A Living Nightmare (Cirque du Freak Series #1) FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
"I loved being scared when I was little." Those are the words of Darren Shan, the young, adventurous narrator and author of Cirque Du Freak, and I understand him very well. Just like him, I grew up loving comic book monsters and campfire tales that sent shivers down my spine. Now I'm all grown up and still love being scared. Ever read a book that was so spellbinding it kept you hooked until the wee hours of night? Yes, they all promise that. But this is the real thing. For Shan's "true" tale is such frightful fun, I found myself reading the whole book in one sitting.
Darren Shan is like any other curious schoolboy who loves to hang out with his friends and read Spawn comics. He also has a little fixation with spiders. One of those insects graces the mysterious pamphlet that his friend Alan steals from the pocket of his big brother's pants. The pamphlet is an advertisement for a strange circus of freaks that is currently playing in their town. Darren and his three buddies -- Alan, Tommy and Darren's best friend, Steve -- are instantly smitten with the idea of attending. They pool their money and send Steve to get three tickets, but they soon find out they can only buy two. They draw straws, and Darren and Steve find themselves the lucky ones.
Finally, at night, they go to a decrepit old theater to witness the circus. What they see and what they get themselves into is too scary (and entertaining) to reveal here. There's also a lot of humor sprinkled throughout. Each chapter seamlessly leads from one dark room into another, introducing us to a supernatural world populated by a really cool cast of characters. (J. Mojica)
ANNOTATION
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Darren Shan is just an ordinary schoolboy who enjoys hanging out with his three best friends. Then one day they stumble across as invitation to visit the Cirque du Freak, a mysterious freak show. Only two tickets are available, so they draw straws to see who will go. As if by destiny, Darren wins one, and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires. This is Darren's story.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th century sideshows to create an artfully macabre cirque du freak.
VOYA
...sure to start some great urban legends...
Publishers Weekly
A boy sneaks out to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler. "The author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre `Cirque du Freak,' " wrote PW. Ages 10-up. (June) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
With strong sales overseas and a movie deal in the works, book one in The Saga of Darren Shan series is poised to capture a wide audience of series horror readers. After a rather slow buildup, a boy with the same name as the author sneaks out with best friend Steve to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler, Mr. Crepsley. "This is a true story," writes Shan. "In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins." The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre "Cirque du Freak." But Darren's actions are often undermotivated: "I can't explain why Madam Octa [the spider] meant so much to me, or why I was placing my life in such danger to have her. Looking back, I'm no longer sure what drove me on." Also his intermittent attraction to and repulsion by the vampire is never fully explored. His behavior may be explained in the sequel, The Vampire's Assistant (due in Sept.), but the open ending leaves so many loose ends that readers may leave more frustrated than intrigued, especially since the characters' wooden dialogue drains them of personality ("I'm upset," says Steve. "It hurt, what Mr. Crepsley said, and you ignoring me at school... If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do"). Readers interested in boys becoming vampires would be better served by M.T. Anderson's Thirsty and those fascinated with freaks by Iain Lawrence's Ghost Boy. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Wasting no time in setting a tone of spine-tingling horror, Darren Shan tells his readers right at the beginning, "This is a true story." Darren and his best friend, Steve, secretly buy tickets for an illegal freak show. They are spellbound at the fascinating performances of the Wolfman, Rhamus Twobellies and Alexander Ribs. But nothing can match the amazing feats of Mr. Crepsley and his deadly spider, Madam Octa. Steve recognizes the man from the cover of one of his horror booksﾽMr. Crepsley is a vampire. Darren's envy of the spider prompts him to make a foolish attempt at thievery. And when Steve lies near death, the victim of a lethal spider bite, Darren's only chance to save him drives him to a terrifying decisionﾽto become the vampire's assistant. The author's choice of using a "mock-umentary" style is a brilliant one. Rather than the usual frights associated with the horror genre, the reader is further addled by the sense of reality when Darren falls into a nightmare of vampirish proportions. Readers will be howling for the sequel (due September, 2001) to this bone-chilling novel. 2001, Little Brown, $15.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Christopher Moning
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