Readers of my Cirque Du Freak books will be more than familiar with Mr Crepsley, and I'm sure they, like I, will usually picture him as a scowling, two hundred year old grump of a vampire whenever they bring him to mind. But of course we all must pass through childhood before we emerge into the world as adults, and I charted much of Larten's youth in The Saga Of Larten Crepsley, the four book prequel series that I wrote about him many years ago.

These four drawings all relate to the prequels, and bring to life Larten as a boy and young man. I must admit it's always a refreshing change when I see Mr C presented in this way, and it reminds me, as well as you guys, that there was so much more to his life than what we encountered in the original twelve books.

The first drawing is by MAISEY. The second is by LIV. And the third and fourth are both by NOEL. The fourth focuses on Larten when he was a cub, a young, wayward vampire, whose skill with playing cards was legendary. "They used to call me Quicksilver..." Those of you who've read the sequels -- especially the second book, Ocean of Blood -- will know why Noel chose that line, and why there's a shiver running down my spine even as I type these words...