Cirque Du Freak, Vol. 1

Cirque Du Freak: The Manga #1

by Darren Shan, Takahiro Arai (Art)

The world of internationally acclaimed author Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak brought to life as you've never seen it before!

Darren Shan was an average kid until destiny brought him to the Cirque Du Freak. Now Darren's been immersed into a shadowy world inhabited by vampires, werewolves and strange creatures the likes of which he's never imagined, and his life will be changed forever!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Vampires, Graphic Novels, Horror, Young Adult, Comics

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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

[Mitticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es el manga del libro de Darren Shan. En su tiempo, me leí la saga de un tirón, y me fastidió ese final de la saga la verdad. Luego, ni hablar de la película. Ahora por un reto vi este titulo y bueno, le di una oportunidad aunque del libro al manga tampoco es que me gusten mucho las adaptaciones.

Lo bueno es que conserva la idea inicial. Acerca de la amistad de dos muchachos, uno obsesionado con las arañas y el otro con las cosas que rondan en la noche. Y como todo acabó muy mal.



Claro que para llegar al origen de los vampiros y esas cosas pequeñas y los freaks del circo tendran que leer los otros volumenes, o mejor aún los libros :)

[Yara Carnero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finish reading the book and it is so good but ends with a cliff hanger I HATE that, your only able to know that by reading the next book in the series that's if you have it. Back to the book, in the book we revolve around the main character Darren, Darren's friend Steve, a circus, and a vampire that's a circus performer.

*SPOILER ALERT* Darren turns in to a 1/2 vampire just to save his friend Steve, Steve was the one who wanted to be a vampire. Now, Darren traded his whole life just to save Steve's life, after Darren saves Steve's life Darren has to DIE. When Darren wakes up from the fake death he has to roams around the world as an apprentices but Steve swears on a "blood oath" that he will be the best vampire hunter and he would track Darren and kill him just because he said that Darren lied to him and that Darren gave-up everything and that Steve has nothing.

I just explained almost the whole book so, i would recommend this book to people that like to read a screes of books to get to the real ending and people that like cliff hanger that at least has an ending. I rated this book 5 star because it is a great book and I love the way it traps the reader in the binning.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent start, but I had trouble staying interested. There was a lot of set up in this volume and it wasn't until the last chapter (after all the "starting to turn into a vampire" stuff, really). I'll give the next volume a shot and see if I like the next one better.

I've never read the actual novel this is based on, so this is totally new to me.

[Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a pretty diehard Darren Shan fan. I grew up reading The Saga of Darren Shan. I think it was one of the first series I really got into. I cannot even begin to tell you how much sleep I lost over the books. So, naturally, when I found out there was a manga version I pretty much flipped out.

It only took me about an hour altogether to get through this. It wasn't as good as the novel, but was still really enjoyable. A nice, easy read. I also really like that it differs from the books a little in some areas. I've read the first Cirque du Freak book, A Living Nightmare, about a hundred times, so of course it's been awhile since I've been able to get really excited/into it. Reading this, though, I felt like I was reading Cirque du Freak for the first time. Like I'd been transported back to my preteen years. Definitely a new favorite.

[Derryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now 👏🏻this 👏🏻is 👏🏻adaptation 👏🏻done 👏🏻to 👏🏻perfection❤️❤️

[Niamh Ennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

V pretty way of reminding me of the events of first Darren Shan book.

[Penelope Sebastiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is good i will read more of tis series

[Skylar BB · Rating 2 out of 5]

The character of Steve shows how teen's obsession over various things can get out of control. I couldn't keep up with Steve's instability, one time he's laughing then suddenly he starts sulking in or he says that He's Darren's friend no matter what but then he takes that back. He loves vampires and then he hates them...Arrrrgh!!! Steve go see a doctor! ;)
No hard feelings or anything but the characterization sucked. (Maybe It seems that way to me becuz I've only read the first volume) Darren loves spiders (soo much that ends up digging his own grave for them) and Steve lives for creepy things. That's it really. Oh there's something more!... ah, nope. That was it.

That time when Darren asked for the antidote from that old vampire for Steve who was bitten by a spider on the neck, The vampire dude demanded that on one and only condition he would give him the antidote and that was to turn Darren into a vampire. You would think that he said: "No way! I'm gonna get the antidote from you and save Steve without turning into a vampire or whatever" but no! He actually said: "Alright, I'm YOURS!" well, that was quick...
and at the end they hold each others hand and walk away under the moonlight.... am I the only one who thinks this is strange!


