From Amazon.com
Anyone who loves the humorous but hair-raising horror in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series will devour British author Darren Shan's first novel with equal zeal. Some books are born with a surrounding buzz; this one even has Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's stamp of approval: "Fast-paced and compelling, full of satisfying macabre touches," she writes. Warner Brothers will be making it into a movie, and the rest of the series is already in the works. Given all that, you'd expect a tour de force! Really, though,
Cirque Du Freak is a thrill ride that will keep even the most reluctant readers turning pages, but will never take its place in the literary canon.
Darren Shan, author and narrator, sets the book up as a true story, warning readers: "Real life's nasty. It's cruel.... Evil often wins." Indeed, evil begins to win when Darren and his buddies find a flier for "Cirque Du Freak," a traveling freak show promising performances by the snake-boy, the wolf-man, and Larten Crepsley and his giant spider, Madame Octa. Darren and his friend Steve wouldn't miss it for the world.
So, Saturday night they sneak out to the old theater, tall and dark, with broken windows. "Every act you see tonight is real," croaks Mr. Tall. "Each performer is unique. And none are harmless." That's for sure. (A werewolf bites off the hand of someone in the audience, for instance.) Things grow very serious for the two boys when Steve not only recognizes Mr. Crepsley as a famous vampire, but professes his true desire to join him! To make matters worse, the spider-obsessed Darren goes back to the old theater to steal Madame Octa so he can teach her tricks in his room. (He does, with mixed results.) The plot further coagulates as Darren is faced with some terrible decisions about what to do to save his bloodthirsty friend Steve.
Readers may be too enthralled to notice some clumsy editing (the aforementioned bitten-off hand is later referred to as an arm, Darren stops dead in his tracks when he's already stopped, etc.). They may also not notice that the boys constantly use adult-sounding expressions like "his breath stank to the high heavens," though the book is clearly set in the 21st century. If this book gets under your kids' skin (and it probably will), they're in luck--we haven't heard the last of the Saga of Darren Shan. (Ages 10 and older, not for the faint of heart) --Karin Snelson
Books in Canada
This novel is the first in a highly popular British series, endorsed by the inestimable J.K. Rowling herself, which traces teenager Darren Shan's journey to the dark side. Darren and his best friend Steve go to see an after-midnight and totally ghoulish traveling circus, the Cirque Du Freak, which includes Sive and Seersa better known as the Twisting Twins, Rhamas Twobellies who is the world's fattest man, the very sinister Larten Crepsley and his performing tarantula, Madame Octa. But Steve's desire to visit the Cirque isn't just a matter of curiosity; he has discovered that Larten Crepsley is a vampire and wants to join the ranks of the undead. Darren, on the other hand, is totally fascinated by Madame Octa and decides to steal her. That's when things go awry, and Darren Shan ends up saving the life of his best friend by giving up his own life and becoming a half-vampire. Cirque Du Freak has a number of interesting plot twists and will grab readers who want something with an element of the supernatural but aren't really ready for horror fiction.
Jeffrey Canton (Books in Canada)
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
