39 Clues: Vespers Rising

The first book I read for the FFP 24-Hour Readathon was Vespers Rising, book #11 of the 39 Clues series, which I was reading for the launch party organized by Scholastic Philippines and National Book Store the next day.

I was eager to read this book after I finished book 10, Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix, because I wanted to see Dan and Amy return for their next adventure! I originally thought Vespers Rising was the first book in the second 39 Clues series, but it turns out it’s actually the “bridge book” that links the two parts together.

Vespers Rising is written by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. I was initially puzzled about this setup, because while the 39 Clues has always been a multi-authored series, it’s always been one author per book. When I read Vespers Rising, I understood why it had four authors: the book is divided into four stories, featuring four Cahills from different generations.

It was a bit weird at first, reading this book and not immediately finding familiar characters, but this book reveals important Cahill family history that I was reading in rapt attention, although I have mixed reviews of the stories in the book.

Rick Riordan writes about Gideon Cahill in 1507. Gideon Cahill is the patriarch of the Cahill family, father of the founders of the four Cahill branches: Luke (Lucian), Katherine (Ekaterina), Thomas (Tomas), and Jane (Janus). This part reveals the roots of the Cahill family: Gideon’s legacy (the serum and a valuable gold ring), the separation of the Cahill siblings that led to the feuding branches, the history with the Vespers, and the creation of the 39 Clues.

I know Rick Riordan developed the story arc for The 39 Clues and I do enjoy the way the story has turned out so far, but I’m really not a fan of his writing. This story was supposed to be set in the Renaissance (one of my favorite periods in history) but it didn’t feel historical at all; the tone, the language (um, for one thing, the word “laboratory” did not exist in 1507, much less the shortened “lab”) and the writing style were quite contemporary and that was disconcerting. That gripe aside (and I don’t think that will matter to the younger readers, anyway), I do believe the story achieves its goal: to provide the necessary background on the Vespers and their quest to overpower the Cahills.

Gideon’s ring

Peter Lerangis writes about Madeleine Cahill, the first Madrigal, in 1526. Madeleine Cahill sets off to carry out the Madrigal mission, starting with Luke Cahill in King Henry VIII’s court. The Vespers learn of her existence and set off in pursuit of the ring in her possession. Meanwhile, Madeleine makes the Madrigal presence known to Luke.

This story, set about two decades after the first, is marginally better in terms of sticking to the timeline. Although the certain words and expressions were still anachronistic, I think Lerangis infused enough historical detail into the story to camouflage it. I love that Madeleine Cahill gets her own story; we see the woman from whom Grace and Amy inherit their spunk.

Fast forward to 1942: Gordon Korman writes about thirteen-year old Grace Cahill. Grace and Beatrice’s mom passes away after giving birth to baby Fiske (!) and their father James leaves them in their Monte Carlo villa to escape from his grief. Grace intercepts a Cahill message meant for James, and steps up to an important role in the Cahill family.

This story is really where the book comes together, with a younger version of a familiar character, Grace (Dan and Amy’s grandmother), starring in a thrilling adventure. Young readers may find it difficult to relate to the characters featured in the first two stories (Gideon and Olivia are featured as parents, and Madeleine is a young woman) but they’ll definitely warm up to 13-year old Grace. And in terms of action, this story gets two thumbs up from me!

Finally, Jude Watson returns with Dan and Amy in present-day Boston, attempting to settle into a normal life with their new guardians, great-uncle Fiske and their au pair Nellie Gomez. Dan and Amy have barely cooled their heels from their five-week race around the world when Fiske and Nellie reveal that they can’t stop running just yet: the Vespers want the serum and Gideon’s ring, and it is up to Dan and Amy to protect their family legacy at all costs.

At last, Dan and Amy are back! This is the story everyone’s waiting for, and it delivers on the reader’s expectations. It’s amusing to note that Book 1-10 took place in only five weeks, and a new adventure kicks off before this book is done. I just wish we saw more of the other Cahills; it’s mostly just Fiske with Dan and Amy in this story, though Nellie and Saladin put in a brief appearance.

While I liked the last two stories over the first two, Vespers Rising is crucial to the 39 Clues canon, revealing information that sets the reader up for Part 2 of the series.

Meanwhile, the day after I read Vespers Rising was the launch party at NBS Bestsellers. I was amazed to see there were kids who were such big fans of the series. I’m not talking about kids just read the books; these are kids who appear to also eat, breathe, and sleep 39 Clues!

 

The kids  (I’m guessing around 10 to 13 year-olds) aced the trivia contest! They got almost all of the answers right, from “Saladin” to the more obscure “Ana Kosara” — I would’ve lost if I was playing against them!

And then in the final round, they had to get a blindfolded teammate to form a 39 Clues puzzle:

I am happy to report that the girls’ team won!

I then moderated the book talk, and let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like the experience of talking to kids who are big fans of a book series! They can talk a mile a minute about any topic related to the books, they have astounding memory of the smallest details in the series, and they come up with the most fantastic theories! I especially liked the theory about Isabelle Kabra being a Vesper (okay, this is almost confirmed — the wikis state “Vesper” is her middle name, although it’s not yet documented in canon) and the one about the Vespers concocting an anti-serum to the Cahill serum. I also echo the kids’ wish for the movies — that the models for the cards play their characters in the movies, although I’m not entirely sure how possible that is!

Oh, and the debates got heated too — the best Cahill branch, the favorite Cahill, and even who Amy should end up with (I’m a Lucian, I love Saladin, and I’ve always been an Amy-Ian shipper!) — but one thing’s for sure: we all can’t wait until 39 Clues: The Medusa Plot comes out in August!

***

39 Clues: Vespers Rising, hardcover, 3.5/ 5 stars (averaged from four stories: Gideon Cahill, 2/5 stars; Madeleine Cahill, 3/5 stars; Grace Cahill, 5/5 stars; Dan and Amy Cahill, 4/5 stars)

Book #38 for 2011

Vespers Rising is available at National Book Store.