List of The Saga of Darren Shan characters

Main article: The Saga of Darren Shan

Vampires

Darren Shan

The protagonist. Darren was blackmailed into being blooded into a half-vampire by Mr. Crepsley after stealing his performing spider, Madam Octa. She bit Darren's best friend, Steve, and Mr. Crepsley blooded Darren in return for the antidote. Darren saves Steve (but Steve swore to become a vampire hunter, because he believes Darren betrayed him), fakes his own death, and became Mr. Crepsley's assistant. He initially hates Mr. Crepsley for making him flee his home. Eventually though, he learns to like Vampires, and Mr. Crepsley becomes a father figure to him. After going to Vampire Mountain, going through his trials,but failing, he ran away and discovered an army of Vampaneze in the tunnels and was betrayed by Kurda Smahlt. After the battle, his life was spared because tradition called for death if he failed, and became a Prince, Darren becomes one of the Vampaneze Lord Hunters. In the end he faces Steve in battle and he stabs Steve in the heart and finds out Mr. Tiny is his and Steve's father. To stop becoming the Lord of Shadows he lets Steve kill him and they both die shortly after. Darren's soul goes to the Lake of Souls. He is then fished out by Little People and Evanna takes him to Mr. Tiny. Darren is brought back by Mr. Tiny as a Little Person. He is sent back in time and sees his younger self at the Cirque with Steve. He scares himself off so that he doesn't see Steve and Crepsley, cutting off the original chain of events that made Darren a Vampire. He then gives his diary entries to Mr. Tall, goes to the roof of the old theatre where the Cirque du Freak is playing and eventually unravels and dies, letting his old human self live on, hopefully leading a normal life where he hopes his adult self will publish his diary one day, when Mr. Tall presents him with it, which ties back into the original claim in the first book that says all of the events in the series actually happened.

Darren is portrayed by Chris Massoglia in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Larten Crepsley

Larten Crepsley (or Vur Horston) is the orange-haired vampire who blooded Darren, making him a half-vampire. He used to be a highly respected vampire. His age is never stated in any book, but in a 'newspaper' report in book 8, an interviewee by the name of Dr. Kevin Beisty says that vampires visited Larten Crepsley's home town over 150 years ago. This could then be around the time Larten was blooded, making him over 170 earth years old. He almost became a Vampire Prince, but decided he didn't want to be one and resigned. He likes to dress in red, which he picked up from Seba Nile, his old mentor. He uses perfect grammar and also refuses to use contractions due to negative reinforcement of such habits by his mentor, Seba. Larten becomes a sort of father figure to Darren and teaches him many things for his survival. Larten becomes one of the Vampaneze Lord Hunters and travels to his home town where he kills the decoy Vampaneze Lord. But then Steve drops Larten into a stake filled flaming pit where he dies. Before he dies he tells Darren that he should not waste the rest of his life on hatred and revenge, but he did not realize that the Vampaneze Lord was a decoy and died in vain. He died in the ninth book of the series, Killers of the Dawn.

He is portrayed by John C. Reilly in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Kurda Smahlt / Harkat Mulds

Kurda Smahlt was a vampire general who was met in the fourth book. In the Trials of Death he killed Gavner Purl and sent the Vampaneze to get Darren. In the Vampire Prince he said he was trying to bring peace between the two clans. He brought a group of vampaneze to vampire mountain, and Darren believed he was trying to give them the Stone of Blood once he became a Prince. He was actually using those vampaneze to try to unite the two clans. The vampaneze he brought actually agreed that killing was wrong. He was going to become a Vampire Prince until Darren came and said he was a traitor. He was later dropped on to stakes in the Hall of Death. In the second book, Harkat was introduced as Lefty because he had a limp in his left leg. In Vampire Mountain, he reveals his real name, and the fact that he can speak. He went out of his way to protect Darren. In The Lake of Souls it was found that Harkat used to be Kurda Smahlt and was said by Mr. Tiny. Mr. Tiny created Harkat from the remains of Kurda, and sent him back to the past, so that Darren wouldn't die in his fight with the bear while travelling to Vampire Mountain, or the two boars in his Trials of Initiation. The name Harkat Mulds is actually the name Kurda Smahlt with the letters scrambled, as revealed in The Lake of Souls.

Seba Nile

Mr. Crepsley's former teacher and Vampire Mountain's quartermaster. Seba Nile served as a big inspiration to Mr. Crepsley (while teaching Mr. Crepsley, before the series, he says he wishes to speak like Seba. Seba takes the matter further by plucking a hair from inside of Mr. Crepsley's nose whenever he said can't or won't or it or cannot). Seba also dresses all in red, which is where Mr. Crepsley got the idea. He is the oldest living vampire by the end of the series, at over 700 years old. He fights in the battle that starts the War of Scars. His leg is hit with a sword and walks with a limp through the rest of the series.

