Vampire Rites Trilogy (Saga of Darren Shan) | 
| Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £4.99
You Save: £5.00 (50%)
New (28) Used (16) from £2.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 3974
Media: Paperback
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0007143753
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780007143757
ASIN: 0007143753
Publication Date: February 2, 2004
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Sets the background and provides plenty of spills and thrills October 1, 2008
In Vampire Mountain, Darren and Mr Crepsley make their way to a Vampire council meeting. In Trails of Death Darren must prove his worth to the vampire clan by passing five deadly trials and in Vampire Prince Darren must contemplate his future in the vampire world.
After the first three books gave us a taste of who Darren Shan was and his adjustment from an ordinary school boy to a vampire, we are invited into the world of vampires in these three books as we learn of their traditions, their habits and their personalities. The author tells his stories well and has created an intriguing background for the lives of vampires.
Vampire Mountain is a slow paced novel as Darren and Crepsley make their way there. Slow moving but there are a couple of twists and turns in stall as they venture to their destination. The psychology behind their trip is interesting as they encounter numerous obstacles. The setting of the mountain is very dark and what you would hope for, a dark and imaginative approach to the world of vampires. The plot is steady with hardly any action, but the ending will make you carry on into book 5.
Trials of Death is by far the best out of the first 6, with fast and tense action as Darren is forced by vampire law to pass 5 trials of initiation to prove himself as a vampire. The excitement and imagination behind the trials is genius by author Shan who writes with entertainment at heart in this novel. Shan uses the elements to thrill, with water, fire and earth all playing a vital role in the trials, all wonderfully executed. There is also more insight into the world of vampires with more character introduced and a personal history being built as well to make one of the finest novels of the saga.
Vampire prince starts with the ending to a dramatic scenario at the ending of the previous novel and was written poorly, with frequent break ups in the flow of the situation. Perhaps Trials of Death was too good and cast a dismal look at number 6 as Darren contemplates where his future lies. There is nowhere near enough action, though the second half of the book is good, with plenty of interest and a finale which sets the tone for the war to start and another set of events to unfold.
The three books dive deep into a different world, into a fantasy horror which provides perfect escapism, if not always the best writing but nevertheless the whole saga is worth reading and these three books lay down the background and start the proper build up.
8/10
 This is where the saga really kicks off! October 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After the slightly slow first three books, these three really crank up the action!
They're true page-turners with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked.
And don't worry, the book just keep getting better!
These books see Darren enter the heart of the vampire world, battle for his life, and meet the vampires' arch-enemies!
Great books, I highly recommend them.
If Harry Potter was a Vampire.......! February 6, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm a huge fan of horror books and more so anything to do with vampires, so when I read the reviews this seemed perfect for me. I was wrong! What everyone fails to mention is that this is more of a 'my first horror book' best suited for adolescents moving into the world of horror and not quite ready for the likes of Brian Lumley, or those who appreciate childrens adventure. Having said that; in the way that adults can read harry potter and enjoy it, the Darren Shan books became a fun and compelling read. while in no means scary for a hardcore horror fan like myself, far from it, the story of a young boy and his adventures through a boys eyes can draw you in and experience it as though you were a child again and living it through him. The unfortunate thing about the trilogies is that they haven't been revised for a complete book; in other words, twice in one book you are being reminded what happened previously when you've only just turned the page! All in all an enjoyable read and an amazing twist at the very end making it all worthwhile.(I had bought all the trilogies in one go and didn't put them down untill finished!) I gave it 4 star because it's not the sort of book i go for, but if you like this sort of thing or have a child who can tolerate softcore horror, then i'd give it a five for you.
Vampire Rites Trilogy November 16, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The second trilogy out of The Saga of Darren Shan, these books are as chilling as the earlier ones in the saga. Lot's of spooky, horrible to gut-wrenching and "you better be prepared, this part's scary as hell!" parts in this trilogy with the following books:
Book 4: Vampire Mountain
Book 5: Trials of Death
Book 6: The Vampire Prince
To start with, if you already now what has happened in the saga up to this point, you can ignore this: Darren Shan was a regular schoolboy, until he came face to face with Mr Crepsley and his spider Madam Octa, he then get's blooded, and eventually becomes a half-vampire, and follows them into the night. But this is now, Darren, In Vampire Mountain, goes on a deadly trek to Vampire Mountain itself. He then meets up with some Vampire Prince's and faces what happens to be a dreadful challenge.
Trials of Death is where Darren takes up his deadly Trials where it's do or die. It's as simple as that, will he succeed or get thrown into a stake pit.
The Vampire Prince is where Darren must outwit a Vampire Prince, or face death again, will he rule the night?
This trilogy in my opinion is an important part of the saga, so without this it'll be incomplete, so any new Darren Shan fans, or readers or horror buy this and the rest of the saga NOW! 'Nough said!~ Calum Fairweather (Darren Shan Fan)
Brilliant...............Bloody Brilliant! April 13, 2005
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Comment on my starring system.
1 star very disappointing stuff or a very bad item
2 stars ordinary and nothing special AT ALL
3 stars The mark under 'good'
4 stars 'good'
5 stars Absolutely brilliant (an item has to be very, very special to get 5 stars)The Vampire Rites Trilogy is the second in the Darren Shan Vampire Trilogy series. The Vampire Rites trilogy covers books 4, Vampire Mountain, 5, The trials of death, 6, The Vampire Prince. One of the best thing about these books is that there is always a prologue at the beginning, telling you all about what happened in all of the books before the one you are reading. (e.g. bk. 4 will have a short prologue covering books 1 through 3). The only thing about these books is that the last Book included in the trilogy always seems to be the most interesting and compelling. This is what draws you in to read the next three books (for Vampire Rites, there is a next trilogy compilation called Vampire War) which in turn draws you into the next book which is particularly annoying if it has not been published yet! (After Vampire War trilogy, there is a trilogy which covers bks. 10,11,and the final book in the saga, 12-and, it hasn't been published yet!!) Great book with some chilling moments, but with no extremely distasteful bits that often seem to destroy a horror book. Definately Recommended.
|
|
|
