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Note: In the first book, Cirque Du Freak/Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare, "Darren" says he used no real names in the books. These are just the names used by him in substitution of the real names of the key players in his life (he does this for their protection and in fear of being discovered for his true self).
Darren Shan is the main character of "his own" story. Darren became Larten Crepsley's vampire assistant and had to leave his family behind by faking his own death. Darren then joined the circus with Crepsley. By becoming a vampire, Darren left Steve (see section Vampaneze: Steve "Leopard" Leonard) feeling betrayed, so Steve swore to take revenge. At the circus, Darren became friends with Evra Von, a snake boy. He later finds out that Steve became half-vampaneze. Through many dangerous and life-changing circumstances, Darren ends up dying and saving the fate of the world. He is reincarnated by Mr. Tiny as a Little Person like Harkat. Throughout the novels, Darren keeps a diary. Darren travels back in time to the Cirque when he first went with Steve so that he can fix his past mistakes and never become a vampire. After the show, he scares off his past self when Steve are trying to make a deal with Larten Crepsley, thus withdraw his involvement in the story. Afterward, he gives his diary to Mr. Tall, instructing the latter to give it to his older, normal self, so that he will publish it as a fictional book (apparently the Darren Shan series itself) in hope one day the Vampire and Vampaneze would read the book and uncover Destiny's true face and scheme. In the end, Darren gets to live a normal life, and his alternative, vampire self becomes nonexistent and dies. Darren is portrayed by Chris Massoglia in the 2009 movie adaptation.
Larten Crepsley is the vampire that made Darren Shan his assistant after he saved Darren's friend, Steve (in exchange for Darren's pledge to become his assistant; there is a larger story attached to this, see Cirque Du Freak). He is over 6 ft tall with an orange croped hair, is illiterate, and has a three long scars running down the his left cheek. [Evanna, a sorceress, caused the scar due to Larten's attempt at kissing Evanna in his youth.] He is suspected to be about 180-200 years old and was once a Vampire General. He was on the verge of becoming a Vampire Prince, but then, due to his master Seba Nile claiming that his blood had an underlying hint of evil (a thirst for power), he quit being a General. Even though he is not a high-ranking vampire, he is a highly respected vampire.
Larten is the ex-mate of Arra Sails, a woman he had loved. He is also a 'father' figure to Darren.
Larten was chosen as one of the three vampires to hunt the Lord of the Vampaneze.
Larten died falling on a pit of burning stakes after thinking he killed the Lord of the Vampaneze.
Crepsley is portrayed by John C. Reilly in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
He is the main character in a prequel series The Saga Of Larten Crepsley, also written by Darren Shan.
Previously known as Vancha Harst, he was blooded by a Vampaneze with his brother, Gannen Harst. He later found killing not to his liking and was not comfortable committing the act, so he escaped the Vampaneze. He was then found by Paris Skyle, who made the potential sacrifice of turning him from a Vampaneze into a vampire. He then became the 4th Vampire Prince. His hair is dyed green, and his skin is a dark shade of red, due to his constant battle with the sun (he thinks that the sun, like any other enemy of the creatures of the night, can be defeated) and does not like to use weapons, using his bare hands instead, though he does use the shurikens that are strapped to his belt when necessary. He prefers to wear only clothes made from animal hides dyed purple, and doesn't care for having many manners. He claims to be a ladies man, though Darren Shan perceives him as someone whom all women dislike (except perhaps Truska, the bearded lady from the Cirque Du Freak). He is later found out to be the last one of the 3 hunters for the Vampaneze Lord, and joins Darren in the last fight against him. Though he is seriously wounded, it is not fatal. Lady Evanna chose to mate with him and Gannen Harst, thus having a baby from a vampire and Vampaneze.
Kurda Smahlt was a vampire general who was met in the fourth book. Unlike other vampires , he dissagreed with violence , yet was a good fighter. In the trials of death, he killed Gavner Purl and sent the Vampaneze to get Darren. In the Vampire Prince, he said he was trying to bring peace between the two clans. He brought a group of vampaneze to Vampire Mountain, and Darren believed he was trying to give them the Stone of Blood once he became a Prince. He was actually using those vampaneze to try to unite the two clans. The Vampaneze he brought actually agreed that killing was wrong. He was going to become a Vampire Prince until Darren came and said he was a traitor. He was later dropped on to stakes in the Hall of Death untill he died.
In the second book, Harkat Mulds was introduced as Lefty because he had a limp in his left leg. In Vampire Mountain, he reveals his real name, and the fact that he can speak. He went out of his way to protect Darren. In The Lake of Souls it was found that Harkat used to be Kurda Smahlt and was sent by Mr. Tiny. Mr. Tiny created Harkat from the remains of Kurda, and sent him back to the past, so that Darren wouldn't die in his fight with the bear while traveling to Vampire Mountain, or the two boars in his Trials of Initiation. The name Harkat Mulds is actually an anagram of the name Kurda Smahlt shown by the teeth of the panther, as revealed in The Lake of Souls. Harkat later finds out that they were in the future by looking at post cards dated years later . Also in the Lake of Souls Harkat had three identical scars on his left cheek, just like Kurda.In the lake of souls , Darren and Harkat accidentally bring Kurlda back to life . Mr.Tiny revealled that Harkat and Kurda could not live in the same timeline . Harkat was prepared to die but Kurda asked to be killed so Harkat could live . Mr.Tiny stabbed Kurda and garunteed that his soul would enter paradise.
