Birth of a Killer (novel)
Encyclopedia
Birth of a Killer is the first installment in Darren Shan
's The Saga of Larten Crepsley
series.
. The novel is set in Europe and is told in present tense third person about Larten Crepsley, a vampire
.
factory until tragedy strikes and Vur is murdered by their sadistic foreman Traz. This causes Larten to kill Traz in revenge and to then try and escape the pursuing group of people intent on his death.
After a few hours on the run Larten seeks cover in a crypt in a graveyard. Whilst eating cobwebs to try and satisfy his hunger, he finds himself face to face with a real-life 500-year-old vampire
by the name of Seba Nile. After convincing Larten that vampires are not monsters, he asks Larten to become his assistant and eventually a half- then full-vampire. Seba then leaves to hunt in order to eat and give Larten time to mull things over.
Following the return of Seba, he and Larten go travelling around the world and eventually find themselves in an abandoned, run-down castle. With Larten as his assistant, Seba falls asleep safe in the knowledge that they will not be disturbed. Larten goes hunting for animals which he can drain of blood and cook for Seba and himself. Whilst preparing the food, he hears very faint footsteps behind him, knowing that it is not Seba but is a vampire, he asks the unknown visitor 'will you be eating with us, sir?' he then turns round to find himself confronted with the 600-year-old Vampire Prince, Paris Skyle.
As the book continues, the vampire council (A festival, and time for meetings, and story-telling, which comes round once every 12 years) comes round. Seba, who has not attended council for 24 years, after breaking his leg en-route to the previous council, feels the need to attend, and so organises for Larten to stay with his good friend, Cirque Du Freak owner, Mr. Hibernius Tall. Whilst living with the Cirque Du Freak Larten makes new friends
and finds himself doing jobs, as is the way of the Cirque Du Freak. After learning card tricks, escapology, and lockpicking from Merletta (one of the freaks, a magician) he is included in one of the shows and finds that he has a taste for this sort of thing.
One morning, after a particularly sleepless night, Larten goes for a walk around the village close to the Cirque's current location. He finds himself in a group of people who are surrounding a young man (Larten's age) and 4 bodies (whose blood had been drained) on the floor. He finds out that the bodies are the Mother, Father and Siblings of the young man, who is named Wester Flack.
Wester and Larten decide to go after the 'Monster
'. They reach a ruined mansion, enter, and search the rooms, where, they come across the shape of a human covered by a blanket. Larten leaves a clear route for Wester, so he can have the first strike. Just as Wester moves towards the body, Larten realises that he will have to pull the blanket off the 'Monster' before striking, losing the element of surprise, He decides to pull the blanket back so Wester can immediately strike. Just as Larten goes to pull the blanket, it is tugged out of his grasp by the figure beneath, causing Larten to get knocked to the side, knocking Wester off balance in the process. The figure underneath jumps up and is revealed to be what looks like a human but with purple skin, and red hair, eyes, lips and fingernails.
The creature is momentarily distracted by his foes. Larten and Wester use this opportunity to strike, Larten with his hands and Wester with a stake. The creature pulls the stake out of Wester's hand and settles into a defensive position. After a short fight the creature talks to Larten about what he is, a Vampaneze which is a blood cousin of the vampire. He tells Larten his name Murlough but does not ask for Larten's in return. After further discussion about the ways of the Vampaneze, Murlough leaves to find a new hiding place.
Larten asks Wester if he would like to join the Cirque Du Freak, and possibly become an assistant to Seba.
After 12 years, Seba, Larten and Wester (who are both full-blooded vampires now) are in Vampire Mountain
at another Vampire Council about to take part in their first Festival of the Undead. The festival consists primarily of, games, drinking and dancing. During his first attempt at one of the games, Larten, who prides himself on his speed, is beaten 3 times in a row, and goes on to lose every game he takes part in. Larten takes this quite badly and ends up storming off, where, after a few hours he is found by Seba, who talks him back up to the mountain.
After the Vampire Council, Larten and Wester decide that their ultimate destiny lies in becoming a Vampire General. Upon hearing this Seba begins testing the pair in ways that they consider deeply unfair, as the tests that are set are impossible to complete. After weeks of unfair testing, things get the better of Larten who ends up arguing with Seba. After this verbal outburst Larten and Wester leave Seba and go off on their own, in order to make the most of what their human lives could have been.
Upon leaving Seba, Larten and Wester travel on their own until the meet up with the 'cubs', a group of Vampires who are also making the most of their lives in the way of a human. This particular group is led by a Vampire names Tanish Eul. Larten, Wester and the Cubs get involved with heavy drinking, gambling and human women.
The book ends with Larten, in a human inn, bumping into a man with a Heart-Shaped watch, dressed in a yellow suit. The mysterious man says to Larten 'I have been spying on Tanish Eul for some time now, but I think I will be keeping my eye on you from this point on, Master Crepsley. Is it coincidence that our paths crossed tonight? Or is it destiny?'
Darren Shan
Darren O'Shaughnessy , who commonly writes under the pen name Darren Shan, is an Irish author. Darren Shan is also the main character in Shan's The Saga of Darren Shan young-adult fiction series. He also wrote The Demonata series as well as the stand-alone books, Koyasan and The Thin Executioner...
's The Saga of Larten Crepsley
The Saga of Larten Crepsley
The Saga of Larten Crepsley is a series of novels written by Darren Shan, published by Harper Collins in the United Kingdom and Little Brown in the United States. It covers the first 200 years of Larten Crepsley's life...
series.
