Procession of the Dead - Darren Shan

Procession of the Dead

Darren Shan is one of my heroes, and has been since I was eleven and a friend leant me Cirque Du Freak. I've spent years reading his children's books, and I've loved them. Last Saturday Shan did a signing within reasonable range of where I lived, so I went to meet him for the second time in my life. Whilst there the same friend who leant me Cirque Du Freak recommended I begin reading the City Trilogy Shan's first adult works. Having spent so long reading Shan's children's books I was sceptical, especially after my friend commented that his adult works were so different from his children's books. 

I finished the book yesterday, and since then I've been looking for ways to comfort myself about not being able to buy the second until next week! I'm hooked. Once again Darren Shan has proven his talent, and I'm also glad to say that he is releasing a new one off adult book in August. 

Procession of the Dead follows a young wannabe gangster named Capac Raimi, who steps into the City. The City is a haven for criminals, but only those powerful enough to interest the Cardinal, an unofficial ruler of the city whose power can barely be fathomed. Capac is a relate-able character as he's not only a young man trying to make his way in the world, but is also one of the most realistic and believable characters I've come across in a fantasy or sci-fi novel, aside from maybe Lyra Belacqua  in the His Dark Materials trilogy. 

As I've mentioned this is the first adult Shan novel I've taken the time to read, and despite my uncertainty I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of Shan's work for children is quite obviously intended to turn the stomach of the reader, or shock them, or amaze them. However with this Shan managed to achieve a more controlled type of horror that played more on mystery and the readers own imagination and theories rather than showing the gore outright. He blurs the line between fantasy and reality perfectly to the extent that the reader believes the impossible. 

For those wanting to read the book I hope they enjoyed it as much as me, and I hope the first sentence makes them chuckle.