He steals and lies but pays for his actions by having to sacrifice himself. He refuses to drink human blood for a long time, despite what it does to his health. He's concerned about the possibility of becoming evil because he's a half vampire and recognizes other characters as evil and to be avoided. He comes up with a clever plan to save a friend but puts innocent lives in danger to enact it.
Crepsley made a mistake in making Darren a vampire but seems to act in Darren's best interests most of the time. Darren watches a lot of television during the day while he waits for Mr. Crepsley to wake up. Hands are bitten off. A near-fatal poisoning. Wild animals and livestock are killed frequently, with mentions of necks broken. Bones chewed. Grisly deaths by evisceration. Blood usually sucked from humans with no intention of killing -- until the third book, when a special vampire kills indiscriminately taking the essence of that person along with all their blood.
Sad death of a friend and another almost killed. Mentions of past murders. Mild romance by the third book, with a couple of kisses. Mention of a hotel guest parading around without his clothes. Parents need to know that the author claims in the introduction to Cirque Du Freak, the first of the part Saga of Darren Shan series featuring circus freaks and vampires, that this is a true story, which some young readers may find confusing.
The movie The Vampire's Assistant is based on the first three. As you'd expect from any vampire series, there's violence, and some characters die, but things only get gory at the end of each book.
Most notably violent moments are when limbs are bitten off and characters lose their stomachs to attacks. By the third installment , a crazed creature is on the loose killing indiscriminately. Add your rating See all 19 parent reviews.
Add your rating See all 79 kid reviews. Darren's best friend, Steve, finds a flier for an illegal freak show, which they sneak out one night to attend. Among acts such as a wolf-man who bites off the hand of a woman in the audience and a snake-boy, they see the vampire Mr. Crepsley and his trained poisonous spider. Darren is smitten with the spider and returns to steal her. When Steve is bitten by her, only Mr.
Crepsley has an antidote to her poison. But there's a price, and Darren becomes a half vampire, learning the vampire ways, sometimes following the Cirque, and other times joining Mr. Crepsley on secret errands. Creepy thrills and chills abound in this series, which is not for the faint of heart but could hook reluctant readers. It may not be high art, but it's addictive. Families can talk about why these books are appealing.
Does the violence disturb you? Do you enjoy the fantasy? What do you think about this take on the vampire legend? What's different from other books you've read or movies you've seen?
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. Then the part where Darran is left to figure out the rest on his own, the desperate feeling on how he wants to start again with Steve. These few lines, lyrics from the song fits perfectly to what Darran wants to say. It connects to the theme love. To mend the bond between Darran and Steve. I think this fits the book Cirque Du Freak, because after Darran decides to become a vampire, he has to relive his life.
When Steve left, he had these own thoughts going through his mind, like I have to start a new life. A new life where I will follow Mr. Just sounds like he is starting a new life, he is reborn. When Darran spends his last day in his normal life.
I put my shoes in his, and I imagine what he wants to say to his family and friends. Sorry that he has to leave them and make this decision.
At the same time, he says thank you, thankful for their love. Crepsley, yet this song is connected to what I think Darran will think after a while with Mr. Crepsley, he wants to go home.
This connects to the theme, love, because he misses everything, his home, his friends and family. It clearly shows the understanding of wanting to go home. I think this is what Darran will want after a few series, he wants to go home. This song is about a person standing by and supporting another. Just like what I stated before, how his family and friends stood by him and supported him. This connects to the theme strength, how they give him strength when they stand by him. That part tells me clearly that his parents stands by him, and supports him whenever he needs them.
These show a strong tone of support and love. Mar 04, Paige Paprocki added it. I initially chose this book because it was in the horror and mystery genre.
I also chose this book because the summary on the back looked interesting and I wanted to read more into it. In this book, it is about a group of boys that has this flyer for the circus.
All the boys combine their money to be able to buy tickets. One of the boys named Steve agreed to go buy them from a buyer. Unfornutaly, Steve was only allowed to buy two tickets, so the boys had to decide who goes. Steve and Darren end I initially chose this book because it was in the horror and mystery genre. Steve and Darren end up going to the circus but felt a lot of guilt for lying to their parents. So Darren and Steve walk to this creepy building where the circus was at.
