Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan, Book 1) - Softcover

Shan, Darren

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007320876 ISBN 13: 9780007320875

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks, 2009

Synopsis

The amazing manga retelling of Darren Shan’s international best-selling vampire saga, with illustrations by Japanese artist Takahiro Arai.

Darren Shan is just an ordinary schoolboy – until he gets an invitation to visit the Cirque du Freak... until he meets Madame Octa... until he comes face-to-face with a creature of the night!

Soon Darren is caught up in a web of terror from which he cannot escape, with his best friend’s life hanging by the finest of threads. Darren must make a bargain to save Steve, but the only one that can help is not human and only deals in blood...

The stunning illustrations and manga format give a new dimension to this ever-popular vampire saga, available for the first time in translation in the UK. This will be a must-have for Shan fans and manga aficionados alike.

About this title

Review:

Darren Shan seems like your average boy--he likes playing football with his mates, passing notes in class and loves spiders. Then, one day, his best mate Steve gets tickets for a banned freak show and Darren starts experiencing things that no average boy would dream of. At the Freak show he sees a limb-chewing wolf man, a woman who can grow a beard in front of your very eyes, a snake boy and a goat-eating tarantula called Madame Octa. But what about the mysterious people in blue-hooded robes whose faces you never see? And is Mr Crepsley really a vampire?

Don't be deceived by the facetious tone of the narrator, this book will have you screaming out in revulsion and horror. Wrap yourself up in your duvets and get prepared to be scared. This is outrageously gruesome:

Anyway, that's enough of an introduction. If you're ready, let's begin. If this was a made-up story, it would begin at night, with a storm blowing and owls hooting and rattling noises under the bed. But this is a real story, so I have to begin where it really started ... It started in the toilet.

Cirque du Freak is Darren Shan's first novel and the first in a series highlighting Darren's adventures and misadventures. You'll be baying for blood if you miss out.

And, remember, it's all true. (Age 10 and over) --Nicola Perry

Review:

Cirque Du Freak
“...fast-paced and compelling book ... full of satisfyingly macabre touches...which leaves the reader hungry for more.”
JK Rowling

‘Brilliant, macabre tale.’
Guardian

"I read Cirque Du Freak last week. I loved it. I love the way you manage to juggle the funny with the unpleasant, the affection with the hurt. It's
great story-telling."
Roddy Doyle

The Vampire’s Assistant
“The Vampire’s Assistant blazes a thrilling, gruesome trail through a fascinating plot.”
The Good Book Guide

Vampire Mountain
“Get your teeth into it!”
Funday Times

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0007320876
• ISBN 13: 9780007320875
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208
• Illustrator: Arai Takahiro