Trials of Death

By: Darren Shan

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Trials of Death is the second book of a grueling, three-part Darren Shan adventure.

The trials: There are seventeen ways to die unless the luck of the vampire is with you. Darren Shan must pass five of these fearsome trials to prove himself to the vampire clan - or face the stakes of the Hall of Death. But Vampire Mountain holds hidden threats. Sinister, potent forces are gathering in the darkness. In this nightmarish world of bloodshed and betrayal, death may be a blessing.

Author Darren Shan's vivid detail and original voice will continue to have young readers glued to their headphones in horror.

©2008 Darren Shan (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

love love love this book

this is by far my favorite in the series so far.
i love the narrator he does an amazing performance and you forget its just one person reading.

One of the best in the series

This is my second trip through this fascinating world. I have read all the books and decided ten years later to invest in the audio books.
The way this is read works perfectly with the well written twists and turns of the saga. This book gives a bit more insight on the way of vampires and is sure to keep you interested from beginning to end.

Great

Amazing narration. I think I'd listen to anything with Ralph Lister. Definitely worth a listen.

Perfect!

Everything (once again) was absolutely perfect! The narrator was truly chosen to read this series and needs to be recognized! keep up the good work!

Make sure you've got the next book!

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

In Vampire Mountain, the previous book of Darren Shan’s CIRQUE DU FREAK series, Darren was asked to prove himself worthy of being a vampire by surviving a series of trials. If he fails, he dies. These trials will remind many readers of the tests Harry Potter endured in The Goblet of Fire. For example, for the first trial he must escape from a maze that’s filling with water. As the tasks go on, Darren becomes increasingly injured and fatigued and it seems likely that he’ll fail and be killed.

In my review of Vampire Mountain, I complained about the premise of this novel. I think most thoughtful readers will agree that making Darren undergo the trials is a little silly, not to mention ethically unsound, which is surprising since the vampire princes seem to be concerned with ethical behavior. The trials make a fun exciting story though, so I don’t mind overlooking the issue, but I could give this series higher marks if the plot held together a little better. Thankfully, toward the end of the story, Darren starts to reconsider the strange vampire traditions.

At the end of Trials of Death, there’s a major plot twist. Though I’ve been able to predict many of the twists in this series so far (I’ve read through book 11), I didn’t see this one coming. Trials of Death also ends on a cliffhanger (kind of literally), so make sure you’ve got the next book, The Vampire Prince, ready to go. I guarantee that you’ll want to open it immediately.

I continue to read this series in audio format. Ralph Lister exuberantly — sometimes too exuberantly — narrates these short novels. Give it a try at Audible or Downpour before committing. Also, notice that most of the books are only 4 or 5 hours long which may factor into your decision about whether it’s worth 12 Audible credits for the entire series on audio. You might want to check to see if your library carries them.

0 of 7 people found this review helpful

Best book ever

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It was great because the language was very descriptive and it really pulled you in. When Darren was going through the trials it felt like you were actually there!
There was nothing I disliked about this book.