Never steal a telepathic performing spider from a vampire, or you’ll have to become the vampire’s assistant. Only he can save your best friend, who was bitten by the spider.

I enjoyed this book when I read it in 2002. I saw it on Kindle Unlimited and decided to re-read it, before my subscription ended. Quite often, when you revisit books from your early teenage years, they are not as good as you remembered and seem a little dated. Moreover, from an adult perspective, the content is darker and more violent than seems suitable for the age group. In my recollection, I abandoned the series partway through, but a search of my reading record reveals that I read all 12 books. I used to like vampire stories, for some reason. I quite liked my re-read of the first book in the series, but I’m not sure if I’ll read the rest. I vaguely remember that they become ever more gruesome.

The premise of the story, which is simply written and thrilling, is that schoolboy Darren (yes, the author and the protagonist are the same!) goes to a freak show with his friend Steve. The performers are astounding, but Darren is entranced by the spider Madam Octa, who is controlled by her owner Mr Crepsley. He steals the spider, even though he knows Mr Crepsley is a vampire, as recognised by Steve, an authority on all things supernatural. The story is very much set up for the following books, as it ends with Darren joining the freak show, having faked his death and been threatened by Steve, who swears to become a vampire hunter.

I don’t think the story is dated at all, except that the kids don’t have mobile phones. I think it would be an ideal book for a reluctant reader who likes horror.

First published in 2000. The cover pictured here is the edition I had.

Darren Shan has been very prolific since then, publishing various books for teens and adults. I remember visiting his website in the old internet days and even once emailed him with a question, some technicality about vampires, which he kindly replied to.

A film of the first three books in the Saga was released in 2009 but was a critical and commercial failure.