Ever want to run faster than a deer, play soccer better than a pro, have broken bones mend themselves in a few hours, and meet interesting and amazing people and things while traveling across the county? Ever want to live 8 times longer than the average human? Ever want to see a real wolf man........ rip out your friend's stomach? Well, Darren Shan didn't want these things in his life, but that's what he got, and much more! Shan was just a normal kid, sneaking out of the house in order to have a good time with his "buds." And then they went to a freak show- Cirque de Freak. It provided more thrills and chills than bargained for- but even that didn't stop Darren from stealing a vampire's deadly spider and having to pay for that life changing mistake by becoming a 1/2 vampire assistant himself! Imagine being a vampire's assistant... You, like David Shan, would have to say good-bye to your family and friends... FOREVER! Sure, you could run across the country faster than a car- and bite through metal pipes with your bare teeth, but your friend would be Evra the snake boy and your mentor, Mr. Crepsley, is someone you'd like to kill someday -- especially since you believe he's the one responsible for a slaughterhouse full of bone-dry bodies.... For Darren, this was the last straw- but little does he know of the reeeeeeaaaallll horror that awaits..... (Da duh duh dum...)