''The Saga of Darren Shan'' (known as ''Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan'' in the United States) is a young adult 12-part book series written by
Darren O'Shaughnessy about the struggle of
Darren Shan
Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', ''The Demonata'', and ''Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former w ...
, a boy who has become involved in the world of
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s. As of October 2008, the book has been published in 33 countries around the world, in 30 different languages. A
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
based on the first three books in the series was released in theatres on 23 October 2009. Blackstone Audio has also released CD recordings of all 12 books in the series, read by Ralph Lïster.
Background
Darren O'Shaughnessy wrote and published the first book of the series, ''
Cirque du Freak
''Cirque du Freak'' (also known as ''Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare'') is the first of twelve novels in ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' by Darren Shan (real name Darren O'Shaugnessy), published in January 2000.
A feature film adaptation of ...
'', under the pen name Darren Shan as a side project between two adult books. ''Cirque du Freak'' received good reviews and
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
bought the movie rights prior to publication, though the film was never made and the film rights returned to Shan after three years.
Darren Shan/Facts: Biography
/ref> Later, Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
acquired the film rights and a feature film was released in theatres on 23 October 2009.
Plot outline
''The Saga of Darren Shan'' follows the story of Darren Shan, a normal human boy who is coerced by the vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
Larten Crepsley into becoming his assistant and a half-vampire.
* In the first trilogy, known as ''Vampire Blood
''Vampire Blood'' (also called the ''Cirque du Freak'' trilogy) is the first trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by the author Darren Shan. It contains the books ''Cirque du Freak'', ''The Vampire's Assistant'' and ''Tunnels of Blood''. These start ...
'' or ''The Vampire's Assistant'', Darren learns about and comes to accept his vampirism.
** In the first book, ''Cirque du Freak
''Cirque du Freak'' (also known as ''Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare'') is the first of twelve novels in ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' by Darren Shan (real name Darren O'Shaugnessy), published in January 2000.
A feature film adaptation of ...
'' (also known as ''Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare''), Mr. Crepsley makes Darren a half-vampire in return for saving the life of one of Darren's best friends, Steve Leonard
Stephen Leonard (born 4 September 1972 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish veterinarian and television personality.
Early life
Leonard's family moved to Cheshire from Northern Ireland when he was six weeks ol ...
.
** In the second book, ''The Vampire's Assistant
''Vampire Blood'' (also called the ''Cirque du Freak'' trilogy) is the first trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by the author Darren Shan. It contains the books ''Cirque du Freak'', '' The Vampire's Assistant'' and ''Tunnels of Blood''. These star ...
'', Crepsley notes that Darren is quite lonely and brings him back to the freak show, where he befriends a snake-boy, Evra Von, and a human, Sam Grest.
** In the third book, ''Tunnels of Blood
''Tunnels of Blood'' is the third novel of twelve in ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' by Darren Shan
Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series '' The Saga of ...
'', Crepsley brings Darren Shan and Evra Von to his hometown, where one of the vampires' enemies, a Vampaneze named Murlough, is murdering innocent people.
* In the second trilogy, known as ''Vampire Rites
''Vampire Rites'' (also called the Vampire Mountain trilogy) is the second trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by author Darren Shan. It contains the books ''Vampire Mountain'', ''Trials of Death'' and ''The Vampire Prince''. This trilogy involves ...
'', Darren learns about the vampire clan and seeks their acceptance.
** In the fourth book, ''Vampire Mountain
''Vampire Rites'' (also called the Vampire Mountain trilogy) is the second trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by author Darren Shan. It contains the books ''Vampire Mountain'', ''Trials of Death'' and ''The Vampire Prince''. This trilogy involves ...
'', Mr. Crepsley and Darren make their ascent up Vampire Mountain and learn about the rites of the vampires.
** In the fifth book, ''Trials of Death
''Trials of Death'' is the fifth book in The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan. It is part of the Vampire Rites Trilogy, consisting of books four through six in the 12-book saga. It was first published by HarperCollins, Collins in the United King ...