*************************
کاراکتر استیو نشان می دهد که چگونه عشق بیش از حد نوجوانان میتونه از کنترل خارج بشه. استیو کاراکتری بی ثبات است که هر لحظه یک جور رفتار میکند و افکارش ضد همدیگر است. یک لحظه از خنده غش میکند و چند دقیقه بعدش از افسردگی دغ میکند.. یا حرفی که می زند را لحظه ای بعد پس می گیرد، میگه که عاشق ومپایرهاست بعد میگه که حالش از اونها بهم میخوره، کلا کاراکترش مشکل داره، مشکلش هم فقط با یه روان پزشک حل می شه

جدا از این بی ثبات بودن استیو، بقیه ی کاراکترها خوب شخصیت سازی نشده بودند. دارن (کاراکتر اصلی) عاشق جک وجونور و عنکبوتاست طوری که آخر خودش رو قربانی اونها میکند و کاراکتر استیو حاضر جونش رو بده برای چیزهای ترسناک و عجیب غریب ... همین ... پردازش شخصیت ها در همین حد بود. علاوه بر اینکه داستان خیلی خشک و نچسب بود

[Dwarakh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read was the Cirque Du Freak, which was written by Darren Shan. It is a wonderful book with many literary techniques such as foreshadow, imagery, and symbolism to help create the interesting aspects of the book come in the form of a movie in our minds.

I like the way the author uses foreshadowing to tell us that the main character Darren is going to kidnap Madam Octa the spider. The author uses a lot of description to describe the way Darren is amazed by the act of the spider during the circus show. Later on he desires for such an obedient pet which caused him for executing such an act. I hadn’t realized that he would do that while reading the description at the circus until he decided to kidnap a spider. The author did a good job in maintaining the suspense.

The author also uses similes to show us the way they perform their tasks. The author uses a lot of similes to compare the things they are doing. For example, “We started up the stairs like a couple of soldiers”. Here, they were determined to get to their room before something bad happens. This caused them to move quickly as possible to their task. The use of similes in this book seems rare, but are interesting to read and imagine.

The author uses Symbolism to create suspense. Madam Octa, the spider, is symbolizing the power of Darren. After kidnapping the spider, Darren forced himself into a bad path. Here he gets his understandings and becomes brave to save his friend. It seems that the braveness of Darren comes from kidnapping the spider.

To conclude, this book was an interesting book with suspense, action, and sentiments. I would definitely recommend this book to a person who is looking for horror and suspense. Check it out for sure if you are interested!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Relive the first novel in the most action-packed, fast-paced thriller of a series ever to rule the human and vampire world with this newly published CIRQUE DU FREAK manga.

The story surrounds Darren Shan, the infamous spider lover. On his way home one night he is given a flyer to a circus. Not just any other regular circus, however - this is the circus of freaks. Accompanied by his friend, Steve, Darren witnesses the most peculiar and amazing acts that no other circus has to offer.

Among these acts are Larten Crepsley and his spider, Madam Octa. It was like love at first sight for Darren as the hypnotic and magnificent spider did her act. Little did Darren know that Madam Octa and the brash decisions Darren himself would be making shortly would change his life forever.

Darren's world goes from circus of freaks to the underworld of vampires in a flash.

Takahiro Arai's art is extremely mesmerizing and helps the reader picture what the characters look like, or how they should look in the upcoming Cirque du Freak movie. Each manga will mirror each novel, and the manga is read in a true right-to-left fashion and even incorporates some Japanese, such as gokuku = gulp or hena = flop.

The story itself may be old, but seeing it in this new light is refreshing and brings back memories of when I first read it in 7th grade.

Open up your wallet, because once you read the manga, you are going to want to read the novel itself!

[Btheilmanngohr3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, we have Darren Shan, the protagonist. He really likes spiders. He's friends with Steve. One day, Darren learns about a freak show called Cirque Du Freak, and they plan to go. However, when Steve gets tickets, he only gets half the tickets they need. Darren ended up getting the second ticket, Steve getting the first, and they go. Darren sits, until finally, the act with a spider comes on. He really enjoyed it. Because of this, he tried to take the spider, and does, but accidentally poisons Steve in an accident. He goes to find the person from the spider act, Larten Crepsly, and asks for a antidote. Larten says that he'll give the antidote, but only if he became a half-vampire, since he's a vampire. Darren agrees, saves his friend, and so on. I liked the book, and hope to finish the series.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christ…this was a truly irritating book. I really do not enjoy reading manga comics. The layout for this book drove me nuts—the book is set up backwards and upside down and anything else I cannot think of right now that is designed to throw you off. In spite of an Introduction and a textual Chapter 1 at the back of the book, the actual story begins at the back of the book and is meant to be read completely backward from the right page’s bottom right corner and backward. Naturally, I carried on from the front chapter and read the entire thing completely assbackwards…

I think the story might actually be interesting...if I could just read it as a regular novel please!

[Esar ايثار · Rating 5 out of 5]

All. The. Damn. Feels.

This is my second time reading the manga since elementary school and the third time reading the first book altogether. I remember crying when I first read the manga and cried again when I read the original, novel version. And you already know I cried again. The last chapter was so cruel and sad. God 😖.

Probably my favourite series to date. I’ve never cared so much about the characters or plot in a book. The fact that it was so popular in Japan that they made it into a manga makes me so happy, that it got the love it deserves.

It’s also very similar to Naruto so that explains my love for it :p

[Bhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this manga because it is very interesting how a boy's life change just because a spider. Cirque du Freak is a manga and book about a boy named Darren Shan and how his life changed because he made a bad mistake. This was one of my favourite books because of the plot and the characters. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure and action. This book is about a boy that stole a spider because it could do tricks but it bit his friend and to save him he needs to become a vampire.

[Taneka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never understood popularity of Manga. I tried reading a few series, but they never caught my attention. This series, however, did just the opposite. I started this and could not put it down. Here you have a young man that is good of heart and gives his soul over to another to save a friend. I am really excited about continuing the series. I am interested in the battle between Darren and Steve. The friend that he saved, now wants to kill him.

[Tarin Bruce]

I thought this was an amazing book. Darren Shan is the perfect kid to be come a vampire and im happy I got the chance to read this book when i could and im thrilled to read the rest and see what happens in his next adventures of this series

[Kushnuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cirque Du Freak is book 1 in the series.

This brought back everything and the time when I started reading this series 10 years ago. I enjoyed the manga and reading about Darren Shan, Steve and Mr. Crepsley.

[Megan Hemmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this 3.75 stars it just fell short of four stars. Darren Shan is one of my favorite horror authors it was great to see this reimgagined. I think I'm going to read rhe rest of the series after I read the actual novels.

[Gergana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't find the book so I decided to read the manga. It wasn't the best one I have read and the art wasn't that spectacular either, but the story was good. I can't wait to read the books!

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I just read?? It was amazing!

[Jesse Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book and i am reading on in the series.
I would recommend this book to people to people who like cool mythical books.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved this book series and was super happy to see a manga come out! I love Crepsley so much! And the snake boy! Shan is an awesome writer.

[Erai]

I find that the story is somewhat simplified compared to the book, but in this case I think it works in its favour. In a nutshell it still tells the main story; there are just added some details so that the story would work visually. At first I didn´t like the style that much, but then again there where parts of the story and characters that consisted of some impressive imagery. You can really see that the manga artist has read all books and care about the story, because here and there you see foreshadowing and there are actually more of them than in the book, because the manga can show things visually.

Just like the book some of the strength in the story lies in the fact that in does't underestimate children. Parts of the story can seem very dark and grim, but things never seem too hopeless. There are still lots of happier and brighter moments; the balance is the key. Also, I really like the way the lore and characters are presented; just little by little. The story is about vampires, but it´s told in a manner that one begins to question everything one knows about vampires. I think it really works as a children story, because Darren becomes a vampire that young and has to use years learning. It´s like a new twist on the orphan plot-device, because Darren´s family is actually alive the whole time; it is he who has to pretend to be dead, because of him being a vampire. It´s also interesting to see the master-apprentice or almost father-sonlike relationship that develops over time between Darren and Crepsley. In the first book Crepsley is the bad guy, because he makes Darren sacrifice himself and become a vampire.

Also, I think Darren sets a good example, because despite of everything that happens he always tries to do the right thing, and without giving the impression of being too perfect or too mature. He does make some major mistakes despite his good intentions, and some of the mistakes happens already in the first book. All in all, a good and interesting adaption of the story.

[J Jahir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi primera saga vampírica que comencé a leer, y debo reconocer que no me disgustó. es un ejemplo claro de que nunca hay que negarse a algún tipo de lectura, y en particular este libro comienza bastante bien. Darren, un chico ordinario, sufre un cambio drástico cuando Steve, su mejor amigo, y otros dos del grupo deciden asistir a un circo que llegó a su lugar de origen: el gran y tenebroso cirque Du Freak, donde hay criaturas de lo más extrañas y peligrosas. Un circo no apto para miedosos, porque ahí podías ver niños serpiente, hombre lobo y un sinfín de criaturas. La cosa comienza a complicarse cuando Steve va junto con Darren gracias a un sorteo, pues resulta que sólo pudieron conseguir dos boletos y ellos tendrían la suerte de estar ahí. Leopard de pronto se interesa por Crepsley, ya que se da cuenta mientras hacía su función con una araña muy peculiar de nombre "mamá Octa", que él era en realidad un vampiro. enterado, quiere que lo conviertan en uno, pero crepsley tras probar su sangre le dice que es mala, todo esto mientras darren escuchaba a escondidas en vez de huir, lo que representó su perdición por el giro de acontecimientos.
Bien, tal vez he casi destripado parte de la trama y tal vez es algo que más o menos viene en la sinopsis, pero igual debo decir que la historia a partir de aquí tomó un tinte atrapante, en ningún momento decae, y ¿quieren saber lo mejor? es muy corto cada libro. Este libro fue por recomendación de una amiga mía, y me alegro haberlo hecho, si les gusta la temática, puede que pasen un buen rato leyendo a Darren Shan.

[James Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cirque Du Freak is the first book in Darren Shan's fantastic vampire saga. Ignore the loathsome anime cover. Written in first person as a completely fictionalised account of his own life, the story deals with the author and his friend and their mundane lives. One day they find coupons to a bizarre circus show coming to town. They find the prospect irresistible and end up going. Little did they know it would change their lives forever when they meet vampire Larten Crepsley who makes Darren an unforgettable offer that will alter the course of his life forever.
The writing is okay but not exceptional at first, but when you have read more you will realise that Shan has created a universe in the vein of Tolkein with its own law and locations, characters who are good and evil and prophecies. The saga deals with the battle of two rival vampiric factions and the prophecy that an evil lord will come to lead the evil faction.
I read this book then went straight to the next. The series is probably one of the most gripping I have ever read and although I gave this book four stars, overall the series is worth five. I read it during breaktime and after school in the library and it was a literary part of my childhood I will never forget. If you read the Cirque Du Freak then you have a moral obligation to read the next book. If you don't, how will you know how this magnificent story ends? This is a must.

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

English review below the Greek one...

Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι τα μάνγκα είναι πολύ του γούστου μου, αλλά η ιστορία μου κράτησε το ενδιαφέρον. Αποδίδει τα βιβλία 1-4 της σειράς μέσα σε λίγες σελίδες, δεν είναι και λίγο. Ομολογώ ότι δεν ήξερα για τον συγκεκριμένο συγγραφέα (πόσο μάλλον για τον σχεδιαστή) και υποψιάζομαι ότι θα ευχαριστιόμουν πιο πολύ την αυθεντική εκδοχή σε γραπτό κείμενο. Μπορεί εγώ να μην τον ξέρω, αλλά ο Darren Shan έχει φανατικό κοινό, είναι και Ιρλανδός, κάτι μου λέει ότι πρέπει να ψάξω να βρω κάποιο δικό του βιβλίο για να κρίνω...

This was a quick and pleasant read. Manga is a genre I'm not very familiar with, so the drawing style and the format of the book got some getting used to, but I was quickly absorbed from the story and read the book in one go. An interesting choice for sure! I have to seek the original novels sometime or the next volumes of the manga... What happened next?

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly didn’t think I would like this series but I’m definitely intrigued after reading the first volume. The art is good and fits with the spooky vibe of the story when it needs to.

Overall, the bit that threw me off is when the lady got her arm ripped off and they magically put it back on. And they don’t explain some small details that seem to be key points. Like what happened to the teacher? Why was he out there? Why did snake boy wave at Darren? Why didn’t the kids freak out more when Darren drank that kid’s blood? And the biggest question: why do they draw Steve as if he were already a monster? Plot holes, people!

This series has 12 volumes and is based on the Darren Shan novel series Cirque du Freak.

[BLQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just going to say this book is really good. I love almost everything from the story to the art. The only real down side is some of the art is a little old for and some of it is weird. But those are barley a down side to how good the book is. One of the things I really like about the book is the plot. The plot is about these two kids named Darren and Steve who are best friends. Then one day Darren gets flyer to Cirque Du Freak. Then Darren and Steve decide to go but when they get there they wish they never have went. because now they are involved in a world of werewolf's and vampires. But that’s just the beginning and if I go more in depth then I’ll spoil the plotline and no one wants that. If you like sci-fi horror I couldn’t recommend this book more it’s truly a good book.

[Rose Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be honest. I liked this better than the original book.

I think Steve as a character seems much more threatening instead of the scared child he was in the original. And his character is design? Immaculate.
There were some really cool scenes, such as the beginning of chapter 2. And this really helped me visualize what a great movie this series could make.
While I personally wasn't a fan of the way Mr.Crepsley was portrayed, I know that just my personal bias, because the design really does make sense and match his description. However, I think Annie’s design makes her appear too old, and she generally doesn’t read across as close to Darren as she was in the book. You know, the annoying little sister that you love with all your heart.

Overall, this adaption was very well done and i would probably recommend it over to original if im being honest.

[Xenneth E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This suffers from the same issues that every adaptation from book to a visual media suffers- it doesn't match what I envisioned when reading the original. It took me a fair amount of time to adjust to the design and art of this, and I felt more annoyed at the main character than I remember feeling on original reading of the book. The story is well adapted, to the point where it almost feels worthless to include in the review, because it isn't really this authors story, is it? But it does get points for being very faithful. Once I got more into the book, and more used to this adaptations art, it's as good a read as the original.