Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues Series #11)

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Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues #11)

by Rick Riordan, Jude Watson, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 9,984 ratings · 381 reviews

The Cahills thought they were the most powerful family the world had ever known. They thought they were the only ones who knew about Gideon Cahill and his Clues. The Cahills were wrong.

Powerful enemies - the Vespers - have been waiting in the shadows. Now it's their time to rise and the world will never be the same. In Vespers Rising, a brand new 39 Clues novel, bestsellin...more

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Published July 1st 2011 by Scholastic, Inc. (first published April 2011)

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Oct 16, 2011 Maddie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: completely-loved

So I finished this yesterday and I for the most part I loved it.

FIRST STORY-GIDEON'S:
I'd have to say my favorite story was Gideon's for a few reasons. First off I just happened to like Gideon's character. He cared for his people even when Lord Vesper wouldn't, he loved his family dearly, and he created the serums that were the basis for the 39 Clues first 10 books. I felt soooo bad for him and everyone when he was killed, but I knew it would happen sooner rather than later due to the fact that...more So I finished this yesterday and I for the most part I loved it.

FIRST STORY-GIDEON'S:
I'd have to say my favorite story was Gideon's for a few reasons. First off I just happened to like Gideon's character. He cared for his people even when Lord Vesper wouldn't, he loved his family dearly, and he created the serums that were the basis for the 39 Clues first 10 books. I felt soooo bad for him and everyone when he was killed, but I knew it would happen sooner rather than later due to the fact that he took the lethal serum and in the other books it says Gideon died before he could make a complete, working, safe serum. What/who I mostly loved about this first story was Luke! For like the whole 39 Clue's 1st 10 books all I was thinking was, "What a cruel bastard he had to be in order to have the Lucien's be the way they are!" I mostly blame Ian, Natalie, and of course Isabel for this. What I actually found out was that Luke was basically too smart for his own good and therefore rejected by most people outside his family. And then on top of that, the family he did love (even though he didn't show it well) rejected his love and help when their father was killed. So he was forced through circumstances to run off on his own and become a cruel, social climbing, manipulative nutcase (who still had some soft spots for his son). I also enjoyed learning a little bit more about the other 3 kids. (Go Ekats!/Katherine!)

SECOND STORY-MADELINE'S
Ok, so my friend Julia said this was the BEST of the stories, so naturally I was expecting something super amazing, to be able to surpass Gideon's. To tell the truth I was kinda disappointed. I mean it was good, don't get me wrong, it's just nothing really worked out at all for Maddy and I just didn't really get into it as much. Plus Luke basically sucked for most of it. And also there's this poem for Madeline, "Maddy Babbit, scared as a rabbit" that i could not get outa my head! The thing I loved most about this story, and this may sound weird, was the sayings Olivia (the mom) would always tell Maddy when she did something like her siblings: A Jot of Jane, a Cut of Katherine, a Touch of Tomas, and a Lick of Luke (my fav one). In this one Olivia finally dies, in an explosion. So Maddy's forced to run off and she goes looking for Luke which I though was kinda dumb. I mean I know I have a soft spot for Luke now after reading Gideon's story, but come on, I'm not stupid. There's a reason the Luciens are the most feared and ruthless of the groups, its b/c their leader became and stayed that way when he was forced to leave. If I were Madeline, I would have gone after Jane, much safer... Maybe Kate. I feel like Jane would be the most understanding of the 4, and I'm just all for Kate because I'm an Ekat. (BTW Kate=Katherine). Anyway Maddy tracks down Luke and long story short, he doesn't believe Maddy about her being his long lost sister, then he steals her ring, and is going to kill her. Thankfully she escapes. What a loser Luke is here! (Still love him though... and He's really good with his kid.)

THIRD STORY-GRACE'S
Ok truthfully I barely read this one. Grace never really interested me, even in the 39 Clues. From what I understand though, in this story she's like 13 and hanging out with her favorite beloved baby brother Fiske and the all of a sudden she's off to Africa and manages to land a plane safely all by herself. Ya sucky description, I know. (least fav story).

