APA Reference of the
book: Shan, D. (2001). Cirque du Freak: the saga of Darren Shan. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.
Impressions: When I first started reading this book I was expecting to get sucked in right away because I had heard from other people that it was a good read. However, it wasn't until the climax of the book that I was drawn into the story and could see why it was so well-received. Overall, the story starts out slow, with much foreshadowing as the Darren, the narrator, hints about how much his life is going to change, and not necessarily in a good way. This happens so often that it almost becomes anticlimactic until the events he's been leading up to the entire book actually happen. Once they do, however, the story becomes highly captivating and I felt myself swept up in the story. I will probably read the next book in the series soon to see what happens to Darren.
Professional Review: "Cirque du Freak is the first of a series of four books by Darren Shan, an Irish writer who has long been fascinated by vampires. The novel is full of thrills and chills and slowly building suspense and will appeal greatly to any reader interested in the horror genre.
Darren and his friend, Steve, obtain tickets for a freak show in a rather dirty, dingy, run-down old theatre which, in itself, lends an air of the macabre and supernatural to the story. Fifty pages of the book are given to a detailed, gross and gruesome description of this unreal entertainment. The freaks run the gamut from a vicious wolf man to a contortionist, a fat man, and a spider who apparently works from telepathic signals. The boys are mesmerized by their journey into this world of grotesque creatures and find their experience both thrilling and disturbing, amazing yet horrifying.
Steve is attracted by Mr. Crepsley whom he recognizes to be a famous vampire. Darren, on the other hand, has always been intrigued by spiders and so is fascinated by Mr. Crepsley's pet, Madame Octa. This love of arachnids ends up changing Darren's life completely.
Events spiral out of control: Darren steals the performing spider and subsequently Madame Octa bites Steve, leaving him paralyzed and in a coma, near death. To obtain the necessary antidote, Darren must...... literally..... sell his soul.
Shan introduces themes of horror, magic and friendship. The book is somewhat reminiscent of R. L. Stine, but Shan's writing is darker and more frightening and, therefore, would probably appeal to somewhat older readers. The entire story is told from the viewpoint of an adolescent boy, and so there is a definite emphasis on the gross qualities of the freak show, yet the book remains imaginative and displays a rather dark sort of humour. There is plenty of chilling action throughout as the boys get caught up in an unexpected trap which leads to an equally unexpected ending. Certainly the reader is left wanting to know more about Darren's adventures in the sequels!
Cirque du Freak is soon to be a motion picture from Warner Brothers, and, as well, the novel won the IRA Children's Choice Award in 2002.
Highly Recommended."
Ketcheson, A. (2002). [Review of Cirque du Freak: the Darren Shan Saga by Darren Shan]. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, 8(14), n.p. Retrieved from: http://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol8/no14/index.html
Library uses: This book could be used in a display of books about vampires. It could also be discussed in a book club format by students who wanted to read the book to compare and contrast the book's version of vampires with pop culture's version of vampires.
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