Darren Shan has magical ways of writing tales for those who are not faint of heart. Whether it be the Demonata or Cirque Du Freak, the gut-wrenching tales will have you turning pages faster than any other book. One particular book, Bec [fourth in the Demonata series] has left me marveling in the world of the Demonata.Bec was just a little one when she came to her rath, or village, which is what earned her her name. The people there claim that there is no possible way of remembering her birth, but Bec is convinced that she has vivid memories of her arrival to the village. Bec is not involved in the social groups of her rath because the priestess, or magician has taken her in. When demons begin coming over by means of a tunnel bridging their world and ours, a messenger boy whom they name “Run Fast” comes to summon them on a quest to save not only their village, but also the entire human race. With the help of a druid, her fellow village people, and the malicious Lord Loss, Bec must complete this quest and be the savior of the entire universe, or let the whole world perish at her feet.Shan is incredibly knowledgeable at developing characters. Even after the ridiculous amount of characters in this story, they all have immense complexity and development. The warriors of her village are very much like the warriors in the well-known movie 300 in their ways of thinking fight, or die, especially when their choices are run and live as cowards, or fight and die with honor. Their King’s son, Connla, is extremely edgy from the beginning, being found speaking with Lord Loss and always straying away from a fight, which left me wondering if he was the man that he was portrayed to be. Drust, the male magician in this story, is so mysterious. He has a plan throughout the whole plot, but that plan may not be accomplished if the humans are made aware of it. As the plot thickens, Bec develops so much as a character. Even after discovering horrors about her past, she must either save the world or let the entire human race perish at her feet.Also, the way Shan doesn’t merely write the words, the way he paints them into a vivid picture that plays in my mind almost as clearly as a movie I’d see on my television made want to keep flipping pages, even when the book was done. Throughout the story, I remember reading words and not watching a movie one time, and that was the first few paragraphs of the novel. The rest of the book was painted out for me so I would not notice the words I was reading, but how they transitioned in my mind to make a caricature that most authors to not have the ability to craft in a young person’s mind.My advice for you is, if you enjoy fantasy, read this series and after you have read the first three, [Lord Loss, Demon Thief, and Slawter] pick up Bec and go for an astounding ride in the realm of the Demonata.