Vampire Mountain (Cirque du Freak, Book 4)($16.46Value)

Description

In this fourth book in the bestselling Saga of Darren Shan, Darren Shan and Mr. Crepsley embark on a dangerous trek to the very heart of the vampire world. But they face more than the cold on Vampire Mountain?the vampaneze have been there before them. Will a meeting with the Vampire Princes restore Darren's human side, or turn him further toward the darkness? Only one thing is certain?Darren's initiation into the vampire clan is more deadly than he can ever have imagined. Grade 5-8-Darren Shan, the loquacious vampire's assistant, narrates another blood-and-guts tale. Having tracked a horror-movie-stereotype vampire in their previous adventure, Darren and his master, Larten Crepsley, take another hiatus from the bizarre circus of the series title to make a pilgrimage to the Halls of Vampire Mountain to meet with the generals and princes in charge. The peregrinators are accompanied by a pair of ugly, speechless Little People who carry an ominous message for the council from their "old as time itself" master, Mr. Tiny. The road is perilous, of course, and getting to their destination is only half of the problem. Darren's biggest challenge, following a run-in with a crazed grizzly bear and a foolhardy confrontation with a rare, Xena-like vampiress, comes in defending his maker, the one who inexplicably violated the proscription against blooding a child. While the previous trio of "Cirque du Freak" books could each relatively stand alone, this fourth entry marks a definite transition, a critical segue into adventures to come that will revolve around Mr. Tiny's foreboding and Darren's impending Trials of Initiation (book nine is already in the works in the U.K.). The book ends with a "to be continued-" teaser along with an excerpt from the next book. John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Reviewed with Darren Shan's Tunnels of Blood . Gr. 5-8. Teen half-vampire--and author--Darren Shan returns in the next two installments in the Cirque Du Freak series. In Tunnels , Darren has begun to adjust to his fate, but he remains distrustful of his vampire master, Larten Crepsley. When six bodies are discovered drained of blood, Darren and his friend Evra the snake boy decide Mr. Crepsley is behind the killings, and they vow to stop him. When Vampire Mountain begins, Mr. Crepsley has emerged as a heroic, trustworthy mentor for Darren. The two set out for a council at Vampire Mountain, where Darren faces a deadly challenge. Like others in the series, these combine suspense with gory yet fascinating detail, occasional pathos, and even a bit of humor. The cliffhanging ending promises more to come. Two thumping good reads for fans. Debbie Carton Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Darren Shan was born in London but at an early age he moved to Limerick, Ireland, with his parents and younger brother. He grew up watching old Dracula horror movies and reading spooky comics, which were the inspirations for this series. Vampire Mountain is his fourth novel in The Saga of Darren Shan.