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Description
Age :7-11
The Vampires Assistant is the second instalment in the saga of Darren Shan, which began with Cirque du Freak . Then, Darren made the difficult decision to become a half-vampire to save his best mate Steve Leopards life. Now, he must leave his friends and family behind as he travels cross-country with the vampire Mr Crepsley and the Cirque du Freak. Early on, Darren dispel The Vampires Assistant is the second instalment in the saga of Darren Shan, which began with Cirque du Freak . Then, Darren made the difficult decision to become a half-vampire to save his best mate Steve Leopards life. Now, he must leave his friends and family behind as he travels cross-country with the vampire Mr Crepsley and the Cirque du Freak. Early on, Darren dispels the vampire myth in his typically facetious fashion: Crosses and holy water didnt hurt us. All garlic did was give us bad breath ... A stake through the heart would kill us, of course, but so would a bullet or a knife or electricity ... We were tougher to kill than normal people, but we werent indestructible. However, despite Darrens seeming flippancy, The Vampires Assistant is not for the squeamish or faint-hearted. How long can Darren go before he must drink human blood? How safe are Darrens new-found friends? Why dont the mysterious, blue-hooded dwarves speak or cry out in pain? And does their master Mr Des Tiny really feed on little children? No one is safe in this gruesome, macabre tale--more a whos-going-to-do-what than a who-dunnit: And then the red monster was on him. Stanley opened his mouth to scream, but before he could, the monsters hands--claws?--clamped over his mouth. There was a brief struggle, then Stanley was sliding to the floor, unconscious, unseeing, unknowing. Familiar characters include Mr Tall, the wolf-man and Evra, the snake boy, who are more fleshed out in this follow-up. New characters include Darrens new mate Sam and R G (Reggie Veggie), an ecowarrior. If book one whet your appetite, then The Vampires Assistant will certainly leave you hungry for more. Watch out for the next fang-tastic sequel. --Nicola Perry