A good friend of Mr. Crepsley and Darren. Mr. Crepsley often teased him for his heavy breathing and snoring, also the fact that he could hear him coming from half a mile away. He is a vampire general and is later killed by Kurda Smahlt. His last words are "sorry if my snoring kept you awake..". Gavner's death is one of the main reasons Darren speaks of Kurda's treachery. Towards the end of book 6, it says they found Gavner's body stuffed between two cliffs near the tunnel he was killed in. In the story, An Affair of the Night, it shows that Gavner has a girlfriend named Liz Carr. At the end of the story, the couple break up and Gavner leaves for his trek to Vampire Mountain (book 4)
Gavner Purl is portrayed by Willem Dafoe in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
Mr. Crepsley's former teacher and Vampire Mountain's quartermaster. Seba Nile served as a big inspiration to Mr. Crepsley (while teaching Mr. Crepsley, before the series, he says he wishes to speak like Seba. Seba takes the matter further by plucking a hair from inside of Mr. Crepsley's nose whenever he said can't or won't or it or cannot). Seba also dresses all in red, which is where Mr. Crepsley got the idea. He is the oldest living vampire by the end of the series, at over 700 years old. He fights in the battle that starts the War of Scars. His leg is hit with a sword and walks with a limp through the rest of the series.
A Vampire Prince and the oldest living vampire. At least 800 years old. Apparently knew William Shakespeare (he drank from him on his deathbed to preserve his spirit), sailed with Columbus and inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. He is found dead under the body of a lifeless bear in book eight (due to their life-style, old Vampires often choose to fight a battle they know they possess no hope of winning rather than die peacefully).
The other Vampire Prince whom at first Darren despised. He dresses in all black, as that is his custom. He has shiny, jet black hair [usually portrayed as long] and dark eagle-like eyes. His features are sharp and raven-like. He was the youngest prince before Darren at a "mere" 270 years. He is very stern, gloomy and grumpy. He has many wrinkles on his forehead and sides of his mouth from always frowning. He rarely, if ever, smiles. Because of this he comes off as a very intimidating person. Like all Princes, he has huge muscles and is quite big [over 6 ']. He is very loyal to the Vampire Clan and prizes honor and good-standing above all else.
In an appearance at a book signing in New Jersey Darren Shan said that Mika was Arra Sails' mentor and perhaps even a rival of Larten Crepsley's for her affection.
A Vampire Prince whose wife was killed by the Vampaneze. He loathes them for that reason. He is bald and has tattoos of arrows going down the side of his head and arms. He is a fearsome fighter, using both boomerangs and swords. He has killed more Vampaneze than any other prince in history. He wished to kill every vampaneeze on earth . He later abandoned that quest .
One of the few female vampires, but is considered the physical equal, or better, of the males. Darren won her respect after a fight on the bars, which is hard to earn. Arra Sails prepared Darren for his third trial, the Hall of Flames. She is Larten Crepsley's love interest and ex-mate. She was killed in the battle that began the War of the Scars by the Vampaneze named Glalda Erefith. She asked Larten to make sure the Princes spare Darren's life (he failed the trial and fled from his death sentence). After Her death a picture of her is found on the back of a frog, as a memory, at the cave of Lady Evanna. We learn in the prequel seris , the saga of larten crepsley , we learn that Arra once was a servant of Lady Evanna.
Vanez Blane is the Games Master in Vampire Mountain, and therefore the highest ranked tutor. He helped Darren train for three of his trials. He lost an eye fighting a lion many decades before the beginning of the series, then lost the other (book 6) when it was snagged with a knife during the battle that began the War of the Scars, though that didn't stop him tutoring he continued as a blind man, and still he won fights including a three on one fight against generals who were being rushed in to war.
Son of Annie and Steve "Leopard" Leonard. When he grew up, Steve often warped the boy's mind, and said, basically, that vampires are evil. Later, he realizes the truth after he had witnessed his father kill Shancus (son of Evra and Merla Von) and after Darren had filled him in on the truth and hates his father for lying to him all these years. He was at first a half-Vampaneze, but his uncle, Darren Shan, re-blooded him and he became a half-vampire, because he didn't want to become what his father was and in the end he realizes that his father was wrong and an evil person.
Steve Leonard is one of the main characters of the Saga, appearing in the first book Cirque Du Freak as Darren's best friend.
