|
Darren
Shan
continues
the saga
of a
teenage
boy who
gets
unwittingly
drawn
into a
world of
vampires,
werewolves,
and
other
freaky
creatures
with
this
second
installment
in his
innovative
Cirque
Du Freak
series.
Shan's
protagonist,
who
bears
the same
name as
the
author,
is one
of the
most
complex
and
innovative
characters
ever to
see the
light of
day -- a
freedom
he may
soon
lose if
he gives
in to
his
craving
for
human
blood
and
becomes
a full
vampire
rather
than a
mere
half-blood.
Darren's
dilemma
is a
tough
one:
Drink
the
blood of
a fellow
human --
an act
that
will
cost him
the few
remaining
shreds
of his
humanity
-- or
die.
Feeling
lost,
lonely,
and at
odds
with
himself,
Darren
is
delighted
when his
vampiric
mentor,
Mr.
Crepsley,
makes
the
decision
to
rejoin
the
traveling
freak
show.
Among
the
oddball
characters
who
comprise
the
show's
performers,
Darren
finally
makes
some
friends,
most of
whom are
as weird
or
weirder
than he
is. In
an
effort
to
regain
some
semblance
of his
old
life,
Darren
also
befriends
two
outsiders,
normal
human
beings
whose
well-intentioned
actions
will
eventually
lead to
tragic
results.
As
events
unfold
with the
same
sense of
inevitability
as the
rising
and
setting
sun,
Darren
is once
again
torn
between
his own
needs
and
those of
the
others
around
him. His
heroism
and
self-sacrifice
-- all
done in
the name
of
friendship
--
garner
results
that are
both
tragic
and
rewarding.
It's to
the
author's
credit
that
despite
their
deformities,
strange
abilities,
and
offbeat
appearances,
most of
the
oddball
characters
who
populate
the
Cirque
Du Freak
come
across
as
refreshingly
self-reliant,
confident,
and...well...normal.
This
tight-knit
community
of
outcasts,
with
their
strong
sense of
family
and
friendship,
make for
an
intriguing
supporting
cast.
And
while
most YA
readers
may not
be able
to
relate
personally
to
Darren's
moral
and
ethical
struggles
with his
vampirism,
they
will
undoubtedly
connect
with his
overwhelming
desire
to fit
in
somewhere
and
belong.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=yJ3JizsBut&isbn=0316606103&itm=3 |
