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Cirque Du Freak #1: A Living Nightmare: Book 1 in the Saga of Darren Shan (Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan) | 
 enlarge | Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $2.68
You Save: $4.31 (62%)
New (35) Used (22) from $1.99
Rating:  240 reviews
Sales Rank: 17056
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0316905712
EAN: 9780316905718
ASIN: 0316905712
Publication Date: April 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Softbound. Quick delivery. Padded mailer.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
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
Product Description
Using straightforward language and illustrations, this book aims to strip away the doubt and misunderstanding that surround sexuality. It examines love-making - its purpose, its techniques and the momentous part it plays in human existence - and explains how the body and the emotions work, how to overcome the problems that can ruin even the most loving relationship, gives practical advice on how to become an expert in the art of intimacy, and answers questions on contraception, sexual diseases and alternative lifestyles.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 235 more reviews...
 I wanted to like this book but... October 10, 2008
Erin L. (Missouri, USA)
I have to echo other reviewers about the many technical writing shortcomings in this. It's a study in telling instead of showing, the character voices were off, most of the characters were less than two dimensional and the kids didn't sound anything like kids. I also found the treatment of animals/arachnids -- and the kids' reactions towards it -- very disturbing.
Even if you somehow manage to get past all that, or simply don't know enough about good story telling (or care about animals) for this to bother you, the godawful science should get you. These are things that, in the age of Animal Planet and the various CSI shows, even kids should know.
There were three jarring science errors, the last of which completely blew the ending, the author's credibility, and any suspension of disbelief.
1) The author doesn't have clue one about spiders, at least not how they feed. They don't eat solid food and they certainly don't eat pizza or lettuce or rip apart their food. They ingest the liquid remains of their prey.
2) What circulatory system was the author using for the blood exchange? Because it sure wasn't the human one. With the caveat that I am in no way a medical professional, a quick online look at the human circulatory system shows that there might be a bit of a problem forcing blood into the system via both sets of fingertips. Also, forcing blood at speed into a circulatory system already at full capacity is likely to result in a major circulatory collapse.
Now, if the author had at any time given even a cursory explanation of the two above problems, maybe placing them under the cover-all of "magic," I may well have let them pass under suspension of disbelief. But there's not much he could have said to explain away the travesty of Darren's faked death.
3) Where to start with this? SPOILERS is probably the best place. Darren drinks something that slows his heart and breathing rate, then Crepsley breaks his neck, but without breaking his spinal cord. Then he tosses Darren out a window to fake his death.
Assuming that the fall itself didn't cause the broken pieces of bone to sever Darren's spinal cord, that in this CSI age, no one noticed that the position of a body pushed/thrown out a window differs from that of one resulting from an accidental fall, that no one noticed a lack of rigor or lividity, that moving Darren's body didn't sever his spinal cord, that the coroner was an utter and complete incompetent and never took the liver temperature or an x-ray of Darren's spine, that the death of a child under suspicious circumstances wouldn't call for a mandatory autopsy, then I suppose it's believable. But not if you know anything about forensics.
The only thing I can give credence to is the lack of embalming and rapid burial, and that's assuming that "Shan" is Jewish. I don't recall anything saying that, but I'd rather assume it than have to chalk up one more mistake due to the author's poor research.
I will admit to some slight curiosity as to how the story progresses, but not enough to subject myself to more of this kind of bad writing and lack of subject knowledge.
Really, all of these problems could've been solved by a good editor and a little time on Google. The fact that this is the finished product is an insult to the readers and casts a bad light on the publisher for allowing this into print.
If you don't know anything about good writing and have never seen/read anything about science/zoology in your life, then you'll probably like this book. However, if you have even a cursory education, you'll want to stay away from this one.
 Intriguing idea September 27, 2008
Emily J. Taylor (Utah)
I admit that the first time I picked up this book I was a little iffy. Vampires? Little boys? Eh... but my friend kept insisting, and so I read one of the most disgusting, creepy, and pleasantly surprising books in a long time.
Everyone likes to do the vampire story, and you have your good and bad examples of such. I am happy to say that Darren Shan shows a high amount of creativity and emotion in this book.
We have two boys: Darren and Leapord, friends who sneak off to a traveling freak show. It's all well and good, until they hang around after--Darren to steal a performer's spider, and Leapord to talk to the performer himself after realizing that the man is a vampire.
What ensues is a highly exciting and description plunge into a horrific world of all things that go bump in the night.
 Excellent August 11, 2008
K. Yau (Gardner, MA, USA)
I bought this book for my son to do his summer book report. He liked this book so much and asked me to order the rest of the series for him. Then I ordered the book set 1-4 and he finished reading them in no time. I guess I will need to order another set for him soon.
Excellent for kids and adults! July 9, 2008
AVID READER
I am a fifth grade teacher. I often have troubles getting some of my
"to cool for school" students to read. When this occurs, I hand them my copy of Cirque Du Freak. Along with my avid readers, these students devour this series. Having read the books myself and loved them, I get to share in meaningful conversations with my students concerning Darren Shan and his plight.
I also reccomend Darren Shan's series Demonata. It is a little more intense than Cirque Du Freak, but equally entertaining.
Both series receive 5 Stars!
 First in the Cirque du Freak series July 2, 2008
D. Williams (Wisconsin USA)
First book in the Cirque du Freak series.
Darren and Steve sneak out to an old theater to see a freak show and soon find themselves deeper into this mysterious world than they ever could have imagined. During the show, Steve, a horror buff, recognizes one of the performers as a vampire. He confronts Mr. Crepsley after the show and demands to me made into a vampire.
Meanwhile, Darren is fascinated by Mr. Crepsley's trained (and very poisonous) spider, Madame Octa. He resolves to use his knowledge of Mr. Crepsley's true identity to blackmail him. Darren's price for keeping silent? Madame Octa. Darren plays with the spider in his room and starts teaching her tricks. Disaster strikes when Steve discovers the secret. Now Darren is faced with a dilemma--just how far will he go to save his friend?
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