Skrekkens sirkus

The Saga of Darren Shan #1

by Darren Shan, Øystein Rosse (Translator)

Darren Shan er bare en vanlig skolegutt, helt til han får sjansen til å gå på Cirque du Freak, helt til han treffer Madam Octa, helt til han står overfor en av nattas skapninger. Snart er Darren og vennen Steve fanget i en dødelig felle. Darren må gjøre en avtale med den eneste personen som kan redde Steve. Men den personen er ikke et menneske og handler bare med blod.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult, Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, Middle Grade

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian's note: Also writes books for adults under the name Darren Dash. And in the past he has released books for adults under the names D.B. Shan and Darren O'Shaughnessy.

Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak Series in the United States. He is the author of the series The Demonata, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, and Zom-B. He has also released the stand-alone novel, The Thin Executioner, and the stand-alone short novels, Koyasan, and Hagurosan. Plus, for adults, he released The City Trilogy (originally under the name of D.B. Shan), and Lady of the Shades..

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older series and many of you may have read it years ago or already decided it wasn't for you, but maybe my review will sway you into giving it a chance (or just make you remember how much you loved it.)

Here's my take on things:

Be prepared for a male author with all male main characters. There's a younger sister character with a small part and I enjoyed the siblings' relationship, but aside from her and a few mothers, this is mostly a series about boys. Did that bother me? Not at all. Just pointing it out.

Lots of gore, which I enjoyed immensely. Also, some deadpan humor thrown in so it wasn't completely gross and disgusting all the time. It was a nice way to break things up so it didn't feel dark and bleak every step of the way.

The story is short and intense and doesn't contain a lot of filler. I can see how this might get compared to the Goosebumps series because those were quick reads too, though I'd say this series is for a slightly older audience, but if these had been around when I was 10 or so, I would've gobbled them up.

Not a whole lot of surprises, you can kind of see where things are heading early on, but the few surprises that are included are pretty big ones. There's also a scene in the beginning that doesn't get explained and I'm curious to see where things go with that. I love that Shan obviously planned this as a series but still wrote a full book. Things are left open-ended, but there's not really a cliffhanger and I appreciated that.

This is a short gory book with a slightly new twist on the vampire mythos geared heavily towards male readers (though I think girls won't feel alienated at all) and the inclusion of a "freak show" is something fascinating and I welcomed reading about a topic done to death (heh) that ended up still feeling unique. I really liked it and already have the next book loaded up on my Kindle (though I'm trying really hard not to start it tonight ... must ... wake up ... early ...)

I can see how this series is so popular now and hope the quality continues with each subsequent book. Also, if you liked this book and this series, definitely check out his other unrelated series, The Demonata; I really loved the first book and I can tell you that reading A Living Nightmare after Lord Loss that his writing only gets better.

It's really neat to watch an author progress and continue to improve and also clearly enjoy his work. There are not a lot of authors writing stories like Shan's and I think it fills a nice pocket that fans of the Goosebumps series can stick their hand into once they start getting older. I definitely would've been one of them and I can't wait to dive deeper into the rest of his series.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is NOT a fluffy-happy-cloud middle school book

Darren Shan and his three best friends manage to score two tickets to the Cirque du Freak - a one-night-only freak circus that promises hair-raising terror and blood-curdling sights. Through a bit of luck ( or was it fate? ) both Darren and Steve are chosen to attend. The circus certainly lives up to its name - Hans Hands, Remus Two-Bellies and the Snakeboy were all absolutely magnificent.

And then...there was the trained spider. The most amazing spider in the world and there was just one, all-consuming thought to run through Darren's head, I must have her. Only the spider belongs to a vampire - but surely that couldn't be a real vampire? Right? Besides, Darren was so careful that there is no way anyone would ever found out that he was the one who took her, right?

I'm still reeling a bit that this was published and marketed to kids?? Our world feels so PG nowadays that this book stands out like a big bloody banner. Darren Shan deals issues that I would never have expected - death and dismemberment for example - to see in a children's book. Quite satisfying to read about the violence without the scene fading to black (for once!).