Gavner Purl

A good friend of Mr. Crepsley and Darren. Mr. Crepsley often teased him for his heavy breathing and snoring. He is a vampire general and is later killed by Kurda Smahlt. His last words consisted of an apology for his heavy breathing and snoring. Gavner's death is one of the main reasons Darren speaks of Kurda's treachery. Towards the end of book 6 it says they found Gavner's body stuffed between two cliffs near the tunnel he was killed in. In the story An Affair of the Night it shows that Gavner has a girlfriend named Liz Carr. At the end of the story the couple break up and Gavner leaves for his trek to Vampire Mountain (book 4)

Gavner Purl is portrayed by Willem Dafoe in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Arrow

A Vampire Prince whose wife was killed by the Vampaneze. He loathes them for that reason. He is bald and has tattoos of arrows going down the side of his head and arms. He is a fearsome fighter, using both boomerangs and swords.

Arra Sails

One of the few female vampires, but is considered the physical equal, or better, of the males. Darren won her respect after a fight on the bars, which is hard to earn. Arra Sails prepared Darren for his third trial, the Hall of Flames. Larten Crepsley's love interest and ex-mate. She was killed in the battle that began the War of the Scars by the Vampaneze named Glalda Erefith. She asked Larten to make sure the Princes spare Darren's life (he failed the trial and fled from his death sentence).

Vanez Blane

Vanez Blane is the Games Master in Vampire Mountain, and therefore the highest ranked tutor. He helped Darren train for three of his trials. He lost an eye fighting a lion many decades before the beginning of the series, then lost the other (book 6) when it was snagged with a knife during the battle that began the War of the Scars, though that didn't stop him tutoring he continued as a blind man, and still he won fights.

Paris Skyle

A Vampire prince and the oldest living vampire. At least 800 years old. Apparently knew William Shakespeare (he drank from him on his deathbed to preserve his spirit), sailed with Columbus and inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. He is found dead under the body of a lifeless bear in book eight (due to their life-style, old Vampires often choose to fight a battle they know they possess no hope of winning rather than die peacefully).

Mika Ver Leth

The other Vampire Prince whom at first Darren despised. He dresses in all black, as that is his custom. He has shiny, jet black hair [usually portrayed as long] and dark eagle-like eyes. His features are sharp and raven-like. He was the youngest prince before Darren at a "mere" 270 years. He is very stern, gloomy and grumpy. He has many wrinkles on his forehead and sides of his mouth from always frowning. He rarely, if ever, smiles. Because of this he comes off as a very intimidating person. Like all Princes, he has huge muscles and is quite big [over 6']. He is very loyal to the Vampire Clan and prizes honor and good-standing above all else.

Vancha March

Previously known as Vancha Harst, he was blooded by a Vampaneze with his brother, Gannen Harst. He later found killing not to his liking, and escaped from the Vampaneze. He was then found by Paris Skyle, who made the potential sacrifice of turning him from a Vampaneze into a vampire. He then became the 4th Vampire Prince. His skin is a dark shade of red, due to his constant battle with the sun (he thinks that the sun, like any other enemy of the creatures of the night, can be defeated) and does not like to use weapons, using his bare hands instead. Though, he does use the shurikens that are strapped to his belt when necessary. He prefers to wear only clothes made from animals, and doesn't care for having many manners. He claims to be a ladies man, though Darren Shan percieves him as someone whom all women dislike (except perhaps Alice Burgess). He is later found out to be the last one of the 3 hunters for the Vampaneze Lord, and joins Darren in the last fight against him. Though he is seriously wounded, it is not fatal. Lady Evanna chose to mate with him and Gannen Harst, thus having a baby from a vampire and Vampaneze.

Darius Shan

Son of Annie and Steve Leopard. When he grew up, Steve often warped the boy's mind, and said, basically, that vampires are evil. Later, he realizes the truth after he had witnessed his father kill Shancus (son of Evra and Merla Von) and after Darren had filled him in on the truth and hates his father for lying to him all these years. He was at first a half-Vampaneze, but his uncle, Darren Shan, re-blooded him and he became a half-vampire, because he didn't want to become what his father was and the end he realizes that his father was wrong and an evil person.

