SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Chapters Read: 17-21

I hype up a lot of the books and sections I've read of books a lot in these posts but I just have to do it again.

These final five chapters of Trials of Death are absolutely elite. When Darren Shan locks in as a writer he's up there with the best of them. I have read a fair amount books throughout my life. I'm not a heavy reader as I was years ago, but I'd like to think I've read a respectable amount. In the grand scheme of the billions of people on earth, I'm fairly confident I've read an above average amount, at least especially in modern times when people watch movies or browse the internet etc. I could be wrong but I had a nice amount of years where I was a pretty steady bookworm. Movies and TV shows have a lot of value too in their own right of course, and I've of course watched a lot of those as well. Nothing hits like a good book though.

All that being said, these five chapters are just outstanding. When I first read these chapters years ago, they blew my mind and stuck with me ever since. Having just read them again, I'm certain they will stick with me forever.

The entire tone of the series switches in these chapters. Seriously, let Darren Shan cook. He cooked indeed.

These chapters were profound on so many levels that I probably can't put them into words without ranting or dissecting them for days. Whatever I say in this post, just believe me, I am trying to condense my thoughts in a respectable manner. I don't know where to begin as my thoughts are thoroughly racing and digesting everything. I think I'm also just satisfied that I seemed to enjoy these particular chapters just as much as I thought I would have. They say 'don't meet your heroes' eluding to how you'll be let down when you meet them in real life, or whatever. I was worried about re-reading this series and these chapters in particular because I was worried that they wouldn't hold up after all this time. They held up. In fact they exceeded expectations.

Darren waits in his room with Harkat to learn his fate after the unsuccessful fourth trial. Kurda then arrives solo to inform him that his fate is that he'll likely be put to death. Kurda convinces him to escape. Interestingly before he agrees to this choice, Darren asks Harkat what he thinks he should do, and Harkat literally says that he agrees with Kurda, that escaping is wise. Harkat agrees with himself, shocker LOL. Darren, Kurda, and Harkat, alone together. Just such a wild moment. Harkat stays to not arouse suspicion, and Kurda and Darren leave together through unknown tunnels Kurda discovered to sneak out.

Also I must mention, my idea about Harkat saving Darren in the trial so that Harkat could learn his original identity was confirmed rather instantly as Harkat straight up admits it. But Darren doesn't mind.

Anyway, Darren and Kurda leaving together is such an interesting situation to me. I don't have a particular reason for feeling this way but, just knowing how important they are to this whole series is stunning. Two of the more unique vampires of all time rushing through the mountain.... It's also the last time that Darren trusts Kurda...

Later Gavner ends up finding them since Darren is bleeding and could easily be followed. The clever Kurda is upset with himself for not thinking about this. Gavner is mad at them for fleeing but reluctantly agrees to help Darren escape as he doesn't believe he should be put to death, but once Kurda is named a prince, to confess what transpired.

As they proceed, Gavner insists taking a different, shorter route. Kurda and him argue which puzzles Gavner. It turns out that this pathway leads close to a pack of vampaneze hiding in the mountain! To make a long story short, It turns out that Kurda is seriously involved with the vampaneze, not merely a friendly acquaintance. In what is one of the biggest shocks of the whole series, Kurda ends up killing Gavner himself to prevent Darren from warning the vampires! As Kurda assumes that Darren had already left. He was essentially tricking both of them.... I imagine that Kurda and/or the vampaneze were going to simply catch him before they reached the other vampires. Had Darren not seen what Kurda had done, Kurda had many options at his disposal in regards to how to deal with Darren.

Bro. This scene shocked me then and still shocks me now. Always will. Gavner was incredibly cool, funny and likeable.

Kurda's grand idea here was to essentially be a bridge between vampires and vampaneze. He knew he couldn't on a whim convince Gavner and Darren about whatever was going on with him and the vampaneze in such a tense moment in time. Kurda is essentially a big picture guy. His intentions were good overall. But man, Kurda got a bit too arrogant there. More on that later, I'm just ranting.