Be prepared - this is essentially an all-male cast of characters. So, there's no side love story with the main guy making puppy eyes and waxing poetic about his feelings. This is all glorious action and adventure. (thank goodness - I've read too many books with romance shoe-horned in to "keep the girls interested" - us girls are perfectly capable of enjoying a story sans love subplot, thankyouverymuch).

This was an excellent start to the series. A little bit of creepy, a little bit of skulking around, and a lot of fun, quirky characters are introduced in the first novel. Overall - I'm ready and raring to go for the next one - bring it on!


P.s. If you read the books, I'd recommend waiting at least 2-3 years prior to watching the movie. That way you'd forget enough so you won't say, "but that wasn't in the books," on repeat.

Audiobook Comments
Read by Ralph Lister - pretty good job!

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

[Sita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read! I used to hate reading I found it a chore. I only read school books. This book changed that normally I'm not normally into horror books but Darren Shan is different he is such a cool and likeable person. I reccomend this book to anyone who likes reading, this book is a great start to a series I loved. I re-read the series all the time. If you read it, then I am 86% sure you will love it.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I couldn't help but laugh. As a reading teacher, I'm always reading books to determine whether or not my students might enjoy reading them, too. However, this school year, several of my students have been recommending books TO ME to read! This is another such recommendation. I have heard from many students how much they enjoy the Cirque Du Freak series, so I decided to give the first book a try. Now, I do I not typically enjoy reading gruesome/spine-tingling horror novels, but I did appreciate this one for its excellent writing to secure its position into that category. I don't know who Darren Shay really is, but he knows how to gross out readers--in a good way! Hey, whatever it takes to get students reading more books!

In this story, Darren and his friend Steve attend a "freak show" unlike anything they've ever seen. When Steve recognizes the ring-leader as a famous vampire, he begins a spiraling series of events that will change both of the boys' lives forever! (257 pages)

[Maahdiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

راهنمایی بودم...مثل همیشه حوصله‌ نداشتم زنگای تفریح برم توو حیاط و مسخره‌بازی بقیه رو تماشا کنم... همیشه می‌رفتم توو کتابخونه و همینجوری می‌گشتم و می‌خوندم..
یه روز توی این گشتنا این کتاب رو دیدم و برش داشتم... یادمه همینجوری چندصفحه اولش رو خوندم و دیگه نمیدونم بقیه‌ش چی شد و کجا ادامه‌شو خوندم و چی شد که تموم شد...
فقط یادمه رفتم توو یه سیرکی که میگفتن سیرک عجایبه اسمش... دیگه نتونستم از دنیای کتاب بیام بیرون تا وقتیکه هر دوازده جلد کتاب رو تموم کردم...
و چقدر دلم می‌خواد دوباره برگردم عقب و دوباره برای اولین بار بشینم هر دوازده جلدش رو بخونم و توو دلم بگم: "یعنی میشه خون‌آشام شد؟" و شبا به شوق خون‌آشام شدن به خواب برم...

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darren Shan is a young boy who’s fascinated by spiders. He and his best friend Steve go to a freak show and Darren’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree when he sees a very special act with a spider. Steve is interested in the spider’s handler, who Steve claims is a vampire. Darren however gets mesmerized by the spider. He craves it, he wants it more than he has ever wanted anything before in his life. So he decides to steal a poisonous spider from a vampire, what could possibly go wrong?


One of the best things this first book does is establish the friendship between Darren and Steve. When push comes to shove however, it’s clear Steve wouldn’t mind leaving his old life - including Darren - behind if he can get himself turned into a vampire. But there’s nothing Darren wouldn’t do to save Steve when he sees his best friend is about to die. That’s why I really like the choice Darren has to make at the end. It clearly establishes who he is as a person. The only way to save his best friend, is to betray him. And he realizes that will change everything. You just know there’s going to be devastating consequences to Darren’s actions.


Most people know this series from the books or from the movie but I actually got to know this series through the manga. So while I haven’t read all the books, I know there’s a lot of great things in store for anyone who wants to try this series.


This is just a book with a fascinating concept, pretty much executed to perfection. There are two strong protagonists with a lot of potential for greatness. The setting is slightly creepy and adventurous. It’s a really fast read yet also gripping and intense, making it hard to put down once you start reading. It’s just a little bit light on plot if you see it as a standalone story.