When Steve attends the Cirque du Freak with Darren, he recognizes Larten Crepsley/Vur Horston as a vampire from one of his vampire books. After the show, Steve begs Crepsley to turn him into a vampire and take him on as his assistant. Crepsley initially agrees, but changes his mind after tasting his blood, which he accuses of being evil. When Steve is poisoned as a result of Darren stealing Crepsley's spider Madame Octa, Darren agrees to become a half-vampire and Crepsley's assistant in exchange for the cure. Following Steve's recovery Darren fakes his death, but Steve is unconvinced that his friend is really dead. After he is exhumed, Darren is attacked by Steve who accuses him of conspiring with Crepsley against him. In the end, Steve cannot bring himself to kill his friend, but swears to become the world's greatest vampire hunter and return to kill both Darren and Larten Crepsley in the future.
In book 8, Allies of the Night, the group runs into him in the city of Crepsley's childhood. Although Darren, Harkat and Vancha trust him, Crepsley remains suspicious of him throughout the majority of the book. It is believed that Steve's actions are benevolent up until the climax of the book, when the vampires are ambushed by the vampaneze in the tunnel, where Steve takes Debbie hostage and reveals he is a half-vampaneze, having manipulated the Hunters the whole time. In the following battle, Debbie is taken by the vampaneze, but the Hunters manage to take Steve hostage.
In the following book, Killers of the Dawn, Steve eventually manages to escape and is not seen again until the end of the story, where he is with the vampaneze in the Cavern. Crepsley agrees to engage him, Gannen Harst and the apparent Lord of the Vampaneze in battle above a pit of flaming stakes. As the Vampaneze Lord is believed to be dead, the Hunters believe the War of the Scars to be over, until the final stages of the book where Steve reveals the truth to Darren: that he himself is in fact the true Lord of the Vampaneze and therefore potentially the Lord of the Shadows. Steve then leaves with his fellow vampaneze.
Steve does not appear in the following book, The Lake of Souls, except for a dream in which Darren is battling him and a dragon in a pre-apocylapse world.
Steve returns again in the penultimate book, Lord of the Shadows, with R.V., Gannen Harst, Morgan James and a new assistant, Darius, who is revealed to be his son. In the closing stages of the book, Evra's son Shancus is taken hostage by the vampaneze and taken to the stage area which was the former theatre of the Cirque du Freak. Steve appears at the theatre, where the Hunters arrive with Steve's son Darius as their hostage. Steve initially agrees to swap Shancus for Darius, but before the swap is made, he snaps Shancus' neck, killing him. In revenge,
In Sons of Destiny it is revealed that during Darren's absence, Steve returned to Darren's hometown after leaving, and befriended Annie Shan, and started a romantic relationship with her, impregnating her with Darius, before revealing to Annie that he has no love for her and leaving Annie with the baby, secretly meeting with Darius and converting him into a half-vampaneze, brainwashing him with propaganda. However , he lied to Darius , telling him that vampaneeze do not kill . Darren and Vancha find Steve and the vampaneze at the Cirque du Freak, where they engage Steve and Gannen in battle. Vancha is wounded during the battle by Gannen and unable to fight any longer. Shortly afterward, Gannen is knocked unconscious, leaving Steve and Darren alone to fight. During a long, vicious battle, Evanna later reveals that Steve's spirit is trapped in the Lake of Souls.
In the last book it is said that; Desmond Tiny fathered both Darren and Steve. Desmond Tiny said he made them so that the winner of their battle could bring destruction to the human race.
All throughout the series, Steve is lead to believe that Darren made a deal with Mr. Crepsley. The deal was that Darren would take his "rightful place" with the vampires. In the last book, as Steve is dying, Darren lies and says this is true in order for Steve to reach over and stab Darren, so that neither of them become the Lord of the Shadows. It is said that his soul went to the Lake of Souls.
Steve Leonard is portrayed by Josh Hutcherson in the movie. In The Vampire's Assistant movie, Steve became a Vampaneze much earlier than in the books. Murlough blooded him and Mr. Tiny assisted him to his destiny. He is not yet the Lord of the Vampaneze in the film but Mr. Tiny mentioned him leading his people or kind. Steve kidnapped Darren's family to lure him to a battle. Mr. Tiny wanted him to solve his differences with Darren later.
Vancha's brother. Remained a Vampaneze when his brother was re-blooded and became a Vampire. Gannen becomes Steve's personal protector and the one who blooded Steve. Gannen is by Steve's side wherever he goes. It is clear that Gannen strongly disagrees with many of his master's decisions, but remains loyal to him out of his devotion to the vampaneze, and continues fighting alongside Steve until the final battle, between himself, Steve, his brother Vancha and Darren Shan. During the battle, Gannen stabs and wounds Vancha, shortly afterward being attacked and knocked unconscious by R.V. Gannen survives the War of the Scars, and Evanna reveals that she bears the child of both Gannen and Vancha.