It goes through all the acts and how the crowd reacted ad how Darren and Steve reacted. The book is written in Darren's point of view, so we end up knowing a lot of his thoughts and feelings. During the show, Steve ended up knowing who one of the acts was and told Darren they could be in danger. At the beginning of the book, it tells readers about an obsession that Darren has of spiders. His obsession might lead to trouble after the show, making Darren do something he wouldn't believe.
At the end of the book, it brings you into unimaginable thinking because of all the surprises and shocks. The genre of this book is horror and mystery because of all the suspense on what each freak does and the setting gives off a creepy dark vibe that gives readers the chills.
My overall reaction to this book is that I really enjoyed it because it always was interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat. I really liked how the main character was dynamic because it made the book a lot more interesting when he changed. Also how the secondary character was a foil character and made the main character a different person. This book was also interesting because there was a lot of situational irony in this book and it made the book a lot more excited and was used correctly because the readers don't expect any of those things to happen.
I don't have anything I didn't like and this is one of a few books that I have actually read and enjoyed. This book did hold my initial interest because it kept my interest throughout the whole book and kept the suspense and mystery interesting.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes horror and mystery genre. Jul 28, Jackie rated it it was amazing Shelves: one-of-the-best-book-series-i-ve-re. I've read many books, and book series, and not many have touched me quite like this. The Characters: Vampires: Darren Shan: Darren Shan is the main character of the series, and, basically, it's about him becoming a half- vampire later, a vampire and having to prove his worth as a vampire. I like how, in the series, his character changes: not just in that he was once human, then half- vampire, then a vampire; but his personality and way of thinking.
He grows and matures as the series continues, and is a well- rounded character. Larten Crepsley: Darren Shan's vampire mentor, fatherly- figure and my favorite character in the whole series. I didn't love him, but I certainly didn't hate or dislike him.
I felt like I didn't know enough about him to be a huge fan or anything. And when he died later on in the series, I felt sad because of his death, but mostly because of how depressed Darren got. But, after reading The Saga of Larten Crepsley, he officially became my favorite character in the whole series. His back story is shocking and tragic, and, I have to say, while he and Darren had both been through a lot of crap in their lives, I personally think he had an overall harder life.
Before he became all stuffy and serious in Cirque du Freak, he was rebellious and a lady- killer. He also had done some shady things in his life that would haunt him years later like killing those people on the ship , and witnessed things no boy should see Vur's death, for example.
And he was betrayed by two characters I consider some of the worst in the series Webster and Tanish. Since they don't appear in Cirque du Freak, I'll go more in depth later. After re- reading the series, I found myself liking his character more. He had a great personality he was sarcastic and witty smart I could go on.
I'm sorry for all of you Kurda fans, but I really don't like him. I understand he wanted to do what he thought was right, and he had good character traits, but the way he went about it made me feel a deep hate for him that would be nearly impossible to change.
I know he didn't want the vampires and vampaneze to go to war: I understand that! Des Tiny's prophecy for one, the fact there would be losses on both sides, I get it! But, the turning point for me was when he killed Gavner Purl.
Was that really necessary, Kurda? Was that really necessary?! That was when you officially became a traitor, when you killed one of your own kind, practically in cold blood! But it gets worse: he planned not only to sneak the vampaneze in the vampire mountain to use the stone of blood to force an alliance, but he planned to kill all of the vampire princes so he could do it!
If he went about trying to make an alliance between the two clans in another way, I probably wouldn't hate him. I know he thought he was doing all of this for the greater good.
But the way he planned to do it And he succeeded in killing poor Gavner! And he would've killed the princes Paris, Arrow, Mika He was a traitor. He was well meaning, but the way he went about it almost made me nauseated. I feel that strongly about it. Vancha March: I liked his personality: he was tough, amusing, and crude. And for some reason, he was under the impression that ladies liked him. I also like how his brother was secretly Gannan Herst vampaneze and how they were both adopted by Evanna.