[Sara Kamjou · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان این مجموعه از زبان پسریه به اسم دارن شان که همراه دوستانش یه پوستر از سیرک عجایب پیدا می‌کنن و دارن ناخواسته درگیر یک ماجراجویی هولناک می‌شه...
داستان کتاب سریع و دلچسبه. شخصیت‌ها کاملا قابل تجسمن و ما رو درگیر دنیای خودشون می‌کنن. در مجموع جلد اول شروع خوبی داشت و دوستش داشتم.
+ کاش ارشاد اینقدر گیرهای مسخره نمی‌داد. تعویض کلمه‌ی خون‌آشام با شبح؟! چی بگه آدم واقعا...
پس بدونین هر جا تو کتاب می‌گه شبح، منظورش خون‌آشامه.
----------
یادگاری از کتاب:
همیشه وقتی آدم برای به دست آوردن چیزی خیلی جوش می‌زند و نگرانی نشان می‌دهد، اوضاع بدتر می‌شود.
...
- اولین جدایی سخت‌ترین است، نه؟
+ بله، البته جدایی هیچ وقت آسان نمی‌شود.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this when I was younger and now as well

However I do think it’s pretty dark for the age group intended

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a quick fun read. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy. Perfect book for tweens and young teens.

To read my review of the other books in this series, use the links below:

Book Two: The Vampire's Assistant
Book Three: Tunnels of Blood
Book Four: Vampire Mountain
Book Five: Trials of Death
Book Six: The Vampire Prince
Book Seven: Hunters of the Dusk

[Qt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and engrossing.

[Myvampfiction · Rating 3 out of 5]

review by Megsly

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

A few weeks ago, this charming little movie called The Vampire's Assistant came on my television and I, being obsessed with vampires as everyone knows, just had to watch and I was extremely impressed by the originality of the movie so when I unearthed the series, The Saga of Darren Shan, I dove right in.
A Living Nightmare is book one of the The Saga of Darren Shan, otherwise known as Cirque du Freak. It introduces us to Darren Shan, a young boy who's an avid soccer player, has an insane obsession with spiders, and a somewhat bad-boy best friend named Steve. The books are clearly geared towards younger audiences, especially with the main character being so young. I'm under the impression that he's 12 or 13 in the series, due to the fact that he is constantly referred to as a child, by others and by himself.

First off, I'd like to point out that the first book in this series is not very well written. There are tense errors and an extreme number of punctuation errors, but the plot itself is fascinating and quite frankly, I had no problem overlooking the errors while reading. We're introduced to Darren, who seems to have a knack for doing things he probably shouldn't do, usually under the influence of his best friend Steve. First thing they do? Attend a freak show. An extreme freak show. While there, they witness a horrifying wolf-man who bites off a audience member's hand (literally, a wolf man; he's half human, half man. He is by no means a werewolf), a lady who can grow a beard to the floor in seconds, only to retract it once again, a contortionist, a man who two bellies who devours broken glass and Mr. Crepsley, the spider tamer who has a rare and extremely dangerous tarantula named Madam Octa.

Steve, who has an obsession with all things vampire, immediately recognizes Mr. Crepsley as a vampire who's portrait he's seen in an old book. When they go to leave the Cirque du Freak, Steve lags behind, sending Darren on ahead so that he can confront Mr. Crepsley about what he knows. Darren, being the ever inquisitive boy, lingers in the shadows to listen to the exchange, where he hears Steve lay out his life story and beg the vampire to change him into one of them. The vampire refuses, for rather interesting reasons, and Steve makes a vow to destroy him one day. At this point, Darren flees, but in his mind he can only imagine the extreme pleasure he would have at owning Madam Octa. A few nights later, and after very little conversation between him and Steve (Darren is put off by the fact that his best friend would actually desire to become a blood sucking vampire), Darren returns to the circus to steal Madam Octa away from the vampire. Surprisingly enough, he succeeds and returns home with a brightly colored, massive and highly deadly tarantula.

