Hello
readers, welcome to the second edition of my Freaky Friday blog
posts. This Friday we take another trip into the realm of horror
fiction, where I'd like to recommend the "master" himself:
Darren
Shan
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| The Man himself- image is not mine by the way. |
Dubbed
"The Master Of Horror" when it comes to fiction, Darren
O'Shaughnessy (better known by his pen name Darren Shan) is an Irish
author, born in London but went to live in Limerick in Ireland when
he was 6. He's written books for both adults & teens/teens,
mainly in series' but he does have the odd stand alone book.
I
first got into his work when I was about 13, when my Auntie loaned me
his 'Cirque Du Freak'/'The Saga Of Darren Shan' series (which I
believe is his most popular). I'll admit, at the time, it took me a
while to get into the series- I wasn't as big a reader then as I am
now- but once I did, I was hooked & became obsessed! I later went
on to read more of his books, all of which are brilliant, & I'm
currently reading his 'Zom-B' series.
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| Instagram shots of my copies of Zom-B & Koyasan. |
Anyway,
enough about my life story, back to the actual blog post.
Aside
from him being my favourite author, the reason why I am recommending
Darren Shan is because his books are brilliant! Firstly, they are
well written & exciting, full of twists & turns that will
keep you hooked! Things aren't what they seem in his books, which
will bring me to my next point in a moment. Back to the writing
first. Shan's books are generally fast paced, allowing the action to
be absorbed & enjoyed quickly which means a fast read, so for
those of you out there with a busy schedule (like myself)- these
books would be perfect to get your regular horror fix! I'll admit,
since being at Uni I haven't had a chance to read much, but every
three months or so I'd get the new 'Zom-B' book & within a few
days it'd be finished. Ok, he is my favourite author which is another
reason why I dedicated time to those books, but if you give his books
a chance, he could end up being your favourite author too!
Now
onto a point I made earlier about things not being what they seem in
Darren Shan's books. As a horror writer, his books feature
mythological beings such as vampires, demons & zombies. In fact,
these three beings are the main characters in his teen series. Now
you're probably thinking, "what's so special about that?
These are things that have all been done before!". Yes, they
have, but the great thing about Darren Shan is that he puts his own
stamp on things. Take vampires, for example, which are the main
characters in the 'Cirque Du Freak' series (& also it's prequel
'The Saga Of Larten Crepsley'). The vampires in these books aren't
your typical "suck all your blood 'til you die" vampires,
but instead take only what they feel is necessary & are very
noble creatures. Shan does still keep the typical myth alive in the
series, but I shall give no more spoilers! The same situation applies
for zombies- Shan keeps the typical myth but his main "revitalised"
zombies have his personal twist.
He
creates great characters, both for the sides of good & evil, &
even those in between! He tackles themes such as death,
discrimination, friendship & acceptance well, incorporating these
issues into the action & twists of his work.
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| My signed copy of 'Sons Of Destiny'- more on that in a moment! |
Honestly,
his books are amazing, so they are something I would definitely recommend you give a chance, not just for the Halloween season, but
any time of year! Here's a list of his works so far, listed by target audience:
Teen Fiction:
- The Saga Of Darren Shan/Cirque Du Freak (Series, completed. 12 books, first book 'Cirque Du Freak'. There's also a manga version of this series.)
- The Demonata (Series, completed. 10 books, first book 'Lord Loss')
- The Saga Of Larten Crepsley (Prequel series to The Saga Of Darren Shan, completed. 4 books, first book 'Birth Of A Killer')
- The Thin Executioner (Stand alone)
- Hagurosan (Stand alone)
- Koyasan (Stand alone)
- Zom-B (Series, on-going. 12 books, first book 'Zom-B', 10th book to be released in February 2015)
Adult Fiction:
- The City (Series, completed. 3 books, first book 'Procession Of The Dead')
- Lady Of The Shades (Stand alone)
- The Evil & The Pure (written under the pen name Darren Dash, I believe it's a stand alone, will admit I've not yet read this one as it's only available as an e-Book)
He also has other short stories posted on his website, which you can find here.
There we have it, one author recommendation for you all. Another interesting fact & claim to fame of mine is that I actually met him during the signing for 'The Thin Executioner'. I was 14 at the time; here's the photo of the two of us & my signed book:
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| Such a good day! Since, I've also been tweeted by him a few times too for various things. Can't wait for the next signing near me! |
Thanks for reading all! Oh, & the weird title? A Cirque Du Freak reference. If you read it you'll understand! :)
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