FOURTH STORY-AMY/DAN/SOMEWHAT FISKE'S
Ok to start off this review of this story, all I have to say is POOR FISKE! I mean Amy and Dan are super used to all this crazy stuff constantly, and I mean I guess Fiske is kinda used to it too, but you know he's getting up there in age... Anyway Amy and Dan's story was fine I guess, but not as great as one of the full books. Love Dan though, his comments always make me laugh soooo much! And Nellie of course. I was sad she wasn't really in it much at all. I do love though how the author managed to have them almost be killed/mortally wounded like 4 or 5 times in the span of 20 or 30 pages. Such creativity! :) I'm super excited for another couple full books with one of my fav brother-sister teams! I SOOOOOO hope the Holts come back! I LOVE THEM They were definitely my favorite team! And of course Ian and Natalie need to come back, so that either Amy or Dan or anyone for that matter (im not picky) can give Ian one seriously well aimed kick or punch where it really counts! :)

And my rambling comes to an end... Can't wait for the Medusa Plot (Book1 of Vespers)

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Jun 17, 2011 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 39-clues

IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD :) can't wait till the next!!

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Dec 28, 2011 05cortneyr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this book, each chapter has a different author, has different characters, and sometimes a different setting and different time periods. So it's kinda complicated. But each chapter has the same problem, the Vespers. The Vespers are a ruthless family who are after the 39 clues,and Gideon Cahills ring. The Cahills have the ring, but they are also after the clues.

The story begins with the narrator telling the story of what happened to Damien Vesper and Gideon Cahill. They both have brilliant min...more In this book, each chapter has a different author, has different characters, and sometimes a different setting and different time periods. So it's kinda complicated. But each chapter has the same problem, the Vespers. The Vespers are a ruthless family who are after the 39 clues,and Gideon Cahills ring. The Cahills have the ring, but they are also after the clues.

The story begins with the narrator telling the story of what happened to Damien Vesper and Gideon Cahill. They both have brilliant minds and power but wanted to use them in different ways. Gideon wanted to help people, Damien wanted to rule over people. This huge difference destroyed the once good friendship between them and started a rivalry which later kills Gideon which causes his family to fight and go their seperate ways. Leaving Olivia (who is Gideon's wife) all alone with Gideon's ring and their unborn child.

Then the story continues with Gideon's daughter, Madeleine, who promises her mother that she would keep her fathers ring safe and try to reunite the rest of the Cahill family, but she failed and the ring was stolen by the Vespers. But it was later stolen back during world war two by Grace Cahill, who kept it safe in a bank in Switzerland. Then Grace gave the ring to her grandaughter Amy. Amy has no idea why the ring is so important, but she belives she has to keep it safe when a couple of Vespers try killing her to get the ring.

Throughtout the series, each character realizes that you don't need money or the serum that can make you the most powerful person on the face of the planet to be happy. The only thing you need is love. And they all found that out the hard way when each of their closest family members was in danger. Fiske Cahill quotes something his sister Grace did for him. "I knew Grace wanted me to help her. I knew she needed me to watch her back. But she did a generous thing. She told me to go and never come back. She told me to get lost." This quote is an example of why I really liked the book, because even though each character is consumed in danger, hardships, and ECT, they always care about one another in their own ways. I would recommend this book to any one who likes action and adventure.

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Nov 06, 2012 Ker Malkin Gesulga rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-lit, library-reads, adventure

This book contains 4 story plots, obviously from the four different authors.

One of which is a more elaborated story of the Cahill history starting with Gideon Cahill's finding of the cure to the Black Death and Damien Vesper trying to get hold of it as the cure was actually meant to make the ordinary body develop extraordinary features. The serum wasn't exactly complete though as it resulted to some complications so he'd come up with this 4-way plan and had given each of his children (Luke, Tho...more This book contains 4 story plots, obviously from the four different authors.

One of which is a more elaborated story of the Cahill history starting with Gideon Cahill's finding of the cure to the Black Death and Damien Vesper trying to get hold of it as the cure was actually meant to make the ordinary body develop extraordinary features. The serum wasn't exactly complete though as it resulted to some complications so he'd come up with this 4-way plan and had given each of his children (Luke, Thomas, Katherine, and Jane) a vial which apparently contains the different ingredients to the final product. Trying to get away from the wicked hands of Lord Vesper, the family started plotting out for an escape. Olivia Cahill, meanwhile, actually had something important to tell but then it was too late, for now the Cahill children had gone in their own separate ways and the fate of her husband had ended up into a misfortune.