A week or two passes and Darren is slowly mastering the techniques of the flute and doing tricks with Madam Octa, when Steve discovers the spider in his room. One thing leads to another and Steve gets bitten by the deadly spider, leaving him laying near death in a hospital bed. In an effort to save his friend, after the doctors have proclaimed they have no way of curing Steve from the strange ailment that has overcome him, Darren heads off to find Mr. Crepsley and save his friend.

Surprisingly, Mr. Crepsley is waiting for Darren, fully aware of what has transpired and willing to strike a deal. In exchange for saving Steve's life, whom Mr. Crepsley claims is evil, Darren would have to become a half vampire and pledge his life to assisting Mr. Crepsley. Reluctantly, and with much disdain, Darren accepts the situation and becomes a half vampire through an interesting version of vampire to human blood transfusion. His death his faked, and he leaves his family and friends behind to start off a new life as the reluctant assistant to a vampire whom he hates.
But shortly thereafter, Darren discovers that one person didn't fall for the faked death (which was extremely elaborate, it's rather fascinating to read) and is faced with one highly pissed off Steve who accuses Darren of intentionally stealing his dream and making the spider bite him, therefore becoming a vampire in Steve's stead. Threats are made, and Darren's world is further shaken to the point where he has extreme doubts in his own decisions and wonders if it would have been better to just allow Steve to die, therefore leading in to the much better written, and truly awesome second book, The Vampire's Assistant.

Despite the fact that this book had some serious flaws in writing, I truly enjoyed it. I've already devoured the second book, and will save that review for later but I find that this is a series that is worth reading. It's geared towards younger audiences, the characters are surprisingly well developed, and more importantly, are true to their ages. These kids are kids, they act like kids, they talk like kids, they deal with issues as children do so I think the author did a fabulous job keeping true to the ages. Also, the plot intricate but not over powering, and it's an extremely easy read. I read the first two books in one rainy day. I definitely find this to be a book worth picking up, and I hope some of you give the series a chance!

[Fahim · Rating 3 out of 5]

چه خوب بود! کاش جلدای بعدیش هم الان دم دستم بود میخوندم...

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: I am keeping this review on the vague side because Shan's books are more fun if you don't know what's going on before you read them.

Well, this was a very interesting book. I didn't really like the idea of the freak show, but I did think that it was a novel way to introduce this story, and a different sort of motif for a children's series. I've seen this series at the bookstore for years now, and waffled about reading it. The freak show concept turned me off. I am just not into it, I must admit. I don't even like circuses (I went to a few as young child, but they are scary and sad to me). For some reason, This kind of reminded me of The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon, but these stories unfold quite differently, and the latter is not a children's book by any stretch.

A Living Nightmare is definitely written for a target audience of older children and younger teens. At some times, the writing seemed a bit juvenile. I feel bad for saying that. I think it's because I read Lord Loss first, which was about a teenager, but I feel was written in a way that seemed more mature and advanced enough that an adult reader didn't even notice that it was for children. I can't blame Mr. Shan for targeting a younger audience, if I chose to read a children's book. So I am not trying to sound judgmental or snooty. It was merely an observation on my part.

The beginning is very sound, and sets you up to hold your breath to see how 'Darren Shan' manages to get on the path that he is walking in life (or afterlife I should say). The descriptions of the freak show are somewhat interesting, but it's not something I find that exciting. Yet there are eerie moments that caught my imagination as I waited to see what would happen next.

'Darren Shan,' which is a psuedonym, (Since this is written as a boy telling his story, there is a foreword that states that all the character's names are made up to protect the real life people) is a protagonist that you can feel for. He is just a boy, not evil, and not super-good either, and he makes some bad decisions that come back to haunt him. He doesn't always own up to his faults, but in the end, he makes a choice that I admired for its maturity. In fact, the repercussions of this choice actually made me cry. It just struck me as pretty awful what has to happen in order for things to work out for Darren's family. I was really impressed that Darren Shan (the author) was fearless enough to incorporate this aspect into a children's book.

The look at vampire lore had a life of its own. It had some familiar conventions, but the manner in which a person becomes a vampire was something I haven't read anything like before. That part was pretty cool, and some of the mechanism of vampirism and how they apply to Darren's situation specifically.

