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{{Short description|Irish novelist}}
{{Sprotected}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Writer
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
| name = Darren O'Shaughnessy
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| image = Replace this image1.svg
| name = Darren O'Shaughnessy
| imagesize = 150px
| caption =
| image = Darren Shan (2016).jpg
| pseudonym = Darren Shan
| image_size =
| caption = O'Shaughnessy in 2016
| birth_date = [[July 2]], [[1972]]
| pseudonym = Darren Shan, D. B. Shan, Darren Dash
| birth_place = [[London]], [[England]]
| birth_name = Darren O'Shaughnessy
| occupation = [[Novelist]]
| nationality = Irish
| genre = [[horror fiction|Horror]], [[Fantasy]]
| language = English
| nationality = [[Ireland|Irish]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|7|2|df=y}}
| period = 1999—
| birth_place = [[Lambeth, London]], England
| debut_work = ''Ayuamarca''
| spouse = Helen Basini
| magnum_opus = [[The Saga of Darren Shan]]
| website = http://www.darrenshan.com
| children = 2
| occupation = Author
| alma_mater = [[Roehampton University]]
| genre = Horror, fantasy
| period = 1999–present
| notableworks = {{ubl|''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]''|''[[The Demonata]]''|''[[The Thin Executioner]]''|''[[Zom-B]]''}}
| signature = Darren Shan signature.svg
| website = {{URL|darrenshan.com}}
}}
}}
'''Darren O'Shaughnessy''' ({{IPAc-en|oʊ|ˈ|ʃ|ɔː|n|ə|s|i}}; born 2 July 1972)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Melton|first=J. Gordon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9781578593507|title=The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead|publisher=Visible Ink Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-57859-350-7|location=Canton, Michigan|pages=633|language=en}}</ref> is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his [[young adult fiction]] series ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'', ''[[The Demonata]]'', and ''[[Zom-B]]'', published under the pseudonym '''Darren Shan'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite interview|last=Shan|first=Darren|interviewer=Louise McBride|title='I was in my late 20s before I made enough to move out of home...'|url=https://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/i-was-in-my-late-20s-before-i-made-enough-to-move-out-of-home-34888980.html|date=2016-07-17}}</ref> The former was adapted into [[The Saga of Darren Shan (manga)|a manga series]] from 2006 to 2009 as well as [[Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant|a live-action film]] in 2009, with a [[prequel]] series, ''[[The Saga of Larten Crepsley]]'', being released from 2010 to 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/zombie-writer-gives-high-close-6227624|title=Zombie writer gives High Close pupils some tricks of the trade|last=Miller|first=Laura|date=2013-10-23|website=getreading|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref>


O'Shaughnessy has published other children's books as Darren Shan, including ''[[Koyasan]]'', and ''[[The Thin Executioner]].'' From 2020 to 2022, he [[Self Published|self-published]] his latest young adult series ''[[Archibald Lox]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shan |first=Darren |date=2021-03-13 |title=Darren Shan writes about his new series - Archibald Lox |url=https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/new-book-releases/darren-shan-writes-about-his-new-series-archibald-lox/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=The School Reading List |language=en-GB}}</ref>
:''This article is about the author. For the book series, see [[The Saga of Darren Shan]].''


In the past, O'Shaughnessy has also published novels for adults under the Darren Shan pseudonym, but since 2014 he has released his work for older readers under the name of '''Darren Dash'''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/darren-shan-procession-of-the-dead-1798166987|title=Darren Shan: Procession of the Dead|last=Heller|first=Jason|date=2011-01-20|website=AUX|language=en-us|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.darrenshan.com/books/listing/books-for-older-readers|title=Books For Older Readers|website=www.darrenshan.com|access-date=2019-05-27}}</ref>
'''Darren Shan''' (born [[July 2]], [[1972]] in [[London]], [[England]]) is the [[pen name]] of the [[Ireland|Irish]] [[author]] '''Darren O'Shaughnessy''', as well as the name of the [[protagonist]] of his [[book series]] ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]''. This series is also known as ''The Cirque Du Freak Series'' in the [[United States]]. He also is currently writing [[The Demonata]] series.