The second plot covered Madeleine's expedition into fulfilling her promises to her mother, Olivia Cahill. And those are to protect the ring (which Olivia Cahill gained from Gideon and ostensibly has some important message with it) from the Vespers, protect the arcane prospect of the 39 clues and most of all, unite her siblings once again. Personally, I find it hard to do the latter since I haven't even had a clue on what my brothers and sisters look like but anyhow, they're Cahills, and I'm not. LOL. There's one note I'd like to make though. I wish I could've seen from Thomas, Katherine, and Jane. But I think Madeleine's already caught up with her first mission so I'm not gonna press her.

The third plot was about the 13-year old Grace Cahill who started out her venture after witnessing a Morse code which was intended for her father, James Cahill. She only had vague details about this Cahill clue hunt but decided to find out more about it. In the end, she acquired something great and started her life a bit different since then. I don't think I can give off much details about this one.

Enough about the history, we now go to the present century where our dear Amy, Dan, and Fiske Cahill, and of course, Nellie Gomez were living their lives with as much normality as they could ever get. Until their first encounter with their rival clan, the Vespers. I also don't want to give off details about this one so yeah. The predicament was quick and soon after, they realized that this obsession about the 39 clues was finally starting all over again (only the counterpart was a different clan) and now they're up for the most dangerous and greatest adventure of their lives.

I know I haven't made a real review about the book but dang, this was just so exciting! After finding out about the history and all up to the point where Amy and Dan had this very idea that I couldn't just even think about, I just don't know what to say. I know I'm somewhat late to read the 39 Clues franchise but I just can't wait to read the books in the sequel series! Enough said, I really liked the first series. Let's see how it goes in the next one.

Go Cahills! I'm a Lucian, BTW. (less)

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Oct 30, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, school-books-kid-books

I'm going to give a generic review of the series. Basically because I'm lazy and don't want to write 39 reviews. Okay, 11.

We finally read Book 1. And then because we liked it so well, the entire series. One son (age 12) has read them all, the second son (also age 12) is on Book 2. And son #3 (age 8) will be starting as soon as he finishes his current book.

I thought the premise of this book very interesting. I loved how they integrated history and geography along with problem-solving skills and c...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Sary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ccccolor

This is the book where everything about the Cahill's past is revealed. First, the book starts off with the story of Gideon Cahill, the inventor of the serum to make the most powerful person in the world. The story explains why he created it, why he gave it to his 4 children----Luke, Katherine, Thomas, and Jane Cahill. He explained how it worked---it enhances abilities and traits, plus makes you smarter, stronger and better in every way. But it also enhances bad traits, like Luke's twisted mind....more

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure

It has been 2 years since it all started with The 39 Clues #1: The Maze of Bones, and now, ten books later, you can find out how the whole thing started. Dan and Amy Cahill have raced all over the world with their nanny Nellie Gomez competing with their Cahill relatives to find and solve all 39 Clues in order to discover what makes their family so powerful - but how did the clues come to be in the first place?

In Vespers Rising you find out the history of the Cahill family and why the different b...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

A ring. My precious.

Oops. Wrong story.

When the Cahill family was all together there was a ring. A single ring whose great power is never revealed but that a group called the Vespers has been hunting for centuries. Part one of the book gives the origin of the ring and how Gideon Cahill was once friends, and then enemies, of Damien Vesper. Gideon created a serum that enhanced the senses and his children took it; hence, the long line of Cahill geniuses. Part two of the book shows Madeline Cahill tr...more A ring. My precious.

Oops. Wrong story.

When the Cahill family was all together there was a ring. A single ring whose great power is never revealed but that a group called the Vespers has been hunting for centuries. Part one of the book gives the origin of the ring and how Gideon Cahill was once friends, and then enemies, of Damien Vesper. Gideon created a serum that enhanced the senses and his children took it; hence, the long line of Cahill geniuses. Part two of the book shows Madeline Cahill trying to connect with her brother only to lose the ring, be accused of lying, and thrown in jail. She is quite the spunky character and manages to escape stealing back the ring from Damien Vesper and creating the Madrigals. Part three is the story of Grace Cahill and her quest to get the ring. She too loses it to a Vesper and must get it back. Part four is Dan and Amy. Yes! I missed Dan. Funny Dan with his wise-cracks and sense of humor. The first three parts seemed so grim. And yes, they are out to find the ring which they just about lose to the Vespers. The character of Fiske shows some warmth and humanity as the three become a family.

This book is written as four different stories by four different authors. The voice changes from one chapter to the next depending on who has written it. In the first chapter the vocabulary is easy to read; whereas the next chapter has more historical references and a higher vocabulary. Readers might get confused with the shifts in time and characters, which explains the higher reading level as compared to the previous books in the series which have reading levels between 4.0 and 4.7. I am all for trying different and creative ways of writing but this doesn’t work that well for me. The narration isn’t as fluid and clear, but I thought that with the 10 previous books.

