NOTE: This review is very general to the whole series, being a prequel and all. There are no spoilers.
Title: The Saga of Larten Crepsley (#1 Birth of a Killer, #2 Ocean of Blood, #3 Palace of the Damned, #4 Brother's to the Death)
Author: Darren Shan
Rating: 5 stars
Blurb: (Of the first book only)
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 cousin 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.
Review:
Darren Shan has done it again. The Master of Horror is now too the Master of Originality, and the Master of Storytelling. He is the Master of Masters. Brother's to the Death was the fourth and final in the Larten Crepsley Saga, and though this saga is a prequel to the Cirque Du Freak Saga (many sagas there), it contained the same
thrill, emotion, and depth as a non-prequel. I say this because prequels can often get tiresome. The events do not always bear a shock or surprise, but the same cannot be said for Darren Shan's Larten Crepsley books.
The idea behind his novels may revolve around vampires, but do not be fooled. These vampires are some of the most ancient, most noble and vicious. These vampires do not glitter and nor do they turn to ash beneath the sun. They are not all handsome (most are not), but they are some of the most heartfelt vampires I have ever read about. Mr. Shan has simply blown the scales of the 'Feel-o-Meter'. The characters, vampires and non vampires alike, are heavily padded with realism and depth. Their lives are so fascinating. Even after having turned the last page I found myself stuck in the 19th century, standing beneath a dark sky. The atmosphere of the story seemed to have drifted from the pages, engulfing me, blinding me like a thick fog.
I implore everyone to give Darren Shan a try. Although it would be a good idea to start from the original saga, The Cirque Du Freak. His characters are some of the most profound I have ever set eyes upon. His plots are some of the most fascinating. I can proudly say that Darren Shan rests a place in my heart along with Rick Riordan, Patrick Ness, and Neal Shusterman.
(On a side note, in this review I've tried to speak generally of all four books in the Saga).
Title: The Saga of Larten Crepsley (#1 Birth of a Killer, #2 Ocean of Blood, #3 Palace of the Damned, #4 Brother's to the Death)
Author: Darren Shan
Rating: 5 stars
Blurb: (Of the first book only)
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 cousin 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.
Review: Darren Shan has done it again. The Master of Horror is now too the Master of Originality, and the Master of Storytelling. He is the Master of Masters. Brother's to the Death was the fourth and final in the Larten Crepsley Saga, and though this saga is a prequel to the Cirque Du Freak Saga (many sagas there), it contained the same
thrill, emotion, and depth as a non-prequel. I say this because prequels can often get tiresome. The events do not always bear a shock or surprise, but the same cannot be said for Darren Shan's Larten Crepsley books.
The idea behind his novels may revolve around vampires, but do not be fooled. These vampires are some of the most ancient, most noble and vicious. These vampires do not glitter and nor do they turn to ash beneath the sun. They are not all handsome (most are not), but they are some of the most heartfelt vampires I have ever read about. Mr. Shan has simply blown the scales of the 'Feel-o-Meter'. The characters, vampires and non vampires alike, are heavily padded with realism and depth. Their lives are so fascinating. Even after having turned the last page I found myself stuck in the 19th century, standing beneath a dark sky. The atmosphere of the story seemed to have drifted from the pages, engulfing me, blinding me like a thick fog.I implore everyone to give Darren Shan a try. Although it would be a good idea to start from the original saga, The Cirque Du Freak. His characters are some of the most profound I have ever set eyes upon. His plots are some of the most fascinating. I can proudly say that Darren Shan rests a place in my heart along with Rick Riordan, Patrick Ness, and Neal Shusterman.
(On a side note, in this review I've tried to speak generally of all four books in the Saga).
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