Vampaneze

Steve "Leopard" Leonard

Steve Leonard is one of the main characters of the Saga, first appearing in the first book 'Cirque Du Freak' as a child and Darren's best friend. When he buys them tickets to the Cirque du Freak, the two of them go together, and Steve is shocked to recognize Larten Crepsley/Vur Horston as a vampire whom he had seen in a comic book previously. After the show, Steve leaves Darren to find Crepsley. Unbeknownst to Steve, Darren follows him and listens in as he hears Steve beg Crepsley to turn him into a vampire and take him on as his assistant. Crepsley initially agrees, but changes his mind when he tastes Steve's blood, which he accuses of being evil, and refuses to take Steve as his assistant. Steve leaves, swearing vengeance on the vampire. Darren is afraid of Steve and is disturbed by his desire to become a vampire, but after Darren has stolen Crepsley's spider, Madame Octa, the two reconcile and Darren shows Steve how he controls the spider. However, as the two are handling the creature, an unfortunate series of events results in Steve being bitten and poisoned by her. There appears to be no cure, and out of desperation, Darren goes to Crepsley for help, begging for a cure. Crepsley agrees, but only on the condition that Darren becomes a half-vampire and Crepsley's assistant. Darren reluctantly agrees, and successfully cures Steve, and then attempts to abandon Larten Crepsley. However, he cannot control his bloodlust and drinks from one of his friends, and then almost his sister. Steve realizes the truth after witnessing Darren trying to drink blood from the friend during soccer. Darren returns to Crepsley and agrees to becomes his assistant. After Darren fakes his death to his friends and family and after Crepsley dug him up, he takes a walk. Steve then attacks Darren by putting a stake against his heart and accuses him of instructing Madame Octa to attack him and conspiring with Crepsley against him. Steve cannot bring himself to kill Darren, however, but swears to become the world's greatest vampire hunter and return and kill both Darren and Larten Crepsley in the future.

Although Darren, Harkat and Vancha trust him, Crepsley remains suspicious of him throughout the majority of the book. It is believed that Steve's actions are benevolent up until the climax of the book, when the vampires are ambushed by the vampaneze in the tunnel, where Steve takes Debbie hostage and reveals he is a half-vampaneze, having manipulated the Hunters the whole time. In the following battle, Debbie is taken by the vampaneze, but the Hunters manage to take Steve hostage. In The Vampire's Assistant movie, Steve became a Vampaneze much more before the time he was discovered as one in the books. Murlough blooded him and Mr. Tiny assisted him to his destiny. He is not yet the Lord of the Vampaneze in the film but Mr. Tiny mentioned him leading his people or kind. Steve kidnapped Darren's family to lure him to a battle. Mr. Tiny wanted him to solve his differences with Darren later. In the following book, Killers of the Dawn, Steve eventually manages to escape and is not seen again until the end of the story, where he is with the vampaneze in the Cavern. Crepsley agrees to engage him, Gannen Harst and the apparent Lord of the Vampaneze in battle above a pit of flaming stakes. As the Vampaneze Lord is believed to be dead, the Hunters believe the War of the Scars to be over, until the final stages of the book where Steve reveals the truth to Darren: that he himself is in fact the true Lord of the Vampaneze and therefore potentially the Lord of the Shadows. Steve then leaves with his fellow vampaneze. Steve does not appear in the following book, The Lake of Souls, albeit in a dream in which Darren is battling him in a nightmarish world. Steve returns again in the penultimate book, Lord of the Shadows, with R.V., Gannen Harst, Morgan James and a new assistant, Darius, who is revealed to be his son. In the closing stages of the book, Evra's son Shancus is taken hostage by the vampaneze and taken to the stage area which was the former theatre of the Cirque du Freak. Steve appears at the theatre, where the Hunters arrive with Steve's son Darius as their hostage. Steve initially agrees to swap Shancus for Darius, but before the swap is made, he snaps Shancus' neck, killing him. In revenge, In Sons of Destiny it is revealed that during Darren's absence, Steve returned to Darren's hometown after leaving, and befriended Annie Shan, and started a romantic relationship with her, impregnating her with Darius, before revealing to Annie that he has no love for her and leaving Annie with the baby, secretly meeting with Darius and converting him into a half-vampaneze, brainwashing him with propaganda. Darren and Vancha find Steve and the vampaneze at the Cirque du Freak, where they engage Steve and Gannen in battle. Vancha is wounded during the battle by Gannen and unable to fight any longer. Shortly afterward, Gannen is knocked unconscious, leaving Steve and Darren alone to fight. During a long, vicious battle, Evanna later reveals that Steve's spirit is trapped in the Lake of Souls.

In the last book it is said that; Des Tiny made both Darren and Steve his kids. Des Tiny said he made them so they could bring destruction to the human race.

All throughout the series, Steve is lead to believe that Darren made a deal with Mr. Crepsley. The deal was that Darren would take his "rightful place" with the vampires. In the last book, as Steve is dying, Darren lies and says this is true in order for Steve to reach over and stab Darren, so that neither of them become the Lord of the Shadows. It is said that his soul went to the Lake of Souls.

