Vampire Assistant

Shan, Darren. Vampire Assistant. Book 2 of the Cirque du Freak Series. 2000. 256p. ISBN 9780316905725. Available at FIC SHA on the library shelves.

In Living Nightmare, Darren Shan was turned into a half-vampire by Mr. Crepsley in exchange for saving his friend’s life. He had to abandoned his family and faked his own death. Now, the two of them are living together, moving from place to place and never staying long. But Darren has not reconciled himself to the life of a vampire, and he continues to harbor the wish to kill Mr. Crepsley. He also refuses to drink the blood of a human.

After an unfortunate encounter with human boys his own age (he almost kills one of them by accident), Darren and Mr. Crepsley are forced to move on again, and Darren realizes he will never have friends again. Mr. Crepsley decides to rejoin the Cirque du Freak.

Darren is reunited with Evra Von, the Snake Boy, who’s not much older than he is, and they strike a quick friendship. The two of them also meet a local boy, Sam Grest, who wants to join the Circus to be with them. Unfortunately, Steve doesn’t know that they have special “talents” and that, as a regular human, he cannot become a member of the troop. The three of them run into Reggie Veggie, an eco-warrior there to oppose the building of a new road. Though RV, as he calls himself, is quirky and fun, he also is very interested in how the animals at the Cirque are treated, and he is especially concerned with the fate of the Wolfman.

As the Cirque gets ready for its final presentation in the countryside, everything is about to go wrong and change Darren’s life forever….