Overview
The book was released in the UK and Ireland on the 30th of September 2010 and in the US on 28 September 2010 by best-selling teenage horror author Darren ShanDarren Shan
Darren O'Shaughnessy , who commonly writes under the pen name Darren Shan, is an Irish author. Darren Shan is also the main character in Shan's The Saga of Darren Shan young-adult fiction series. He also wrote The Demonata series as well as the stand-alone books, Koyasan and The Thin Executioner...
. The novel is set in Europe and is told in present tense third person about Larten Crepsley, a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
.
Plot
This book begins with a young Larten Crepsley and his cousin Vur Horston in the early 19th century. It tells the story of Larten and Vur working in a silkSilk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
factory until tragedy strikes and Vur is murdered by their sadistic foreman Traz. This causes Larten to kill Traz in revenge and to then try and escape the pursuing group of people intent on his death.
After a few hours on the run Larten seeks cover in a crypt in a graveyard. Whilst eating cobwebs to try and satisfy his hunger, he finds himself face to face with a real-life 500-year-old vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
by the name of Seba Nile. After convincing Larten that vampires are not monsters, he asks Larten to become his assistant and eventually a half- then full-vampire. Seba then leaves to hunt in order to eat and give Larten time to mull things over.
Following the return of Seba, he and Larten go travelling around the world and eventually find themselves in an abandoned, run-down castle. With Larten as his assistant, Seba falls asleep safe in the knowledge that they will not be disturbed. Larten goes hunting for animals which he can drain of blood and cook for Seba and himself. Whilst preparing the food, he hears very faint footsteps behind him, knowing that it is not Seba but is a vampire, he asks the unknown visitor 'will you be eating with us, sir?' he then turns round to find himself confronted with the 600-year-old Vampire Prince, Paris Skyle.
As the book continues, the vampire council (A festival, and time for meetings, and story-telling, which comes round once every 12 years) comes round. Seba, who has not attended council for 24 years, after breaking his leg en-route to the previous council, feels the need to attend, and so organises for Larten to stay with his good friend, Cirque Du Freak owner, Mr. Hibernius Tall. Whilst living with the Cirque Du Freak Larten makes new friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
and finds himself doing jobs, as is the way of the Cirque Du Freak. After learning card tricks, escapology, and lockpicking from Merletta (one of the freaks, a magician) he is included in one of the shows and finds that he has a taste for this sort of thing.
One morning, after a particularly sleepless night, Larten goes for a walk around the village close to the Cirque's current location. He finds himself in a group of people who are surrounding a young man (Larten's age) and 4 bodies (whose blood had been drained) on the floor. He finds out that the bodies are the Mother, Father and Siblings of the young man, who is named Wester Flack.
Wester and Larten decide to go after the 'Monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
'. They reach a ruined mansion, enter, and search the rooms, where, they come across the shape of a human covered by a blanket. Larten leaves a clear route for Wester, so he can have the first strike. Just as Wester moves towards the body, Larten realises that he will have to pull the blanket off the 'Monster' before striking, losing the element of surprise, He decides to pull the blanket back so Wester can immediately strike. Just as Larten goes to pull the blanket, it is tugged out of his grasp by the figure beneath, causing Larten to get knocked to the side, knocking Wester off balance in the process. The figure underneath jumps up and is revealed to be what looks like a human but with purple skin, and red hair, eyes, lips and fingernails.
The creature is momentarily distracted by his foes. Larten and Wester use this opportunity to strike, Larten with his hands and Wester with a stake. The creature pulls the stake out of Wester's hand and settles into a defensive position. After a short fight the creature talks to Larten about what he is, a Vampaneze which is a blood cousin of the vampire. He tells Larten his name Murlough but does not ask for Larten's in return. After further discussion about the ways of the Vampaneze, Murlough leaves to find a new hiding place.
Larten asks Wester if he would like to join the Cirque Du Freak, and possibly become an assistant to Seba.
After 12 years, Seba, Larten and Wester (who are both full-blooded vampires now) are in Vampire Mountain
Vampire Mountain
Vampire Mountain is the fourth book in The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan . It is part of the Vampire Rites Trilogy, which consists of books four to six in the 12 book saga. It was first puplished by Collins in 2001 in the Great Britain in 2001.-Summary:Eight years have passed since Darren...
at another Vampire Council about to take part in their first Festival of the Undead. The festival consists primarily of, games, drinking and dancing. During his first attempt at one of the games, Larten, who prides himself on his speed, is beaten 3 times in a row, and goes on to lose every game he takes part in. Larten takes this quite badly and ends up storming off, where, after a few hours he is found by Seba, who talks him back up to the mountain.
After the Vampire Council, Larten and Wester decide that their ultimate destiny lies in becoming a Vampire General. Upon hearing this Seba begins testing the pair in ways that they consider deeply unfair, as the tests that are set are impossible to complete. After weeks of unfair testing, things get the better of Larten who ends up arguing with Seba. After this verbal outburst Larten and Wester leave Seba and go off on their own, in order to make the most of what their human lives could have been.
Upon leaving Seba, Larten and Wester travel on their own until the meet up with the 'cubs', a group of Vampires who are also making the most of their lives in the way of a human. This particular group is led by a Vampire names Tanish Eul. Larten, Wester and the Cubs get involved with heavy drinking, gambling and human women.
The book ends with Larten, in a human inn, bumping into a man with a Heart-Shaped watch, dressed in a yellow suit. The mysterious man says to Larten 'I have been spying on Tanish Eul for some time now, but I think I will be keeping my eye on you from this point on, Master Crepsley. Is it coincidence that our paths crossed tonight? Or is it destiny?'