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Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan Book 1)
 
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Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan Book 1) (Paperback)

by Darren Shan (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
Price: £3.92 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan Book 1) + The Vampire's Assistant (The Saga of Darren Shan) + Tunnels of Blood (The Saga of Darren Shan)
Price For All Three: £11.61

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Product details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books; paperback / softback edition (4 Jan 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006754163
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006754169
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.7 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,629 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #30 in  Books > Horror

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

Darren Shan seems like your average boy--he likes playing football with his mates, passing notes in class and loves spiders. Then, one day, his best mate Steve gets tickets for a banned freak show and Darren starts experiencing things that no average boy would dream of. At the Freak show he sees a limb-chewing wolf man, a woman who can grow a beard in front of your very eyes, a snake boy and a goat-eating tarantula called Madame Octa. But what about the mysterious people in blue-hooded robes whose faces you never see? And is Mr Crepsley really a vampire?

Don't be deceived by the facetious tone of the narrator, this book will have you screaming out in revulsion and horror. Wrap yourself up in your duvets and get prepared to be scared. This is outrageously gruesome:

Anyway, that's enough of an introduction. If you're ready, let's begin. If this was a made-up story, it would begin at night, with a storm blowing and owls hooting and rattling noises under the bed. But this is a real story, so I have to begin where it really started ... It started in the toilet.
Cirque du Freak is Darren Shan's first novel and the first in a series highlighting Darren's adventures and misadventures. You'll be baying for blood if you miss out.

And, remember, it's all true. (Age 10 and over) --Nicola Perry



Amazon.co.uk Review

Darren Shan seems like your average boy--he likes playing football with his mates, passing notes in class and loves spiders. Then, one day, his best mate Steve gets tickets for a banned freak show and Darren starts experiencing things that no average boy would dream of. At the Freak show he sees a limb-chewing wolf man, a woman who can grow a beard in front of your very eyes, a snake boy and a goat-eating tarantula called Madame Octa. But what about the mysterious people in blue-hooded robes whose faces you never see? And is Mr Crepsley really a vampire?

Don't be deceived by the facetious tone of the narrator, this book will have you screaming out in revulsion and horror. Wrap yourself up in your duvets and get prepared to be scared. This is outrageously gruesome:

Anyway, that's enough of an introduction. If you're ready, let's begin. If this was a made-up story, it would begin at night, with a storm blowing and owls hooting and rattling noises under the bed. But this is a real story, so I have to begin where it really started ... It started in the toilet.
Cirque du Freak is Darren Shan's first novel and the first in a series highlighting Darren's adventures and misadventures. You'll be baying for blood if you miss out.

And, remember, it's all true. (Age 10 and over) --Nicola Perry


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Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan Book 1)
67% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

76 Reviews
5 star:
 (59)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (76 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Marvellous, 3 Jul 2006
By Scully Bloke (Wiltshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
My 14 year old son read the Cirque du Freak book and told me how good it was. I then read it (in 1 sitting), and immediately bought the remaining 11. We spent the next 2 weeks reading them all.
Its simply a marvellous story and adventure. Each book leaves you wanting to start the next. It brings the reader to humour, then dark humour, then it scares you then makes you laugh.
I am 47 and have read thousands of books, and I would put this series in the top three.
Absolutely Marvellous entertainment.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Slightly gruesome, but a brilliant read., 30 Nov 2001
By A Customer
Darren Shan is a normal kid. He loves football, finds school boring and hangs around a lot with his friend Steve. However, when Steve buys tickets to a mysterious freak show, things start to change a bit.
At the freak show, Darren is captivatd by a tarantula named Madame Octa, owned by a man called Mr. Crepsley. Darren discovers that Mr. Crepsley is a vampire but still steals the spider to keep as a pet. When it bites Steve, Darren is offered a choice: give up his life and become a vampire, or let Steve die.
While the plot device is fairly standard (the choice between your death or the death of a friend/loved one), Darren Shan's excellent writing keeps it exciting and interesting right up to the last page. Cirque Du Freak is an amazing book. Unlike most horror novels written for younger readers, it isn't afraid to dole out a little blood and guts when necessary (especially during the freak show). However, this doesn't mean the book is just cheap shock tactics. It involves the reader deeply, meaning that we truly care about Darren's fate. It is well-written and in places quite funny. Overall this is an excellent book, which I would recommend to anybody, young or old.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Great Darren Shan, 2 Oct 2004
By Helen Barnes (Scotland,Great Britain) - See all my reviews
I've read the first 10 books in this series and i think they're all fantastic.As i read them i really started to care about Darren,Mr Crepsley,Harkat and the rest of the vampire clan, although i hated Steve Leopard and the Vampanese.If i had to choose a favourite it would be the tenth book,The Lake of Souls. This is a great story about Mr Tiny sending Darren and Harkat to another dimension to find Harkats soul.They have to fight different animals before they find the lake.You must read these books in order though to stay with the story.Read the first book to find out how Larten Crepsley turned Darren into a half vampire after Darren stole his performing spider,Madame Octa. The rest of the books follow Darren as he accepts what he is and becomes a vampire prince with a good heart.FANTASTIC.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Cirque Du Freakin' Awesome!
I'll admit I was unsure at first when I picked this book up. Darren Shan writes a lot of books VERY quickly, so I worried that maybe quality writing was being sacrificed... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Paul Everdark

5.0 out of 5 stars Obviously better than Twilight...(for boys anyway)
Take it from an 18 year old who hasn't been able to put down these books in over 7 years, this series is well worth the read. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Master L. Ryan

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read!!
This book was such a brilliant read! Thoroughly enjoyed it, can't wait to see the film now and also get the next book xx
Published 26 days ago by Amanda Sharp

5.0 out of 5 stars great quick read
when i recieved this book i didnt realise that it would be so small but as soon as i started reading i couldnt put it down. Read more
Published 4 months ago by V. M. Parry

5.0 out of 5 stars Fangtastic
Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan Book 1)
I started to read this book when I was 8 years old and thought it was a very good book. Read more
Published 6 months ago

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
I read this book to my Year 5 class and they loved it! They often begged for me to read one more page after home time. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ms. E. A. Fox

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
This book is the first of the thrilling saga of Darren Shan. It starts the tale of the boy when he firsts encounters vampires and enters their world. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Django

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!!
My son was given this book to read at school and to review for a project, so I thought I would read it as well - to give him some encouragment!! I couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 11 months ago by K. Homans

3.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining dark and diverse tale
In the first part of the saga, normal boy Darren gets the chance to go to a freak show with his best friend, and when there, he sees bearded ladies, werewolves and vampires, and... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Stampy

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not good...
Hm, I'm not really sure how to review a book when, like me, you're sat so firmly on the fence of the 3-star rating. Read more
Published 15 months ago by V. Flack

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