Steve Leonard is portrayed by Josh Hutcherson in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Gannen Harst

Vancha's brother. Remained a Vampaneze when his brother was re-blooded and became a Vampire. Gannen becomes Steve's personal protector and the one who blooded Steve. Gannen is by Steve's side wherever he goes. It is clear that Gannen strongly disagrees with many of his master's decisions, but remains loyal to him out of his devotion to the vampaneze, and continues fighting alongside Steve until the final battle, between himself, Steve, his brother Vancha and Darren Shan. During the battle, Gannen stabs and wounds Vancha, shortly afterward being attacked and knocked unconscious by R.V. Gannen survives the War of the Scars, and Evanna reveals that she bears the child of both Gannen and Vancha.

RV

(aka Reggie Veggie/Righteous Vampaneze) A former friend of Darren's who first appears in The Vampire's Assistant as an eco-warrior, who befriends Darren, Evra and Sam Grest as his troupe is near where the Cirque du Freak are performing. He is a vegetarian and sensitive about animal rights, and so when he visits the Cirque, he is appalled to see the Wolf Man locked up and goats being killed, and stays behind when his group leaves to keep an eye on the Cirque. After witnessing Darren kill an animal as food for the Little People, R.V. goes insane with rage and vows to bring the Cirque down. After threatening him, Darren believes he's gotten rid of R.V. However, R.V. later returns in the book, freeing the Wolf Man from the cage, but getting his hands bitten off in the process. After accusing Darren of being responsible for his loss of hands, R.V. runs away, screaming insanely.

In book 8 Allies of the Night, the crazed, hook-handed vampaneze responsible for the majority of murders in the city is revealed later on to be R.V., who

survived the encounter with the Wolf Man, and was taken in and blooded by the vampaneze, who replaced his hands with hooks. He claims to no longer be a vegetarian and relish meat, and no longer has the peaceful views he once had, obsessed with gaining revenge on Darren whom he still deems responsible for handicapping him. By the end of the book, R.V. has taken Debbie hostage and runs away.

He returns in book 9 Killers of the Dawn, fighting in the Cavern along with his fellow vampaneze, battling Harkat, only to have his hooks removed by the Little Person. He survives the battle and leaves with the rest of the vampaneze.

In book 11 Lord of the Shadows R.V., along with vampet Morgan James, attacks the Soccer game and kills Tommy Jones. He is chased by Darren, whom he leads to his superiors, Steve Leonard and Gannen Harst. After Steve wounds Darren, R.V. leaves with them. He later attacks the Cirque du Freak, taking Evra's son Shancus hostage and to the vampaneze hideout. However, he starts to show signs of doubts about his loyalties when he shows strong reluctance at the prospect of killing the snake-boy, and when he believes that he no longer has to kill the child, he shows signs of relief. It is then that Darren realizes that R.V. is not genuinely evil like Steve, but insane and mislead. After Steve murders Shancus, R.V. is shocked, and leaves looking horrified.

In book 12 Sons of Destiny, it is revealed that Shancus' murder had a deep effect on R.V., who no longer knows whose side he's really on. When he has Debbie prisoner, although Steve instructs him to murder her, R.V. does not, and claims it was wrong of Steve to kill Shancus and that he thought the only real enemy was Darren.He also claims to like Debbie and when the vampires and vampeneze are attacking each other, he lets Debbie go and apologizes to her for what he's done.

When the battle at the Cirque begins, R.V. initially takes no part in the fighting, attacking neither the vampires nor the vampaneze. When he is attacked by Cormac Limbs, he initially backs away, but is provoked into chopping Cormac's head off. However, after he believes he's killed Cormac, he begins to cry and says that he wanted to help people and never kill anyone. He flees after Cormac returns to life.

He comes back later in the book, however, having ultimately switched sides, attacking Gannen in an attempt to save Vancha, accusing the vampaneze of being evil. He defeats Gannen, knocking him unconscious, but before he can kill him, Steve slits his throat, killing him. In his dying moments, R.V. sees an imaginary pair of hands in place of his hooks, and dies happily.

Murlough

An insane and crazy Vampaneze who speaks in third person. Murlough terrorized Mr. Crepsley's home town until Darren and Mr. Crepsley stopped him. He abducted Evra, tortured him by cutting off some of his scales and tried to kill Darren's girlfriend; Debbie Hemlock. He was killed by Mr. Crepsley and after his death, his soul became trapped in the Lake of Souls. He tried to eat Darren but knew that he would die afterward. In the film, Murlough was killed by Mr. Crepsley in the same theater where Darren and Steve first went to go see the Cirque. Murlough played a big role with Steve and blooding him. He appeared that he wanted Darren on his side too. His death did not send his soul to the Lake of Souls, instead Mr. Tiny revived him as a little person. In the film, Murlough's name was changed to Murlaugh.

He is portrayed by Ray Stevenson in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Glalda

A friend of Kurda Smahlt. A fierce vampaneze who fought against the Vampires in the battle that began the War of the Scars. He killed Arra Sails, but Arra was avenged by Darren Shan. It is described that he has a red birthmark on his left cheek. He was also in the cave when Gavner Purl was killed.

