Darren Shan (character)


 * This is the article about the character; for the author who writes under this name, see Darren O'Shaughnessy



Darren Shan is the main character in The Saga of Darren Shan.

Cirque Du Freak:A Living Nightmare
Before the Cirque, Darren would hang out with his three friends:

Steve Leonard

Tommy Jones

Alan Morris

The four were soccer fans, and had a lot of fun together. Darren Shan lived a happy life with his Mom, Dad, and younger sister, Annie.

When Alan brings a poster to school advertising a Freak Show, Steve manages to raise the money to buy the tickets. However, they were only given two by the sales person, due to Special Conditions. They decide to compete for the tickets, or rather ticket, as all of them agreed that Steve deserved a ticket for raising the money in the first place. Darren wins, catching the ticket by chance. They go to the freak show, but Steve realises that one of the performers, the spider-wielding Larten Crepsley, is a vampire. After the show Steve stays behind, telling Darren to go home without him, but Darren disobeys. He sneaks up to the balcony and sees everything unfold from above.Shocked to know that Steve wants to be a vampire (and that Steve has evil blood), Darren flees home. That conflict is put aside, as Darren then realizes that he can in fact own Madam Octa, Mr. Crepsley's deadly performing spider.

Darren steals Madam Octa the spider from the Cirque du Freak and develops a telepathic connection with her. However, when he is demonstrating his control over her to Steve, Annie startles him, and his control over the spider is lost, giving Madam Octa the chance to bite Steve. He goes to hospital but none of the doctors can figure out what type of poison it is. Darren goes to Mr. Crepsley for the cure and the vampire gives Darren an offer: Darren must become his assistant in order for him to be given the antidote. Darren agrees and is blooded by Mr. Crepsley. He fakes his own death and leaves his hometown to follow his life as a vampire. After three days, paralyzed in a hospital bed and then in a grave, his actions to save his friend Steve backfires, and on his way he is ambushed by Steve, who is unwilling to kill Darren. He thinks that Darren plotted against him all along, and promises that he will someday find Darren and have his revenge.

Tunnels of Blood
Mr. Crepsley then has to leave on a mission, and takes Darren and Evra Von with him. They arrive at a city, apparently the city from which Mr. Crepsley was born and raised. While Darren and Evra explore the city on their escapades, Mr. Crepsley is secretly busy on his mission. Darren quickly befriends a human named Debbie, and they develop a relationship. Darren has less and less time, even more so when he finds on the news that bodies had been found in the city completely drained of blood, to which Darren is horrified, jumping to the conclusion that Mr. Crepsley is behind it. Like most plots in the Darren Shan series, the situation quickly spirals out of control, ending up with Darren ambushing Mr. Crepsley just as he was about to capture a Vampaneze, injuring Mr. Crepsley and greatly agitating him. When Darren finds out what is really going on, he quickly forgives Mr. Crepsley, and starts helping him. Darren, now having even less time for Debbie, is worried. Debbie invites Darren to her Christmas party, but Darren, excepting the inevitable, that he will have to leave eventually, decides to tell them he is moving again. Debbie, greatly disappointed, tries to convince him to stay just that one day, but Darren disagrees. Finally, Darren decides to tell Mr. Crepsley, about Debbie, to which he surprisingly finds that Mr. Crepsley is not mad, even delighted that he brought up the topic. After a brief talk with him, they both resume tracking down the Vampaneze. However, they meet some bumps along the road. Evra gets kidnapped and when darren and Mr. Crepsley are searching for him Darren and Mr. Crepsley get into another argument, an ensuing fight leaves the vampires one-up to the vampaneze. You then find that it was all one massive plan to capture and kill the Vampaneze. However, Darren admits that there were certain parts that were left to chance, and that the plan could have failed at anytime. Then it is shown in this passage of how Darren says goodbye to Debbie.

Vampire Mountain
Darren begins to like Vampires, and does not hate Mr. Crepsley so much anymore. Together, he, Mr. Crepsley, Gavner Purl (an old friend of Mr. Crepsley) and two little people travel to Vampire Mountain. On the way, they meet a pack of wolves, who are naturally drawn to vampires, and they develop a friendship. In particular, the friendship between the feisty wolf cub Rudi and Darren Shan. While Mr. Crepsley and Gavner Purl were away hunting, they are suddenly attacked by an insane bear, and although at first Rudi fends off the bear, he is injured by it and becomes frightened, hiding in a tree for the rest of the battle, although Darren notes that were it not for Rudi, they would all be dead. Then, the other wolves arrive, but they are unable to defeat the bear, being knocked back. They then stay back to comfort Rudi, leaving Darren and the two little people. One of the little people tries to fight the bear, but the bear kills it gruesomely. The other little person is unable to make a difference in the fight, so it is up to Darren. He takes the bones of the dead little person and manages to severely injure and kill the bear. When the two other vampires return, Darren tells them about the bear, and Mr. Crepsley reveals that the bear had consumed the blood of a Vampaneze. Darren then finds that the other little person can speak, and that his name is Harkat Mulds. He reveals that he does not remember much, but remembers that Mr. Tiny revived him from the dead, in exchange for his service for an indefined period of time.

