The Saga of Darren Shan

The Saga of Darren Shan (known in the U.S. as Cirque Du Freak) is a series of young adult vampire novels written by Darren O'Shaughnessy. They tell the story of a boy named Darren Shan who is turned into a half-vampire (blooded) by another vampire, Larten Crepsley. The Saga is made up of four trilogies and there is a film based on the first trilogy.

Vampire Blood Trilogy

Vampire Blood (also called the Cirque du Freak Trilogy) is the first trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan by the author Darren Shan. It contains the books Cirque Du Freak, The Vampire's Assistant and Tunnels of Blood. These starting books explore how Darren must adapt to his new life, and what that entails. The first book contains the reasons why he became a half-vampire and what he had to give up in order to save his ex-best friend. As well as introducing the character, while the second and third go into more detail about how he has to change and what he will never be able to do. The main theme for the whole of the trilogy is insecurity. He has just been changed into something hardly anyone would accept, and throw in the fact that he's just a child leads into a darker and more unusual way to grow up. Cirque du Freak: The Vampires Assistant is loosely based on this trilogy

Universal Studios have bought the rights to Darren Shan and is directed by Paul Weitz with Chris Massoglia playing the lead role of Darren Shan. The film was released on October 23, 2009.