The violence in this series gets progressively more realistic. In this book, an innocent man dies as a result of Grace flying into a war zone in search of the ring. Amy shows interest in a boy at her school but there is no romance. She and Dan are too busy trying to solve the 39 clues and find the Cahill ring rather than make friends or boyfriends.

The cursed ring motif goes back to Norwegian mythology. Tolkien must have been a Cahill ; )
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Aug 23, 2011 Kathy Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Amy and Dan has so many adventures in the first ten books of the series that I thought that they deserved a break. So I let this book sit on my TBR stack for a couple of months before I picked it up. The Medusa Plot which is book one of the Cahills vs Vespers series came out yesterday.

This book is divided into four parts (one for each of the authors). Rick Riordan tells us about the beginning of the rivalry between the Cahills and the Vespers and also...more I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Amy and Dan has so many adventures in the first ten books of the series that I thought that they deserved a break. So I let this book sit on my TBR stack for a couple of months before I picked it up. The Medusa Plot which is book one of the Cahills vs Vespers series came out yesterday.

This book is divided into four parts (one for each of the authors). Rick Riordan tells us about the beginning of the rivalry between the Cahills and the Vespers and also talks about the events the split the four children of Gideon Cahill and his wife apart. It also talks about a very special ring that Gideon Cahill is determined to keep away from Damien Vesper.

Peter Lerangis' section tells us about Madeleine Cahill who was the fifth child born after Gideon's death. It tells about her life with her mother in hiding from Vesper. It also details an attempt to get to know her brother Luke and how badly it goes. This cements her desire to keep her line secret from the rest of the Cahills and to guard and protect the ring left to her by her mother.

Gordon Korman's part takes us to World War 2 and stars Grace Cahill as a very brave and intrepid thirteen-year old. She needs to travel from Monaco to Casablanca to recover the ring. Along the way she has to match wits with General George S Patton.

The final section by Jude Watson brings us to Amy and Dan who are settling in to normal life and finding it a little boring. But the boredom dissipates quickly when they have to go to a very secure bank in Switzerland to get a clue which will lead them to the current location of the ring. They need to battle a variety of Vespers agents along the way.

While I thought the first two parts were interesting and contained a lot of background information, I don't know that they will grab the attention of the middle grade audience for these books. Kids who stick it out will find plenty of action and adventure in parts 3 and 4 though.

I liked the story and will be adding it to my middle grade media center because I have an audience who enjoyed the first ten books in the series.
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Jul 07, 2011 Patti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure

This is a quick read written in four parts. If you felt like book 10 kind of left you hanging, this book won't do much to remedy that problem. Even though is might have seemed Dan and Amy's adventures were over in book 10 of the series, you see in this book that they are not. It definitely sets things up for more books about the Cahill family, so the adventure continues!
Each part is about a different member of the Cahill family: Gideon, Madeline, Grace, and Dan and Amy. You learn about a time in...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile, young-adult, good-for-gifts, read-in-2011, mystery

Three of the four stories were very good. The book opens with an origin story by Riordan about Gideon Cahill and his family, written with his usual panache. This story introduces the rivalry between the Cahills and Vespers and answers a lot of questions about the original four Cahill children. The short length of the tale limited the amount of historical explorations to brief cultural references, but I enjoyed the ones that were included and how they were used to illustrate the characters of the...more Three of the four stories were very good. The book opens with an origin story by Riordan about Gideon Cahill and his family, written with his usual panache. This story introduces the rivalry between the Cahills and Vespers and answers a lot of questions about the original four Cahill children. The short length of the tale limited the amount of historical explorations to brief cultural references, but I enjoyed the ones that were included and how they were used to illustrate the characters of the people involved.

The Lerangis story was welcome because Madeleine is one of the most mysterious characters I can remember in recent YA fiction, and I've been quite keen to learn more
about her. It was nice to get some insight I to her journey. I hope we get more than just this taste in future installments. What she faced and was able to achieve was even more astonishing than what Dan and Amy were able to do, considering that she was entirely alone and at a time when women were more vulnerable and had more restrictions. The historical angle of this story was a bit disappointing, it was cute but felt weak.

