Darren begins the Trials of Initiation to prove himself worthy of being a half-vampire, even as the clan's blood foes, the vampaneze, gather near Vampire Mountain.

In the seventh entry of this New York Times bestselling series, Darren Shan, part of an elite force, searches the world of the Vampaneze Lord. But the road ahead is long and dangerous.

Betrayed by Kurda and reeling from the brutal slaying of Gavner, the vampire's assistant, Darren Shan, finds himself branded a traitor and hunted by the vampire clan.

Now in paperback--the gut-wrenching first book in The Vampire Mountain trilogy.

The middle segment of a thrilling new fantasy trilogy by Darren Shan, the New York Times bestselling YA author of Cirque Du Freak. "Archibald Lox is sure to ensnare, mesmerize, and astound readers of all ages." The Literary Connoisseur. When a couple of assassins catch up with Archie, he's forced to flee to the Merge in search of friendship and safety. In a city of ice, the greatest grop players of the six realms have assembled for a legendary Tourney, and Archie ends up with a ticket to every match. But plans have been drawn up to kidnap a prince, and Archie soon finds himself fighting for his freedom and his sanity. Having become a pawn in a cunning game of political chess, he must travel to the heart of an enemy empire, but it's a dark, menacing place from which he might never return... This is the Complete Volume Two of the Archibald Lox series, bringing together the first three novels, Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt, Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell, and Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate. "Easy, fun read with lots of surprises. We were on the edge of our seats!" The Bookbag. "I devoured this book in a day and I am still smiling and eager for more." The Word Cubby. "Shan has built an ambitiously original fantasy world populated with fully rounded characters who take us on unforgettably compelling journeys." Books, Films & Random Lunacy. "The first three books were unlike anything I'd read before, and book 4 truly proves that Shan is a master storyteller." Kelly Smith Reviews. "With every page, author Darren Shan weaves a richer and more colourful world." Addicted To Media. "Full of adventure and intrigue. I've really enjoyed how this has blended the familiar with the fantastical to craft a captivating world." T. Higgs Reviews. "Tension! Drama! Badassery! Volume two of Archibald Lox has it all." Rachel Hobbs, author of Shadow-Stained.

Darren goes to a freak show with his friend. It's the gothic Cirque du Freak where weird, half human/half animals appear and interact with the audience. Darren falls in love with a spider and tries to steal it so that he can teach it to perform.

The quest for the Vampaneze Lord continues for the hunters of the dusk. Darren gets an unwelcome taste of reality when he is forced to go back to school and his past catches up with him.