Vesper (book)
Encyclopedia
Vesper is a young adult paranormal novel by Jeff Sampson
, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins
Children’s Books, in January 2011. It is the first book in the Deviants series. The book tells the story of Emily Webb, a self-proclaimed geek who would rather watch sci-fi movies in her bedroom than go out and party. Then one night, she finds herself climbing out her window in a slinky top and high heels. That same night, a classmate, also named Emily, is murdered. This is only the beginning of the weird things that happen to Emily. Between partying like a rock star, trying to find a murderer, and dealing with other—stranger—changes in her appearance, Emily must figure out what forces have created the situation, which identity is her own, and whether she can maintain her friends, family, and safety.
and wanted to write his own female character who “gets powers, kicks ass, and grows as a complex character to boot." Sampson also says he incorporated his love of sci-fi and “geeky” books and movies into Emily Webb’s character.
The book had several titles in its development, including Wildeside, The Savage Files, The Vesper Files, and The Death and Life of Emily Cooke.
As the story shifts from interrogation to narration, Emily finds herself in lots of makeup, little clothing, and halfway out of her bedroom window, wanting “to dive into the darkness…get filthy and carefree.” This is quite a departure for Emily, who can usually be found reading a book or watching old horror movies. Emily is snapped out of her trance by a phone call from her best friend, Megan, who informs her that Emily Cooke, a classmate of theirs at Carver Senior High School, was murdered by an unknown assailant.
As Emily’s small town of Skopamish, Washington, tries to cope with this tragedy, Emily tries to cope with nightly transformations, brought on by seizure-like convulsions and resulting in Emily feeling strong, invincible, and sexy. Emily finds herself on the hunt for Emily Cooke’s murderer and for the person who possesses a scent she can’t resist, all while forced to deal with the fallout from the wild antics of her nighttime self.
Every night after Emily Cooke’s death, Emily Webb experiences painful convulsions that result in her becoming strong, sexy, invincible, and daring. She calls this state “Nighttime Emily” and begins to suspect she is possessed by the now dead Emily Cooke.
cable TV talk show host. She wears brightly colored clothes.
, bestselling author of the Gone
series
“Addictive and surprising. I couldn’t wait for night to fall to see what Emily would do next!” –Lauren Kate
, bestselling author of Fallen
“Emily is smart, funny, and fierce and just generally kicks ass.” –K.A. Applegate, bestselling author of Animorphs
and Remnants
Jeff Sampson
Jeff Sampson is a young adult author. He was born on a U.S. military base in Nuremberg, Germany on July 15, 1982. He started writing professionally at age eighteen. His first books were packaged series fiction. When Sampson was twenty-two, he had his first novel published as part of the Dragonlace...
, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
Children’s Books, in January 2011. It is the first book in the Deviants series. The book tells the story of Emily Webb, a self-proclaimed geek who would rather watch sci-fi movies in her bedroom than go out and party. Then one night, she finds herself climbing out her window in a slinky top and high heels. That same night, a classmate, also named Emily, is murdered. This is only the beginning of the weird things that happen to Emily. Between partying like a rock star, trying to find a murderer, and dealing with other—stranger—changes in her appearance, Emily must figure out what forces have created the situation, which identity is her own, and whether she can maintain her friends, family, and safety.
Development
Author Jeff Sampson says he grew up watching shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and AliasAlias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
and wanted to write his own female character who “gets powers, kicks ass, and grows as a complex character to boot." Sampson also says he incorporated his love of sci-fi and “geeky” books and movies into Emily Webb’s character.
The book had several titles in its development, including Wildeside, The Savage Files, The Vesper Files, and The Death and Life of Emily Cooke.
The book
Vesper begins with a transcript of an interrogation. Emily Webb is speaking to a representative from the Vesper Company, a mysterious organization that the reader slowly learns more about throughout the book. In the transcript, Emily is designated as “Vesper 1.”As the story shifts from interrogation to narration, Emily finds herself in lots of makeup, little clothing, and halfway out of her bedroom window, wanting “to dive into the darkness…get filthy and carefree.” This is quite a departure for Emily, who can usually be found reading a book or watching old horror movies. Emily is snapped out of her trance by a phone call from her best friend, Megan, who informs her that Emily Cooke, a classmate of theirs at Carver Senior High School, was murdered by an unknown assailant.
As Emily’s small town of Skopamish, Washington, tries to cope with this tragedy, Emily tries to cope with nightly transformations, brought on by seizure-like convulsions and resulting in Emily feeling strong, invincible, and sexy. Emily finds herself on the hunt for Emily Cooke’s murderer and for the person who possesses a scent she can’t resist, all while forced to deal with the fallout from the wild antics of her nighttime self.
