2006 First Edition of Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan – Hardcover with Dust Jacket

Title: Lord of the Shadows (Cirque du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan, Book 11)
Author: Darren Shan (Pen name of Darren O'Shaughnessy)
Illustrator/Artist: Cliff Nielson (Dust jacket art)
Genre: YA Horror / Dark Fantasy / Vampire Fiction
Edition: First American Edition, First Printing (May 2006)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

"In the distance a wave of blood was building. Red, towering, topped with spitting heads of fire. On a vast plain, a mass of vampires waited. All three thousand or so faced the onrushing wave. At the rear, separated from the crowd, I stood alone. I was trying to push forward - I wanted to be with the rest of the clan when the wave hit - but an invisible force held me back."

In Lord of the Shadows, the eleventh volume in the globally acclaimed Cirque du Freak series, author Darren Shan brings his half-vampire protagonist face-to-face with a terrifying homecoming. Forced to return to his old stomping grounds where his dark journey originally began, Darren must navigate the haunting changes in both himself and the town since his fateful transformation. The streets of his childhood are no longer safe, plagued by a mounting body count as an apocalyptic wave of blood builds on the horizon.

As old enemies emerge from the darkness and deep-seated scores demand a final settlement, Darren finds himself trapped by an invisible, predetermined force. He is caught in a sadistic prophecy where destiny seems entirely certain to destroy him, threatening to elevate either him or his worst adversary to become the Ruler of the Night—a figure fated to doom humanity to ash.

Brimming with macabre tension, visceral suspense, and rapid-fire plotting, this hardcover first printing is a chills-and-thrills read for older teens.

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.