But it was kind of weird that Evanna had their children, when I really think about it. I know that Evanna wasn't blood related to Vancha or Gannen, but, still, the thought is pretty strange. Darren sacrificed everything for him to save his life, and even after being told over and over again the truth, he still had the paranoid delusion Darren took his place as a vampire.
As for Larten saying his blood was evil: I think it's true. Maybe it hurt him to hear it, but even as a kid, he was a bit violent pushing Darren and yelling at him I forget what page, but I think it is when Darren tells him he saw him talking with Larten, and Darren gets nervous about the evil blood thing, and Steve really overreacts.
Steve is evil! He took pleasure in making others' suffer. He was cruel, on a personal level: he screwed Annie, Darren's sister, and had a child with her just to wound Darren even more than he already was! He killed Shancus, Evra's innocent child, just to hurt Darren and Evra!
It's also a little freaky to think this whole time, he and Darren were brothers half- brothers? Granted, he had no clue they were related, but it was still disturbing. There is nothing I can think of that redeemed his character, even in the end. Even after he dies. He deserved to rot in the Lake of Souls. I liked him. His personality, everything about him, pretty much. Other: Des Tiny: He is just as bad as Steve.
I hate him. I don't think an explanation is needed. If you've read the whole series, you'd know how hate- able he is. Evanna: Personally, I disliked her. Hate is too strong of a word, I don't hate her, but I dislike her. I didn't like how she treated her servants like Arra Sails and Malora.
And if she honestly felt so bad about giving Larten his scar, why didn't she, I don't know, heal it; or better yet, not have given it to him at all?! Her personality annoyed me. I just felt she could be so cold and elusive. To be continued.
And while I hated some of his ideas, I admire some of them. I'll have to get the book out to quote them later, I don't have them with me.
So, while I mentioned all the things I hate about him, there are a few admirable traits he had. Mar 24, Dennis Visser rated it really liked it. The book is about a freak show with a lot of monsters. The main characters Darren and his best friend Steve went to the show.
The story took place in a village , but the main part of the story took place in an old theatre within the village. A decent part of the story also took place in the bedroom of Darren. The story happened nowadays. And mostly during the night… Darren stole a spider from Mr. Crespley without even thinking about the consequences. Later in the story Steve gets bitten by the sp The book is about a freak show with a lot of monsters.
Later in the story Steve gets bitten by the spider and the only cure is that Darren becomes Mr. The story shows you that you should never steal! The first main character is Darren. He has a lovely family. He lives with his mom, dad and his little sister. The second main character is Steve. Steve and Darren are best friends of each other and together they went to the freak show. The book is called cirque du freak because the freak show was called cirque du freak.
Within the freak show there were multiple freaks, like snake boy and a woman with a beard as strong as steal. For example stealing a spider from a vampire. Who does that? In the book they say make vampires really different. Mar 25, Gemma Hollands rated it it was amazing. As an adult I'm sure I could critique this book series in numerous ways, it's not a literary masterpiece.
It's more than that. It is one of those magical, special books that can inspire children to love reading, treasure books and seek out new worlds of imagination. Darren Shan is my go to recommendation for anyone who wishes to encourage their child to read for enjoyment.
It is wonferfully written; engaging, exciting, scary, gory, sad, action packed and funny. I finished my reread and it was even better than I remembered, they are made for younger audiences so some things could be better, but overall they are creepy and good. Darren Shan the author created a world of its own populated by vampires and vampanezes and witches and agents of destiny and it fits pretty well with ours.
Shelves: fantasy , mystery-and-horror , favorites. Cirque Du Freak. One of my all time favorites. I cant say enough about these books. Do NOT judge a series by its first book. But all epics are like that, right?
And yes. This is an epic. And it is epic. So if you have read the first, liked it but didnt want to read the other ones immediantly, then I say- DO IT!!! What is it about? Vampires, vampaneze, wolves, freaks, witches, wizards, romance, death, twists, surprises, histo Ah. The journey starts off in a small town with a kid name Darren Shan. Perhaps the only one left in modern day America. They see amazing acts that will totally freak and gross you out.