Unfortunately, Korman's story about Grace was a huge disappointment. I think he got her spirit well enough, and i liked that it felt mkee like one of the 39 Clues books where she had a mystery to figure out. But everything was too easy, it talked down to the readers as though they wouldn't realize how ridiculous it would be to land half way around the world (after a perilous journey) and instantly find the very important person you're looking for. It was too simplistic and very irritating. Maybe it was ok for the very youngest of the age range the books are appropriate for, but certainly not for the full tween to young teen audience.

But at least it ended on a high note when we finally arrived back in the present with Amy and Dan. Watson struck just the right tone again with their family dynamic and with the adventure. She reminded me in their little trip just how big the world is, a theme that this series certainly continues to teach readers of all ages. And I really liked the way it ended. I thought it wove the first 10 books and this book into a comprehensive story really well. (less)

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Apr 07, 2011 Stephen C rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a bit disappointing AT FIRST, as it takes a while to catch up to the present time. But after reading a few pages, I was instantly hooked, as always. It starts out in 1507, when the fateful fire in Gideon Cahill's lab started everything. It then continues with Madeleine. Then it goes to the 1940s with Grace Cahill. Then eventually picks up in present-day, all the while revealing bits and pieces about the mysterious Vespers, setting the course for the new series. I won't reveal anyth...more

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May 14, 2013 Riley Kuffner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Vespers Rising” Review: The Untold Stor...ies

It started in 2008 with the first book of the new series “The 39 Clues”. Featuring 14 year old Amy Cahill and her younger brother Dan, “The Maze of Bones” by Rick Riordan embarked the reader on an adventure filled with mystery, action, comedy, history, and exotic locations; a combination almost impossible not to intrigue one reader or another. Since this first installment, the series’ popularity has skyrocketed, becoming a New York Times bestselling...more “Vespers Rising” Review: The Untold Stor...ies

It started in 2008 with the first book of the new series “The 39 Clues”. Featuring 14 year old Amy Cahill and her younger brother Dan, “The Maze of Bones” by Rick Riordan embarked the reader on an adventure filled with mystery, action, comedy, history, and exotic locations; a combination almost impossible not to intrigue one reader or another. Since this first installment, the series’ popularity has skyrocketed, becoming a New York Times bestselling series and printed in 26 different languages. This support has allowed the franchise to come out with 16 more books covering two series with a third on the way, card packs, an online website filled with interactive games and activities, and a movie to be produced by Steven Spielberg and come out in 2014.

The series is centered on a powerful family named the Cahills that seems to encompass all famous and important figures for the last 500 years. Within the family are five different factions that have fought each other for centuries over a set of 39 clues that hold the secret to a master serum. Once the Cahills successfully recreate the serum another organization called Vespers comes into the mix. These Vespers are ruthless enemies and force the Cahill family to unite together in order to protect the serum and a gold ring that has been passed down for generations, exchanging hands between Vespers and Cahills. Each book in the series is written by a different author with a few exceptions like Rick Riordan who has worked on multiple titles. This puts a unique spin on each book as every author is writing about the same thing, but has different styles.

“Vespers Rising” is the 11th book and acts as a transition between the first and second series. It is written by four different authors (Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson), each writing their own short story that describes the conflicting history of the Cahills and Vespers. The goal of the book was to fill the reader in on how Vespers fit into the Cahill picture after abruptly mentioning them at the very end of the 10th book. Although the structure can be a bit confusing, it was a necessary measure in order to observe four distinctly different time periods with different Cahill and Vesper characters. The series of chronological jumps enables the book to cover four different generations of Cahills, all names that have been mentioned before, but not explained.

The first and most pivotal story was written by Rick Riordan, who was the original founder of the “39 Clues” series. Despite this success, he is best known for his series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and their spin-offs; “The Heroes of Olympus” and “The Kane Chronicles”. Riordan was also named children’s author of the year in 2011.

The first story of “Vespers Rising” took place in 1507 with the founding fathers of the Cahill family, Gideon, and the Vesper organization, Damien. The story starts by presenting Damien Vesper, a powerful lord living on a remote island off the coast of Ireland in order to avoid bubonic plague. He knows that his servant and alchemist, Gideon, has created something powerful and intends to utilize it in the conquest of the Americas. A simple man, with a wife and four kids, Gideon, has indeed produced an enhancement serum in his efforts of curing bubonic plague. The serum increases strength, artistic talent, intelligence, and cunning, but has degrading effects that are slowly killing the protagonist, as he used himself as a guinea pig in the experiment. A dying man, Gideon confronts Damien in a fight and kicks him of the island, which has actually been owned by the Cahills for generations. Gideon knows that the quarrel has only bought him time and prepares his family for departure. To each of his children, he gives a flask containing a safe dosage of one component of the serum that is slowly taking his life. Gideon also tells his wife that she must protect his gold ring because its value is more than the entire serum, but doesn’t explain why. While the Cahill family prepares to leave, Gideon rigs his lab with explosives in order to destroy himself and his research, so Damien cannot use it for evil.