I thought Darren had a very good relationship with his family, and I really liked how he was so close and loving with his younger sister, Annie. It was sweet how they got along so well and loved and watched out for each other. Darren has a complicated relationship with his best friend, Steve, who is a very troubled boy, and a catalyst for the events that occur in this book. This relationship will continue in the later books with some twists that I look forward to reading.

I decided to give this book four stars because it's a good book and it was fun and involving. There were scenes where I gasped out loud. I was waiting for dinner and I actually groaned on a part that was pretty shocking and outrageous. The guy standing across the way from where I was sitting looked at me and smiled. I smiled back sheepishly before I was quickly immersed back into this story. That said, I must admit that, had read I this before Lord Loss, I would really be cheering. But Lord Loss set me up for higher standards that this one didn't quite meet. However, I can see children and some adults who like eerie, yet fun little vampire suspense tales targeted towards older children, really getting a kick out this story. I definitely want to continue the series to see what happens to Darren, because this story is just getting started.

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very different than what I expected it to be. I didn't read the synopsis of the book, so I guess my shock at the book's contents was partly my fault. I basically just looked at free Audible books with vampires in it and this one popped up, so I listened to it. I'd recommend reading this book as opposed to listening to it though because I didn't fancy the narrator's voice very much. He sort of sounded like an annoying elementary school teacher who tried to dramatically change his voice for each character.

Before I dive into the rest of my review, it's important that you know that there's lots of mentions of spiders in this book. Spiders are a huge plot point and they are described in detail, so if you are afraid of spiders, then maybe skip this book.

The characters in this book lack depth to me and I couldn't connect to them at all. They were all deeply flawed and none of them interested me. Had I been reading this in elementary school or middle school and I identified as more masculine, I might've loved the characters though as they all seemed to be traditional teenage boys.

The end of this book surprised me with how sad it was. Normally I don't feel sad in a book if I can't connect to the characters, but the author does a great job of pulling on your heartstrings and I felt genuinely heartbroken over some of the stuff in the book. It says a lot about a book if I feel actual emotions from reading it, so that's why my rating is at around 3 stars.

Warning: the rest of my review will contain mild spoilers.


There were two parts of the story that made me say "wtf." To start off with, it was mentioned that Darren had murdered his pet tarantula by vacuuming it up. That's so messed up... Second of all, Darren seemed way more concerned about not ending up in jail as opposed to being concerned about his friend that was about to die. And we're supposed to believe that Steve is the evil one??

One last thought about this book was that Darren being able to sense things, like the ticket, felt very stupid and cheesy. It pulled me somewhat out of the story and it really did not flow with the rest of the almost believable creepiness that the story held.

[Amin · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب سیرک عجایب یک شروع فوق العاده است ! مثل همه شروع های فوق العاده دارن شان!کتابی بود که باعث شد الان من از طرفداران پر و پا قرص دارن شان بشم .

[Sam Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing more I like than vampires, so a different twist to these ancient (and arguably overdone) beings is always enjoyable! I first discovered this series when I was in 8th grade; I finally found the whole series in paperback and am rereading them!

Darren Shan had a normal, enjoyable, happy life. Great friends, loving family, a little sister whom he could trust and confide in... He's a boy one can relate to, and Steve, his best friend, makes things interesting (and tense).

The adventures that unfold in Darren's life start innocently enough, kids having fun, doing daring and impulsive (and rather stupid) things that ultimately spiral into unforeseen events they can't undo. A Living Nightmare opens the door to a strange new world of night, one that Mr. Crepsley not only invites him to join, but eagerly welcomes him in.

It's a fantastic opening to a long series. I don't remember most of the plot but I can't wait to get to my favorite books and journey with Darren and Mr. Crepsley through their weird vampiric tale. I highly recommend this to people who love vampires. (My 12 year old brother loved this series; he read all 12 books in less than a week!)

Also, I found the audiobook on Hoopladigital.com and it's fantastic! The first go around I read it as an American adventure, as I'm American, but somehow when it's read with an English accent, it makes it all the more exciting for me! If you're an audiobook fan, this will be a great experience for you!

