as a present for our 12 yr old and he so excited, that he started it immediately. So, far, he says it is the best of the series