The 'Fake' Lord of the Vampaneze

The fake Lord who wears green robes. Mr. Crepsley tossed him into the pit with burning stakes. Mr. Crepsley later died not realizing Steve was the true Vampaneze Lord, so he died in vain shortly after the fake Lord did. The fake Lord was also a half-vampaneze.

Humans

Annie Shan

Darren's younger sister. Mother of Darius Shan. She encounters Darren one last time in Sons of Destiny and had given birth to Darius out of wedlock with Steve. Steve also tries in the series to impregnate her with his child and soon succeeds. Darren got furious and almost tried to kill his own nephew for killing Shancus until Steve reveals that he is Darren's nephew.

Annie is portrayed by Morgan Saylor in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Dermot Shan

Annie's father. Darren's alleged father. It is revealed in Sons of Destiny that Mr. Tiny is Darren's father, though it is not explained if Dermot is the father and Mr Tiny merely meddled with the DNA or wether he actually replaced Dermot's DNA with his own (or even replaced his mother's DNA also), He does however say that Darren's mother has absolutely no knowledge of this information, which would mean that in any case Mr. Tiny did not have an affair with Darren's mother.

He is portrayed by Don McManus in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Angela Shan

Unknown if she is Darren's mother. She is definitely Annie's mother.

She is portrayed by Colleen Camp in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Tommy Jones

One of Darren and Steve's best friends from childhood, who played soccer with them. He later became a professional soccer player and goalkeeper. Killed by R.V. and Morgan James in book eleven.

Alan Morris

Darren's friend who showed them the flier he stole from his brother. Alan becomes a famous scientist. He specializes in the area of cloning. In Sons of Destiny it is revealed that he helped to create the first dragon.

Tony Morris

Alan's big brother. (school bully in the first book.) His brother was the one that discovered the freak show when Mr. Crepsley gave him a flier for the cirque.

Sam Grest

A local boy that Darren and Evra became friends with when they stopped for a show in book two. He liked pickled onions and had a large family with lots of pets. Sadly, he was brutally killed and ripped to shreds by the wolf man, but Darren drank from him to preserve his soul. He was also the first person Darren ever drank from, which he only did to preserve Sam's memories. Although never touched in on the main story, he seemed to possess somewhat clairvoyant abilities (see short stories Transylvania Trek, and Bride of Sam Grest). He inadvertently predicted the manner in which he died, and the existence of the vampaneze Murlough when he was only 9 years old.

Debbie Hemlock

Darren's love interest. Darren meets her when she is 13 years old. Later, she is at age 26 or 27. She helps the vampires in the war of the scars and has the idea for human fighters for the vampires like the vampets for the vampaneze; she calls this new army the vampirites. She loves Darren but will not kiss him because he is still a kid. She agrees to kiss him after the second purge because he will look more like an adult, this moment never arrives however because Darren dies before the end of the second purge. Debbie is described as being a pretty, short, joyful girl with dark hair and skin.

Walter Blaws

A school inspector who made Darren go to Mahler's where he met Debbie .

Tara Williams

A sweet, shy girl in Darren's English class. She was a student of Debbie's before being murdered. Darren was said to kill her but she was really killed by a vampaneze. Most likely by RV.

Alice Burgess

Police Chief Inspector of Larten Crepsley's birthplace. She later allied herself with the vampires and aids them in the War of Scars by recruiting an army of street people who can use modern weapons in the War of Scars, the vampirites.

Spits Abrams

A mad, cannibalistic sailor/pirate who Darren and Harkat meet in The Lake of Souls. He was a cannibal and planed to fish out souls and eat them. Then as he tried to kill Darren and Harkat, he was killed by a dragon who blasted fire onto Spit's head, who jumped into the lake to extinguish it, drowning in the progress. It is possible that he is partially responsible for the death of Madame Truska's husband and daughter, who claimed her family was murdered by ëvil fishermen" in the same book that Spits is introduced - and he introduces himself as being a fisherman.

Oggy Bass

Short for Augustine Bass. A minor character who at first sight is mistaken by Darren to be Annie's son. He is also Darius' friend.

Mr. Dalton

Darren, Steve, Tommy, and Alan's teacher when they were kids in the beginning of the first book he didn't approve of the freak show. He reapears late in the series, 13 years later (but Darren doesn't confront him, just sees him and doesn't bother him). He is also Steve's favourite teacher as it says in Cirque Du Freak.

Mrs. Quinn

The geography teacher in the first book.

Mrs. Leonard

Steve Leonard's mother. Makes one short appearance in the first book. Steve is mean to her in book one. She's heartbroken when she find's out Steve might die. Later in Lord of the Shadows Darren learns that she dies, it is suspected that Steve might have something to do with her death.