[Will M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished it in one sitting. It had a shallow plot, something obviously meant for children or teens younger than 18.

I have to press the issue again regarding books that really not scary but they are considered as horror. This book didn't scare me at all, but like I said, it was meant for children- young adult, although I have to say anyone who is over 13 wouldn't consider this horror. Not even the part where the "freaks" were described could be considered scary. It had a very predictable plot but I don't know why I finished it in one sitting. Regardless of the shallow plot it still made me wonder what could happen next now that Darren has been turned into a vampire

I would recommend this to the younger audience, or someone who really wants a fast read that would neither leave you with satisfaction nor hate. I decided to give it 2 stars. The book was just okay for me, but maybe I should've read this years ago, because my genre preference has obviously changed.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember watching this movie as a teenager. I don't think I liked it much. This book however though, I would have devoured it happily had I found it during my school days. Unfortunately timing is everything. I would have enjoyed it more and given it 4 stars if I had read it then.

It's a good book for school kids. My reading it as an adult just made it less entertaining. That's all. And if I come across the second part of this book, I will definitely read it.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ...

This was super fun ...
and the narrator,
Ralph Lister,
was fantastic! 👏
Looking forward to
the rest of the series! 🧛‍♂️

[Nanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the entire saga. I finished my reread and it was even better than I remembered, they are made for younger audiences so some things could be better, but overall they are creepy and good.
Darren Shan (the author) created a world of its own populated by vampires and vampanezes and witches and agents of destiny and it fits pretty well with ours.
and best of all, whatever you think the ending will be, I don't think you'd be expecting it, so I think it's pretty good in that regard, usually, books for younger audiences tend to be much more simple and predictable.

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

I found this in the audible membership last week. It’s obvious how much of a hermit I am since I had never heard of this series, nor the film. Film-wise it doesn’t appear that I’m missing anything. The books, however, are quite cute.

The story was not what I had expected. I didn’t realize it was a YA book until I got into it. I liked it anyhow, though this isn’t my usual thing. All of the characters are charming and not overly innocent. I’m excited to continue the series.

And those are my boring thoughts on a nice little book.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon rereading in 2018, I give the first one 4 stars.
It reads as more middle grade and is slow paced at first, but after the second half, oh boy! The pace really picks up and my excitement to continue the series grew. That ending really hit hard as an "adult" now much more than it did as a kid when death meant little to me. Way to keep the reader hooked!

[mitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

۳.۵ ستاره ⭐
شاید اگه دو سال زودتر خونده بودمش میشد مجموعه موردعلاقم =)
به‌هر حال، جالب بود. ادامش میدم.

[Atefeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

این اولین کتاب تخیلی بود که خواندم. به شدت مشتاقم جلد های بعدی را هم بخوانم و به این فکر میکنم که تا بحال چقدر جای این ژانر در کتابخانه م خالی بود.
بنظرم داستان جذاب و گیرایی دارد و اصلا قابل پیش بینی نیست
در ضمن من اگر بودم پشت جلد نمی نوشتم رمان نوجوان چون این کتاب برای هر رده سنی بجز کودکان میتواند جذاب باشد!

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! This is exactly what horror/fantasy book/series for kid should be. It have good characters, it's fast pace, have some dark enough stuff and a really intriguing storyline! I can wait to read the next one! Well done!

[Lakota Halliburton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had first read this book back when I was in middle school and stumbled upon it again on audible plus. Honestly it still holds up in my opinion, it’s a very easy and an extremely engrossing read.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah. Cirque Du Freak. One of my all time favorites. I cant say enough about these books.
Do NOT judge a series by its first book. Sure its good, but you dont realize its AMAZING until a few books in. But all epics are like that, right? And yes. This is an epic. And it is epic. So if you have read the first, liked it but didnt want to read the other ones immediantly, then I say- DO IT!!!
What is it about? Vampires, vampaneze, wolves, freaks, witches, wizards, romance, death, twists, surprises, history, future, magic, AMAZINGNESS. The journey starts off in a small town with a kid name Darren Shan. (yes that is the name of the author) He and his friend, Steve, secretly go to a freak show in town. Perhaps the only one left in modern day America. They see amazing acts that will totally freak and gross you out. The last performer, Mr. Crepsley and his amazing spider, are what really gets the story going. Both boys claim that he is a vampire they saw in a book they read. After the show, Darren leaves but Steve stays. Darren comes back and watches Steve ask Mr. Crepsley to turn him into a vampire where Mr. Crepsley refuses. Before they leave, Darren steal Mr. Crepsley spider. A highly poisinous one. But the thing is, Steve dosent know Darren saw the scene with thet vampire, and Steve dosent know that Darren stole the spider. When Darren shows Steve the spider, the spider bites Steve and only Mr. Crepsley could possibly have the cure.
I am not going to say anymore about the book, so you will have to read it to find out what happens, because it is worth reading.

