On the back of some imaginative and energetic promotion (the launch was held well in advance of publication), Cirque du Freak sold over 10,000 copies in its first month. However, I have already seen large stacks of the book marked down in remainder shops, so possibly some of the publisher's highest hopes were not realised. (Shan shares the same agent as J. K. Rowling.) In this new title, Shan is having to come to terms with his half-vampire status and his reluctance to drink blood. Left me wondering where the whole saga is going, and wishing Collins were publishing it at a faster pace.