While death is certain,we do not know who it will claim...I'm back on the reading wagon! I hadn't realised just how long I'd gone without picking up a book, and it's shameful. Hunters of the Dusk makes that feeling worse by being so darn good. I love the kind of mini-trilogies the series contains; they're fantastic, and help keep the reader invested with the balanced myriad of plots and adventures, foreshadowed with the coming of the 'big plot'. The Vampire Prince's conclusion revealed a future that's impossible to ignore. Excitement, anticipation and dread are the main emotions I felt going into this entry; things took a huge turn for the better at the end of the previous book, and I'm frantic with anxiety, waiting for that other fateful shoe to drop... SPOILER WARNINGSynopsis (Not a copy from the book, but I always keep my interpretations close.)War has broken out between the vampires and the vampaneze.One that's fated to be the likely genocide of the vampires.Darren Shan, half-vampire himself, and newly appointed Prince has no time to revel in his victories.War and strategy have become his closest friends.But when Mr Destiny shows up at Vampire Mountain, with a sly smile and a way in which the vampires can win the fight, everyone's naturally on edge.Chosen by fate to hunt the Vampaneze Lord, Darren, Mr Crepsley and Harkat leave their home.And death is all but certain... Plot - 5/5 StarsHunters of the Dusk's story pulls on the previous books' history, and begins a new journey for our beloved heroes. It's fun, engaging and full of portents of doom. All the stuff we really love. The Prologue gives us a good jolt. The Vampire Prince gave pretty conclusive predictions that a war was coming, and in this instalment, the vampires are six years into it. It's hit the ground running-type stuff, and instantly, the sense of immediacy and danger is heightened for the reader. We visit old locations and characters, but are also blessed with new ones. We're covering ground quickly, and it's usually around this point in a series - especially a Darren Shan series - where I get depressed that it's coming to an end.Although, I am going to make a prediction. I'm just too intrigued not to. When we learn that our band of merry creatures will find another hunter on their travels, I was hoping it would be Steve, Darren's long ago best friend. But, shortly after, and before we meet the real new hunter, I made another prediction that I'm going to stick by.I think the Vampaneze Lord might be Steve!Because, simply, awesomeness!Essentially, a solid entry that matches the magic of its predecessors. Pace - 5/5 StarsIn summary: Quick, action-packed and unputdownable.Everything is perfectly structured to hold a reader's attention right through to the end. Series like this are just addictive as hell.If hell was addictive that is. I'm not entirely sure that sentence works... Characters - 5/5 StarsI'm surprised and extremely happy at where Darren starts off in the story. When he was elevated to Prince status, I couldn't help but assume the title would be more of a novelty rather than a serious vocation. But our hero fully accepts his role, and performs it with gusto. The last six books gave him a vast amount of experience; factor in his loyalty, bravery and, at times, sheer selflessness, and the vampires wholly trust him. I love this. Darren's defying odds and traditions, and doing it all with style!Plus, he retook his Trials of Initiation and kicked ass!The bond between him and Larten is also reinforced, with the teacher advising Darren in his role, lending expansive intellect and a wise mind to temper Darren's immaturity. I adored the new entries to the cast as well, especially Evanna and Vancha, who are both so well-written and characterised. The series does not fail when it comes to its versatile range of personalities and people, even six books in. Writing - 4/5 StarsIn a nutshell: Unencumbered, enjoyable and slowly darkening and maturing along with the plot and its characters. Overall - 5/5 StarsHunters of the Dusk will not disappoint. If you're enjoying the series so far, ready yourself for that to continue. If you're not, then, well, huh? Keep going. That's all I have to say.
Several years pass by since we last saw our heroes with Darren enjoying his reign as a vampire prince among his fellow princes. That all ends, however, when Mr. Tiny arrives and tells the vampires that the vampaneze had a leader called the Vampaneze Lord who is destined to leads the vampaneze into victory unless three of Tiny's choosen hunters can kill him. If the hunters kill the Vampaneze Lord then the vampire's will inevitably win the war and wipe out the vampaneze off of the face of the map. Same goes for the vampires if the Vampaneze Lord kills the hunters. However, only the hunters can kill the Vampaneze Lord and only the Vampaneze Lord can kill the hunters. If the rule is broken then the side that broke the law will be destined to lose. No vampires can assist the hunters, non-vampires, however, can. Darren Shan, Mr. Crepsely, and a new character named Vancha March are chosen as hunters by Tiny. Harkat Mulds decides to join them. During their journey they battle a group of vampire hunters, meet an old friend of Crepsley's and March's named Lady Evanna who is an immensely powerful witch (though she hates being called that), reunite with the Cirque Du Freak whom they haven't seen in several years, and confront the Lord of the Vampaneze for the first time.Wow... that was a mouthful now wasn't it?Vancha March was definitely a badass and it was also nice seeing the Cirque again, especially Evra who is now a family man. Evanna is also cool and so are the action sequences. We get to see a bit more of Tiny and how much of a devil he really is (I really do think that he is the devil).All in all, Hunters of the Dusk serves as an excellent prelude to the rest of the "Vampire Trek Trilogy".