[Kian · Rating 4 out of 5]

قبل از شروع این کتاب، نام سیرک عجایب برام کاملاً ناآشنا بود. هیچ خاطره‌‌ای، هیچ پیش‌فرضی، و هیچ انتظار خاصی ازش نداشتم. بعدها فهمیدم که برای خیلی‌ها، این مجموعه بخشی از نوجوانی‌شان بوده است. برای من اما علت اصلی‌ای که ترغیبم کرد سراغ این مجموعه بروم، علاقه‌ام به داستان‌های مربوط به خون‌آشام‌ها بود.

داستان با یک تصمیم اشتباه شروع می‌شود؛ همان تصمیم‌های کوچک و ظاهراً بی‌اهمیت که بعداً زندگی شخصیت اصلی را از ریشه تغییر می‌دهند. دارن شان با ریتم تند، فصل‌های کوتاه و تعلیق‌های مینی‌مال، مدام خواننده را به جلو هل می‌دهد. نقطه‌ی قوت کتاب، فضای تاریک اما قابل‌هضم آن است. ترسش از جنس خون و جیغ نیست؛ بیشتر روانی است، تدریجی، و آزاردهنده. شخصیت‌ها—به‌خصوص Mr. Crepsley—به‌جای توضیح دادن، با حضورشان داستان را سنگین می‌کنند.

در کل از خواندن این کتاب لذت بردم. فکر نکنم مدت زیادی طول بکشه تا کل مجموعه رو بخونم.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was totally awesome. At first I thought that this book would be boring, but then the main character, Darren Shan and his friend Steve went to a freak show called, "Cirque Du Freak..." I was totally psyched to get into this book! When they went to the freak show it took me by surprise. To be honest I was a little bit scared. The plot about this book is really cool. It all begins with two best friends that live in London, United Kingdom. Darren Shan is the main character and his best friend is Steve Leonard "Leopard".
That is where the suspense kicked in. All of a sudden there friend Allen comes running up to them and starts talking about how his older brother found a flyer about a freak show. I was so into the book that in my head I was right there with them when to their surprise he pulls out the flyer... There was white with black letters across it saying “Cirque Du Freak.” It was greasy and it smelled gross. It said when and where to get the tickets. From here the suspense started growing fast!
So Steve and Darren went to the freak show. The characters made my imagination really work to make this scene real in my mind. There were so many cool but freaky acts, like Wolf Boy and Hans Hands. One of the coolest acts was Mr.Crepsley and the biggest spider in the world, Madam Octa. Darren was so shocked about how big she was, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Steve on the other hand well, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Mr.Crepsley.
This is where the biggest plot twist happened. At the end of the show Steve told Darren to go and he would catch up with him. But Darren didn't listen and he went up onto the balcony where nobody could see him. Then he saw Steve in the middle of the stage looking for someone. All of a sudden Mr.Crepsley walks up behind him then Steve asks to become a VAMPIRE! I couldn’t stop reading at this point because of these crazy twists.
The ending is the most unsuspected part of the story. While we expected Steve to kill Darren, along with Mr.Crepsly, more twists at the end of this book leave us wanting to know the rest of the story. Clearly there are more books to read! I can’t wait!

[Marla Argüelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to dive into these books again after ten years, and I'm now thinking that Mr Crepsley and Darren would be one and two years older, respectively. Time has no mercy.

Honest to God, my heart aches just thinking about everything that will happen in these books, but it is worth the ride. What an amazing story 💛