==Early life and education==
[[Universal Studios]] have bought the film rights to the first three books of ''The Saga'' and plan to combine them to make a single movie. If it is successful, they might make 4 movies in total, each film combining a trilogy of books from the series. [[Lauren Shuler Donner]] is producing the film, [[Paul Weitz]] is directing it, and the script has been written by [[Brian Helgeland]]. The movie will probably be called ''Cirque Du Freak''.
O'Shaughnessy was born in St Thomas’ Hospital in [[London]], opposite the [[Houses of Parliament]]. At the age of three, he started school at English Martyrs' near the [[Elephant and Castle]] where he lived. When he was six, he moved with his parents and younger brother, to [[Limerick]] in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], where he has lived ever since.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.darrenshan.com/about|title=About Darren|website=www.darrenshan.com|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref>


He received his primary education in [[Askeaton]], and attended secondary school at [[Copsewood College]], [[Pallaskenry]], graduating in 1989. He returned to London in 1990 to pursue a degree in Sociology and English from [[Roehampton University|Roehampton Institute of Higher Education]].<ref name=":3" />
==Biography==
Darren O'Shaughnessy was born on [[July 2]], [[1972]], in [[St Thomas' Hospital]], [[London]], [[England]]. He lives in Pallaskenry, County Limerick, in Ireland. At the age of three he started school at English Martyr's in London. When he was six, he moved, with his parents and younger brother, to [[Limerick]], [[Ireland]], were he has been living ever since. He received his [[primary education]] in [[Askeaton]], and went to [[High school|secondary school]] at Copsewood College in [[Pallaskenry]]. He then traveled back to London to study [[Sociology]] and [[English studies|English]] at [[Roehampton University]].


==Career==
Darren worked for a [[cable television]] company in Limerick for a few years and then decided to become a full-time writer. He bought his first [[typewriter]] when he was fourteen and wrote several short stories, comic scripts, and books that he never finished. His first success came to him at age fifteen, when he was a runner-up in a TV script-writing competition for [[Radio Telefís Éireann]] in Ireland, with a dark comedy story entitled ''A Day in the Morgue''. He finished his first novel at age seventeen. ''Mute Pursuit'' was never published, but Shan loved the writing experience, so he started focusing on novels more and not on short stories.
O'Shaughnessy bought his first [[typewriter]] when he was fourteen and wrote many short stories, comic scripts, and books that he never finished, many of which are unpublished. O'Shaughnessy claims that most of these stories will never be published. His first success came to him at age fifteen, when he was a runner-up in a TV script-writing competition for [[RTÉ]] in Ireland, with a [[Black comedy|dark comedy]] story entitled ''A Day in the Morgue''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Joshi|first=S. T.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9780313378348|title=Encyclopedia of the Vampire: The Living Dead in Myth, Legend, and Popular Culture|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2010|isbn=978-0-313-37834-8|location=Santa Barbara, California|pages=289|language=en}}</ref>


After university, O'Shaughnessy worked in a TV cable company in Limerick for two years, before becoming a full-time writer at the age of 23. His breakthrough came with ''Ayuamarca'', published in February 1999 by [[Orion Publishing Group]] under his full name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.christopherlittle.net/authors/darren-shan/|title=Darren Shan|website=Christopher Little|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-27}}</ref> The sequel, ''Hell's Horizon'', was published in February 2000. ''Ayuamarca'' was re-released in March 2008 under the title ''Procession of the Dead'' and the pen-name ''D.B. Shan''. ''Hell's Horizon'' followed in March 2009, and the third in the trilogy, ''City of the Snakes'' in March 2010 (but this time under the name of [[Darren Shan]]). In January 2000, Shan released ''[[Cirque du Freak]]'', the first book of ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'' series in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The series was a huge global success and by 2021 his books were on sale in 40 countries, in 32 languages, and had sold thirty million copies worldwide.<ref name=":0" />
All of Shan's first books were oriented to adults. He thought writing children's books would be a nice idea for the future but adult books were his main focus. His first breakthrough was with his book, ''Ayuamarca'', written under his full name instead of his pen name. It was published in February [[1999]] by [[Orion Publishing Group]], and did not sell very well. The sequel, ''Hell's Horizon'', published in February [[2000]], was thought to be a better book, but it sold fewer copies than did the first.


