Vampire Mountain

Mr Crepsley takes Darren to Vampire Mountain to present his assistant to the Vampire Princes, and also explain why he blooded a young boy. The very gothic setting reminded me of the Rex Stout novel Black Mountain, where Nero Wolfe takes his assistant Archie Goodwin to Montenegro, and the bonding process between Crepsley and Darren is much the same. Although the vampire names and medieval rituals of the mountain read more like a gothic fantasy novel - if vampires are originally humans who have been 'blooded' by other vampires, why do they sound like Star Trek characters? - the most important thread of the story for me is the understanding between the vampire and his assistant. Shan, author and character, starts to reveal the deep level show more of affection and respect Darren has for Mr Crepsley, which is mirrored in Crepsley's relationship with his mentor, Seba Nile. And the mystery of exactly why Mr Crepsley chose to break the rules by making Darren a half-vampire - which he either cannot or will not explain - tests the strength of their loyalty.

I really cannot explain why I love these books, which were written for a far younger audience, except to say that Larten Crepsley is a fantastic character. show less

Fourth book in the "Cirque du Freak" series and, as the previous ones, a great read.

In this novel, the pace is much slower as we discover more of the vampire world, hierarchy, lore and customs but it far from makes it a dull read. I was actually really impressed with the depth of the vampire universe Shan created. It is truly fascinating and would have read more on the entire subject.

Also, because the pace was slower, the ending came like a Mack truck... and WHAT an ending! It only makes me jump at the bit to read more wanting to know what will happen to Darren, who the Vampaneze Lord may be and what Mr. Tiny's hidden agenda is (come on, we all know he has one)!

All this to say that so far, this series seriously rocks!

Another good quick read in the Darren Shan stories. Yes, the plot is somewhat simple in comparison to some of the other recent books I've read, but that's what makes this a young adult book, and a quick read too. But they're no less enjoyable for it.

In this installment, Darren and Mr. Crepsley make their way to Vampire Mountain, accompanied by two of the Little People at Mr. Tiny's insistence, for a meeting of the Vampire Council, an event which takes place only once every 12 years. The journey is long and hard, and along the way, they run into a few dangers, including a mad bear who's recently snacked on an even madder Vampaneze.

After the bear kills one of the Little People, the other, whom Darren previously referred to as Lefty but show more is really named Harkat, reveals that he can actually speak, and tells the others that Mr. Tiny has accorded him the task of delivering a very important message to the Vampire Princes: The night of the Vampaneze Lord is at hand.... (The Vampaneze are a race of Vampires who broke off from the Council hundreds of years ago, and don't follow any of the Vampire's rules of conduct, in particular, they have no qualms about the killing of humans.) Since Mr. Tiny is known for his predictions coming true, this message is of much interest to all the Vampires.

The book ends with Darren being presented to the Vampire Council and Mr. Crepsley being questioned about his decision to blood a Darren at such a young age, something that is hardly ever done. The Council decides that rather than punish Mr. Crepsley, they are going to put Darren to the ultimate test: The Trials of Initiation... To be continued in book 5, Trials of Death.

I'm also looking forward to find out what happens with the Vampaneze.... show less

Recensione su BookLover

In questo quarto volume, Darren e Mr. Crepsley affrontano il viaggio verso la Montagna dei Vampiri: ogni dodici anni i vampiri si riuniscono in consiglio, un modo per ritrovare vecchi amici o rivali, per scoprire le novità, e per presentare agli altri i nuovi membri, come Darren.
Una volta arrivati, Mr. Crepsley e Darren scopriranno il loro destino, in quanto trasformare i bambini è proibito da secoli.

Devo ammettere che non molto accade in questo libro: oltre al viaggio e ai pericoli affrontati, esploriamo assieme a Darren la Montagna e facciamo lo conoscenza di molti vampiri. La storia non progredisce davvero fino al finale, che fa presagire il quinto libro come piuttosto denso di avventura e pericoli.
Anche se show more non avventuroso come gli altri, ho comunque apprezzato questo volume per altri motivi: in primis il fatto che si arricchisce la nostra conoscenza della cultura vampiresca, e poi perché conosciamo alcuni vampiri, come Arra (in copertina, ma quanto è figa?) e Seba, che io personalmente ho adorato.

