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Cirque Du Freak : A living nightmare
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| Author |
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Darren Shan |
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| Realease Date |
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2001 |
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| Visitor Rating |
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9.63 with 38 Votes
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Tashel |
| Description |
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This book is so good. After I read the first book I was just begging for more I just read threw most of them.I'm on the 8th book. |
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Amazon.com |
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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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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From Publishers Weekly |
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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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition. |
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From School Library Journal |
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Gr 4-8-In his introduction, 12-year-old Darren claims that this is a true story, though the names have been changed and the country (obviously England) kept secret. When a bizarre-sounding freak show comes to town, he and his friend Steve sneak out to attend, and Steve recognizes one of the performers-as a centuries-old vampire. Darren decides he must steal the vampire's performing, poisonous spider. The theft is successful, and he learns to control Madam Octa with a combination of flute music and ESP-until she bites Steve. Darren must then sell himself into vampire slavery to get the cure to the spider's poison. This volume is neither as well written nor as compulsively readable as the "Harry Potter" books (Scholastic), though surely J. K. Rowling's endorsement on the cover will win it a few fans. Most of the characters aren't developed much beyond their names and a brief description. The slowness of the plot in the beginning might turn some readers off, but once the supernatural enters, they will be hooked. The fun here is in the details and in the uniqueness of the non-evil vampire monster. Several volumes of the series are already out in England, and the movie rights have already been purchased, ensuring that this title and probably its sequels will be in demand.-Timothy Capehart, Leominster Public Library, MACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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From Booklist |
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Gr. 5-8. When Cirque Du Freak comes to town, Darren and his friends are obsessed with seeing the acts, which include a performing spider; spiders are a particular fascination of Darren's. It is a marvelously creepy show that lives up to their expectations. After the show, Darren's rowdy pal, Steve, stays behind and confronts the man with the spider--who turns out to be a vampire. Hidden in the shadows, Darren listens, horrified, as Steve begs Mr. Crepsley to make him a vampire, too. Steve's request is denied, but through a series of mishaps, Darren becomes the vampire. The unresolved ending will leave readers begging for more. The gripping plot moves forward at a lightning pace, and Darren's fascination with the grotesque will ring true for many. Though originally published in England, there are no off-putting Briticisms, just a rip-roaring story full of oddities, low-key horror, and occasional, unexpected poignancy. Debbie Carton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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Publishers Weekly, 2/19/01 |
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"...compelling...[T]he author mines the exploitative history of early 20th century sideshows to create an artfully macabre cirque du freak." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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VOYA, 4/01 |
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"...sure to start some great urban legends..." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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Book Description |
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Darren Shan and his two schoolmates are excited when their friend Steve comes across a flyer advertising the Cirque Du Freak. The boys pool their money but can only purchase two tickets, so they play a game of chance to see who will go with Steve. Darren closes his eyes, and almost as if by magic, the ticket floats into his hand. Darren and Steve are mesmerized by the fantastic and disturbing show, but when they get caught up in a deadly trap Darren must make a deal with the only person who can save him. And that person is not human and only deals in blood. . . . --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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About the Author |
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Darren Shan lives in Ireland and has been fascinated with vampires since he was six years old. Cirque Du Freak is his first children's novel. Book 2 of the Darren Shan saga, The Vampire's Assistant, will be published in September. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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Excerpted from Cirque du Freak : A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved |
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32Idiot! I'm our best forward. There are better defenders and midfielders, and Tommy Jones is the best goalkeeper in the whole school. But I'm the only one who can stand up front and score four or five times a day without fail. "Okay," I said, standing. "I'll save you. I've scored a hat trick every day this week. It would be a pity to stop now." We passed the older guys-smoking around the sinks as usual-and hurried to my locker so I could change into my cleats. I used to have a great pair, which I won in a writing competition. But the laces snapped a few months ago and the rubber along the sides started to fall off. And then my feet grew! The pair I have now are okay, but they're not the same. We were down eight-three when I got on the field. It wasn't a real field, just a long stretch of grass with painted goalposts at either end. Whoever painted them was a total idiot. He put the crossbar too high at one end and too low at the other! "Never fear, Hotshot Shan is here!" I shouted as I ran onto the field. A lot of players laughed or groaned, but I could see my teammates picking up and our opponents growing worried. I made a great start and scored two goals inside a minute. It looked like we might come back to draw or win. But time ran out. If I'd arrived earlier we'd have been okay, but the bell rang just as I was hitting my stride, so we lost nine-seven. As we were leaving the field, Alan Morris ran toward us, panting and red-faced. They're my three best friends: Steve Leopard, Tommy Jones, and Alan Morris. We must be the weirdest four people in the whole world, because only one of us-Steve-has a nickname. "Look what I found!" Alan yelled, waving a soggy piece of paper around under our noses. "What is it?" Tommy asked, trying to grab it. "It's-," Alan began, but stopped when Mr. Dalton shouted at us. "You four! Inside!" he roared. "We're coming, Mr. Dalton!" Steve roared back. Steve is Mr. Dalton's favorite and gets away with stuff that the rest of us couldn't do. Like when he uses swearwords sometimes in his stories. If I put in some of the words Steve has, I'd have been kicked out long ago. But Mr. Dalton has a soft spot for Steve, because he's special. Sometimes he's brilliant in class and gets everything right, while other times he can't even spell his own name. Mr. Dalton says he's somewhat of an idiot savant, which mean he's a stupid genius! Anyway, even though he's Mr. Dalton's pet, not even Steve can get away with showing up late for class. So whatever Alan had, it would have to wait. We trudged back to class, sweaty and tired after the game, and began our next lesson. Little did I know that Alan's mysterious piece of paper was to change my life forever. For the worse! Copyright (c) 2001 by Darren Shan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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| Cirque Du Freak |
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Selene |
11-19-2009 @ 8:49 |
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