'', Darren faces the Trials of Initiation, nicknamed Trials of Death, to gain the recognition of other vampires as one of the youngest vampires to be recruited in decades.
** In the sixth book, ''The Vampire Prince
''The Saga of Darren Shan'' (known as ''Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan'' in the United States) is a young adult 12-part book series written by Darren O'Shaughnessy about the struggle of Darren Shan, a boy who has become involved in ...
'', Darren finds out about a traitor among them and tries to stop plans to destroy the vampire clan. He himself becomes a Vampire Prince, in this book.
* In the third trilogy, known as ''Vampire War
''Vampire War'' (also called the Hunters trilogy) is the third trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan. It contains the novels ''Hunters of the Dusk'', ''Allies of the Night'' and ''Killers of the Dawn''. This trilogy continues the war b ...
'', Darren learns he may have a larger role to play in the fate of the vampires (and of the world) than he had ever thought.
** In the seventh book, ''Hunters of the Dusk
Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', ''The Demonata'', and ''Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former w ...
'', the hunt for the Lord of the Vampaneze, who is destined to destroy the vampire clan, begins.
** In the eighth book, ''Allies of the Night
''Allies of the Night'' is the eighth book of The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan (his real name, Darren O'Shaughnessy). It is part of the ''Vampire War'' trilogy, which comprises three books: ''Hunters of the Dusk'', ''Allies of the Night'' a ...
'', Darren meets some of his past friends who now fit into his quest.
** In the ninth book, ''Killers of the Dawn
''The Saga of Darren Shan'' (known as ''Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan'' in the United States) is a young adult 12-part book series written by Darren O'Shaughnessy about the struggle of Darren Shan, a boy who has become involved in ...
'', Darren faces the Lord of the Vampaneze for the second time.
* In the fourth trilogy, known as ''Vampire Destiny'', Darren is forced to make some difficult decisions, finally taking his destiny into his own hands and dealing with the consequences.
** In the tenth book, ''The Lake of Souls'', Darren travels to an unfamiliar land to find out who his best friend, Harkat Mulds, used to be; as a "Little Person", Harkat's mind sans memories was placed into a new body after his death.
** In the eleventh book, ''Lord of the Shadows'', Darren finds out more about the Lord of the Shadows and gets closer to his last confrontation with the Lord of the Vampaneze.
**In the twelfth book, ''Sons of Destiny'', Darren faces the Lord of the Vampaneze for a final fight, and changes his destiny forever.
Main characters
Darren Shan's Vampires
The vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s in ''The Darren Shan Saga'' are different from vampires found in popular culture. They are alive, meaning that they can be killed by a well-placed bullet, mutilation, decapitation or piercing of the heart (though they will wake up within a day or less if their neck is broken). Vampires do not have fangs and they do not drink blood from the neck. Rather, they drink blood from the victim by cutting a vein
Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...
with their hard, and sharp nails; drinking small amounts of blood, and then healing it with their saliva
Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be ...
. Their nails can also be used to scale walls in a spider-like manner. Draining all of a human's blood would have a vampire absorb a part of the spirit of the victim, allowing the vampire to see into their memories (Darren does this in ''The Vampire's Assistant'', to save the spirit of his dying friend). Vampires have a partial immunity to Sunlight; which means they can stay in pure daylight for 4-5 hours before disintegrating or burning up. However, despite this, Vampires can be active during the day (provided they stay in the shade). By contrast, Half-Vampires have complete immunity to Sunlight by default. Vampires are not bothered by garlic, silver, or holy objects. Fresh human blood is the most nutritious for vampires, but they can feed on preserved human blood or the blood of certain animals if necessary. Some animals' blood, however, is toxic to vampires. Vampires cannot reproduce, due to all their fluids being frozen. Vampires are created via blood-to-blood contact with humans, traditionally through the fingertips, but if any creature, human or animal, were to orally ingest vampire blood, it would be driven into a murderous frenzy and then die (similar to rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vi ...