The last performer, Mr. Crepsley and his amazing spider, are what really gets the story going. Both boys claim that he is a vampire they saw in a book they read. After the show, Darren leaves but Steve stays.
Darren comes back and watches Steve ask Mr. Crepsley to turn him into a vampire where Mr. Crepsley refuses.
Before they leave, Darren steal Mr. Crepsley spider. A highly poisinous one. But the thing is, Steve dosent know Darren saw the scene with thet vampire, and Steve dosent know that Darren stole the spider.
When Darren shows Steve the spider, the spider bites Steve and only Mr. Crepsley could possibly have the cure. I am not going to say anymore about the book, so you will have to read it to find out what happens, because it is worth reading.
So good! It have good characters, it's fast pace, have some dark enough stuff and a really intriguing storyline! I can wait to read the next one! Well done!
Reading Experience : Amazing! I want to continue the series because of its richness creepy build of doing a story especially the character of Mr. Crepsley hail all the praise for this man especially the narrator that makes him became lively and scary. On to the next book in the series I decided to dive into these books again after ten years, and I'm now thinking that Mr Crepsley and Darren would be one and two years older, respectively. Time has no mercy. Honest to God, my heart aches just thinking about everything that will happen in these books, but it is worth the ride.
This book was totally awesome. At first I thought that this book would be boring, but then the main character, Darren Shan and his friend Steve went to a freak show called, "Cirque Du Freak When they went to the freak show it took me by surprise.
To be honest I was a little bit scared. The plot about this book is really cool. It all begins with two best friends that live in London, United Kingdom. Darren Shan is the main character and his best fr This book was totally awesome. Darren Shan is the main character and his best friend is Steve Leonard "Leopard". That is where the suspense kicked in.
All of a sudden there friend Allen comes running up to them and starts talking about how his older brother found a flyer about a freak show. I was so into the book that in my head I was right there with them when to their surprise he pulls out the flyer It said when and where to get the tickets.
From here the suspense started growing fast! So Steve and Darren went to the freak show. The characters made my imagination really work to make this scene real in my mind. There were so many cool but freaky acts, like Wolf Boy and Hans Hands. One of the coolest acts was Mr. Crepsley and the biggest spider in the world, Madam Octa. This is where the biggest plot twist happened. At the end of the show Steve told Darren to go and he would catch up with him.
But Darren didn't listen and he went up onto the balcony where nobody could see him. Then he saw Steve in the middle of the stage looking for someone. All of a sudden Mr. The ending is the most unsuspected part of the story. While we expected Steve to kill Darren, along with Mr.
Crepsly, more twists at the end of this book leave us wanting to know the rest of the story. Clearly there are more books to read! View all 5 comments.
They really tone that down in the movie I guess. The characters were sweet or interesting though. The plot was good, if not a little short. Not too dangerous and definitely humorous. Overall, I enjoyed it and the narrator was fabulous!!
The voices he made were just so fun and felt spot on!! In a longer series for kids, sometimes you should be patient when forming an opinion. So read on I shall!! Years ago I watched the film and fell in love with this series. It was a shame the movies never continued because I was enchanted and adored it. I had a Harry Potter-mania type love for it. Why wouldn't I? I'm a girl obsessed with Halloween and all things spooky!
As an adult, it's weird picking this book up. I can totally tell I'd be obsessed with this book series as a middle grader. It's a real shame I never grabbed it back then. It would have totally fit on my shelves next to my Goosebumps and Years ago I watched the film and fell in love with this series.
It would have totally fit on my shelves next to my Goosebumps and Bunnicula! Darren Shan being the author and main protagonist is interesting. I did read this series out of order, so it was weird knowing what happens next, but it was still good! I can totally see why middle graders loved this series and I can see why it was so popular.
I want to keep reading its because it's fun, mysterious and full of frights. It has a male lead, which is different from what I normally get, so it also made reading it a bit more interesting. A vampire tale told by a male becoming a vampire and not a girl chasing after them?
Not my norm! Oh, and it's dark. I love that! Overall, I really liked this book. It's got a whimsical tale with lots of spooky lore and mysteries that will surely be expanded upon.
