This fantasy, futuristic series by Justin Somper truly surprised me. Students in my Grade 6 LA class begged me to read it last year, and I cringed internally, as neither vampires nor pirates have ever interested me. However, I tried the first book, since it was enjoyed so much by some of my readers. I was amazed at the cleverness of this author, and at the seamless way in which he moved the characters through their complex development during the series of six books. At the end of the first novel I had to get my hands on the next, and so on, until I found myself parcing out the pages of Immortal War, knowing it was the last of the series. As silly as the concept of Vampirates sounds, it is a solid tale of two siblings who did not know their mother, were raised by their father, and in their early teens, were on their own. How and why they come to be on the ocean with such a motley crew of characters is interesting in itself, but how the adventure evolves continually left me a bit surprised, and feeling satisfied as a reader of intelligent, complex novels. Immortal War is the final book in the Vampirates series. I must admit I felt strange picking up this book having not read any of the other books in the series but it was neither as challenging or as mindboggling an experience as I expected. In fact, reading the last book in this series has opened my eyes as to why it is so popular – it is full of action, entertaining characterisation, deep moral questions and has a writing style which is as comfy as my favourite woolly jumper. I will go on to review this book as a story in itself so Vampirates beware, I may cast you a spoiler without intention.There is one obvious problem starting a book in which other readers have lived with the characters through an epic journey. How do we relate to them when they have already experienced a huge back story? Does the author have to retell everything to help new readers follow? No, of course not. The author must just simply make you feel a connection with the heroes and repulsion for the villains. Somper did this with expert skill. In the first few chapters I wasn’t entirely sure who the main character was but I knew I was late joining the nocturnal party so I just went with him. I felt like a mighty warrior in doing so as the viewpoint switched frequently. But it was smooth sailing, I had an overriding sense that I was in safe hands. That is Somper’s particular skill, I was confident that everything would make sense in the fullness of time even when I was being introduced to perhaps the eleventh, twelfth or thirteenth character. There are two main characters in this novel as well as a galleon full of supporting characters. There is Grace and there is Connor. They are twins and they are the children of a great prophecy. (I really hope that’s not an epic spoiler for the earlier books). Immortal War is a story of two sides in a great and bloody war. The Vampirates and the Pirate/ Nocturnal Alliance. As a new reader, it didn’t take me long to realise that we are meant to be on the side of the Alliance. They are trying to prevent the Vampirates drinking the mortals’ dry of their blood and they are ready to strike the very heart of the enemy’s empire. I also think it is fair to say that neither side is innocent in this war. In my own mind war is never the answer and it can never be justified. I really liked that the author raised the moral question about murder in the name of war. We do want the Alliance to win but we also recognise that war is not a perfect solution. Luckily this is fantasy at its best and we can accept that there is the personification of pure evil. For me this was the role of Lola Lockwood. She is the wife of the legendary, ruthless, self-styled King of the Vampirates - Sidorio. Lola was every part Lady Macbeth. Sidorio was a blood-thirsty villain too but there are moments in the book where we see his humanity through his relationship with his children, so he never quite reached the level of evil that Lola did for me. I wonder if he was an even darker character in the earlier books and that this was part of his character arc. I’d be interested to know.Overall, I found Immortal War to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. Being thrown into the middle of a war got me off to a cracking start and when you added that to the quirky characterisation and very comfy author voice, I couldn’t put it down. I’m sure fans of the series will find the conclusion immensely satisfying. For those considering giving the series a go, I think if you like The Spooks series by Joseph Delaney or Time Riders by Alex Scarrow, then you’ll love Vampirates.
What do You think about La Guerra Inmortal (2011)?
I love the character of Lorcan! He's my favourtie...
—Chawaba