). Full Vampires age one year in appearance for every ten human years that pass (1/10), where as half-vampires age one year in appearance for every five human years that pass (1/5). This comes into play in the series when Darren meets an old girlfriend he had; now they are adults but Darren still looks about the same as he did when they first met. The oldest vampire in the series is Paris Skyle, who was "Blooded" at age two and lived for over eight hundred years. Vampires cast reflections and shadows but cannot be photographed due to a particular vibration of their atoms. Also, as in folklore, vampires sleep in coffins.
Vampires are considerably stronger, tougher, and fitter than humans; able to outperform humans in any physical activity and run at speeds faster than the human eye can follow, a process called "Flitting". Flitting causes a static charge to build up in a vampire's body, which Mr. Crepsley learned to use to force open locks. A vampire's senses are all similar to that of predators, allowing them to see in darkness, hear heartbeats, and track scents. Their bones and teeth are stronger than those of humans, allowing them to endure incredible amounts of physical trauma, are resistant to most chemicals and diseases, and are able to heal and recover much quicker than humans. A vampire's healing factor is not as effective as in most fiction, though they are more resistant to fatal injury compared to humans and other living creatures, and, unlike the beautiful vampires of Anne Rice
Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature.
She was best known for her series of novels ''The Vampire Chronicles''. B ...
, most of Shan's vampires are very average, normal and plain in appearance. More abilities include breathing an invisible gas that renders a human unconscious, telepathically communicating with other vampires and humans (three vampires could also mentally command spiders), and locating vampires and humans whose thought patterns they have learned to recognize. The blood of snakes, rats, and cats are poisonous to them.
Vampire society is ruled by honor, personal pride, and tradition. They have a strict hierarchy with higher ranking vampires having absolute rule over lower ranking ones, though they exercise their powers in moderation and are respectful of those beneath them. There are far fewer female vampires than male ones. Vampire matings last only ten or fifteen years with the couple then choosing to re-mate or go their separate ways. Vampires are forbidden to use projectile weapons like guns, bows, and crossbows as they view these as dishonourable, preferring hand-to-hand fighting with sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
s, axe
An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many for ...
s, etc., or throwing weapons such as a shuriken
A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect.
They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they were ...
. Vampires live old fashioned lives: no vampire aside from Darren Shan is shown making references to pop culture, or using computers. Vampires see humans as a chaotic and slightly inferior race, but most value human lives. Some vampires form friendships with humans and many fall in love with them. Vampire Gavner Purl boasts a pair of pink underpants embroidered with elephants, a present from a former human girlfriend.
Darren Shan's vampires do not follow the religions they did as humans, but worship an unidentified pantheon. They believe that the souls of good vampires are reborn as wolves in the eternal nights of a distant world called Paradise, while evil vampire souls remain bound to the Earth for eternity. They do have gods, but there are a great number of them and they are referred to as the Vampire Gods. Vampires believe they are descended from wolves, just as humans have evolved from primates. Wolves are held as the cousins of vampires. Wolves like vampires, especially since they have a scent that means no harm to them.
Vampaneze
In ''The Series of Darren Shan'' the Vampaneze are sworn rivals to the vampire believing that there is honour in killing their victims and claiming their souls. They were originally vampires who broke away from the clan (600 years before the third book) and claimed themselves a new race (Vampaneze) because of the different customs they held. A violent war followed, which eventually ended in a truce when human interference threatened the survival of both races, and both groups mutually agreed to stay out of each other's affairs. This extends even to those who have become insane such as Murlough - killing him risked bringing the wrath of the entire race down on Darren and Mr Crepsley's heads, and the vampires would be honour-bound not to intervene. The Vampaneze are considered antagonists, though they only appear that way due to the misleading image of Murlough, the Vampaneze Lord and the War of the Scars. Mr Crepsley himself noted that vampaneze had some positive traditions such as their refusal to lie and their sense of honour. The Vampaneze have purple skin and red hair, eyes, lips, and fingernails though it takes a couple of decades for this colouring to set in. This is a side effect due to drinking a lot of blood: though killing humans when draining their blood was originally a choice based on their beliefs, in the modern day their blood compels Vampaneze to kill when they drink. Many Vampaneze do not want to fight the vampires, and though Gannen Harst has sworn to protect the Lord of Vamapaneze, Steve Leonard, in the final book Harst does not stop Steve from putting himself in danger, as if he merely wants the war between Vampires and Vampaneze settled one way or the other.
