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After once again continuing and failing his search for Chayne, Larten visits Sylva, and the two visit the freak show called Cirque Du Freak. Larten manages to resume a slot on the performance. On the last day of the show however, he is visited by Wester and Gavner, who give him the news that Larten has been elected to become a Prince. The good feelings end however, when Larten later finds Slyva crying. Sylva reveals to Larten that Alicia's murderer was not Chayne, but Wester. The news so shocks Larten that Larten tells Gavner to tell the princes that he refuses their request. Larten meets up with Wester, and demands an explanation. Wester reveals that he never had a doubt that Larten would eventually become a Prince. His campaign for war was failing when he met Larten during the Nazi mission, so he concoted a plot in which he would kill Chayne and Alicia, and make it appear that the former did the attrocity, which would instill a hatred of vampaneze in Larten. Larten's influence would eventually convince the two tribes into war. After the revelation, Larten kills Wester. |
After once again continuing and failing his search for Chayne, Larten visits Sylva, and the two visit the freak show called Cirque Du Freak. Larten manages to resume a slot on the performance. On the last day of the show however, he is visited by Wester and Gavner, who give him the news that Larten has been elected to become a Prince. The good feelings end however, when Larten later finds Slyva crying. Sylva reveals to Larten that Alicia's murderer was not Chayne, but Wester. The news so shocks Larten that Larten tells Gavner to tell the princes that he refuses their request. Larten meets up with Wester, and demands an explanation. Wester reveals that he never had a doubt that Larten would eventually become a Prince. His campaign for war was failing when he met Larten during the Nazi mission, so he concoted a plot in which he would kill Chayne and Alicia, and make it appear that the former did the attrocity, which would instill a hatred of vampaneze in Larten. Larten's influence would eventually convince the two tribes into war. After the revelation, Larten kills Wester. |
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Larten slips into a period of nihilism, and recovers when he stays for a while with the monks. Before he leaves, he is given a giant performing spider named Madam Octa by one of the monks. Larten the rejoins the freak show, where the circus owner adds a slot for Larten and his performing spider. The story ends with Larten waiting for a child named Steve, which begins the sequel series The Saga of Darren Shan. |
Larten slips into a period of nihilism, and recovers when he stays for a while with the monks. Before he leaves, he is given a giant performing spider named Madam Octa by one of the monks. Larten the rejoins the freak show, where the circus owner adds a slot for Larten and his performing spider. The story ends with Larten waiting for a child named Steve, which begins the sequel series [[The Saga of Darren Shan]]. |
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Revision as of 03:36, 16 August 2012
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| Author | Darren Shan |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror Fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Children's Books (UK) Little Brown and Company (USA) |
Brothers to the Death is the fourth and final installment in the Saga of Larten Crepsley, written by Darren Shan. It covers the final quarter of the main character's life, before the events described in the Saga of Darren Shan take place. It is part of the prequel saga to the Saga of Darren Shan.
Characters
Vampires
Larten Crepsley
Larten Crespley is a child worker in a silk factory. He has bright orange hair that he obtained from a dye used by Traz, his abusive foreman, to 'mark' the children's jobs. After Traz kills Vur, Larten kills him and then flees the city in fear of an angry, murderous mob. After a violent storm starts Larten seeks refuge in a crypt and begins to eat spiderwebs to try and satisfy his hunger. Seba Nile(who was already in the crypt) sees this, feeds him an apple, and listens to his sad tale. He tests the boy's blood, assures him that he is not evil, and tells him about the vampire world. He then asks Larten to become his apprentice and Larten later accepts.
Seba Nile
Seba Nile is a 500-year-old vampire, who Larten meets in a crypt and blooded him. He then becomes Larten's Master.He is the second oldest vampire after the vampire prince named Paris Skyle. He later becomes the quartermaster at vampire mountain.
Paris Skyle
A 600 year old vampire prince, who has, allegedly, been everywhere and seen everything and is the oldest of the vampires. He later meets up with Larten and offers to train him but Larten hesitates, and denied his request.
Wester Flack
Wester is a young man, approximately the same age as Larten, after his parents and siblings are 'drained' by a vampaneze, Wester joins Larten as Seba's assistant. He stays at vampire mountain to continue his training while Larten runs away, it is later heard he became a guard at vampire mountain. He is also part of a vampaneze hater group. In Brothers to the Death he betrays Larten by killing Alicia in a last desperate attempt to drive Larten (who was due to become a prince) to hate the Vampaneze, this is revealed towards the end of the book and he is killed by Larten, dying in his arms.
Vancha March
A Vampire General who Larten meets at Vampire Mountain. He meets up with Larten when Larten is exploring the world and becomes his companion for a short time. He was raised by Evanna. Becomes a Vampire Prince and helps Larten find Tanish in Palace of the Damned. In Brothers to the Death, he opposes Larten's spreading of anti-vampaneze propaganda at council, ending in a bloody and fierce duel.
Gavner Purl
Was the son of a woman who Larten Crepsley killed in a bloody rage to avenge the life of his former helper or nurse as you may call her, Malora (who was hung after trying to protect Larten from a mob-crew of sailors who found out he was a vampire).