Quindi, i personaggi come colonna portante di questo libro. Da chi cominciare?
Ovviamente Darren e Mr. Crepsley li conosciamo bene, e in questo libro si comincia davvero a intravedere un legame più forte. Si è passati dall'odio di Darren verso il vampiro a un rispetto reciproco, dopo anni di convivenza e di spazi condivisi. Anzi, personalmente penso ci sia quasi il principio del legame padre-figlio che nel fandom è uno dei punti di accordo.
E poi rispunta Gavner. Vi giuro che non vedevo l'ora di ritrovarlo (li vedete gli occhi a cuoricino?): in questo libro scopriamo qualcosina in più su di lui, ma da quanto ne so dovrò leggere i prequel per conoscerlo meglio. Nel mentre, mi accontento.
Ma, come ho detto, in questo volume compaiono nuovi vampiri: Arra è una delle pochissime vampire in circolazione. Su un centinaio di vampiro, Darren vede solo due o tre donne. Un po' irrealistico, secondo me, soprattutto per quanto riguarda ciò che viene detto a ragione di ciò. Comunque, Arra è una dei migliori Generali, praticamente imbattuta. Lei e Darren hanno un incontro piuttosto burrascoso, alla maniera dei vampiri, e piuttosto interessante per quanto riguarda i metodi di combattimento vampireschi.
Altro personaggio importante che personalmente ho odiato è Kurda. Io comprendo benissimo la cultura dei vampiri in questo libro, legata all'onore e alla forza, e non trovo Kurda adatto a farne parte né a essere uno dei Principi. Molti vampiri sono d'accordo con me, e sinceramente, a causa dei suoi legami con i Vampaneze, mi aspetto che muoia presto. E non sto più nella pelle.
Un personaggio adorato dai fan e che non vedevo l'ora di incontrare è Seba, il mentore di Mr. Crepsley. Pur avendo una presenza di poche pagine, ammetto che è diventato uno dei miei preferiti. Anche qui, dovrò aspettare i prequel per conoscerlo meglio. Mi rassicura il fatto che quei libri siano già sulla mensola ad aspettarmi.
Ultimi personaggi chiave sono i principi: Paris, Mika e Arrow. Ce n'è un quarto, Vancha, che però in questo libro non compare. Non so ancora bene cosa pensare di loro, soprattutto a causa della decisione che hanno preso in merito a Darren. Mi riservo i miei pensieri per i prossimi volumi.
C'è un ultimo personaggio che credo risulterà importante, e che però non è un vampiro: Harkat Mulds, membro del Piccolo Popolo e quindi creatura di Mr. Tiny. Sembra abbastanza innocuo per quanto riguarda Darren, ma non so per gli altri. Anche qui, si vedrà.

C'è un argomento interessante che mi ha incuriosito, oltre ovviamente a tutta la cultura vampiresca: il problema della lingua. Anche Darren Shan, l'autore, ha fatto un post a riguardo su Facebook proprio in questi giorni per via dei dubbi dei fan. In effetti, non sappiamo bene dove si trovi la Montagna dei Vampiri, se non che è in un luogo sperduto lontano dalla civiltà. E i vampiri provengono da tutto il mondo. Quindi devono per forza parlare una lingua comune se voglio comunicare tra loro. Ma quale? Dubito sia l'inglese, una lingua troppo recentemente adibita a lingua globale. Prima c'era il francese, ma io opto, forse troppo elitariamente, per il latino.
Non sappiamo quando i vampiri siano stati creati, ma storicamente parlando mi sembrava la scelta più ovvia.

Insomma, un libro particolare. Sicuramente non pieno di azione come gli altri libri, ma comunque accattivante e ben scritto, Vampire Mountain si conclude preannunciando guai. Devo assolutamente leggere il prossimo volume. show less

Forgot this one ended on a cliffhanger haha. Glad I have the other books readily available. I remember waiting for the next one to come out when I was younger. After the Tunnels of Blood, this book focuses more on the vampire way of life that was introduced in the last book. I actually think that Shan created great lore for his world and I appreciate Darren's openness to asking questions that the reader would themselves ask. It is a good read.

This is a 3.5 read for Me. I was told My reviews are better without a summery so I am going to try this without summarizing. I am enjoying this series on a few points. 1 I like the growing bond that is going on between Darren and Mr. Crepsley. or as I like to call him Mr. Crapsley. -smirks-
I am also enjoying the unfolding story of all the supporting characters of this book. I just hope that the pace of the next book is as quick as this was. Trials of death is on My to read list I may even start tonight!

After flying through the first three books, which were addicting, I had a couple others purchased, but not this one. Since it’s inconceivable to read a series like this out of order, I waited awhile until I could own all to continue it. They’re really that addicting.

Unfortunately this fourth was a small dive down. I’m crushed at first that after taking a break from the series, when I come back they’re immediately leaving the freak show and finding new paths. Change is inevitable, but I’d associated this series thus far with the performers, adventures there, and Darren finding himself among the crew. Now it was a sudden shift as they ventured to Vampire Mountain to meet the princes. Apparently making a kid into a half-vampire show more is a big no-no, and Crepsley has some explaining to do.

The journey to the mountains was relatively interesting. They leave behind other characters I’d grown to enjoy, and Darren himself is different as several years have now passed (hate when authors jump time like that) and he is now more comfortable in how own skin. While some regulars were taken away, new friends are met on the journey, and then there were plenty of new faces in the vampire mountain itself.

Darren is a likeable sort still, but Crepsley fell back more into a background, ordinary character territory. I liked some of the new characters, but most were irritants, especially the female vampire Arra.

I was annoyed by some of the strictness and their ways, but obviously this was the world Shan created for the story. (I can’t help it – issues with authority and silly blind leadership here.) The mountain idea is a childlike whim that worked, although of course the childlike names are a hokey curse for the series.

Besides a few fight scenes, there isn’t much of an overarching conflict, so there’s no draw pulling me in as much as the other books. Since Darren is more sure of himself, there isn’t as much internal conflict either. This hurt the pacing a bit.

On the good side of things, we learn more about the vampires, vampineze, the world that’s been built around them, their politics (sometimes annoying), and a darker, older reality Darren has walked into.

Not a bad book, but one of the weaker ones and feels like a filler. Still, it must be read in the series to know how he got to where he did by book five. I was irritated at the end with the trial pronouncement, however, for it made the prince’s council and rules even more irritating. show less