Vampets

The vampets are humans recruited by the vampaneze for the War of the Scars. While vampaneze are not allowed to use projectile weapons, vampets can use them freely since they are not bound with any of the vampaneze laws. Vampets wear a brown shirt and black pants, and they are all shaven-headed and have a purple "V" tattooed above either ear.

Morgan James

Former police guard. Worked with Alice Burgess until he revealed he was a vampet. One of Steve's main body guards. Had half of his face blown off by a gun shot by Alice Burgess. Later his head is chopped off by Harkat.

Mark Ryter

A vampet in book 9 who was tortured and killed by Vancha March.

Vampirites

Vampirites are a bunch of street people recruited by Debbie Hemlock and Alice Burgess in order to help the vampires in the War of the Scars. The Vampirites are mostly homeless people, but they all strike back against society in the big battle of book 12. Vampirites are the Vampires' counterpart to vampets. They, like vampets, are allowed to use projectile weapons.

Declan

One of the street people that was recruited by Debbie Hemlock and Alice Burgess to help the vampires in the War of the Scars. He and his friend, Little Kenny, helped save Darren when he was wounded during his encounter with Steve "Leopard" Leonard in Darren's hometown.

Little Kenny

A friend of Declan's who helped him save Darren.

Cirque du Freak members

Evra Von

Known as 'Snake Boy' or 'Snake Man' as he grows older, performs at Cirque Du Freak. He helped Mr. Crepsley and Darren defeat Murlough in the third book, but was injured permanently when Murlough ripped scales off of Evra's right shoulder. He became one of Darren's best friends, yet because Evra ages normally and Darren ages 1/5 the normal rate, their bond thins as time goes on. Evra was born to normal parents, but they were horrified when they saw him, and left him at an orphanage, where he was picked on by the other children. When he was four, he was sold to a traveling circus where he was abused, locked in a glass tank, and forced to feel ugly, useless, and freakish. Seven years later, when he was eleven, he was rescued by Mr.Tall , joined the Cirque Du Freak, and stayed for the rest of his life. In book 12 he almost killed Steve himself for revenge for killing Shancus but is stopped by Mr. Tiny. Evra speaks with an American accent and is shy, which Darren thinks is due to his abusive childhood. After a time skip of several years, Darren returns to find that Evra has fallen in love with another freak called Merla who throws her ears like boomerangs and has three children, Shancus (who was named after Darren, was the oldest, and considered Darren his Godfather even though he wasn't), Urcha (he was mad because he was the only one without the snake skin) and Lillia (the smallest), Shancus of which performs with him at the time. Later, Shancus died with a broken neck because of Steve.

He is portrayed by Patrick Fugit in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Merla Von

Merla Von is Evra's wife and the mother of his three children. She can detach her ears and use them as boomerangs. The means by which she became part of the Cirque Du Freak are never mentioned inside the series. Merla is described throughout the series as pretty and nice.

Shancus Von

The oldest child of Evra and Merla. Along with Lilia, Shancus has scales like his father. He and his siblings regard Darren as their godfather. Shancus was named after Darren (Shancus/Shan). He is later killed by Steve in the end of Lord of the Shadows.

Urcha Von

Evra and Merla's middle child. He is the only one out of his siblings who does not have scales, and so is deeply upset. However Darren gives Shancus a new snake for his brithday, and his old snake was passed down to Urcha.

Lilia Von

Evra and Merla's youngest child. She is the only girl out of her siblings, and like Shancus, she has scales.

Rhamus Twobellies

A two bellied performer who can eat literally anything in a very short time. Some of the things Rhamus can eat include a full grown elephant or a tank, and can wrap forks and spoons around a chain inside his belly and pull it back out again.

He is portrayed by Frankie Faison in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Truska

A woman who can grow a beard at will and take it back in. She was the one who gave Darren his pirate costume. Truska is from a strange land, and initially spoke in a language that sounds like a seal's bark, but Evra later taught her how to speak English. Apparently, she went skinny dipping in "the deep blue" with Vancha March. She can also use her beard as a weapon. In the 'Lake of Souls' she says that her husband and daughter were killed by an evil fisherman. Later the book, Darren and Harkat come across a pirate fisherman called Spits Abrams who is a cannibal. So it could be that Truska's husband and daughter were killed, cooked and eaten by Spits.

She is a clairevouyant but she normally does not remember anything that she said after the trance. She is in a relationship with Crepsley.

She is portrayed by Salma Hayek in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Gertha Teeth

One of Cirque Du Freak's female performers. She has super strong teeth which can bite through almost anything and withstand almost anything, including hammers and chainsaws to her teeth. She was introduced in the first book as chubby and having a strict voice and she claims to have bit off two of her father's fingers when she was a baby.