When they reach the mountain summit, Darren is introduced to the many aspects of Vampire life that he was not aware of, and finally gets a grip on the Vampire Honor Code. He is introduced to many gruesome rooms, including a group of pale-faced humanoid creatures. He also learned about the oldest vampire alive, Paris Skyle, who resides at the mountain as a prince. He also learns that Mr. Crepsley was once a vampire general (and was almost elected to become a prince), until he quit in search of more interesting things to do. He posed many questions, such as how human blood was collected in these regions, to which was only vaguely answered. He then becomes even more famous when he faces off on the bars against the undefeated champion Arra Sails, and did not admit defeat until he was completely knocked out and received a handshake from Arra Sails for his courage, (something that is very hard to come by) then colaspes on top of her. At the next meeting, they discuss Mr. Crepsley's decision to blood a child, something that has not been done in centuries. Mr. Crepsley cannot come up with a legitimate reason, and after a series of arguments and negotiations, the Princes try to find a suitable punishment. Surprisingly, the punishment given was to initiate Darren in the trials. Thus, Darren decides to take the Trials and only later finds that the price of faliure is death...

Trials of Death
His first trial was the Aquatic Maze, for which Darren had to find his way out of the maze carrying a heavy boulder half his weight before the constantly pouring water filled up the maze and drowned him. After a day of training, Darren still struggled to complete the trial, almost drowning in the process, but just making it out by the skin of his teeth. The next day, he was assigned his second trial, in which he has to walk through a cave filled with sharp, heavy stalactites. After prolonged training, Darren again struggled to complete the event, impaling himself several times. When he was done, he passed out and was transferred to a hospital. Luckily, the Festivals were the same day, and so he got a three day break from the trials. His third event, arguably his most difficult, was the Wall of Fire, in which he had to stay alive in a room filled with holes, which erupted into searing hot flames. The aftermath of this competition meant that Darren was in serious condition, barely able to stand let alone handle his fourth trial, the Blooded boars, having to kill two crazed boars who had injested vampire blood. Kurda Smahlt managed to convince the Princes to postpone the trials, and after three days Darren faced his fourth trial. He was fighting the boars and seemed to have the upper hand when an injured boar squashed him in place, leaving the other boar to charge at him. At the last moment, it seemed hopeless, but Harkat Mulds, the little person, inadvertently rescuded him, thereby disqualifying him from the Trial, and deemed the same as failing. Although many argued that it was not Darren's fault, and the trial should be redone, the Princes were unable to disobey tradition, and they seemed to be leaning toward execution at the pits. He is forced to flee the Mountain (with some persuasion). As he escapes, he learns that one of the vampires Kurda Smahlt (who is about to become a Vampire Prince) is plotting to betray the vampires to the vampire's blood cousins the vampaneze, in the hopes that he can organize a peace between the species (to try to prevent The War of the Scars).

The Vampire Prince
Darren is nursed back to health by a pack of wolves and, with some reluctance, returns to Vampire Mountain to warn the vampires of the treacherous Kurda Smahlt. He interupts Kurda's accention and manages to tell the princes of how Kurda murdered Gavner Purl and betrayed the clan. Kurda is then imprisoned and an attack on the waiting vampaneze planned.

Seba Nile, Mr.Crepsley and Darren each take control of a group of the mountain's residant spiders. They flush the vampaneze out of their hiding place and into a group of waiting vampires. An ensuing fight leaves Arra Sails fataly wounded; the one-eyed games keeper, Vanez Blane, loses his remaining eye; and Seba ends up limping, from a wound to his leg. The vampaneze left alive are interrogated and executed, along with Kurda, and the dead are cremated - including Arra and Gavner (Kurda told the vampires where to find Gavner's body)

Darren is then judged and, since no one wants to kill him, is made a Prince.

Hunters of the Dusk
Later, Darren becomes one of the Vampaneze Lord hunters. He and Mr. Crepsley head for the home of Lady Evanna and, on the way, meet Vancha March. When there, they find the secret of Mr. Crepsley's scar.