I want to see how the world of Cirque Du Freak works and what will become of Steve. Four out of five stars. If I could go back in time The past was behind me. The best thing now would be to stop looking over my shoulder.
It was time to forget the past and look to the present and future. I can't say it's my favorite Young Adult series since I have so many to read still. Based on what I've read so far, if they stay this good or improve, I'd have to answer that question with, "Yes, the Cirque Du Freak collection is my favorite YA". Really, one owes it to themselves to read this.
The protagonist is a young boy and there are no bizarre twisted love stories or love triangles here. There is a touch of youth, the circus, a truly incredible unique world setting, and the tests and bonds of friendship, family, and faith. At first the plot seemed too young to me, the writing slightly awkward, too childlike and easy to zip through, to where I was wondering that the age was TOO young.
However, almost midway through the author picked it up and the tale became absolutely fascinating with improved literary style. After the first chapter or two the author seemed to get more comfortable and settled in with a more relaxed, realistic tone. Basically, for a book this was good, for it's age group? Mixed with a fun lightness but also a depressing darkness, the story starts out much simpler than it ends. In fact, there is a heart-wrenching scene for the parents in store, which made me cry, as I couldn't imagine much that would be more awful to endure.
Fun lightness comes primarily at the beginning before Darren's life changes forever -- fun with friends, time outside spent playing sports and planning on trips to the "secret circus. He's a teenage boy with the normal sort of angst, a realistic innocence and loyalty to friends, a healthy dose of dread and fear.
The vampire in the story may sound unattractive to any who prefer darker themed menaces. Not a menace at all, he's kind enough although reclusive and not particularly fond of children. The boy, the vampire, the spider, and the group of circus freaks are all forced together in unusual circumstances which don't end up pleasantly. Steve as the friend was a multi-leveled character, but I was irked at the end with him because I hate misconceptions and miscommunications in stories.
I'm sure many of you have seen the movie. I have also, and way before reading the book. I only purchased the book mainly for my son, Gage, although I was always curious about it myself. It follows the movie faithfully at first, but then twists off in completely different directions. I think perhaps the movie invented many scenes, and took others from novels that are farther down in the series. Since it did not include what's in the second and third book, I'm not really sure.
The movie was good, fun for kids, but the book is much better with a richer world. Ended up slapping on a four star rating for the weak beginning, which was a slight struggle to continue with, the awkwardness as Shan started out with the writing style, and some of the inconsistencies. However, this one ended up being an addiction to be consumed the farther I went, the more I had, and it also ended with a pretty hefty cliffhanger. It's good I had the second ready and rearing to go!
Oct 20, Tokio Myers rated it liked it Shelves: ownedbooks , fantasy-read , horror-thriller. The first Cirque Du Freak book is a nice read that really pumped me up for Halloween. That being said it does have faults one of which is maybe I'm a bit out of the age range for this book.
I believe everybody should be able to read children books of all ages and not be judge, but for this series I found myself thinking how I'm not the target audience which makes me feel really old. There is some good things of course. For once we have a main character whose family life isn't messed up or not there.
In fact Darran Shan the main character comes from a really good home life and actually loves his family including his youngest sister. He is as normal as they come, other then having a obsession over spiders, it's refreshing to see a normal kid with a normal life in a middle grade book. Of course everything goes to hell for him halfway through but whatever. Oct 19, Rachel Bea rated it really liked it Shelves: horror , horror-i-read-in , fall-into-reading , books-of Even though this series is obviously meant for young people, I currently age 32 found many aspects of this book to be enjoyable and entertaining.
It was really dark -- I was honestly surprised at how dark it went considering it IS for young adults. There were a couple of moments where I laughed out loud, too. I am definitely going to read the rest of the series because I'm curious to see where the plot goes. Interesting first book. I have seen these on the shelves in the library since I was a teenager so of course I thought it finally time to read them.
Very action packed always moving and doing something. I might have to see where this all leads to. It's funny, dark, and a quick, entertaining read. I like Darren Shan as the narrator, he's a likeable character.
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