What do you think?
Rate this book
The Curse of the Vampire Robot
Classic vampire mythology meets nerdy computer-speak in a rhyming tale of adventure, humour and compassion from master storyteller Graeme Base.
Deep in the Scottish Highlands,
Many years from now ...
Gertie Gif, a lowly cleaning droid from the village of Loch Lan, sets out on an heroic quest to liberate her fellow robo-folk from the curse of a legendary, battery-draining laptop who lives in the castle on the hill.
Will Gertie and her little software-wolf companion succeed in cleaning out the vampire's corrupted heart?
Or will the Curse of Voltoid remain forever hanging over the valley?
Classic vampire mythology meets nerdy computer-speak in a rhyming tale of adventure, bravery and compassion from master storyteller Graeme Base.
Deep in the Scottish Highlands,
Many years from now ...
Gertie Gif, a lowly cleaning droid from the village of Loch Lan, sets out on an heroic quest to liberate her fellow robo-folk from the curse of a legendary, battery-draining laptop who lives in the castle on the hill.
Will Gertie and her little software-wolf companion succeed in cleaning out the vampire's corrupted heart?
Or will the Curse of Voltoid remain forever hanging over the valley?
Classic vampire mythology meets nerdy computer-speak in a rhyming tale of adventure, bravery and compassion from master storyteller Graeme Base.
32 pages, ebook
Published September 1, 2021
17 people want to read
About the author
Graeme Base
58 books368 followersGraeme Rowland Base is a British-Australian author and artist of picture books. He is perhaps best known for his second book, Animalia published in 1986, and third book The Eleventh Hour which was released in 1989.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 19, 2021
Aaaaaand, he knocks it out of the park again!
I freaking LOVE Graeme Base's books, and they rarely (if ever) disappoint.
This one is full of jokes and puns for adults to find glee in as they read aloud to their kids.
Proper review to come, but I really needed this book in my life today. <3
I freaking LOVE Graeme Base's books, and they rarely (if ever) disappoint.
This one is full of jokes and puns for adults to find glee in as they read aloud to their kids.
Proper review to come, but I really needed this book in my life today. <3
October 16, 2021
"The townsfolk paled; they knew this tale -
their CD drives ran cold,
and fear was writ on every screen
in Franklin Gothic Bold."
I love a little Graeme Base.
September 26, 2021
A totally creative and mesmerising tale of Gertie Gif, a lowly cleaning droid from the village of Loch Lan, who save her robot village from the curse of a legendary, battery-draining laptop who lives within a clamshell coffin atop the highest tower in the castle perched utop the Hill of Dread.
Set in the Scottish hihglands, told in futuristic techno speak, and rivalling the Jabberwocky (Edward Lear for those who don't know) for creativity, clever language and mood generating rhyme, this is a superb book targeting older readers.
"The town’s policeman, PC Web,
was summoned to the scene,
and set about computing
what the reason might have been.
‘A simple case of power loss,’
at last the PC said.
‘Recharging Error 101:
his battery is dead.’"
Base has cleverly combined a traditional elements of a vampire quest to save the village within a futuristic automaton world of robots in various shapes and sizes and different purposes. The crux being the power sucking vampire, Voltoid needs a major reboot and software update.
Each full page black and white illustration illustrates an evnet from the accompany verses on the double page and are labeled, so that it appears as a visual record of Gertie Gif's journey. The detail within the illustrations adds a depth and richness to the heroic tale that presents personalities within the metallic characters, and an hilarious array of different droids for different purposes. Gertie carting with her bin and mop - filled with her computer cleaning gear, Voltoid with spreading wings and the little ware-wolf pup that keeps her company and saves the day are the tip of the iceberg in exploring a multitude of visual puns and jokes steeped in the Gothic tradition and techno speak - the USBees lolly wrapper on the ground, the label on the upward spiral staircase 'To De Crypt' etc. The more you look, the more you see - this will captivate the imagination and sense of humour of many discerning readers.
Set in the Scottish hihglands, told in futuristic techno speak, and rivalling the Jabberwocky (Edward Lear for those who don't know) for creativity, clever language and mood generating rhyme, this is a superb book targeting older readers.
"The town’s policeman, PC Web,
was summoned to the scene,
and set about computing
what the reason might have been.
‘A simple case of power loss,’
at last the PC said.
‘Recharging Error 101:
his battery is dead.’"
Base has cleverly combined a traditional elements of a vampire quest to save the village within a futuristic automaton world of robots in various shapes and sizes and different purposes. The crux being the power sucking vampire, Voltoid needs a major reboot and software update.
Each full page black and white illustration illustrates an evnet from the accompany verses on the double page and are labeled, so that it appears as a visual record of Gertie Gif's journey. The detail within the illustrations adds a depth and richness to the heroic tale that presents personalities within the metallic characters, and an hilarious array of different droids for different purposes. Gertie carting with her bin and mop - filled with her computer cleaning gear, Voltoid with spreading wings and the little ware-wolf pup that keeps her company and saves the day are the tip of the iceberg in exploring a multitude of visual puns and jokes steeped in the Gothic tradition and techno speak - the USBees lolly wrapper on the ground, the label on the upward spiral staircase 'To De Crypt' etc. The more you look, the more you see - this will captivate the imagination and sense of humour of many discerning readers.
January 3, 2022
The night that Voltoid rose again
the moon was waxing red.
The software-wolves were howling,
loud enough to wake the dead.