Darren witnesses this murder occur and SHEESH. That was intense. Even the vampaneze were embarrassed.

Darren immediately weeps for Gavner openly and curses Kurda. He flees but of course he's injured severely and just a half-vampire so it wouldn't be long before they caught up with him. He arrives at the Hall of Final Voyage, fails to cross the river and stumbles in...the vampaneze arrive and arrive uninterested, uncaring about Darren. Kurda, with indifferent help from the vampaneze, tries to save him and says he promises he won't hurt him, but Darren refuses to take his help vehemently.

Darren says to Kurda as he sits in the river - I wouldn't believe you if you said the world was round. What a line indeed.

He then releases his hold in the river, and let's himself be taken... As he leaves he looks at Kurda, makes the hand gesture vampires use with one another and says - Even in death, may I be triumphant! Normally the 'I' is replaced with a 'you' in that saying.

Dude, Darren is a beast! What a slap in the face to Kurda. This whole sequence simply gives me chills.

Kurda man...what the heck... Admirable, intelligent, clever, kind for the most part, so many things.

He's such a conflicting character. He simultaneously shows kindness and compassion, yet is also oddly full of himself and rather arrogant at times. He frequently refers to others as stupid, and carries himself in a way that it's like he believes he's above it all.

Further, it seems that he was often judging the vampires before him in a sort of shortsighted kind of way. He overlooked the intelligence and opinions of many of his peers and many of those before him. It's rather odd for him to have the audacity to think he had the combined intellect of generations of vampires before him.

Kurda was seemingly too busy judging vampires and never thought to perhaps actually be a vampire. To an extent, I don't think he wanted to truly be a vampire, he just always sought 'progression' at all costs without really understanding at times. In many ways he was more like a contrarian than a visionary.

Kurda was truly awesome and brilliant in many ways though of course and many of his points were valid. But I think he bit off more than he could chew and tried to juggle too many things at once.

His plans almost worked though. He was so close to being hailed a hero, and a legend. Maybe as Harkat he still can be.... So many small things went wrong throughout this last journey to free Darren. The blood droplets, Gavner forcing them to take the different route.

It's entirely possible Kurda was right, and well, as we know thanks to Mr. Tiny, Kurda had a real chance to be the hero and prevent the Vampaneze Lord from arising.

I wonder if this would have made Steve more peaceful. I wonder if Kurda would have been successful, Darren and Steve would have became friends again? Wild...

The LAYERS MAN. So many LAYERS.

I half jokingly say Kurda may be the main character, but Darren is evolving all the while, as we speak. He's showing a natural toughness and a natural faith and loyalty. He was thrust into being a half-vampire but seems to genuinely enjoy it for the most part.

Kurda was all about togetherness and that's obviously good, but the sky is blue, the grass is green. Anybody in their right mind wants togetherness. But there's a reason vampires and vampaneze split. To attempt to simply speed run progress is possible to an extent but highly risky. It's a slap in the face to many vampires.

Kurda lacked a bit of respect in the end. He cared for people but became a bit full of himself.

When Darren intensely insults Kurda for killing Gavner, Kurda says how he saved Darren's life. Which is a bit strange in that moment. Hmmm.

Kurda says to a vampaneze who doesn't care if Darren dies that Darren is young with an open mind and that they need vampires like him...

Kurda had tons of potential, and accomplished a lot, and I believe he had good intentions but maybe he just needed to relax a bit. He was young for a vampire, he didn't necessarily have to go so hard in the paint. It is complicated stuff man.

Just so many things to consider!!!

These were truly some of the more iconic, consequential, thought provoking, intense, and dramatic bits of literature I've ever read. I don't care, I'll die on that hill!

I'm so impressed and can't wait to read on. I'm so inspired to hopefully one day write my own book series. But for now, I'm just enjoying being a reader. Enjoying the great story. I have a decent list of books ahead of me even beyond Cirque Du Freak.

On to book six!!!