Allies of the Night
Darren ends up going back to school, which causes a problem for their search for the Lord of the Vampaneze. Along the way he meets Debbie, as a school teacher, and Steve, and invites them to search for the Vampaneze Lord. Steve fakes his alliance with the vampires in order to later lure them into a trap, in the sewers, where hoards of vampaneze were waiting for them. Steve takes Debbie hostage and reveals that he is a vampaneze and had been planning the trap for years-the faking of Darren's enrollment forms to high school and, carving the tunnels in the sewer. R.V is also revealed in this book as having joined the vampaneze, with the edition of adding hooks instead of hands when the wolf-man ripped them off in the second book. By the end Gannon lets Darren, Harkat, Mr. Crepsley, and Vancha leave with Steve (as a hostage) and another hostage because many of Gannon's men were dying. They gave them only a limited amount of time to escape before he set the vampaneze on them once again.

Killers of the Dawn
Darren has been accused of commiting a crime that the vampaneze committed, landing him in jail for a while. But he, Harkat, and Mr. Crepsley escape when Steve, who had been held in the police's "hospital", kills a couple nurses and makes a break for freedom. Later on in the books Darren, Steve, and the supposed Vampaneze Lord, have another showdown. Steve knocks Mr. Crepsley on fiery stakes,leading to his demise. Later, Steve reveals to Darren that he is actually the Lord of the Vampaneze.

The Lake of Souls
Darren and Harkat are told by Mr. Tiny that they must travel in order to find out who Harkat used to be. They encounter many fearsome battles and in the end they realise that Harkat was Kurda Smahlt in his previouse life. Darren then returns with Harkat to the Cirque Du Freak, where they remain for two years. Darren picks up the nightmares that Harkat used to have - and reveals his secret that either Steve Leonard will be the Lord of the Shadows and destroy the world, or Darren will. Mr. Tall tells Darren that the Cirque will be returning to his home town...

Lord of the Shadows
Darren's friend from school, Tommy, sees Darren at the Cirque Du Freak and Darren and Tommy start talking again. Tommy, gives Darren a ticket for the baseball game. Darren ends up going and then Tommy was shot. Darren was the first to run down the stadium and go to Tommy's assistance. Darren fallows Morgan James and R.V. In the shadows 4 figures apear (Steve, Morgan, R.V, and Darrius).Darren gets beaten up. Then, Darren runs into LittleKenny and Declan who save his life. They take him to Debbie and Alice. Darren's purge starts up again turning him into a full vampire {not in this book}.Darren learns from Evanna that he might become the Lord of Shadows. Either him or Steve would become the Lord of Shadows. Darren learns that his sister, Annie, has a child who turns out to be Darrius. Darrius is Steve's kid, aka Darren's nephew. Darrius leads Darren, Harkat, Evanna, and Vancha to the old abandom theature where Darren has a flash from the past. Darren's best friend, Evra, kid, Shancus kid is held captive to Steve's mercy. Steve ends up killing Shancus and devistates everyone. Darren feels something that wasn't human or vampire, and feels the need to kill.

Sons of Destiny
In the beginning he reunites with Annie and informs her that her son, Darius, has become a vampaneze. Darren then trades blood with him, hoping to turn him into a vampire. Since Darius was already a vampaneze the blood almost kills both of them as vampaneze blood is lethal to vampires and vise-versa. Luckily they survive, but soon Darren, Vancha, and Harkat have to go and fight Steve in the soccer stadium. Darren sends Annie and Darius to Vampire Mountain to be looked after. In the end he faces Steve in battle and they both mortally wound each other, both dying shortly after. Darren had the opportunity to kill Steve although at the last second he found a loophole in Mr. Tiny's plan and lets Steve kill him so neither would become the Lord of the Shadows and destroy the world. There is a short chapter or two where Darren describes himself in the Lake of Souls. Darren is brought back by Mr. Tiny as a Little Person, after being fished out of the Lake by Evanna. On the way to Mr. Tiny's house/lair Evanna tells Darren she is pregnant with twins, both by a vampire and vampaneze, so one of the races would not be dominate. After he is changed into a little person, which is described as the most painful experience ever, he is sent back in time and sees his younger self at the Cirque with Steve. He scares himself off so that he doesn't see Steve and Mr. Crepsley, cutting off the original chain of events that made Darren a Vampire. He then gives his diary entries to Mr. Tall, (to be given to his human self at a later date and be published as a book) unravels, and dies peacefully on top of the Cirque's roof.