This plot is the untold begging of the entire “39 Clues” series that the reader has waited ten books to finally understand. It explains how each faction of the family was started (minus one child that is born later) and how they were able to obtain such fame and power. It also highlights the importance of Gideon’s ring, which is at the center of the second series. The story also presents some tough choices that different characters have to make in order to achieve their ends. Gideon, out of frustration and determination, uses himself as a guinea pig for his serum, which leads to the spiral of events to come. Damien is forced to prosecute his friend and family, ending his opportunity to stay on the island sanction, to get his hands on the master serum. On the other hand, Gideon must destroy his life’s work and abandon his family to prevent evil Damien from seizing power.

The entire book, not only this first story, is plot based with non-stop action, suspense, and mystery. The authors do not often describe anything in the book, but let the plot speak for itself. Despite this indirect style, character development comes through to the reader in the form of character dialect and actions. The decisions that Gideon and Damien make throughout the story speak loudly about their characters. Damien is presented evilly as power-hungry ego-maniac driven by conquering the world. This is made evident by the conversations that he has with himself and Gideon along with his determination to obtain the master serum. Gideon, on the other hand, is presented positively as a caring genius and family man. This is shown by his desperation to come up with a cure for the plague despite not knowing anyone infected. Gideon’s genius is presented by his ability to create the master serum and anticipate Damien’s every move. Family orientation is portrayed by the measures he takes to ensure their safety. Throughout the book, characters are developed with the plot in a similar manner, always showing the Cahills as good and Vespers as evil. Although this is the traditional approach one might take in presenting two conflicting powers, past books have had a bit more perspective. It would have been interesting to hear a bit more unbiased material from a member of the Vesper organization.

After ten long books of names with no faces and objects with no stories, “Vespers Rising” finally cleared up some of the suspense that had built up for the reader. It also managed to create mystery regarding Gideon’s ring, which will be slowly revealed over the course of the next series. These answered and new questions made the book incredibly enticing for a fan of “The 39 Clues”, but may have been a bit confusing and less significant for someone new to the series. In addition, the reader is often left hanging after each short story. They want more information and answers because there is so much of these key stories and characters that is left untold. Enough content is available to produce four different books, but the authors decided to condense it down into little clips of action. There is some validity to that method, but, with more length, “Vespers Rising” could have been turned into a real book, rather than just a source of background information, while answering the same questions.

Although the series is designed to entertain, there are underlying themes in the text. Again and again, the concepts of good trumps evil, smart beats strong, and determination is the first step toward greatness are presented throughout the series. In the first story, Damien’s evil plans are foiled by Gideon because with being good, comes the willingness to make sacrifices. Gideon was able to destroy his life’s work and himself because had the power of good intentions to keep the master serum out of Damien’s hands and protect his family. In the second story, the main character, Madeleine Cahill, was able to beat the talented jouster King Henry VIII in a match that would determine her life. She was able to think outside of the traditional way of doing things and create an unorthodox, yet more effective method that trumped Henry’s brute force. In the third story, the main character, at the age of 13, Grace Cahill, was able to make her way from the safe island of Monaco to Tunisia in the midst of Operation Torch during World War II and obtain Gideon’s ring by outsmarting legendary General S. Patton. She had no experience decoding messages, flying a plane, fighting armed soldiers, or looking for clues, but through pure will and determination, that outmatched even Patton’s, she was able to accomplish her mission.