(aka Reggie Veggie/Righteous Vampaneze) A former friend of Darren's who first appears in The Vampire's Assistant as an eco-warrior, who befriends Darren, Evra and Sam Grest as his troupe is near where the Cirque du Freak are performing. He is a vegetarian and sensitive about animal rights, and so when he visits the Cirque, he is appalled to see the Wolf Man locked up and goats being killed, and stays behind when his group leaves to keep an eye on the Cirque. After witnessing Darren kill an animal as food for the Little People, R.V. goes insane with rage and vows to bring the Cirque down. After threatening him, Darren believes he's gotten rid of R.V. However, R.V. later returns in the book, freeing the Wolf Man from the cage, but getting his hands bitten off in the process. After accusing Darren of being responsible for his loss of hands, R.V. runs away, screaming insanely.
In book 8 Allies of the Night, the crazed, hook-handed vampaneze responsible for the majority of murders in the city is revealed later on to be R.V., who survived the encounter with the Wolf Man, and was taken in and blooded by the vampaneze, who replaced his hands with hooks. He claims to no longer be a vegetarian and relish meat, and no longer has the peaceful views he once had, obsessed with gaining revenge on Darren whom he still deems responsible for handicapping him. By the end of the book, R.V. has taken Debbie hostage and runs away. He returns in book 9 Killers of the Dawn, fighting in the Cavern along with his fellow vampaneze, battling Harkat, only to have his hooks removed by the Little Person. He survives the battle and leaves with the rest of the vampaneze.
In book 11 Lord of the Shadows R.V., along with vampet Morgan James, attacks the Soccer game and kills Tommy Jones. He is chased by Darren, whom he leads to his superiors, Steve Leonard and Gannen Harst. After Steve wounds Darren, R.V. leaves with them. He later attacks the Cirque du Freak, taking Evra's son Shancus hostage and to the vampaneze hideout. However, he starts to show signs of doubts about his loyalties when he shows strong reluctance at the prospect of killing the snake-boy, and when he believes that he no longer has to kill the child, he shows signs of relief. It is then that Darren realizes that R.V. is not genuinely evil like Steve, but insane and mislead. After Steve murders Shancus, R.V. is shocked, and leaves looking horrified.
In book 12 Sons of Destiny, it is revealed that Shancus' murder had a deep effect on R.V., who no longer knows whose side he's really on. When he has Debbie prisoner, although Steve instructs him to murder her, R.V. does not, and claims it was wrong of Steve to kill Shancus and that he thought the only real enemy was Darren. He also claims to like Debbie and when the vampires and vampeneze are attacking each other, he lets Debbie go and apologizes to her for what he's done.
When the battle at the Cirque begins, R.V. initially takes no part in the fighting, attacking neither the vampires nor the vampaneze. When he is attacked by Cormac Limbs, he initially backs away, but is provoked into chopping Cormac's head off. However, after he believes he's killed Cormac, he begins to cry and says that he wanted to help people and never kill anyone. He flees after Cormac returns to life.
He comes back later in the book, however, having ultimately switched sides, attacking Gannen in an attempt to save Vancha, accusing the vampaneze of being evil. He defeats Gannen, knocking him unconscious, but before he can kill him, Steve slits his throat, killing him. In his dying moments, R.V. sees an imaginary pair of hands in place of his hooks, and dies happily.
An insane and crazy Vampaneze who speaks in third person. Murlough terrorized Mr. Crepsley's home town until Darren and Mr. Crepsley stopped him. He abducted Evra, tortured him by cutting off some of his scales and tried to kill Darren's girlfriend; Debbie Hemlock. He was killed by Mr. Crepsley and after his death, his soul became trapped in the Lake of Souls. In the film, Murlough's name was changed to the spelling of Murlaugh . In the tenth book The lake of Souls , Darren and Harkat see Murlough's ghost.
He is portrayed by Ray Stevenson in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
A friend of Kurda Smahlt. A fierce vampaneze who fought against the Vampires in the battle that began the War of the Scars. He killed Arra Sails, but is in turn killed by Darren Shan. It is described that he has a red birthmark on his left cheek. He was also in the cave when Gavner Purl was killed.
Darren's younger sister. When Darren was showing Steve Leonard, Madam Octa, the spider Darren stole from Mr.Crepsley, Annie walked in shouting, and by shouting she made Darren lose concentration of Madam Octa while she was on top of the shoulder of Steve, Madam Octa bit Steve causing him to be paralyzed until cured .Mother of Darius Shan. She encounters Darren one last time in Sons of Destiny and had given birth to Darius out of wedlock with Steve. Steve also tries in the series to impregnate her with his child and soon succeeds. Darren got furious and almost tried to kill his own nephew for killing Shancus until Steve reveals that he is Darren's nephew.
