The Saga of Darren Shan

"This is a true story. I don't expect you to believe me- I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't lived it- but it is. Everything I describe in this book happened, just as I tell it. The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. In books, the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It doesn't matter what they do, because everything works out in the end. They'll beat the bad guys and put things right and everything winds up cool. In real life, vacuum cleaners kill spiders. If you cross a busy road without looking, you get whacked by a car. If you fall out of a tree, you break some bones. Real life's nasty. It's cruel. It doesn't care about heroes and happy endings and the way things should be. In real life, bad things often happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins. I just wanted to make that clear before I begin."

"I could have run after him, following the trail of blood. If I'd called Mr. Crepsley, we could have tracked him down and put an end to Steve Leopard and his threats. It would have been the wise thing to do. But I didn't. I couldn't. He was my friend."

"My name is Darren Shan. I'm a half-vampire."