“Vespers Rising” definitely had its difficulties, but, all in all, was a good book. It was extremely enticing and entertaining, especially for a “39 Clues” fan, and sets up nicely for the second series. Upcoming activity in the franchise includes the start of series three, “Unstoppable”, whose story arc will be written by Jude Watson. “Nowhere to Run” is set to come out as the first book on October 1, 2013.
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Jan 02, 2012 Janaan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, mystery

I picked up this book, because the other 10 books in the series were amazing! This is about, the history of the Cahills, and who created the master serum... Gideon Cahill. When Gideon was creating the serum he had befriended Damien Vesper, an intelligent, ambitious and greedy man. Damien wanted the master serum for himself, so he can be the most powerful man in the world. But Gideon had predicted this and he took it for himself, but the serum had not been perfected, and he knew he would die in t...more

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May 22, 2011 Alvaroh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 39 clues Vesper Rising
The 39 clues Vesper Rising was the last book of the series of the 39 clues. There is going to be a second part, but not for a while.
This book was one of the best books in the series. Four authors wrote the book dividing the book up into four sections (chapters). The first part was written by Rick Riordan. This part was about the scientist Gideon Cahill. He was the founder of the Cahill serum and the one who started the fighting between brothers.
The second part was w...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 03, 2011 Beverly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my all time favorite series for kids and young adults. Originally the series was set to end with book ten Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I was very pleased when I learned that the series would continue, if in a slightly different direction. This series is an excellent way to introduce younger readers to figures from history. Last spring I used one of the original 10 books with a lesson comparing/contrasting historical fiction with historical fact.

What I liked about...more

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May 16, 2011 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have listened to most of these books with my children and this is the first that I actually opened in paper. I had read all of my books that I brought with me on vacation and had to resort to my son's book en route to home on the train.

This book is in 4 chapters and tell the history of the family and this new branch that we hadn't heard of before. We see the original Cahill family: Gideon Cahill 1507 (written by Rick Riordan), Madeleine Cahill 1526 (written by Peter Lerangis), Grace Cahill 194...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Jamiegee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WOW!! What a perfect segway from the clue hunt into the next phase of the 39 Clues series "Cahills vs. Vespers! Vespers Rising gives just the right amount of background knowledge that you would need heading into the next phase of books. And add to that fact that this ONE book was written by FOUR different authors adds to the fact of just how amazing this whole series has been. Rick Riordan and the other authors have done an unbelievable job maintaining the story line throughout this series, and...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Joan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: j-books, fantasy, sci-fi, 5-6-fiction

First of a continuing series of 39 clues. Adequate. Gives background of the "new" adversary, the Vespers. The original background on the siblings that were the children of Gideon, the amazing scientist, was well done but still didn't explain just why the siblings had such an extreme reaction to each other. The next story about Madeleine was just poorly done. The story about Grace Cahill was excellent, and the story of Amy and Dan was adequate. This is going to have to get better before it will g...more

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Dec 29, 2012 ♥iDevourBooks♥ ☆Sonic~Obsessed☆ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, fiction, mystery, modern, adventure, available-at-e-library, available-at-library, secular, series, read-in-2012, favorites, favorites-of-2012, fantasy, my-reviews

Review while I read the book :

Very interesting so far! They go from the past to the present which is way cool! They talk about some of the ancestors of Amy and Dan in such an interesting way to the point that my mouth is gaping wide open right now, I'm serious!
Anyway, I can't wait to finish this before the year is over!!

Review after I read the book :

Oh my crazy uncle, this book was incredibly awesome! It brings you from before to the present and leads you to a harder thing to deal with than the...more

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Jun 08, 2011 The Book-obsessed Person Whose Name You See rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was great... informative and helpful to better understand the conflict between the Vesper and Cahill families.

While the background information and flashback to many years before Amy and Dan's adventures was great, it was also a little lengthy. As informative as it was, it tended to drag out too long (specifically in the second part of the book, including Madeliene Cahill). One of my favorite parts of the series has always been the plot and events focusing on Amy and Dan, who are, of course, t...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Omar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the last book in the 39 Clues series, but they made another series after this. This book was one of my favorites in the series, but it isn't really about the usual characters. It switches from the 1500's to the 1940's, so it jumps around a bit, and every so chapters, it switches authors (!) which can be really annoying at times because the authors write in a slightly different voice each time. The authors have good choice in their description of the surroundings and what background stuff...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Dempse Kb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here we go again... book eleven!

