Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
by Darren Shan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Darren ShanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Format: Large Print
Published: 2002-02-02
ISBN: 0786237341
Number of pages: 240
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Book Reviews of Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Book Review: Lots of fun in the way of teen horror
Summary: 3 Stars
Darren Shan's plunge into the world of vampires takes serioius and solemn hold in this second book as we get to watch how he adjusts to this serious life change. He has faked his death, and his now the rather unwilling assistant to the vampire Mr. Crepsley. This means lots of travel, but eventually the pair make it back to where it all began: Cirque du Freak.
All we saw of the traveling show in the first book is what any audience member would see. Now Shan shows us an incredible behind-the-scenes world of all the loveable freaks that perform. It's great characterization.
The meat of the story comes in with the appearance of a local green boy who believes that the show is cruel to animals. Darren makes friends with a local boy and a snake boy, a hardworking trio desperate to protect their home.
Exciting and emotional. Great sequel.
Summary of Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Book 2 of The Saga of Darren ShanA New York Times Bestselling Author
Darren Shan was just an ordinary schoolboy until his visit to the Cirque Du Freak. Then Darren joins the powerful vampire Mr. Crepsley as his assistant, and they return to the mysterious freak show. There, Darren makes friends with the snake-boy, Evra Von. As he struggles with his new life as a vampire's assistant, Darren tries desperately to resist the temptation that sickens him . . . the one thing that can keep him alive. But destiny is calling . . . the wolf-man is waiting.
(No Canadian Rights)
What if you were an unwilling vampire? You needed to drink human blood to stay alive, but you weren't some horror-flick villain; you were you, born human--a nice person, even. Thus is the dilemma of the young narrator-protagonist, Darren Shan, in this tremendously suspenseful, oft-sickening sequel to Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan. In the first book, Darren becomes a vampire's assistant to save the life of his friend Steve. In order to do so, he has to fake his death, get buried alive, and head out--half-human, homeless, and friendless--into the world. The Vampire's Assistant chronicles his new lonely life as a half-vampire, pumped with the cursed blood of his vampire guardian, Mr. Crepsley. Darren has much to learn about his freshly supernatural state. He doesn't grow fangs, for instance, like he thought he might. And he can't change shape or fly. Garlic just gives vampires bad breath... And they eat bagels. Some of the hardest lessons of all come when he joins the traveling freak show Cirque Du Freak, the show that got him and Steve in trouble in the first place. Readers won't be disappointed by this fast-paced, gory, but strangely amiable sequel. In fact, the plot is much better paced than the first and the dialogue far more natural. Deadly pythons, a snake boy, Cormac Limbs (bite off his finger and it grows back!), and an entire cast of dreadfully creepy characters offer excitement beyond expectation. Along the way, we come to really like Darren, who will do absolutely anything for a friend. British author Darren Shan promises more adventures in 2002. (Ages 10 and older) --Karin Snelson
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