She is portrayed by Kristen Schaal in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Cormac Limbs

When his limbs are removed (cut off), he can grow them back at will. Cormac Limbs discovered his powers when he accidentally cut off part of his nose when he was younger. Throughout Darren's first meeting with Cormac, he explains that he can regrow all of his body parts as far as he knows, although states he has never tried regrowing his head for the risk of death. However, when his head is cut off by R.V. in Sons of Destiny he re-grows two heads (each slightly smaller than the original), driving R.V. insane.

He is portrayed by actress Jane Krakowski in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, as Corma Limbs.

Hans Hands

One of the Cirque's performers. He can walk and run on his hands faster than a normal man can run on his feet. He was introduced in the first book and claimed his father was born with no legs and learned to walk with his hands.

He is portrayed by Jonathan Nosan in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

The Wolf Man

A ferocious beast who is half man and half wolf. The mix of wolf and human blood has driven him mad. For that reason, he must be locked up or else he will kill all the time. He killed Darren's friend Sam Grest and bit off R.V.'s hands. For these reasons, Darren despises the wolf man. He is possibly a connection to the Demonata saga, as one of the main themes is lycanthrophy. However this was denied by Darren Shan, as a question asked by a fan at the Darren Shan message boards, Questions for Shan section.

He is portrayed by Tom Woodruff, Jr. in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Alexander Ribs

More of a comedy act than a scary one which was needed to calm down the audience after the terrifying start with the wolfman. The skinniest man that Darren has ever seen and looks like a skeleton as there seemed to be no flesh on him and would be frightening, but had a wide friendly smile . He dressed in ballet clothes which made him look ridiculous. He also danced to music and did stretches as he said he was a contortionist which allowed him to tilt his head far back to make it look like it had been cut of and his upside-down face could be seen when he turn around. He could lean backwards until his head touched the ground and pull his legs through his legs until it was sticking up in front of him making it look like it was growing out his stomach. He would twist his body around like a curly wurly straw 5 times around then unwind really, really fast. Also, he played the 'London Bridge is Falling Down', songs by the Beatles and TV theme tunes by opening his mouth where musical notes sprang out because of him hitting his bony ribs with a drumstick. (Cirque Du Freak) Alexander Ribs is portrayed by Orlando Jones in the movie adaptation of this book "Cirque Du Freak - The Vampires Assistant".

Jekkus Flang

A ticket man at the Cirque who later has his own act. He excels at throwing and juggling knives.

Sive and Seersa

The Twisting twins, Sive and Seersa that are identical twins and were contortionists like Alexander Ribs. Their act involved twisting their bodies around each other so they looked like one person with two fronts instead of a back, or two upper bodies and no legs. They were skilful and pretty interesting, but dull compared to the rest of the performers. Often used as a fake climax to the shows, only to be tricked by Evra Von's snake.

Bradley Stretch

A Cirque performer with the ability to stretch himself into all sorts of shapes. He went missing and was (apparently) eaten by the Little People some years before Darren joined the Cirque. It states Evra saw the bones and a bracelet (a gift from a Bradley Stretch fan) left over when cleaning the Little People's things. Evra fed Bradley's remains to the wolf-man, and when Darren and Evra contemplate this later, Evra says that he must have tasted rubbery. He had a valuable bracelet, too. In addition to that joke- about Bradley Stretch tasting like rubber- Darren and Evra burst out laughing.

Others

Desmond Tiny

He has short white hair, thick glasses and pudgy face, with a warm but mocking smile. He wore a shabby yellow suit and a pair of green wellington boots. He has no toes and has six cat-like claws on each foot. He sometimes asks people to call him Des, which makes him Des Tiny, or Destiny.

Father of Hibernius Tall, Lady Evanna, Darren Shan, and Steve (Leopard) Leonard. Also the creator of the Little People, he is known to have future predicting abilities, time traveling and other magical powers. He can also control dragons. He is believed to be the most powerful being in the world, and is also believed to be immortal. He can travel through time, and likes to meddle with it. In Sons Of Destiny, Desmond possess many original objects designed by famous people such as the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. He collects many things from mankind except books due to his lack of interest in reading (mainly fiction).

In the film The Vampire's Assistant, he is fat and bald and travels in a limousine and not along with the Little People at all. Desmond visited Steve and Darren before they choose their destiny. He was seen with Murlough too and when Murlough died, he returned him as a Little Person. "His skin also contains a bluish peachy hue and he sometimes wears small purple glasses. he also reads books, unlike his novel counterpart.

He is portrayed by Michael Cerveris in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Hibernius Tall

The leader of the Cirque Du Freak who was loved and highly respected by the performers. He has telepathic powers to read minds, tell what would happen in the future, he could also move as fast as lightning. Desmond Tiny's son and Lady Evanna's brother. He is also the brother of both Darren and Steve. Later killed by Morgan James in the 11th book.