Finally after ten books we have the back story of how the different branches of the Cahill family began. Starting in 1507 we meet Damian Vesper, Gideon Cahill and his four children. Adventure ensues first with Gideon, later his daughter Madeleine, then Grace and finally Amy and Dan. What makes it fun is it has four authors who each wrote a different portion of the book starting with Rick Riordan. Just like the other books we learn about historical people and plac...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-5, children, g-mystery-spy, series, 2013

I enjoyed this one more than I expected - almost got 5 stars. Each of the four authors presented a different turning point in the 500-year conflict between the Vespers and Cahills, nicely filling in backstory from the 39 Clues series while perfectly setting up the spinoff series. I thought I'd stop reading after this one, but as soon as I finished I added myself to the audiobook waiting list for The Medusa Plot (I love David Pittu's reading of these books, and can't wait to see all the feuding C...more

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May 16, 2011 Cave rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is called Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan. It is the eleventh book in the thirty nine cluse series. This boook is about some of the majer cahills that helped shaped their family, Gidion Cahill, Madilie Cahill, Grace cahill, and Dan and Amy cahill. Each story takes place in a different time period. This book is mainly a mixture of storys of the characters conflicts with their enemy, the Vespers. The Vespers are a organization rather than a family, like the cahills. The Vespers are trying...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Kathleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children

I enjoyed the first ten 39 Clues books. Although the plot was completely implausible, I loved how they managed to work historical details into a mystery/adventure series for kids. I was happy to discover that they would continue to add books to the series after the clues plot line ended. I was very disappointed with the execution of this book. Kids who were very familiar with the format of the first 10 books might be confused by the four segments. I didn't really understand the reason for this c...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Angelina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, my gosh.

Could it get any better?!

I love how they start off with 1507, Gideon's time. It gives me detailed information on how the branches formed, and how they fought against Luke.

Also, I love the second part, where they introduce Madeleine and how the Madrigal branch eventually formed. I feel sorry for Olivia and Madeleine.

I love Grace. She was so smart! And of course, when we travel to the present.

I love how everything put together, forming an AMAZING book. I can't take my eyes off it, it'...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Rick Budding rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

In this 11th volume of the popular 39 Clues series, the Cahill family history is traced from the times of the Black Plague in Europe in the 1500s to present-day America. Over the centuries, various Cahill family members are embroiled in adventures that see them pitted against their arch-enemies: the Vesper clan. The Cahills always prevail, using strength, ingenuity and bravery to keep their secrets and the mysterious, precious ring from the Vespers. If you have been keeping up with the 39 Clues...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, children-s-books, chapter-book, audio-book

The best of the series so far, and the link that bridges the gap from the original 10 books and the newer series. It starts in the 1500's, with the original Cayhill family and their history, and then it takes you to Grace, Amy and Dan's grandmother, and when she first got involved in the clue hunt. And finally, it takes you to the present with Amy and Dan, once again thrust into danger. This time it is no longer their own family after them, but the Vespers, an elite and dangerous group that is r...more

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Percy Jackson Fan...: The 39 Clues, Book 11; Vespers Rising	2	16	Jul 21, 2012 07:26am

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About Rick Riordan

Born: June 5, 1964

Place of Birth: San Antonio, TX

Education: Attended Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio. Worked as an editor for the school newspaper and won third place in state for UIL feature writing. Also got in trouble for publishing an underground newspaper that made fun of the school, especially the losing football team. (The football team later egged my car). Began college at North T...more

More about Rick Riordan...

Books by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)

The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)

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Quotes from Vespers Rising - Audio

“Don't have to see," the pilot grunted. "Olga knows the way."
"Funny name for an aircraft," Grace commented. "Is it after your wife?"
"My gun."
Grace stared at him. "You named your plane after a gun?"
"It was a very good gun.” — 32 people liked it

“Just then a word floated out through the buzz saw of Zapata-speak: Nefertari. Dan tuned back in.
"...the most beautiful tomb in Egypt," Ms. Zapata was saying. "You probably know the queen because there's a famous bust of her."
A photo flashed on the screen.
Dan raised his hand. "That's Nefertiti," he said. "Different queen."
Ms. Zapata frowned. She looked at her notes. "You could be right, Dan. Uh...let's move on."
Another slide flashed on-screen. "Now, this is the inner chamber of the tomb, where she was laid to rest."
Dan's hand rose again. Ms. Zapata closed her eyes.
"Actually? That's the side chamber."
"Really." Ms. Zapata's lips pressed together. "And how do you know this, Dan?"
"Because..." Dan hesitated. Because I was there. Because I was locked inside the tomb with an ex-KGB spy, so I got to know it pretty well.
"Especially since the tomb is closed for conservation," Ms. Zapata said.
Yeah. But we had this connection to an Egyptologist? Except he turned out to be a thief and a liar, so we captured him. I came this close to smashing him with a lamp...” — 20 people liked it

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Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues #11)

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