Title: The Lake of Souls (Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan, Book 10)
Author: Darren Shan (Darren O'Shaughnessy, 1972 – Present) — Master Irish Dark Fantasy Novelist
Illustrator/Artist: Cliff Nielson
Genre: Young Adult Horror / Dark Portal Fantasy / Vampire Lore
Edition: True First US Edition, First Printing (September 2005)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (Hachette Book Group), New York
"Death was on the cards that day, but would it be ours or the panther's?"
The Lake of Souls serves as the breathless, high-stakes tenth installment in the internationally celebrated Saga of Darren Shan series. The narrative pivots away from the familiar urban shadows of the human world and plunges into a bizarre, post-apocalyptic portal fantasy landscape. Darren Shan and his enigmatic companion, the Little Person Harkat Mulds, embark on a perilous, rule-breaking quest decreed by the sinister Mr. Tiny to discover Harkat's true, forgotten identity before his physical form decays. To unearth the truth, the duo must cross a wilderness populated by genetic mutants, grotesque predatory animals, and fiery winged beasts to reach the legendary, silent Lake of Souls—where the dead are fished from the depths.
The enduring power of this volume stems from Shan's unique ability to seamlessly cross-pollinate traditional vampire gothic lore with dark, epic world-building. He constructs a harrowing, imaginative survival gauntlet that tests the limits of loyalty, identity, and existential courage.
Darren Shan (Darren O'Shaughnessy, 1972 – Present): Born in London, he moved to Limerick, Ireland, at a young age, where he developed a fascination with dark folklore, horror movies, and literary world-building. He achieved literary success with his twelve-book epic Cirque du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan, which has sold over twenty-five million copies worldwide and been adapted into both a major motion picture and a manga series. Celebrated for his ability to seamlessly blend stomach-churning thrills with deeply emotional, character-driven storytelling, his other prominent multivolume universes include The Demonata, Zom-B, Archibald Lox, and The Saga of Larten Crepsley. He splits his time writing between his homes in Ireland and London.
Cliff Nielson is a distinguished American illustrator and concept artist known for crafting the visual landscapes of some of the most influential fantasy and science fiction franchises in modern publishing. His digital painterly style fuses traditional fine art textures with surreal, dark imagery. Nielson provided the evocative dust jacket illustrations for the American editions of the Cirque du Freak saga. His ability to capture ghoulish, atmospheric tension through stylized character art framed the macabre essence of Darren Shan's writing. Nielson also illustrated the covers of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series, alongside projects for major comic houses, magazines, and film studios.
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Condition: Fine/Near Fine. Dust jacket: Light shelf wear. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.
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