Annie is portrayed by Morgan Saylor in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
Annie's father. Darren's alleged father. It is revealed in Sons of Destiny that Mr. Tiny is Darren's father, though it is not explained if Dermot is the father and Mr Tiny merely meddled with the DNA or whether he actually replaced Dermot's DNA with his own (or even replaced his mother's DNA also), He does however say that Darren's mother has absolutely no knowledge of this information, which would mean that in any case Mr. Tiny did not have an affair with Darren's mother. In the eleventh book , Lord Of The Shadows , a woman tells Darren that Dermot has recently recovered from a mild heart attack.
He is portrayed by Don McManus in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
Mother of both Darren and Annie.
She is portrayed by Colleen Camp in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
Tommy was one of Darren and Steve's best friends before they were blooded. He followed his childhood dream and became a professional footballer, playing as goalkeeper for his local team. His name is often referenced in the book to that of Welsh singer Tom Jones
Darren's friend who showed them the flier he stole from his brother. Alan becomes a famous scientist. He specializes in the area of cloning. In Sons of Destiny it is revealed that he helped to create the first dragon.
A local boy that Darren and Evra became friends with when they stopped for a show in book two. He liked pickled onions and had a large family with lots of pets. Sadly, he was brutally killed and ripped to shreds by the wolf man, but Darren drank from him to preserve his soul. He was also the second person Darren ever drank from, which he only did to preserve Sam's memories. The first was Alan Morris. Although never touched in on the main story, he seemed to possess somewhat clairvoyant abilities (see short stories Transylvania Trek, and Bride of Sam Grest). He inadvertently predicted the manner in which he died, and the existence of the vampaneze Murlough when he was only 9 years old.Sam appears in the manga version of the third book ,Tunnels Of Blood , in which Darren summons Sam's ghost . However , Sam never made an appearence in the original novel . In the twelfth book , Sons Of Destiny , Sams soul appears in Mr.Tiny's secret lair . Sam recognises Darren and salutes him .
Darren's off and on girlfriend. Darren meets her when she is a young girl, about 13 years old. Later on, when she is an adult, she helps the vampires in the war of the scars and has the idea for human fighters for the vampires like the vampets for the vampaneze; she calls this new army the vampirites. She loves Darren but refuses to kiss him because he still is one of her students and he has aged only two years. She agrees to kiss him after the second purge because he will look more like an adult, this moment never arrives however because Darren dies before the end of the second purge. Debbie is described as being a pretty, kind-hearted, joyful girl with dark hair and skin.
A school inspector who made Darren go to Mahler's where he met Debbie Hemlock as his teacher.
A sweet, shy girl in Darren's English class. She sat next to Darren in his English class. She was a student of Debbie's before being murdered. Darren was said to kill her but she was really killed by a vampaneze. Most likely by RV.
Police Chief Inspector of Larten Crepsley's birthplace. She later allied herself with the vampires and aids them in the War of Scars by recruiting an army of street people who can use modern weapons in the War of Scars, the vampirites.
A mad, cannibalistic sailor/pirate who Darren and Harkat meet in The Lake of Souls. Later, Harkat finds out that they weren't in the past but in the future. He was a cannibal and planned to fish out souls and eat them. Then as he tried to kill Darren and Harkat, he was killed by a dragon who blasted fire onto Spit's head, who jumped into the lake to extinguish it, drowning in the progress. It is possible that he is partially responsible for the death of Madame Truska's husband and daughter, who claimed her family was murdered by "ëvil fishermen" in the same book that Spits is introduced - and he introduces himself as being a fisherman. Spits Abrams may also be part of the Larten Crepsley series as we are introduced to a young boy named "Daniel Abrams" in "oceans of Blood" who consequently ends up crazy and eating the flesh and drinking the blood of two of his crew mates. Although it is unverified, it is extremely likely.
Short for Augustine Bas. A minor character who at first sight is mistaken by Darren to be Annie's son. He is also Darius' friend. He helps Annie Shan with many jobs.
He's Steve's favorite teacher and is the one that informs Darren that the freak circus are illegal and banned.
The geography teacher in the first book.
Steve Leonard's mother. Makes one short appearance in the first book. Steve is mean to her in book one. She's heartbroken when she finds out Steve might die. Later in Lord of the Shadows Darren learns that she dies. It is suspected that Steve might have something to do with her death.
A pathologist, makes only one short appearance in the second book. Darren refuses to drink blood from a corpse that is in Jimmy's possession.
Debbie's mother and father, makes only one short appearance in the third book, they are used as bait to lure Murlough into a trap where he is killed by Mr. Crepsley.
The vampets are humans recruited by the vampaneze for the War of the Scars. While vampaneze are not allowed to use projectile weapons, vampets can use them freely since they are not bound with any of the vampaneze laws. Vampets wear a brown shirt and black pants, and they are all shaven-headed and have a purple "V" tattooed above either ear.
Former police guard. He worked with Alice Burgess until He revealed he was a vampet whilst interrogating Darren in a jail cell. One of Steve's main body guards. Had half of his face blown off by a gunshot by Alice Burgess. Later his head is chopped off by Harkat. He also killed Mr Tall by shooting him in the abdomen in Lord of the Shadows.
A vampet in book 9 who was tortured and killed by Vancha March.
Vampirites are a bunch of street people recruited by Debbie Hemlock and Alice Burgess in order to help the vampires in the War of the Scars. The Vampirites are mostly homeless people, but they all strike back against society in the big battle of book 12. Vampirites are the Vampires' counterpart to vampets. They, like vampets, are allowed to use projectile weapons.
One of the street people that was recruited by Debbie Hemlock and Alice Burgess to help the vampires in the War of the Scars. He and his friend, Little Kenny, helped save Darren when he was wounded during his encounter with Steve "Leopard" Leonard in Darren's hometown.
A friend of Declan's who helped him save Darren.
Known as the snake-boy, or the snake-man as he grows older, and performs at Cirque Du Freak. He helped Mr. Crepsley and Darren defeat Murlough in the third book, but was injured permanently when Murlough ripped scales off of Evra's right shoulder. He became one of Darren's best friends, yet because Evra ages normally and Darren ages 1/5 the normal rate, their bond thins as time goes on. Near the end of the last book, as Darren watches the Cirque Du Freak once more, he comments that it would be too difficult to watch the snake-boy perform, reflecting on the pain that would later befall him. Evra was born to normal parents, but they were horrified when they saw him, and left him at an orphanage at the age of two(although in the movie he claimed Mr Tall found him in a dumster when he was two days old), where he was picked on by the other children. When he was four, he was sold to a traveling circus where he was abused, locked in a glass tank, and forced to feel ugly, useless, and freakish. Seven years later, when he was eleven, he was rescued by Mr.Tall, joined the Cirque Du Freak, and stayed for the rest of his life. In book 12 he almost killed Steve himself for revenge for killing Shancus (his oldest son) but is stopped by Mr. Tiny. Evra speaks with an American accent and is shy, which Darren thinks is due to his abusive childhood. He is described as slender, with long yellow/green hair and is around 14–15 years old in books 1,2 and 3. After a time skip of several years, Darren returns to find that Evra has fallen in love with another freak called Merla who throws her ears like boomerangs and has three children, Shancus (who was named after Darren, was the oldest, and considered Darren his godfather even though he wasn't), Urcha (he always felt different because he was the only one without the snake skin) and Lila (the smallest). Shancus performs with him at the Cirque until he died when Steve snapped his neck and hung him in a noose.
He is portrayed by Patrick Fugit in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
Merla Von is Evra's wife and the mother of his three children. She can detach her ears and use them as kind of boomerangs. The means by which she became part of the Cirque Du Freak are never mentioned inside the book series. Merla often uses the threat of the Wolfman when her children misbehave, particularly when they're annoying Alexander Ribs, trying to mess around with his xylophone-like bones. Merla's described throughout the series as pretty and nice. She is also highly intelligent and lovable.
The oldest child of Evra and Merla. Along with Lila, Shancus has scales like his father. He believes Darren is his godfather, because he was named after him. He is later killed by Steve in the end of Lord of the Shadows.
Evra and Merla's middle child. He is the only one out of his siblings who does not have scales, and so is deeply upset. However, Darren gives Shancus a new snake for his birthday, and his old snake was passed down to Urcha.
Evra and Merla's youngest child. She is the only girl out of her siblings, and like Shancus, she has scales.
Rhamus, as the name implies, has two stomachs. He is said to be able to eat anything in a matter of minutes. Some of the things Rhamus has been said to have eaten include a full grown elephant, or a tank, and can wrap forks and spoons around a chain inside his stomach and pull it back out again. When he is fighting he literally belly flops people to death.
He is portrayed by Frankie Faison in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
A woman who can grow an indestructible beard at will and then suck it back in. She was the one who gave Darren his pirate costume. Truska is from a strange land, and initially helped Harkat come across a pirate fisherman called Spits Abrams who is a cannibal. So it could be that Truska's husband and daughter were killed, cooked and eaten by Spits. It is often hinted that she is in a relationship with Vancha March in the books and Larten Crepsley in the movie. In Sons Of Destiny she fights her opponents using and controlling her beard like snakes.
She is portrayed by Salma Hayek in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
One of Cirque Du Freak's female performers. She has super strong teeth which can bite through and withstand almost anything, including hammers and chainsaws to her teeth. She was introduced in the first book as chubby and having a strict voice and she claims to have bit off two of her father's fingers when she was a baby.
She is portrayed by Kristen Schaal in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
When his limbs are removed (cut off), he can grow them back at will. Cormac Limbs discovered his powers when he accidentally cut off part of his nose when he was younger. Throughout Darren's first meeting with Cormac, he explains that he can regrow all of his body parts as far as he knows, although states he has never tried regrowing his head for the risk of death. However, when his head is cut off by R.V. in Sons of Destiny, he re-grows two heads (each slightly smaller than the original), driving R.V. insane.
He is portrayed by actress Jane Krakowski in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, as Corma Limbs.
One of the Cirque's performers. He can walk and run on his hands faster than a normal man can run on his feet. He was introduced in the first book and claimed his father was born with no legs and learned to walk with his hands.He was killed in the sons of destiny. He is portrayed by Jonathan Nosan in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
A ferocious beast who is half man and half wolf. The mix of wolf and human blood has driven him mad. For that reason, he must be locked up or else he will kill all the time. He killed Darren's friend Sam Grest and bit off R.V.'s hands. For these reasons, Darren despises the wolf man. He is possibly a connection to the Demonata saga, as one of the main themes is lycanthrophy. However this was denied by Darren Shan, as a question asked by a fan at the Darren Shan message boards, Questions for Shan section.
He is portrayed by Tom Woodruff, Jr. in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
More of a comedy act than a scary one which was needed to calm down the audience after the terrifying start with the wolfman. The skinniest man that Darren has ever seen, he played the 'London Bridge is Falling Down', songs by the Beatles and TV theme tunes by opening his mouth and hitting his bony ribs with a drumstick. (Cirque Du Freak) He was killed in the last book, Sons Of Destiny
Alexander Ribs is portrayed by Orlando Jones in the movie adaptation of this book "Cirque Du Freak - The Vampires Assistant".
A ticket man at the Cirque who later has his own act. He excels at throwing and juggling knives. At the end of Sons of Destiny he is seen young not yet has his own act and is in charge of the gifts also commands the little people.
The Twisting twins, Sive and Seersa that are identical twins and were contortionists like Bradley Stretch. Their act involved twisting their bodies around each other so they looked like one person with two fronts instead of a back, or two upper bodies and no legs. They were skillful and interesting, but dull compared to the rest of the performers. Often used as a fake climax to the shows, only to be tricked by Evra Von's snake.
A Cirque performer with the ability to stretch himself into all sorts of shapes. He went missing and was (apparently) eaten by the Little People some years before Darren joined the Cirque. It states Evra saw the bones and a bracelet (a gift from a Bradley Stretch fan) left over when cleaning the Little People's things. Evra fed Bradley's remains to the wolf-man, and when Darren and Evra contemplate this later, Evra says that he must have tasted rubbery. He had a valuable bracelet, too. In addition to that joke- about Bradley Stretch tasting like rubber- Darren and Evra burst out laughing.
He has short white hair, thick glasses and pudgy face, with a warm but mocking smile. He wore a shabby yellow suit and a pair of green wellington boots. He has six toes, webbed feet, carries a heart shaped watch, and has six cat-like claws on each foot. He sometimes asks people to call him Des, which makes him Des Tiny, or Destiny.
Father of Hibernius Tall, Lady Evanna, Darren Shan, and Steve (Leopard) Leonard. Also the creator of the Little People, he is known to have future predicting abilities, time traveling and other magical powers. He can also control dragons. He is believed to be the most powerful being in the world, and is also believed to be immortal. He can travel through time, and likes to meddle with it. In Sons Of Destiny, Desmond possess many original objects designed by famous people such as the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. He collects many things from mankind except books due to his lack of interest in reading (mainly fiction). He always wants to see a good fight and no peace. It is also supposed that his own cunning got the best of him when he agreed to allow Lady Evanna to fish Darren out of the Lake of Souls, ultimately causing his Lord of the Shadows' future to become nonexistent.
In the film The Vampire's Assistant, he is fat and bald and travels in an old style limousine and not along with the Little People at all. Desmond visited Steve and Darren before they choose their destiny. He was seen with Murlough too and when Murlough died, he returned him as a Little Person. His skin also contains a bluish peachy hue and he sometimes wears small purple glasses. He also reads books, unlike his novel counterpart.
He is portrayed by Michael Cerveris in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
The leader of the Cirque Du Freak who was loved and highly respected by the performers. He has telepathic powers to read minds, precognition (to see the future), he could also move as fast as lightning. Desmond Tiny's son and Lady Evanna's brother. He is also the half brother of both Darren and Steve. Later killed by Morgan James in the 11th book as a result of interfering in the war.
He is portrayed by Ken Watanabe in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.
A "witch" with many powers (who takes great offense to anybody who calls her that). She normally wears ropes instead of clothing. She is Desmond Tiny's daughter, Hibernius Tall's sister and Darren's, and Steve's half sister. Evanna has the ability to breed faces of vampires onto the backs of frogs, and the faces are one of the only ways to see an image of a vampire (vampires can't be photographed but they can be painted or drawn). She is half vampire, and the only one born a vampire. She was the only one because vampires are sterile, but evolved from wolves. Desmond Tiny mixed vampire and wolf blood to create Evanna and Mr Tall. She is the only entity who is able to carry a vampire/vampaneze child. Later in the series She becomes pregnant with twins (each one one third vampire, one third vampaneze, one third herself), the fathers being Vancha and Gannen, as part of a deal with her father to help Darren get to Paradise. She is also the one responsible for Mr Creplsey's trademark scar (see Larten Crepsley).
