The Vampire Prince

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Half vampire Darren Shan is caught between the warring worlds of the Vampires and the Vampireze -- and comes out remarkably transformed, in this sixth spellbinding volume of Cirque du Freak.

Picking up where Book 5 left off, the Vampire Prince springs into action as Darren is carried through a raging Vampire Mountain river toward uncertain consequences. Thankfully, the boy escapes and meets up with a pack of old wolf friends, and when he secretly finds himself back in Vampire Mountain on a mission to thwart Kurda's ascension to princely status, Darren becomes the catalyst in a gruesome battle between the Vampires and the Vampireze. As the fighting reaches its apex, the boy witnesses some of the bloodiest killing he's ever experienced, but when all is over, Vampire law still mandates that he face punishment for failing the Trials of Initiation. To his surprise, Darren's leadership puts him in a situation he never dreamed of.

A surprising and plot-thickening read, Shan's sixth book will keep you on pins and needles until the very end. The author taps into Darren's half-vampire/half-human emotions like never before, and he brings his character to another, amazing level that will leave you thirsting for Book 7. A heart-stopping shocker you'll definitely want to sink your teeth into. Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

Betrayed by Kurda and reeling from the brutal slaying of Gavner, the vampire's assistant, Darren Shan, finds himself branded a traitor and hunted by the vampire clan.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Branded a traitor, betrayed by a friend, hunted by the vampire clan -- Darren Shan, the vampire's assistant, faces certain death. Can Darren reverse the odds and outwit a Vampire Prince, or is this the end of thousands of years of vampire rule? Darren's initiation on Vampire Mountain draws to a stunning, bloody conclusion -- but the Saga continues ...

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The sixth installment of the Cirque Du Freak series by Darren Shan, The Vampire Prince, finds Darren accused of being a traitor, after Kurda betrays him, and being pursued by the vampire clan. To save his skin, he must outfox a vampire prince, as his initiation on Vampire Mountain comes to a surprising close (though a teaser indicates yet another book). Vampire Mountain, book four, is also being released in September as a paperback. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Christopher Moning

An enthusiastic blurb from J.K. Rowling should give this book, the sixth in Darren Shan's "Saga of Darren Shan" series, a big boost at the bookstores. Frankly, it needs all the help it can get. The half-vampire, Darren Shan, finds himself in another fight for his life, this time against the vampeneze, purple-skinned vampires who kill their victims. Betrayed to the vampaneze by his friend, Kurda, Darren spends the opening chapters recovering from injuries with the help of some friendly wolves. Returning to Vampire Mountain, Darren warns the "good" vampires of the evil plans of the vampeneze. A bloody battle ensues, and Darren feels an attack of conscience when he kills a couple of vampaneze. These are the best moments of this series gone stale-the moments where Darren recollects his humanness, and the crises of conscience unique to human beings. Shan has rewritten the book on the vampire genre. Very few of the horror cliches hold water in this series. No silver bullets, no garlic protection, very little sucking of blood. The original premise of a conflicted young man-who shares a name with the author-yearning for his human family and his lost way of life, has been overlooked along the way. Let's hope Shan gets back on track with book seven. 2002, Little, Brown, Ages 10 to 14.

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