If I see a new Graeme Base book I will nearly always read it. But The Curse of the Vampire Robot exceeded my expectations. There are some perfect jokes in this. Jokes that I just didn't see coming. Jokes based on typefaces, coding and programs. Everything is computers, old computers, new tech and expressive creatures. Graeme Base has a charming style used so well here, particularly if you want to read it out loud. His illustrations for this book are so different from so many others I have seen. More reminiscent of gothic plates than his regular style. While still suiting the story to a T, much like the illustrations for Moonfish. The little character to find on every page is just cute, I will admit my adult eyes didn't find him easily on every page. Gertie and the ware-wolf pup are adorable, MacSpam is perfectly chaotic (I'm not sure I've ever laughed as much at a single illustration). The story is one of adventure, friendship and perhaps unlikely ways to end a villain. Honestly, it may be one of my favourite Base works for its sheer creativity.
As a picture storybook by Base this inevitably gets shelved in the children's section of libraries and bookshops. I question that choice. While it is a cute story that sends a child-friendly message the characters and background almost are definitely for adults. Much of the tech directly referenced, alluded to and illustrated are generation old, tech-wise and beyond even some twentysomethings. I feel it would be better filled with graphic novels or comics. While that does have its own issues and potential stigmas I think it would be a better fit for the potential audience. As beloved as Graeme Base is people who may get a decent laugh out of this are likely to never find it, they will be unaccustomed to and societally biased against browsing that section. Not to mention browsing the children's section of the library as an adult, particularly an adult male can be uncomfortable. This book is too good and potentially too widely enjoyable to hide in the children's section. This is also why I used my adult rather than children's style for this review.
A representative gif:
October 31, 2021
In a land of screens, tech and robots, no one can deny that Voltoid the Vampire has risen again. A Robot has just been found lying face down in the mud, battery dead – drained of power.
The townsfolk look up to the grim castle above their town. One light high in a tower glows through the gloom.
Something must be done! Calls for a volunteer bring cleaning robot Gertie Gif forward. Scoffed at by her town, she intends to prove them wrong as she enters Vampire Voltaire’s domain….
Told in perfect rhythm and rhyme, this spooky tale is in a land of tech where robots tread, screens talk and even the animals are hardware. The tech references in the word play are clever indeed, making this spooky tale one to read again and again.
Illustrations, many in a double spread throughout this hardback, are in black and white with a soft cream wash, portraying Gertie’s quest alongside the story.
There is much to see in every illustration, in a completely different style than the Graeme Base we know in Animalia, The Eleventh Hour, Enigma and Eye to Eye.
The townsfolk look up to the grim castle above their town. One light high in a tower glows through the gloom.
Something must be done! Calls for a volunteer bring cleaning robot Gertie Gif forward. Scoffed at by her town, she intends to prove them wrong as she enters Vampire Voltaire’s domain….
Told in perfect rhythm and rhyme, this spooky tale is in a land of tech where robots tread, screens talk and even the animals are hardware. The tech references in the word play are clever indeed, making this spooky tale one to read again and again.
Illustrations, many in a double spread throughout this hardback, are in black and white with a soft cream wash, portraying Gertie’s quest alongside the story.
There is much to see in every illustration, in a completely different style than the Graeme Base we know in Animalia, The Eleventh Hour, Enigma and Eye to Eye.
October 2, 2021
I'm already a big fan of Graeme Base's work so of course I had to acquire a copy of his latest work.
The text consists of rhyming couplets (similar to the Eleventh Hour) with nerdy computer references littered throughout. The detailed black and white illustrations give suitably horror-ish vibes, with just enough whimsy that the smallest member of the household expressed no concern or fear.
A common feature in Graeme Base books is an extra challenge so while reading the book to the smallest member of the household, I was keeping for anything suspicious. Mid-book I said WAIT and we flipped back to the start: on every spread there is a hidden image like a classic Happy Mac boot up icon, but vampiric. The child decided that, no, this was clearly a BMO. Either way, we were extra careful poring over the illustrations.
What a delight!
The text consists of rhyming couplets (similar to the Eleventh Hour) with nerdy computer references littered throughout. The detailed black and white illustrations give suitably horror-ish vibes, with just enough whimsy that the smallest member of the household expressed no concern or fear.
A common feature in Graeme Base books is an extra challenge so while reading the book to the smallest member of the household, I was keeping for anything suspicious. Mid-book I said WAIT and we flipped back to the start: on every spread there is a hidden image like a classic Happy Mac boot up icon, but vampiric. The child decided that, no, this was clearly a BMO. Either way, we were extra careful poring over the illustrations.
What a delight!
September 18, 2021
As usual, the illustrations are amazing but it's kind of a waste on my children who can't care less about drawing. They don't understand any of the word play either, like software-wolf, policeman PC Web, qwerty, Force Quit, Delete All. And there's no mystery, no puzzle, no hidden things to find on each page, which is what make my older kid loves Graeme Base so much. Sad to say, this is not our favourite Graeme Base book.
P/S: I myself still find this a brilliant book. Love his style.
P/S: I myself still find this a brilliant book. Love his style.
November 26, 2021
I loved this so much. I think Stage 3 students will definitely get a kick out of it. Could do a whole unit based on visual literacy, the language used and STEM.
December 14, 2021
Beautiful B&W line drawings depicting a world of AIs and what happens when they are not properly maintained! In verse.
October 9, 2022
Gorgeous!
July 10, 2024
Base Jump #14
Another good yarn from Base which is imaginative and takes you on a nice little journey.
He knows what he is doing.
Another good yarn from Base which is imaginative and takes you on a nice little journey.
He knows what he is doing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews