Birth of a Killer

The Saga of Larten Crepsley #1

by Darren Shan

The highly anticipated prequel to the New York Times bestselling Cirque Du Freak series!Before Cirque Du Freak...Before the war with the vampaneze... Before he was a vampire.Larten Crepsley was a boy. As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his brother as an example to the other children. In that moment, young Larten flies into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive. Forced on the run, he sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by. And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, Larten takes it.This is his story.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult, Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, Supernatural

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2010

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

[Ghazaleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

فکر میکردم فقط توی دوران نوجوانی از کتابای دارن شان خوشم میومده ولی الان فهمیدم تا اخر عمرم نویسنده محبوبم میمونه!
شاید لحن کتاب خیلی برای یه بزرگسال جذاب نباشه اما مضمون و داستانش اینقد جذاب هست که ادم از انتخابش پشیمون نشه.
چون این کتاب چند جلدیه قطعا نمیتونم با خوندن یه جلد نظر بیشتری بدم، امیدوارم بقیه داستان هم همینقد خوب باشه.

[Amin · Rating 4 out of 5]

" حتی در مرگ کاش پیروز باشی "
دو سال از آخرین کتابی که از دارن شان خوندم میگذره . این اواخر فکر نمی کردم که دارن شان همچنان نویسنده محبوب من باشه . دنبال نویسنده جدیدی می گشتم .وقتی خوندن این کتاب رو شروع کردم اصلا باور نمی کردم که بتونه دوباره من را سر ذوق بیاره.
قبلا فصول ابتدایی این کتاب رو خونده و ترجمه کرده بودم برای همین اون ابتدا بیشتر حواسم تو مقایسه کلمات با متن اصلی بود اما باید بگم کتاب های دارن شان همچنان آغاز های خوبی دارند !اون چند فصل اول و رودر رویی تراز و لارتن واقعا هیجان انگیز بود.حتی دیدار سبا و لارتن هم نفسگیر بود . گرچه در ادامه یک مقدار روند داستان کند میشد اما با سخاوتمندی این موضوع رو نادیده می گیرم.
از خوندن این کتاب لذت بردم .بیشتر شبیه خاطره بازی بود برای من . کی میدونه که من با اون دوازده جلد سرزمین اشباح چه خاطراتی دارم ؟دیدن اینکه اون شخصیت های داستانی دوباره برام زنده شدن و دوباره میتونم زندگیشون رو از یک زاویه دیگه دنبال لذت خیلی زیادی برام داشت . هر چند من فکر می کردم این داستان یک ایده سوخته داره اما فهمیدم که دارن شان میتونه از این ایده سوخته یک داستان خوب بسازه که برای من جذاب باشه .
حدود دو سال پیش این کتاب رو خریدم و تا امروز نخوندمش و الان میفهمم چه ضرری کردم .

[Elina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
حالا کار ندارم ولی این ترجمه‌ها واقعا ستمه😒

[Emad · Rating 4 out of 5]

توّلدی قابل‌قبول از قاتلی آشنا

«تولّدِ یک قاتل» اوّلین کتاب از مجموعۀ «حماسۀ کرپسلی» دارن شان است که پس از «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح» به چاپ رسیده است. هرچند خطّ روایی و حوادثِ داستانِ آن مربوط به حوادثِ پیش از «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح» و به مثابۀ درآمدی بر آن است.

داستانِ «تولّدِ یک قاتل» شرحِ چگونگیِ ورودِ «لارتن کرپسلی،» از شخصیّت‌هایِ فرعیِ «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح،» به دنیایِ اشباح است. دنیایی که در نظرِ انسان‌هایِ معمولی بیشتر شبیه به افسانه‌ها و با شایعات و جعلیّاتِ بسیار همراه است. داستانِ کتاب شروعی بر دوگانگی‌هایِ پیش آمده برایِ شخصیّتِ لارتن کرپسلی در مواجهه با دنیایِ موجوداتِ شب و تصمیماتِ مهمّی است که وی برایِ ورود به آن و ادامۀ بقا در آن است.

اوّلین نقطۀ قوّتِ مجموعه از همین جا آغاز می‌شود. دارن شان پس از تعریفی که از اشباح، خصوصیّت‌ها، قبیله و سرزمینشان در مجموعۀ اوّلِ خود ارائه داده است، اینک به نوعی درصددِ بیانِ هرچه بیشترِ تاریخِ آن‌هاست و نکتۀ مهم این است که خواننده در این‌جا از همان ابتدا با شخصیّت‌هایِ او تا حدّی آشنایی دارد. هنرِ دارن شان در این است که بتواند از یک سری شخصیّت‌هایِ شناخته‌شده، اطّلاعاتِ تازه‌ای به مخاطب ارائه دهد که برایِ او خسته‌کننده و تکراری نباشد و به نظرم در این زمینه تا حدّی موفّق عمل کرده است. خواننده با خواندنِ مجموعۀ قبلی اشباح را به‌خوبی می‌شناسد، خصوصیّاتِ آن‌ها، نقاطِ ضعف‌وقدرت و زیروبم‌هایِ زندگی‌شان را می‌داند و حتّی برخی از شخصیّت‌ها را بعینه در مجموعۀ قبلی دیده است. لارتن کرپسلی، شخصیّتِ اصلیِ این مجموعه، یکی از شخصیّت‌هایِ فرعیِ مجموعۀ قبل است. شبحی با موهایِ نارنجی. و چرا نارنجی؟ شاید با خواندنِ مجموعۀ قبل این رنگِ مو و علّتِ پیدایشِ آن برایِ بسیاری سؤال‌برانگیز بوده باشد. این دقیقاً یکی از همان برگِ برنده‌هایی است که دارن شان در ابتدایِ مجموعۀ جدیدش، فصل‌هایِ آغازینِ همین کتاب، آن را برملا کرده و مخاطب را به‌خوبی با خود همراه می‌سازد. درست است که خواننده از قبل لارتن را می‌شناسد، امّا هنوز خیلی چیزها در زندگیِ لارتن وجود دارد که می‌تواند برایِ او جذّاب باشد و یکی از آن‌ها بازی با همین عناصرِ جزئی و به‌ظاهر پیش‌پاافتاده از جمله رنگِ مویِ اوست. هنرمندانه بهره گرفتن از جزئیّات مهم‌ترین عاملی است که سبب شده تا تولّدِ یک قاتل به‌عنوانِ اوّلین جلد از مجموعه‌ای جدید با موضوعی قدیمی هم‌چنان تازه باشد و خواننده را با خود همراه سازد.

از طرفی امّا «تولّدِ یک قاتل» به‌عنوانِ نمایندۀ اصلیِ مجموعۀ «حماسۀ کرپسلی» به‌قوّتِ «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح» نگاشته نشده است. نوعی شتاب‌زدگی و بیانِ سرسریِ مطالب در قلمِ دارن شان در این مجموعه به چشم می‌خورد که ممکن است ناشی از حتّی ملالت و کسالتِ خودِ مؤلّف برایِ نوشتن از موضوعی تکراری و فرارِ هرچه‌زودتر از آن به سمتِ ایده‌هایِ جدیدترش باشد. پرش‌هایِ زمانیِ طولانی (و بعضاً بدونِ ارائۀ توصیفاتی خاص) سبب می‌شود که گاهی زمانِ داستان از دستِ خواننده دربرود. چنین معضلی البتّه در «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح» ممکن نبود؛ چراکه استفاده از شخصیّت‌هایِ شبحی در کنارِ شخصیّت‌هایِ انسانی و بالطبع محدودیّت‌هایی که نویسنده برایِ انسان‌ها در کنارِ اشباح درنظر گرفته است (هم‌چون طولِ عمرِ کوتاه) اجازه نمی‌داد که بازی‌هایِ زمانیِ این‌چنینی در آن مجموعه میسّر باشد و البتّه از نقاطِ قوّت آن مجموعه نیز همین بود. امّا در تولّدِ یک قاتل دنیایی که از اشباح در بسترِ شخصیّتی ارائه شده به‌شدّت ایزوله‌تر از دنیایِ «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح» است. انسان‌ها در این کتاب یا به داستان وارد نمی‌شوند و یا اگر وارد شدند، به ناچار به‌زودی رخت برمی‌بندند، چراکه نویسنده قصد دارد تا زمان را به‌سرعت در بازه‌هایِ پنجاه ساله، صدساله و یا بیشتر از آن به جلو ببرد. برایِ مثال پس از قبول کردنِ دستیار شدن توسّطِ لارتن به ناگاه داستان پنجاه سال به جلو رانده شده و هم‌خون شدنِ او نیز به زودی رقم می‌خورد. این درحالی است که پس از ادامۀ چندین فصل، لارتن هنوز در ذهنِ خواننده به‌صورتِ یک کودکِ هفت هشت سالۀ مونارنجی متبادر می‌شود. به نظر می‌رسد طولانی ترین دیدار بین اشباح و انسان‌ها در این کتاب و بالطبع کلب مجموعه دیدنِ پدرِ لارتن پس از سال‌ها در کهن‌سالی‌اش باشد. این نکته می‌تواند از ضعف‌هایِ داستانی در این کتاب محسوب شود که به نحوِ شدیدی مانع از ایجادِ درام و شخصیّت‌پردازیِ کامل (حدّاقل در بعدِ انسانی و روابطِ انسان - شبحی) است.

مطلبِ دیگر پرداخت‌هایِ داستانی است، که در این کتاب چندان دل‌نواز نیست. آنچه از سرزمینِ اشباح و داستان‌هایِ آن به عنوانِ اطّلاعاتِ جدید و یا یادآوری بر اطّلاعاتِ قدیمی به مخاطب ارائه می‌شود، چندان به مذاقِ طبیعتِ داستان‌خوانیِ او خوش نمی‌آید. ایده‌ها اکثراً خام و پرداخت‌نشده هستند. عناصری هم‌چون علامتِ لمسِ مرگ، سنگِ خون، کوهستانِ اشباح، شبح‌واره‌ها و ... عناصری هستند که جا داشت در این کتاب با جزئیّاتی دقیق‌تر، حتّی دقیق‌تر از «قصّه‌هایِ سرزمینِ اشباح،» پرداختِ داستانی و معرّفی شوند؛ امّا غالباً در حدّ ایده‌هایی که صرفاً بیانِ نوعی نبوغِ اوّلیّه در ذهنِ نویسنده هستند باقی می‌مانند بدونِ آن‌که سببِ ایجادِ شگفتیِ آن‌چنانی در خواننده شوند.

تولّدِ یک قاتل بالقوّه می‌تواند شروعِ خوبی بر یک مجموعۀ جدید از دارن شان، هرچند با موضوعی تکراری، باشد. به شرطِ آن‌که نویسنده در ادامۀ آن در مواجهه با چنین معضلاتی صبر و حوصلۀ بیشتری به خرج داده و داستان را صرفاً برایِ «نوشتن» پیش نبرد.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. THAT was amazing.
I got it yesterday and finished it last night at about midnight. Gosh, the ending was SO suspensful.
Birth of a Killer is the first of four book in a prequel series to the awesome Cirque Du Freak. And it's all about Larten Crepsley. Many centuries ago, he worked as a child laborer with a dozen or so of his brothers and sisters. But his best friend was his orphan cousin, Vur Horston. After Vur does something wrong in the factory they work at, the boss kills him as an example of what not to do. Larten then picks up a knife and kills the boss. Scared of what will happen next, he flees the city and finds an old graveyard to spend the night in. There, he finds Seba Nile, who is a vampire. And offers Larten to become his assistaint. When he accepts, he has no idea what he is in for.
I LOVED this book. It brought back some of my favorite characters from Cirque Du Freak, like Vancha, Paris, Evanna (just mentions her), Seba and Mr. Tall. It also brought back some of my least favorite characters, like Mr. Tiny and Murlough. The addition of Wester (I think thats his name) to the book made it interesting. He is probably my favorite character now. I also liked how the Cirque Du Freak itself was actually included in the book.
I am interested to find out more of Lartens story, such as how he got the scar, how he found Madame Octa, and how he met Arra Sails. The next in the series, Ocean of Blood does not come out until April :( I guess that's my punishment for finishing this in a day. No, it was worth it.
The cliffhanger ending will leave readers on the edge of their seat, hungry for more just like I am.

[Zahra Dashti · Rating 3 out of 5]

هنوز زوده در مورد کل داستان قضاوت کنم، باید تا انتهای مجموعه بخونم تا بشه در مورد داستان قضاوت کرد.
نثر اما روانه، سرعت پیش روی خوبه و مثل کتابهای قبلی دارن شان به راحتی می شه جذب فضای داستان شد و با اون همراه شد. ترجمه هم مثل سایر کارهای خانم کریمی خوب بود‌.
اما بخشی از این جلد از کتاب که من رو به فکر برد این بخشش بود:


آقای تال با ملایمت گفت : « توی زندگی ، بعضی ها بدون اینکه خودشان بدانند به سرنوشت خدمت می کنند.نقشه ی زندگی آنها از قبل ریخته شده، ولی خودشان خبر ندارند.من به بی خبری آنها رشک می برم؛ من، افسوس! خیلی بیشتر از آنکه باید بدانم می دانم. دیگران از زندگیشان هر طور بخواهند استفاده می کنند.آزادند که به دلخواه خودشان انتخاب کنند به این راه بروند یا به آن راه. به آزادی آنها حسودیم می شود؛ متاسفانه من طوری توی قید و بندم که هیچ وقت نمی توانم چنین حق انتخاب آزادانه ای داشته باشم.»

 

حماسه کرپسلی – تولد یک قاتل – صفحه 146

[Mob · Rating 5 out of 5]

۴.۵
مبینای ۱۳ ساله‌ی درونم از خوندنش لذت برد :) همه‌چیش!

[Chappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Began and finished in a single afternoon, impossible to put down and a fantastic treat. To return to Shans vampire stories without having to reread is a real pleasure. We get the opportunity to be reacquainted with several familiar faces, some of which we thought we would never see again and others we were hoping not to.
A brand new story with the same brilliant story telling ability from one of the all time greats. Whilst the first book may have had some of the same destinations and characters as the saga of Darren Shan, I know we are off to new and exciting places and I for one am keen to experience the new and relive the old from one of my favourite series.
Four more books from Darren Shan in the universe of the vampires, I for one can't wait to begin this new journey.

[biblioceraptor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much, I could cry from happiness!
It was so lovely to read about all the older characters (but when they were younger), and also find out about some of the even older characters that were dead by the time the first series occurred.

I'll probably have to buy the entire series when they're all out. :3

Also we get to find out why Mr Crepsley's hair is orange!!! :D

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

FLAAAAAAAAAT

FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

FUCKING FLAT!!!

This book is flatter than my cleavage and I'm not going to read the whole series, book bundle be damned.

FRTC

[MaxiMillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elements and style : In this prequel to The Saga of Darren Shan, Darren Shan is more serious than he is in the saga of Darren Shan, using the more somber fell to reflect the protagonist, Larten Crepsley. He also provides a feel of connection to the normal series by introducing characters that appear in that series, and showing how they knew/know Larten Crepsley. He uses an older style of speaking, showing how this is 300 years in the past, and every once-in-a-while provides a flashback to when Larten worked in the factories.
Characterization : Darren shows a deep and dark feeling in the protagonist, Larten Crepsley, which sometimes makes him seem like a monster, or a serial killer. During most of the novel he fights this feeling, trying to avoid becoming a creature of the night.
Plot : This story begtins in a small town where Larten Crepsley and his siblings and cousin work in a factory. The cruel master of the factory kills Larten's cousin for "not working hard enough" which causes Larten to kill him. Larten runs from the city, and meets Seba Nile, a vampire who offers to take Larten under his wing as a vampire's assistant. They travel far and wide, and pick up a boy who's been ravaged by a vampaneze. This boy becomes Larten's closest friend. Larten and his friend become full vampires and travel to Vampire mountain, for the yearly tournament, only to have their behinds kicked. They leave in shame, and come into the company of a vampire who's out to enjoy life. The book ends as they decide to travel with him.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it answered a lot of questions for me that weren’t answered in Cirque Du Freak. I did read the ARC (advanced readers copy) of this book so I will not be too harsh on it (though I didn’t see much if anything that really needed to be changed.)

I’m not going to write much because I don’t want to give away spoiler but I have a few hunches of things that might happen but I could be totally wrong. (No I’m not saying what they are)

There is a thing that bothers me that I just realized (and it’s not just in this book) I like Shan’s take on vampires but I like to think of vampires more as powerful, romantic and violent creatures (NO NOT TWILIGHT!) so I find it kind of gross/annoying that the vampires are mostly all drunks and they are so unsanitary. That just makes them seem weak and I don’t like to think of vampires as weak. I still love this series I just don’t love all the vampires.

[Nesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having finished reading this series, I assure you that if I could go back in time and unread it, I would.

While Mr. Crepsley is a character full of strength, courage and will in the “Cirque du Freak” series, here he is portrayed as nothing more than Destiny’s puppet, nothing more than a simple tool in somebody else’s plan. Someone who choosed the wrong thing when he had the power to change his future and who now has a future that no longer belongs to him.

In short, the incredible character he once was is completely destroyed.

I believe this series was unnecessary and I wouldn’t recommend it even if you’re a fan of “Cirque du Freak”.

In fact, especially if you’re a fan of “Cirque du Freak”.

[Tyrell ⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You do not have to be alone. The world never inflicts loneliness upon us. That is something we choose or reject by ourselves.”

I'm so glad that I found this gem of a series. I absolutely loved the Cirque Du Freak> series and Darren Shan has done it again. Larten Crepsley's childhood was not how I expected - full of regret, pain, and doubt. Although I sincerely enjoyed this first book, I'm hoping that the following books have a bit more action.

[liv hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

YES!! Sent me right back into my Darren Shan phase I fear. I’ve ordered the next three and plan on rereading the main series (this is kind of a prequel)

I read the main one like six years ago and there’s a bunch of call backs in this (along with characters I know and love)

Had a lot of fun and set me in good spirits. Pray for my tumblr it’s about to be filled with ONLY Darren Shan content

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: I love Darren and read each new book as it comes out.

Larten Crepsley is a major character in Shan's "Cirque Du Freak" series and this book, first in a proposed 4-book series, tells his life story starting briefly with his pre-vampire childhood and continuing on through the years until he becomes a fully blooded vampire and leaves his master to go out in the world by himself.

Since this book happens before the "Cirque Du Freak" series it is not necessary to have read it to understand this book but the joy of meeting familiar faces and learning their past history will be missed if this book is read cold turkey. Larten is an interesting character from the first page and quickly develops the personality traits we are used to seeing in him but now we know where his silent, hardness comes from and the roots of his greatness. Somehow reading the story when you know how the whole story of his life ends in the distant future leaves out some of the tension as we already know the ultimate fate of many characters, including Larten . But there are many questions about Larten's past that need explaining and his connection with the Cirque Du Freak and Mr. Tall is covered in this volume as is his whole apprenticeship, half-blooding, full blooding and his first trip to the Council to participate in the games as a fresh blood. Lots of excitement, with much action and the introduction of Larten's role-models shape the beginning of his life and the ending leaves us with a quick glance at the introduction of an old enemy from "Cirque Du Freak" making me eager to pick up Book Two, which will be out in May of this year (2011).

[Thalestral · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. The first in a series of four, this is the story of Darren's mentor from the original series, whose origins were only ever vaguely hinted at previously. A page turner right from the start, this is more gripping than the original series, and the hero is I think more likable and certainly easier to sympathise with.

From his poverty stricken and beaten down origins to his meeting with his vampire master, this is going to be a must read for all Darren Shan fans, as well as for anyone looking for a more traditional vampire tale.

[Vendea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nemám slov. Oproti ostatním knihám ze světa upírů, které mistr Shan napsal, je tohle něco nového. Kniha se četla rychle a Larten je daleko sympatičtějším a akčnějším hrdinou než býval jeho učedník Darren. Navíc jsou tu všichni staří přátelé... A ten konec ♥ Pokud se bojíte Série o poloupírovi Darrenovi, tak vyzkoušejte Zrození zabijáka, které včera vyšlo. Je to srdcovka!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recensione su BookLover

Larten lives with his family and spends his days earning his keep in a workhouse. His only joy is spending his time with his cousin, Vur, and he doesn't expect to do much in his life but grow up and start a family of his own.
This all changes when Larten has to escape his town (and old life) forever. Sad, hungry, and desperate, he finds refuge in a crypt, and his life takes a turn for the best (or worse) when he meets Seba Nile.

I have to admit I like this first book in the Saga of Larten Crepsley much more than I liked andy of the Cirque du Freak books (apart from Vampire Mountain, that is still at the top!). The reason is very simple: I like the style and mood much better! As the SoLC is written for an older audience, the whole story is more serious and has a harsher description of the things that go on. I do wonder how scarier the life of Darren would've seemed to me if Darren Shan had used such a tone. Probably, I would love it even more than I do currently (and I'm kind of obsessed, so...). As for this book, the early life of Mister Crepsley, the old grumpy vampire we all must admit to having a crush on, it does not disappoint.

Apart from the writing, which I obviously loved so much I had to mention it first when I usually mention it at the bottom of my reviews, the story is REALLY interesting. Not only we see Larten's life as an apprentice and an early Vampire, but we see how different he was in his youth and how his life shaped him to become a Vampire of good standing. His life as a human was not easy, of course... I shudder at the only thought! But his life as a future member of the clan is way more difficult: his mixed blood and his headstrong personality surely don't help.
As the other fans keep talking of Vur and "uncle" Wester (an inside joke which is kind of a spoiler but not really), I was very pleased to meet them.
Vur, we met sparingly, and yet I could see why he made such an impression on the fandom, especially because of his role in Larten's story. Wester, I'm sure I'll get more accustomed to in the following books. As of now, I'm not that impressed.
And then, the star of the show! Seba Nile himself! Oh, how I wanted to see what kind of a master he was and how he taught his apprentices how to be vampires. In the books about Darren, we have some talk, and I admit I was disappointed to not see any nose hair pulling. Okay, yes, I am cruel. But I would've laughed my ass off.
Seba is so patient and nice, I am so sorry to know what future (or DesTiny?) has in store for him...

These prequel books seem like they're gonna give us a lot of background for Larten and the (then young) Vampires that we saw in Cirque du Freak, and honestly, I can't wait to read more!

What did you think of Larten's story? Did you like the difference in tone between the Larten books and the Darren books? Let me know down below!

[Shaun A.I.C. Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darren Shan’s “Larten Crepsley Saga: Book One - Birth of a Killer” takes us on an enthralling journey through the backstory of a beloved character, Larten Crepsley. It was fascinating to witness Crepsley in his youth, which added a new layer of depth and understanding to his character within the wider Darren Shan saga.

One of the highlights of this book was the way it managed to establish a stronger connection between the readers and Larten Crepsley. Exploring his past, motivations, and experiences allowed for a deeper appreciation of the character throughout the overall series. It was intriguing to witness the events that ultimately shaped him into the enigmatic figure we know from the later books.

While the overall story was gripping and filled with the gripping horror-style writing that Darren Shan is renowned for, one aspect prevented me from giving it a full five-star rating. The transition from part one to part two, and subsequently to other parts, felt quite abrupt and sometimes challenging to follow. The sudden changes in location and narrative focus made it somewhat difficult to maintain the same level of immersion.

However, despite this minor setback, there were plenty of moments of humor sprinkled throughout the book. It’s commendable how Darren Shan managed to strike a balance between humor and horror, making the reading experience all the more enjoyable.

Overall, “Birth of a Killer” left me captivated and eager to dive into the next installment in the saga. This book sets the stage for an epic journey, presenting us with a young Larten Crepsley and leaving us hungry for more. Fans of Darren Shan’s writing style and the wider Darren Shan saga will surely find great excitement and satisfaction in this thrilling prequel.

I highly recommend this book

[Emily Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

really excited to get back into this world! i kinda wish i hadn’t taken a break from the original series before starting this, but alas here we are.

crepsley is one of my favorite characters from the original series, so i love that we’re getting to see his back story.

it is interesting to see how the pacing changes in this story since it’s a prequel quartet to the original lengthy series.

again!! really wish this series was turned into a miniseries.

this was a great start to the quartet, it was fun being with friendly faces again, and i simply cried when crepsley saw his dad grieving him!!

[Thomas Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was the beginning of a prequel series, having the main character be Larten Crespley, so far they have introduced old characters and even a few new ones along the way, if you've enjoyed Cirque Du Freak, I definitely recommend that you read this series. :D

[Jessica Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after the other saga of Darren Shan and it gives you insight into Larten’s life before he a vampire and when he becomes a vampire and how it was for him. It gives us a younger version and how he handles loss and regret and how it differs to himself when he is older.

[Lucy Lillianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://lucy-lillianne.blogspot.cz/201...

[chi ☻ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i want to be a vampire merely for the experience LOL

[Lelita P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't understand why recently I read some series that bring back memories of my happy childhood/adolescent life; a prequel/sequel/supplement of some main series that I loved so much back then.

I'd been way tougher in my teenage age--I hardly cried even for the saddest movies or books. But Darren Shan series was special because my eyes heated so badly after reading the 9th book. You who followed this series should know what event I'm talking about, which made me nearly cry.

That's why Darren Shan series is one of my favorite series all the time.

I never imagined I'll read The Saga of Larten Crepsley though I'm aware about the series. Mainly because I lost hope to my country's publisher of Darren Shan series since they discontinued publishing Demonata series. But a friend of mine, who recently came home after finishing her study in UK, brought this book home and she kindly lent me. So I read that happily.

At first I felt so overwhelmed because I remembered how I loved Mr. Crepsley's character back then. I was familiar with Vur Horston's name but I didn't expect him to be Larten's cousin (I remembered it as Mr. Crepsley's other name). The story follows how Larten became Seba Nile's assistant, then his life progress afterwards.

I enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed reading Darren Shan series. Mr. Shan's writing still as flowing as his usual style. Although this series is written in third POV--unlike Darren Shan series--I still could feel the emotion well. My favorite character here is Seba Nile. He got more part here than in Darren Shan series. I loved his character, his way to teach his assistants, and their relationship. Especially, I always loved when he corrected Larten every time he spoke informally. :)))

In this book one of the Saga we could meet many characters that we have known from Darren Shan series, but they were younger and... less wiser? Haha. It's a really enjoyable journey to read them as their young selves. It's like we could know them better by learning their past clearly in these four books. I'm glad that finally Mr. Shan wrote a stand-alone series about Larten Crepsley, because with this story he wrote, there were so much to tell. And I'm very satisfied to read that.

The most satisfying part, however, is that the story of this book intertwines well with the main series. It took a genius to write a prequel that could intertwine with the main series, especially when he didn't have a plan to write a prequel before. But Mr. Shan is indeed a genius--I have known that since I read the 12th book of Darren Shan Saga. How could we forget an ending like that?

For you who are fans of Darren Shan Saga, you better read this one. You won't be disappointed.

[Snappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently got into the Manga adaption of the Cirque Du Freak by Takahiro Arai. Funnily enough, after I finished the fourth volume, The 2 Dollar store sold this book, and I immediately bought it!

[Mark Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of four, the opening chapters of this YA vampire tale are excellent. A good solid entertaining read.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most readers of The Book Zone will not need me to tell them that Birth of a Killer, the new book from Darren Shan, is actually a prequel to his fantastically successful Saga of Darren Shan series. One of the key characters in that series was Larten Crepsley, the vampire that first blooded Darren Shan, thus turning him into a creature of the night. Larten is a very popular character with Shan fans, and in my opinion is one of the author's greatest creations: his personality seemed so well developed, with his emphasis on the correct use of grammar when speaking, his moody, withdrawn manner and his flame orange hair (who ever heard of a vampire with ginger hair???). When I first read the original Saga I was left with many questions about the back history of this great character, and it would appear that Darren Shan felt the same.

The book opens with Larten as a young boy, working all hours loosening silk from the cocoons of silk worms in a factory with his cousin Vur Horston (a name familiar to Saga fans). Immediately we discover the reason for the bright orange hair, and inventive it is too (and no I'm not going to tell you what it is - you will have to read the book yourself). Darren Shan also does not keep us waiting long before revealing the life-changing moment in his hero's life, the moment that has him running away from home and very soon finding himself in the company of the vampire that will become his mentor and eventually blood him, Seba Nile. Birth of a Killer does not have the blood-splatter moments of the Demonata series, but it is still violent enough in places to keep fans grinning from ear to ear, and this early scene is one of those moments.

Although in familiar territory this book never seems like a reproduction of the previous series. Those stories were very much a coming-of-age story for the main character, whereas these are spaced over a much greater period of time. As such we start off with Larten as a boy, and then pretty much immediately after he has met Seba Nile we get to part two of the book, and we jump five years in time. Eight short chapters later and the narrative jumps through time again, with Larten now at the age of 30. The author set out to tell the story of a man who is over two hundred years old, in a mere four volumes, so temporal jumps in narrative like this are going to be essential for the story to be told. At times I felt that although getting older in years, Larten's character did not necessarily seem to be maturing in the same way. However, once Larten attended his first Council I realised just how immature and naive he was in vampire terms and this side of his personality made much more sense. I am still trying to decide whether I would have liked to see more of the time between when Larten meets Seba, and when he hits thirty - I think I will reserve judgement on that area until I have read the next three books in the series (the fourth due out in May 2012).

What I loved about this book was the way that Darren Shan explores the vampire world he created in more detail. These aren't your girly, romantic Twilight vampires, but neither are they at times the debonair, aristocrats of the Dracula movies. These vampires get drunk; they gamble; their personal hygiene occasionally sucks big time. At the event I went to yesterday Darren Shan explained when he created his vampire clans he had in mind the likes of the Masai, Samurai, Native Americans and the Celts - tribes of people where the male was dominant, and where you had all levels of people - from mighty warriors and hunters to beggars and thieves. This is exactly the kind of society that we see with his vampires - some wish to lord it over all and sundry, testing their physical abilities to the extreme during the Festival of Death, whilst disaffected younger vampires rebel by playing cards and drinking in a side tunnel.

If you have not yet discovered The Saga of Darren Shan then you could read this book before you read those others. However, I would recommend that you do read the original Saga first as I have. In my opinion it will be a far more rewarding experience to get to know the adult Larten first, and then discover the events and experiences that made him the vampire the fans love so much. Birth of a Killer will then have you nodding sagely to yourself as you spot a familiar name, or discover the answer to a long-wondered question (such as the whole orange haired vampire thing).

[Fatemeh Am · Rating 2 out of 5]

هوووم فکر میکنم این سری رو باید قبل از سیرک عجایب خوند. داستان لارتن کرپسلی و نحوه خون آشام شدنشه. با توجه به اینکه سیرک عجایب رو هم تازگیا خونده بودم اصلا جاذبه خاصی نداشت برام