The Saga of Darren Shan (12)

The quest for the Vampaneze Lord continues for the hunters of the dusk. Darren gets an unwelcome taste of reality when he is forced to go back to school and his past catches up with him. THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN BOOK 8 Maturing at one fifth the rate of a normal human, Darren has the looks of a fifteen year old, even though he is very much older. Vampire Prince and vampaneze killer he may be, but someone has shopped him to the authorities and it's time for Darren to go back to school. But school is not the only thing Darren has to come to terms with: faces from the past, the death of a clan member, a clash with a vampire hunter and blood-thirsty vampaneze mean Darren's past is catching up with him — fast. It's time for the allies of the night to join forces. The hunt is on…

Darren Shan, Mr. Crepsley and Vancha Marsch, are the hunters of the dusk. Their quarry — the Vampaneze Lord. But friends old and new may stand in their way… THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN BOOK 7 It is six years after Darren was made a Vampire Prince and following a grim prophesy made by Mr. Tiny, the vampires know the ascension of the Vampaneze Lord is at hand. Mr. Tiny warns the vampires that there will be only three opportunities for the Vampaneze Lord to be vanquished and only three vampires who may succeed: Vancha Marsch, Larten Crepsley… and Darren Shan. Leaving the enclave of Vampire Mountain, Harkat, Darren and Mr. Crepsley are shadowed by a creature of the night, do battle with the vampaneze, meet the mysterious Evanna and pay a visit to some old friends at the Cirque Du Freak. But no friend can prevent the bloody trail of bodies — the Vampaneze Lord may be more than a match for the hunters of the dusk.

The Vampire Generals have been betrayed. Forces gathering in the darkness threaten to overwhelm Vampire Mountain and destroy the entire vampire clan. Only one person can stop them, a half-vampire called Darren Shan. But he has been sentenced to death and was last seen disappearing down a stream into the stomach of the mountain…

The third, concluding part of the Vampire Mountain trilogy is a fast-paced, savage, blood-soaked novel. From the brutal opening chapters to the battle between the forces of the night, this is a book designed to grip from the start and squeeze to the finish. If you wish to ride the currents of fierce underground waters, hunt with wolves, and fight alongside an army of spiders — then this is the book for you!

The Saga of Darren Shan. Not just a story, but a way of life — and death…

TRIALS OF DEATH — the fifth title in the compelling and chilling saga of Darren Shan — but the second part in a new TRILOGY, following Darren's initiation into the vampire clan. THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN BOOK 5 Compelled by his loyalty to Mr. Crepsley, Darren Shan, the vampire's assistant, agrees to prove his worthiness to the vampire clan by undertaking a series of trials. Each Trial is set by the Vampire Princes to test agility, cunning and intelligence. Failure means death. Whilst their attention is focused on Darren, the vampire clan fail to notice that the vampaneze have infiltrated their mountain stronghold. Who is the traitor helping the vampaneze, and will Darren survive the trials to oust the vampire's greatest foes? Another atmospheric and terrifying tale from the author of Cirque Du Freak.

When Mr Crepsley is called upon by the Vampire Generals, Darren and the snake-boy, Evra Von, leave the Cirque Du Freak and travel with him to the city. Whilst there, Darren meets Debbie and his life as a Vampire's Assistant fades into the background — until corpes are found. Corpses drained of blood… Suspicious of Mr Crepsley's secretive bahaviour, Darren and Evra shadow him across the city and confront a creature of the night who may be the end of them all… Has Darren made a fatal mistake which will cost him the lives of those he cares for? And can he escape the lure of the Tunnels of Blood?

Vampire Mountain is the fourth title in the gut-wrenching saga of Darren Shan. Darren Shan and Mr. Crepsley make a long and dangerous trek to the vampire's stronghold in the mountains. The trek is a test of skill and endurance one which sees Darren's vampire nature develop, and a new understanding of the mysterious blue-robed servants of the sinister Mr. Tiny. Gavner Purl makes a welcome return when he joins Darren and Mr. Crepsley, but they face more than the cold on their way to the vampire princes — the vampaneze have been there before them… Will Darren's meeting with the Vampire Princes restore is human nature, or turn him further towards the darkness…

Darren joins the vampire, Mr Crepsley, as his assistant and they return to the Cirque du Freak. There, Darren makes friends with the snake-boy, Evra Von (who knows what Darren is) and a local boy, Sam, and RV, an eco-warrior and animal lover (who do not). Darren begins to enjoy his life among the Cirque performers as the youngest half-vampire in existence, but he defiantly refuses to drink human blood — the whole idea sickens him — and he tries desperately to cling on to the part of him which is human. Darren comes face to face with pure evil in the form of Mr Tiny, the leader of the Little People who join the Cirque du Freak, and who eat anything — including human flesh. When he discovers animal bones, RV frees the wolf-man from his cage — and no-one could possibly guess how truly terrible the whole effect would be. The Vampire's Assistant follows some of the amazing characters from Cirque du Freak, and also introduces some more who truly blow the imagination.

Darren goes to a banned freak show with his best mate Steve. It's the wonderfully gothic Cirque du Freak where weird, frightening half human/half animals appear who interact terrifyingly with the audience. Darren — a spider freak — 'falls in love' with Madam Octa — an enormous tarantala owned by the circus proprietor. Darren determines to steal the spider so that he can train it to perform amazing deeds. But his daring theft goes horrible wrong. The spider bites his best mate and Darren has to sell his soul to an evil vampire to get the antidote. Something out of the ordinary is set against the background of children's normal lives to chilling effect. Atmospheric, funny, realistic, moving and… terrifying.