A destructive being, destined to be Darren's or Steve's future self, depending which side wins the War of Scars. If the Vampires win Darren will become the Lord of the Shadows, but, should the Vampaneze win, Steve will become the Lord of the Shadows. The Lord Of The Shadows is a being that will become so powerful it will literally destroy the whole world. It is said that Darren will become evil after killing Steve, which will make him the Lord of Shadows, and create the destruction of the world. Darren fears this, and in the end of the series, manages to avoid it and go to Paradise after striking a deal with Mr. Tiny with the help of Evanna. The deal was that Darren must become a little person to go to Paradise. Thus, the Lord of the Shadows ceased to exist.
Lady Evanna's unborn, nameless twins. As told in Mr. Tiny's Prophecy, the weaker one out of Darren or Steve will be defeated by the other. The victorious one would become the Lord of the Shadows. After Darren killed Steve, he allowed Steve to kill him so that the Lord of the Shadows wouldn't come to power. Since Mr. Tiny had nobody to end the war of the scars and become the Lord of the Shadows, he made Evanna mate with either a vampire or a vampaneze. Evanna's baby will decide the outcome of the war of the scars, depending on whether it's a vampire or vampaneze, and become the Lord of the Shadows. Evanna mated with both Vancha March and Gannen Harst, causing her to have twins. She crossed the bloodlines of the twins, making each of them one-third vampire, one-third vampaneze, and one-third Evanna. This was an attempt to unite the two clans, thus ending the war of the scars, and once again preventing the Lord of the Shadows.
Humans who eat organs in order to live longer (up to 160 years), they provide vampires with blood in exchange for dead vampire's organs. (As it says in Vampire Mountain, they save the brains and heart for important events such as weddings.) It is unknown whether or not they are the 'Kulashkas' which Darren and Harkat met in the future or whether they descended into the Kulashkas.
Larten Crepsley's spider. Madam Octa is a telepathic spider, and can do many different tricks. She is highly intelligent and poisonous, she can even be trained to control how much poison she injects. She can live up to 30 years, according to the monk who sold it to Mr. Crepsley. In the first book, she bites Steve causing Darren to go to Mr. Crepsley to ask for an antidote, but the condition is Darren must become a half-vampire in order to save him. Later in the series, Darren releases Madam Octa into the cave of spiders inside Vampire Mountain, where she mates and produces offspring, which are named after Darren; The Ba'Shan's spiders.
Spiders that live within Vampire Mountain. Are revealed in Book 5 Trials of Death. The cobwebs of these spiders have healing abilities and aid Darren quite a bit after his second trial. Seba Nile is supposedly the only person who knows of their existence and whereabouts.
Offsprings of Madam Octa and Ba'Halens spiders. They appear in the book The Lake of Souls the spiders are in the temple where Darren and Harkat were looking for the holy liquid. They have been altered because they were blind.Seba Nile named them after Darren.
A wolf that Darren encounters on his trek to vampire mountain. He was nicknamed by Darren after the design on his fur. Streak, along with the rest of his pack, travel to vampire mountain with Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and Gavner for some of the way before departing. Streak and his pack reappear in book 6 to help Darren survive after he falls into the river. Darren stays with the pack to recover from injury before going back to the mountain to warn the vampires of the threat Kurda poses.
A she wolf from Streak's pack. She was nicknamed by Darren after his Grandmother. She was one of the wolves Darren first encountered after being attacked by the mad bear. She helped Darren back up vampire mountain, and dies on the journey. Darren believed she knew she would die soon, and wanted to die honorably, much like vampires.
A wolf cub in Streak's pack. He was the wolf who discovered Darren after he was washed to the base of vampire mountain.Rudi also means famous wolf. Rudi was first introduced to Darren as a cub in the fourth book (Vampire Mountain) Darren developed a unique fondness for the cub and was sad when Rudi departed, he next returns to Darren in the sixth book, as a young adult. He along with Streak and another she wolf nursed Darren back to health in his time of need. he likes cookies like many other people.
A wolf in Streak's pack who Darren never nicknamed but he was identified by his darker fur. He disapproved of Darren staying with the pack, and often snarled angrily at him. Darren tried to stay away from him as much as possible. Eventually Streak and the dark-furred wolf got into a fight. Neither of them were seriously injured but afterward the dark-furred wolf never bothered Darren again.
- Dave Morgan - Was on Darren's soccer team, but broke his leg.
- Sam White - Was on Darren's soccer team, but family moved and went to another school.
- Danny Curtin - Was on Darren's soccer team, but stopped playing to be with his girlfriend.Darren thought he was a fool .
- Sheila Leigh - Danny Curtin's love interest.
- Delaina Price - A girl near the front of the classroom in Darren's maths class with Mr Dalton, who wasn't very good at maths.