What do You think about Hunters Of The Dusk (2005)?
I didn't care for this one as much as the others. I'm not sure why. It could possibly be the lack of setting. In previous books, they were either at the Cirque, Vampire Mountain, or hotel. In Hunters of the Dusk they were all over the place.I am glad Darren and Mr. Crepsley returned to the Cirque for a little while though. Honestly, I would have been fine if this entire series was just about their travels with the other performers.It's hard to believe how much time has passed since the first book. It must be over twenty years now. I wish we'd gotten more about the six years that Darren spent on Vampire Mountain as a prince.I'm not sure I care for how the story is progressing against the Vampaneze Lord. I guess I'll see.
—Renee
Book 7 in the Saga of Darren Shan is set 6 years after book 6. Darren has resit trials and passed them and has been learning about his new role within vampire mountain. The vampires are also trying to track down the destined lord of the vampaneze and the many battles have become known as the war of scars. However an unexpected visit from Mr Des Tiny see’s Darren, Harkat and Mr Crepsley leaving vampire mountain in search of the Vampaneze lord alone. They are destined to find another vampire to help them on their trial and have been told they will have 4 chances to save their race.Following their hearts they find their travelling companion and go and see Evanna. A woman destined to be able to carry the child of a vampire. They enjoy her company and Darren is told more stories about his friends. They then travel back to the cirque where they catch up with their fiends but the happiness if spoilt by an unexpected betrayal and an unsettling revelation.Book 7 isn’t one of my favourite’s but it allows us to learn more about the destiny of the characters that provides the plot for the next few books.
—Emily
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...Hunters of the Dusk is the seventh book in Darren Shan’s CIRQUE DU FREAK series. Though Shan always does a nice job of quickly and sufficiently recapping the plot, it’d be best not to start here. Go back and begin with A Living Nightmare. And be warned that this review will contain spoilers for previous books.It’s been six years since the events of The Vampire Prince. Young Darren Shan is now one of the leaders of the vampires because making him a prince was the only way that the other princes could legally excuse him for failing to pass the trials. Frankly, this part of the plot is disappointing. It’s hard to believe, first, that Darren had to do the trials at all, and second, that the vampire princes can’t manage to change or otherwise get around the ancient rules. And, if making Darren a prince gets him above the law so that he doesn’t have to be executed, why don’t the other princes have the power to make an exception to the law? What’s the point of being a prince if you can’t change or make exceptions to stupid rules? But let’s just pretend we didn’t notice this little problem and move on, shall we?So, anyway, it’s been six years and Darren has been learning all he can about being a prince of the vampires. Then Mr. Tiny shows up and prophesizes that three vampires must hunt down the prince of the vampaneze. They will have four chances to kill him and if they don’t, the vampires will be wiped out and very bad things will happen to the world. The hunters who must go are Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and another who they’ll meet on the way. Harkat, one of the Little People, may accompany them, and they must first go to visit a witch named Lady Evanna. After that, they must follow their hearts rather than actively pursuing the vampaneze prince. Thus, they go back to the Cirque du Freak where Darren reunites with old friends. He also has an encounter with the vampaneze and learns a little more about Mr. Tiny and Mr. Crepsley.Readers who’ve read this far in CIRQUE DU FREAK are unlikely to turn back now and this is another fast moving exciting story. However, it is weakened substantially, in my opinion, by the inclusion of the Prophecy, Destiny, and Fate elements. Darren and company are suddenly no longer self-efficacious. Instead, they are being dragged around by Mr. Tiny’s nebulous ideas of what has to be. We don’t even know what Mr. Tiny is or whose side he’s on. This lends plenty of mystery, but doesn’t make us very confident in Darren’s decision-making process. Unfortunately, this trend continues in the next few books at least. Still, this is unlikely to bother the target audience and the story continues to delight in many ways. I sincerely look forward to finding out what happens to Darren Shan.I continue to read the audio version read by Ralph Lister. As I keep mentioning, he tends to be a little too dramatic with his reading, but I’m used to it now and it doesn’t detract from the story.
—Kat Hooper