Emily Webb
The main character of the book. We learn that she enjoys reading books and watching old sci-fi shows on DVD. She wears oversized clothing because she is uncomfortable with her body. Emily feels she doesn’t fit in a clique at school; instead, she is always hanging out with her best friend, Megan, or staying at home alone. We first meet Emily as she is sneaking out her bedroom window in slinky clothes, but she stops when she learns of Emily Cooke’s death from Megan.Every night after Emily Cooke’s death, Emily Webb experiences painful convulsions that result in her becoming strong, sexy, invincible, and daring. She calls this state “Nighttime Emily” and begins to suspect she is possessed by the now dead Emily Cooke.
Emily Cooke
Emily Cooke was a classmate of Emily Webb, though the two girls were never friends. In the beginning of the book, Emily Webb finds out that Emily Cooke has been murdered. Emily Cooke was found dead late at night, far from her home, barefoot, and in her pajamas. While she was living, Emily Cooke was popular, pretty, artistic, and from a wealthy family.Megan Reed
Emily’s best (and only) friend, also known as “Reedy” because of her skinny frame. In junior high, Megan tried to fit in with the popular girls, until Sarah Plainsworth tricked her into showing up for a date the boy would not attend. Now, Megan is bitter toward the popular crowd and wears mostly black clothing.Dawn Michaels
Emily Webb’s older stepsister. Emily says she looks like a model. Though they get along, Dawn likes to party and dress up, unlike Emily.Jared Miller
An attractive police deputy who is also the drummer in Lucas’ band. Emily flirts with him when she is acting as “Nighttime Emily.”Patrick Kelly
The mysterious new student at Carver High. He is quiet and keeps to himself, though Emily can’t help but notice his brooding attractiveness.F. Savage
The only known name of Emily’s interviewer in the interspersed Vesper Company interrogations.Mrs. Nguyen
A teacher at Emily’s high school who doubles as a local Public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV talk show host. She wears brightly colored clothes.
Nikki Tate
The head cheerleader at Carver Senior High School. She has red hair and is dating Dalton McKinney, the star quarterback.Amy Delgado
Another cheerleader, and the most outgoing of three sisters known as the ABC Triplets. She is fiercely protective of her best friend Nikki and is known for her quick temper.Lucas Reed
Megan’s older brother. Like her, he is tall and skinny with blonde hair. His rock band, the Bubonic Teutonics, practices in their family’s garage.Terrance Sedgwick
Known online as “Terrizzle,” he writes on Emily Cooke’s blog after she has died to say that she is much hotter than “fat” Emily Webb.Mikey Harris
A popular classmate of Emily’s who holds a yearly start of the year party at his family’s mansion.Spencer Holt
A short, funny guy in Emily’s class. He hangs out with Mikey Harris and his friends as their token comedian.Dalton McKinney
The seemingly perfect, clean-cut, extremely nice star quarterback at Carver High, he is one of the hottest guys in high school. He is dating Nikki Tate, the head cheerleader.Reception
“The best kind of page-turner.” –Michael GrantMichael Grant
Michael Grant may refer to:* Michael Grant, 12th Baron de Longueuil , nobleman possessing the only French colonial title recognized by the King or Queen of Canada* Michael Grant , American football player...
, bestselling author of the Gone
Gone (series)
Gone is a young-adult dystopian science fiction book series written by Michael Grant. The first novel in the series, also entitled Gone, was originally published in 2008. The second book, Hunger, was released a year later, followed by the third book, Lies, on May 4, 2010. Book four, released on...
series
“Addictive and surprising. I couldn’t wait for night to fall to see what Emily would do next!” –Lauren Kate
Lauren Kate
Lauren Kate is an internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and include The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove and Fallen, which reached #3 on The New York Times Best Seller List for children's chapter books on January 8, 2010...
, bestselling author of Fallen
Fallen (2009 novel)
Fallen is a 2009 young adult fantasy novel written by Lauren Kate. The novel revolves around a young girl named Lucinda Price "Luce" who is sent to Sword and Cross Reform School in Savannah, Georgia, after she is accused of murdering a boy by starting a fire. At the reform school, she meets Daniel,...
“Emily is smart, funny, and fierce and just generally kicks ass.” –K.A. Applegate, bestselling author of Animorphs
Animorphs
Animorphs is an English language science fiction series of young adult books written by K. A. Applegate and published by Scholastic. Five humans, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias, and one alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill , obtain the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They name...
and Remnants
Remnants
Remnants is a science fiction book series authored by K. A. Applegate between July 2001 and September 2003. It is the story of what happens to the survivors of a desperate mission to save a handful of human beings after an asteroid collides with the Earth...
External links
- HarperTeen book page http://harperteen.com/books/Vesper-Jeff-Sampson/?isbn=9780061992766
- Goodreads page http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7664713-vesper
- Jeff Sampson interview about Vesper http://community.livejournal.com/2011debuts/32397.html