Personality
Initially, Darren is a goody-two-shoes kind of boy, as referred to by Steve. He tries to stay out of trouble and is good in eveybody's eyes. He is loyal to his friends and puts them first before himself, willing to sacrifice than to see them hurt. He is also stubborn as he chooses to stay with whatever decision he has made and will go through it stoicly. He also despises killing, and believes that it is wrong. Eventually, he becomes filled with hate and it appears to start influencing his decisions. Evanna tells him that if he were to become the Lord of the Shadows, he would be a cruel, merciless ruler and be hated and feared by all. Steve would bring humanity and the living dead to their knees, but Darren would bring basically destruction.

Powers and Abilities
Darren is much stronger than any human, can run faster, and ages five times slower than a normal human.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (Movie)
Darren starts off as a normal 16 year old boy. He is popular at school and his best friend is Steve. This is until a flier comes out of a car; the number plate - DES-TINY. This changes his life.

Biography(Movie Plot, NOT book)
Darren was about to go to class when Steve persuaded him to bunk off Mr. Kersey's lesson. They went to the roof of the school and through stones at windows and lamps, only to be caught. Darren's parents told him off big time and told Darren to stop being friends with Steve. This led them to being "secret best friends". Steve felt jealous as Darren had everything good in his life.

When the flier came out of Mr. Tiny's car, it changed Darren's life for good. They went to The Cirque du Freak where Steve recognized Mr. Crepsley as a Vampire by the name of Vur Horsten. After the show, Darren goes to steal Madam Octa and hides in the cupboard. Here, he hears a conversation about Vampires, Vampaneze and Vampire Generals. Soon, Steve enters the room and asks to be blooded, only to find that he has bad blood. He later leaves after swearing to kill Mr. Crepsley.

Darren finds a secret passage way out of the cupboard and escapes to find Mr. Tiny's car. Here, Murlough is also sitting. Darren then goes back to school with Madam Octa in his locker. Steve finds out and then finds out Darren heard the whole conversation about being bad blooded. The bell rings and Darren drops Madam Octa. She runs around the frightened people before biting Steve, who was trying to kill her. Steve is then in a coma. Darren is playing the flute calming Madam Octa and his little sister Annie startles him into messing up and Madam Octa biting Steve, Steve is then paralyzed.

Darren, feeling responsible, goes to the Theatre again to find Mr. Crepsley to ask for an antidote. He says yes, but Darren must become half-Vampire. He unwillingly accepts and then gets blooded. They flit to the hospital where Steve is given the antidote. Darren then sets off the alarms and Crepsley runs away.

Later, Darren comes home and almost bites his sister. Darren then goes into his room to see Crepsley there. After a brief discussion, they decide to 'kill' Darren. Darren is given the potion to numb him and slow his breathing and then Crepsley breaks his neck and throws him off the roof.

At the funeral home, Steve sees the scars on Darren's fingers and then starts shouting at his 'corpse'. He is taken away by Mr. Kersey. Darren is then buried.

Darren is unburied by Crepsley. Mr. Crepsley and Darren then escape to The Cirque Du Freak.

At the Cirque, Darren is put in with Evra's tent and they soon become friends. He, Evra and Rebecca do chores around the Cirque, including cleaning the Wolfman's cage and getting food for the Little People. Darren also meets Harkat Mulds here, who bites him on the way to Evra's tent. Darren and Rebecca become really close to each other.

When Mr. Tiny comes to the Cirque, Darren is told to stay in his tent. Later, the Vampaneze attack. Darren goes to the clothes trailer with Evra and Rebecca. The Vampaneze attack and Darren fights and escapes. Rebecca is kidnapped and Evra is injured.

When Darren finds out Rebecca is kidnapped, he goes after her. He goes back to his house to find his family kidnapped and the flier, telling him to go to the theater. He does this to see lots of Vampaneze. He goes in to see Murlough as well as his family and Rebecca. After a short fight, due to Darren not drinking blood, Rebecca escapes from her ropes by using her tail to untie them and lets Darren drink her blood. Darren and Steve fight as Crepsley and Murlough fight. They are stopped by Mr. Tiny though and Murlough is killed. Steve and Mr. Tiny leave and Darren and Mr. Crepsley go back to the Cirque.

Back at the Cirque, Mr. Tall holds a vote on if Darren should be accepted into the Cirque. Lots say yes, including Harkat. Darren is then accepted.

Personality
Darren is a "goody two-shoes", according to Steve, who is much the opposite and tended to lead him astray while they were friends. He doesn't like to fight and Steve did most fighting for him throughout their childhood.

He is highly obedient towards his parents, becoming "secret best friends" with Steve as Mr. and Mrs. Shan forbid their friendship from existing any longer. He is intensely loyal to his friends and family, being willing to go to any lengths to protect them.