The Vampaneze are first mentioned in ''Tunnels of Blood
''Tunnels of Blood'' is the third novel of twelve in ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' by Darren Shan
Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series '' The Saga of ...
'' and become a main part of the plot throughout the rest of the series. Examples of Vampaneze include Murlough and Gannen Harst.
Death's Touch sign
The Death's Touch sign is a hand position used in ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' series. It is used by vampires throughout Vampire Mountain to show their appreciation towards a dead vampire, or one that is likely to die. The sign involves placing one's middle finger on the right hand in the middle of the forehead, with the ring finger on the left eyelid, the index finger on the right eyelid, and the pinky and thumb outstretched. The sign itself translates to the saying, "Even in death, may you be triumphant". The sign first appears in the fifth book, ''Trials of Death
''Trials of Death'' is the fifth book in The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan. It is part of the Vampire Rites Trilogy, consisting of books four through six in the 12-book saga. It was first published by HarperCollins, Collins in the United King ...
'', when Darren must take the Trials of Initiation. The vampires in the mountain direct the sign towards him to wish him good luck.
Ratings
The series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' is rated 4.4/5 by Goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
and 9/10 by Fantasy Book Review.
Manga
A manga series based on the series, ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', was published in the Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
anthology Weekly Shōnen Sunday
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, ...
by Takahiro Arai in a weekly serialization. The volumes were being published in the United Kingdom and United States by HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
and Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
, respectively.
Short stories
Darren Shan has released numerous short stories on his website, all of which tie into the saga.
*"An Essay on Vampires by Steve Leopard": The story ties in with ''Cirque Du Freak
''Cirque du Freak'' (also known as ''Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare'') is the first of twelve novels in ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' by Darren Shan (real name Darren O'Shaugnessy), published in January 2000.
A feature film adaptation of ...
''. It's in the style of an essay, presumably written in-universe before the events of the novel.
*"Annie's Diary": The story is based on Darren's sister's diary during the events of ''Cirque du Freak''.
*"Tiny Terrors": The story centres on the mysterious Desmond Tiny, and takes place during ''The Vampire's Assistant
''Vampire Blood'' (also called the ''Cirque du Freak'' trilogy) is the first trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by the author Darren Shan. It contains the books ''Cirque du Freak'', '' The Vampire's Assistant'' and ''Tunnels of Blood''. These star ...
''.
*"Transylvania Trek": The story is fictionally authored by Sam Grest, a character from ''The Vampire's Assistant''.
*"Shanta Claus": A special story that follows "Shanta" Claus as he visits the homes of many characters in the series. It serves as a crossover between ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' and ''The Demonata''. It is only available at Christmas.
*"Lonely Lefty": A story centring on Harkat Mulds. It takes place during the events of ''Tunnels of Blood''.
*"Bride of Sam Grest": Another short story "written" by Sam Grest, a character from ''The Vampire's Assistant''.
*"An Affair of the Night": A story centring on Gavner Purl, before his untimely death. It ties in with ''Trials of Death
''Trials of Death'' is the fifth book in The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan. It is part of the Vampire Rites Trilogy, consisting of books four through six in the 12-book saga. It was first published by HarperCollins, Collins in the United King ...
''
The Sam Grest stories have been included in the ''Midnight Feast'' collection.
References
External links
Darren Shan website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saga Of Darren Shan, The
Fantasy books by series
Contemporary fantasy novels
HarperCollins books