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› Find signed collectible books: 'Allies of the Night'

› Find signed collectible books: 'Allies of the Night: Book 8 in the Saga of Darren Shan'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Cirque Du Freak'
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 [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Hunters Of The Dusk'
› Find signed collectible books: 'Hunters of the Dusk: the Saga of Darren Shan'
The pursuit begins...
Darren Shan, the Vampire Prince, leaves Vampire Mountain on a life or death mission.
As part of an elite force, Darren searches the world for the Vampaneze Lord. But the road ahead is long and dangerous - and lined with the bodies of the damned. [via]
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Killers of the Dawn'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Killers of the Dawn: Saga of Darren Shan'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Lake of Souls'

› Find signed collectible books: 'Lord of the Shadows'

› Find signed collectible books: 'Sons of Destiny'
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Trials of Death'
› Find signed collectible books: 'Tunnels Of Blood'
Following his blood-curdling adventures in A Living Nightmare and The Vampire's Assistant, half-vampire Darren Shan is settling into his day-to-day life at Cirque Du Freak, the traveling freak show he has joined. But before he can get too cozy, his vampire master, Mr. Crepsley, whisks him off to the big city for a mysterious mission. Soon, Crepsley, Darren, and Evra the snake-boy are embroiled in a bloody battle of wits between the vampire community and a mad, "vampaneze," a creature from a separate, more murderous race of vampires. Along the way, Darren meets his first girlfriend, and winds up putting her life, as well as everyone else's, in grave danger.
The latest installment of Darren Shan's bestselling saga will surely satiate his legions of bloodthirsty fans. As fast-paced and thrilling as ever, his writing will encourage even reluctant readers to devour the series. Luckily for all, it looks as though we haven't seen the last of this appealing, well-meaning (if occasionally bumbling) half-vampire. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter [via]

› Find signed collectible books: 'Vampire Mountain'
In the fourth book of the bestselling Cirque Du Freak series, Darren Shan and Mr. Crepsley embark on a dangerous trek to the very heart of the vampire world. But they face more than the cold on Vampire Mountain-the vampaneze have been there before them.
Will a meeting with the Vampire Princes restore Darren's human side, or turn him further toward the darkness? Only one thing is certain-Darren's initiation into the vampire clan is more deadly than he can ever have imagined. [via]

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Vampire Prince'
