Darren Shan's Pretty Awesome!

Darren Shan is byfar my favourite author, I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I love those books to pieces, but I much prefer the writing styles of Darren Shan. I was first introduced to Darren Shan years ago when I was going on holiday, my dad said he would buy me a few books for the airplane ride as the airplane ride was going to be long seeing as we would be going to America. At this point in my life I was not that big into books, the only book series I had read at that point was Lemony Snicket's series of unfortunate events. Those books were great and at that time I thought no books could ever compete with those ones, I also believed my Game Boy SP would keep my happy enough on the plane journey. But it was a free book anyway so I went and saw a book with a spider on the cover, it was called Cirque Du Freak.

I got home and packed it straight away, I planned to go on my PS2 but my sister was on it. My mother was watching TV and my Dad was on the computer, I checked my Game Boy but it needed charging, so I decided to go and read the book. So I sat down and started reading the book, my dad later nudged me and told me dinner was ready. He looked at the book oddly and asked why was I reading the ending before I had even started, I then revealed I had read the book all the way through. He was a bit annoyed that I was done with it already, but I could care less, I just read one of the coolest books of all time.

Cirque Du Freak is a fantastic novel, as I had only ever read the Unfortunate Event Books I was not used to this type of storytelling, to me this was an adult book as this made the Snicket Books look like a babies book. The book was just so well written and the dialogue was very well done, the overall plot was very cool and very emotional. At one point in the book I remember my heart going cold, I almost cried its that emotional. I was used to no happy endings in books as thats all the Snicket Books were, but this took it to the next level. I liked really like how the reader is Darren Shan, the whole book is I did this and I did that. Not Darren did this and Darren did that, we as the reader are in the eyes of Darren. I loved the characters in the book especially Larten Crepsley. Even to this day he is my favourite character in a book, it's his quick wit and his humour which I enjoy.

Anyway I went out the day before the holiday and spent some of my spending money on some more books in the series (I was happy to discover that this was a 12 book series) I think I picked up like 3 more. I read those on the plane and did not touch my Game Boy, my dad was surprised but I was no longer, these books were amazing. When i got back I spent all of my money on the entire series and read them all, it was such a fantastic series that I had to read it all over again. These aren't especially long books, on average each book is about 200-300 pages and the text is quite big, don't let that fool you into thinking theres no substance, it's just it makes the books readable in one sitting.

Fast forward top the present day and I just re watched the movie adaptation, I really hate that movie because of how unfaithful to the books it was, but its more watchable now. Anyway I then typed in Darren Shan quotes because I was going to write a blog about Darren Shan a few days ago, but then I came across a book called Birth of a Killer. After a few clicks I was just stunned to be looking upon a book that is a prequel to the Saga of Darren Shan (Thats what the 12 books are called), I didn't even believe it at first but its true. It's not a complete series yet as there are only two books out so far, but what they are is a prequel from the eyes of non other than Larten Crepsley. I went out and bought it straight away ovoiusly and read it in one sitting, and Its just such a great book. It fills in a lot of details of Lartens past and theres a ton of cameos from characters in the Saga of Darren Shan, despite this book taking place like 200 years before the saga takes place. I had a nerdgasem when characters I remembered pop up, its the same vibe I got in the Star Wars prequels when I saw characters like Bobba Fett and R2D2.

I have like zero money due to this computer, but I will probably pick up the second book this weekend, I am literally clawing at the clock to make it be the weekend already so I can go and buy it. But yeah, Darren Shans Pretty Awesome, and I recommend you all go and read The saga and this one immediately. Do not be fooled by the new book covers which make it look very kiddish, this book may be in the 11-13 section in most bookstores, but its still and incredible read.