Kurda Smahlt
A young blond vampire who doesn't hate the vampaneze, nor likes them. He and Wester get into an argument moments after meeting each other.
Vampaneze
Randel Chayne
A vampaneze that kills Zula in a duel and disgraces Tanish Eul, it is found out in Brothers to the Death that he is killed by Wester in his sleep.
Humans
Alicia
A rich woman who Larten falls in love with in the name of Vur Horston. She dumps him after he tells her he's a vampire. They meet again in Palace of The Damned and sort everything out. Larten and Gavner often visit her in the start of 'Brothers to the Death' but soon , she gets killed by Wester Flack, who tries a last ditch attempt on bringing war against the vampaneze, and blames it on Randel Chayne.
Others
Mr. Hibernius Tall
The owner of the Cirque Du Freak, and Larten's short term mentor.
Desmond Tiny
(aka Mr.Tiny/Desmond/Mr.Destiny)He carries a heart shaped watch and wears a yellow suit and a pair of green boots.He is known to have future predicting abilities, time traveling and other magical powers.He can travel through time and likes to meddle with it.In Palace of The Damned,he saved Larten when he was falling down an abyss in Perta Van-Grahl's palace(Larten made himself fall into the abyss as an act of suicide).
Lady Evanna
Lady Evanna is a witch and Mr. Tiny's Daughter. She can change her appearance at will. Her apprentice Malora who goes on the dangerous journey and dies with Larten Crepsley. She also tells Larten that if he tries to undo the damage he has done he will find paradise.
Plot
The story begins with Larten Crepsley and his former love interest Alicia enjoying a leisurely stroll, whilst watching Larten's assistant Gavner Purl play with Alicia's daughter Sylva. After failing once again to renew their relationship, Larten informs Alicia that he and Gavner are about to embark on a mission concerning the Nazis. The mission, as it turns out involves the Nazis trying to gain the support of the vampire race (this happens before the Second Great War begins). A Vampire Prince named Mika Ver Leth has agreed to listen to the Nazis, and is accompanied by Larten, Gavner, and a female vampire named Arra Sails. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the Nazis disgust the group, and so Mika leaves Larten with a task.
Helped by Gavner, Larten plays a cat-and-mouse game with the Nazis after the Nazis realize the vampires will not cooperate. The point of the chase is to distract them while all vampires emigrate out of Europe for safety. However, they meet up with Larten's old friend Wester who asks Larten to help him win support from the vampires in starting a war with the vampaneze, who are like vampires but always kill when they feed. Wester has had a grudge on them ever since his family was killed by one, and made it his mission to eradicate all vampaneze. Larten, who does not share the same hatred, refuses. Before leaving, Wester warns that a vampaneze named Randel Chayne may be looking for Larten, and that it is likely Chayne will target Alicia. Though troubled, Larten puts the fate of the vampire clan before his wishes and continues with the mission.
Taking an interlude from the mission, Larten and Gavner visit Alicia and Sylva's home, only to find that Alicia was murdered. Sylva and Wester (as well as Larten himself) blame Larten for allowing this to happen. Larten and Gavner are sure Chayne killed Alicia. Larten manages to control Wester's rage (as Larten knows what it is like to experience loss and has let it make him make mistakes), and tells Gavner to protect Sylva and her husband-to-be while Larten finishes the mission. However, after the mission, a long search for Chayne produces no results. Larten decides that the only way to bring Chayne out of hiding is to help Wester trigger the war against the vampaneze. Larten's campaign begins successfully, but is ended when a Prince named Vancha March gets upsets and badly injures Larten in a duel, a duel that even though Larten loses, draws appreciation of Larten from the vampire clan. Upon recovering from his injuries, Larten resumes the search for Chayne, this time accompanied by his new mate Arra Sails. However, Larten pauses his search while he helps another vampire named Kurda help those injured by the Second Great War. After that, Larten attends a wedding lead by monks of an unknown religion. Larten admits to himself he is slightly envious of the monks' simple lifestyle.
After once again continuing and failing his search for Chayne, Larten visits Sylva, and the two visit the freak show called Cirque Du Freak. Larten manages to resume a slot on the performance. On the last day of the show however, he is visited by Wester and Gavner, who give him the news that Larten has been elected to become a Prince. The good feelings end however, when Larten later finds Slyva crying. Sylva reveals to Larten that Alicia's murderer was not Chayne, but Wester. The news so shocks Larten that Larten tells Gavner to tell the princes that he refuses their request. Larten meets up with Wester, and demands an explanation. Wester reveals that he never had a doubt that Larten would eventually become a Prince. His campaign for war was failing when he met Larten during the Nazi mission, so he concoted a plot in which he would kill Chayne and Alicia, and make it appear that the former did the attrocity, which would instill a hatred of vampaneze in Larten. Larten's influence would eventually convince the two tribes into war. After the revelation, Larten kills Wester.
Larten slips into a period of nihilism, and recovers when he stays for a while with the monks. Before he leaves, he is given a giant performing spider named Madam Octa by one of the monks. Larten the rejoins the freak show, where the circus owner adds a slot for Larten and his performing spider. The story ends with Larten waiting for a child named Steve, which begins the sequel series The Saga of Darren Shan.