Cirque Du Freak #2: The Vampire's Assistant: Book 2 in the Saga of Darren Shan (Cirque Du Freak: the Saga of Darren Shan) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "IT WAS A DRY, WARM NIGHT, and Stanley Collins had decided to walk home after the Boy Scouts meeting..." (more)
Key Phrases: vampire blood, Little People, Cirque Du Freak, Darren Shan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What if you were an unwilling vampire? You needed to drink human blood to stay alive, but you weren't some horror-flick villain; you were you, born human--a nice person, even. Thus is the dilemma of the young narrator-protagonist, Darren Shan, in this tremendously suspenseful, oft-sickening sequel to Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan. In the first book, Darren becomes a vampire's assistant to save the life of his friend Steve. In order to do so, he has to fake his death, get buried alive, and head out--half-human, homeless, and friendless--into the world. The Vampire's Assistant chronicles his new lonely life as a half-vampire, pumped with the cursed blood of his vampire guardian, Mr. Crepsley. Darren has much to learn about his freshly supernatural state. He doesn't grow fangs, for instance, like he thought he might. And he can't change shape or fly. Garlic just gives vampires bad breath... And they eat bagels. Some of the hardest lessons of all come when he joins the traveling freak show Cirque Du Freak, the show that got him and Steve in trouble in the first place. Readers won't be disappointed by this fast-paced, gory, but strangely amiable sequel. In fact, the plot is much better paced than the first and the dialogue far more natural. Deadly pythons, a snake boy, Cormac Limbs (bite off his finger and it grows back!), and an entire cast of dreadfully creepy characters offer excitement beyond expectation. Along the way, we come to really like Darren, who will do absolutely anything for a friend. British author Darren Shan promises more adventures in 2002. (Ages 10 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

In The Vampire's Assistant, the second installment of the series begun with Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan, the hero returns to the old-fashioned freak show where, thanks to Mr. Crespley, he became a "half-vampire." Darren once again struggles against the urge to feed upon the human blood his health requires.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1st US Ed edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316606103
• ISBN-13: 978-0316606103
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,912 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first..., August 10, 2001

By	Alaria (England) - See all my reviews

Darren Shan's existence as a human is over. When he sacrificed himself to save his friend his life was destined to change forever. Now a half-vampire, Darren is forced to abandon his family and friends to travel as an assistant to Mr Crepsley. Already struggling to come to terms with what he has left behind, Darren is now about to face a new dilemma, because animal blood alone is not enough to keep him alive and despite Mr Crepsley's concerns, he refuses to betray the person he used to be by drinking from a human. Returning to the Freak show where his nightmare began, Darren soon strikes up a friendship with Evra, the snake boy and a local kid named Sam. When it seems to Darren that his life is finally taking a turn for the better, tragedy strikes and he is forced to make a choice that will change him forever...

After reading "Cirque du Freak", the first instalment in the saga of Darren Shan, I was hoping that these books weren't just Goosebumps for older readers, and now The Vampire's Assistant has proved to me that they definitely are not. If anything, I enjoyed it even more than the first part of the series. Easy and fun to read, The Vampire's assistant, like its predecessor is one of those books that you read straight through, rush to finish and find out what happens, and then feel sorry when it's over. The main character, Darren is a narrator who is easy to like and identify with as he struggles to come to terms with what he has become. New characters are introduced and are even more vivid and interesting than those revealed in "Cirque du Freak". This was an enjoyable, action-packed book that is difficult to put down and should appeal to adults and kids alike. Having read #3 Tunnels of blood and #4 Vampire Mountain, I can safely say that this series just keeps on getting better and better. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed "Cirque du Freak" - you won't be disappointed.

~Jenna~

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Word From The Author, August 3, 2001

By	Darren Shan "Darren Shan" (Ireland) - See all my reviews

Have you ever thought what it would be like to become a vampire? In most movies and books it's simple: if you join the ranks of the walking dead, you turn into an evil monster who loves to drink blood. But what if vampires weren't evil? What if you were to hold onto your humanity when you changed, but needed to drink blood to survive? Could you bring yourself to attack a fellow human being ... to bite them ... to drink from their veins? This is the key problem Darren Shan faces in the second book of his Saga, THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT. As Mr Crepsley's assistant, he must tend to the needs of his master. But Darren has needs too -- he needs B*L*O*O*D! Can he bring himself to drink, or will he cling to his principles ... and DIE? Join him - and others, including the performers of the Cirque Du Freak, such as the Snake Boy and Cormac Limbs - inside the pages of THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT and find out. But be warned: blood WILL be shed in its gruesomely fierce finale ...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first!, July 16, 2002

By	Cshady "Claire" (USA) - See all my reviews

I just finished reading The Vampire's Assistant, and I found myself more than satisfied. I have to agree with many reviewers here: this book was better than the first.

The book starts were the first book left off. Darren, now half-vampire, travels with Mr. Crespley from place to place. Crespley urges Darren to drink human blood, for no vampire (not even half) can survive without it. Even though Darren doesn't have to kill his victim, he doesn't relent. He will drink animal blood but not human. He wants to keep his humanity.

Mr. Crespley and Darren go back to Cirque Du Freak, so Darren have friends and be with people who understand him more. He befriends Evra, the snake boy in the first book, and two humans, Sam and R.V. Darren grows close to Sam, but their friendship is soon in jeopardy when tragedy strikes and leaves Sam (and others) in danger.

As said, this book was better than the first. We learn more about chracters like Mr. Crespley, Mr. Tall, all the other freak members. This book has more excitment, suspsense, and dept than the first one (but I did enjoy the first one immensely). For fans of the first one, you definitely don't want to miss this installment!