He is portrayed by Ken Watanabe in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Lady Evanna

A "witch" with many powers (who takes great offense to anybody who calls her that). Normally wears ropes instead of clothing. Desmond Tiny's daughter and Hibernius Tall's sister (also Darren and Steves half sister). Evanna has the ability to breed faces of vampires onto the backs of frogs, and the faces are actually the only way to see an image of a vampire (vampires can't be photographed). She is half vampire, and the only one born a vampire. She was the only one because vampires are sterile, but evolved from wolves. Desmond Tiny mixed vampire and wolf blood to create Evanna. She is the only vampire who is able to carry a child. She becomes pregnant with twins (one vampaneze, one vampire), the fathers being Vancha and Gannen. Later in the series, in order to allow Darren to go to Paradise.

Lord of the Shadows

A destructive being, destined to be Darren's or Steve's future self, depending which side wins the War of Scars. If the Vampires win Darren will become the Lord of the Shadows, but, should the Vampaneze win, Steve will become the Lord of the Shadows. The Lord Of The Shadows is a being that will become so powerful it will literally destroy the whole world. It is said that Darren will become evil after killing Steve, which will make him the Lord of Shadows, and create the destruction of the world. Darren fears this, and in the end of the series, manages to avoid it and go to Paradise after striking a deal with Mr. Tiny with the help of Evanna. The deal was that Darren must become a little person to go to Paradise.

Lady Evanna's twins

Lady Evanna's unborn nameless twins. As told in Mr. Tiny's prophesy, the weaker one out of Darren or Steve will be defeated by the other. The victorious one would become the Lord of the Shadows. After Darren killed Steve, he killed himself to so that the Lord of the Shadows wouldn't come to power. Since Mr. Tiny had nobody to end the war of the scars and become the Lord of the Shadows, he made Evanna mate with either a vampire or a vampaneze. Evanna's baby will decide the outcome of the war of the scars, depending on weather it's a vampire or vampaneze, and become the Lord of the Shadows. Evanna mated with both Vancha March and Gannen Harst, causing her to have twins, one vampire and one vampaneze. Evanna crossed the bloodlines of the twins, making the vampire one third vampaneze, and the vampaneze one third vampire. This was an attempt to unite the two clans, thus ending the war of the scars, and once again preventing the Lord of the Shadows.

Madame Octa

Larten Crepsley's spider. Madam Octa is a telepathic spider, and can do many different tricks. She is highly intelligent and poisonous, she can even be trained to control how much poison she injects. She can live up to 30 years, according to the monk who sold it to Mr. Crepsley. In the first book, she bites Steve causing Darren to go to Mr. Crepsley to ask for an antidote, but the condition is Darren must become a half-vampire in order to save him. Later in the series, Darren releases Madam Octa into the cave of spiders inside Vampire Mountain, where she mates and produces offspring, which are named after Darren; The Ba'Shan's spiders.

Ba'Halens' Spiders

Spiders that live within Vampire Mountain. Are revealed in Book 5 Trials of Death. The cobwebs of these spiders have healing abilities and aid Darren quite a bit after his second trial. Seba Nile is supposedly the only person who knows of their existence and whereabouts.

Ba'Shan's spiders

Offsprings of Madam Octa and Ba'Hallens spiders. They appear in the book The Lake of Souls the spiders are in the temple where Darren and Harkat were looking for the holy liquid. They have been altered because they were blind.

Streak

A wolf that Darren encounters on his trek to vampire mountain. He was nicknamed by Darren after the design on his fur. Streak, along with the rest of his pack, travel to vampire mountain with Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and Gavner for some of the way before departing. Streak and his pack reappear in book 6 to help Darren survive after he falls into the river. Darren stays with the pack to recover from injury before going back to the mountain to warn the vampires about Kurda.

Magda

A she wolf from Streak's pack. She was nicknamed by Darren after his Grandmother. She was one of the wolves Darren first encountered after being attacked by the mad bear. She helped Darren back up vampire mountain, and dies on the journey. Darren believed she knew she would die soon, and wanted to die honorably, much like vampires.

Rudi

A wolf puppy in Streak's pack. He was the wolf who discovered Darren after he was washed to the base of vampire mountain.

The dark-furred wolf

A wolf in Streak's pack who Darren never nicknamed but he was identified by his darker fur. He disapproved of Darren staying with the pack, and often snarled angrily at him. Darren tried to stay away from him as much as possible. Eventually Streak and the dark-furred wolf got into a fight. Neither of them were seriously injured but afterward the dark-furred wolf never bothered Darren again.

Other classmates in the first book

• Dave Morgan - Was on Darren's soccer team, but broke his leg.

• Sam White - Was on Darren's soccer team, but family moved and went to another school.

• Danny Curtin - Was on Darren's soccer team, but stopped playing to be with his girlfriend.

• Sheila Leigh - Danny Curtin's love interest.

• Delaina Price - A girl near the front of the classroom in Darren's maths class with Mr Dalton, who wasn't very good at math.