O'Shaughnessy signed up with the [[Christopher Little Literary Agency]] in 1996 and they continued to represent him until Christopher Little's death in 2021. He is now represented by the [[Curtis Brown (agency)|Curtis Brown Agency]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.christopherlittle.net/about/|title=About The agency|work=Christopher Little|access-date=2020-04-04|language=en-GB}}</ref>
Then between the two adult books, Darren published his first children's book, ''[[Cirque Du Freak]]'', and it launched him into becoming a best selling author as he started ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'' which he would finish twelve books and five years later. After ''The Saga'', he started his new series, ''The Demonata'' with five books already released and five more on the way.


==Personal life==
By [[2007]], Shan's books were on sale on every continent, in 36 countries, and in 29 languages. He has been a children's bestseller in the [[United States]], [[Great Britain]], [[Ireland]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]] and other countries, and he has topped the adult bestsellers charts in [[Hungary]], [[Japan]] and [[Taiwan]]. His books have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
O'Shaughnessy continues to live in [[Pallaskenry]] in [[Limerick]], Ireland with his wife Helen Basini, a freelance university lecturer and global aid specialist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ulsites.ul.ie/gcs/helen-basini-profile|title=Helen Basini Profile|website=University of Limerick|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/darren-shan-a-damned-good-storyteller-293346.html|title=Darren Shan: A damned good storyteller|last=Sheridan|first=Colette|date=2014-10-22|website=Irish Examiner|language=en|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref> On 23 September 2014, the couple celebrated the birth of their first child, Dante, named after the famous Italian author [[Dante Alighieri]].<ref name=":4" /> Shan and his wife Helen welcomed their second child, a daughter named Gaia, on 26 March 2019.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1110512324706816000|user=darrenshan|title=Gaia Shan was safely delivered on the maternity wing of Vampire Mountain early this morning. Mum and daughter both doing fine. Proud Vampire Prince doing even finer!! 👻|author=Darren Shan|date=26 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.limerick.ie/discover/living/limerick-news/artist-profile-darren-shan-master-horror|title = Artist Profile Darren Shan the Master of Horror &#124; Limerick.ie}}</ref>


==Books==
Darren has a collection of thousands of movies, and he also likes to collect original artwork. He enjoys reading books and comic books, taking long walks, watching football (he is a [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.]] and [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] fan), listening to [[pop music|pop]] and [[rock music]], and traveling worldwide.
===''[[The Saga of Larten Crepsley]]''===
This is a four-book series covering 200 years in the life of Larten Crepsley, a vampire first introduced to readers in ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]''.


#''Birth of a Killer''. Released in the UK and US in October 2010.
==Bibliography==
#''Ocean of Blood''. Released in UK and US in April 2011.
===''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]''===
#''Palace of the Damned''. Released in UK and US in September 2011.
The series is comprised of 12 volumes:
#''Brothers to the Death''. Released in UK and US in April/May 2012.


=== ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'' (also known as the ''Cirque Du Freak'' series) ===
The Cirque du Freak trilogy (''[[Vampire Blood]]'')<br>
*1. ''[[Cirque Du Freak]]''
*2. ''[[The Vampire's Assistant]]''
*3. ''[[Tunnels of Blood]]''
The Vampire Mountain trilogy (''[[Vampire Rites]]'')<br>
*4. ''[[Vampire Mountain]]''
*5. ''[[Trials of Death]]''
*6. ''[[The Vampire Prince]]''
The Hunters trilogy (''[[Vampire War]]'')<br>
*7. ''[[Hunters of the Dusk]]''
*8. ''[[Allies of the Night]]''
*9. ''[[Killers of the Dawn]]''
The Destiny trilogy (''[[Vampire Destiny]]'')<br>
*10. ''[[The Lake of Souls]]''
*11. ''[[Lord of the Shadows]]''
*12. ''[[Sons of Destiny]]''
13 The death day calls
Short stories<br>
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/14-stevesstoryviva2.html An Essay on Vampires]" "by" Steve Leopard - book 1 tie-in story .
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/13-anniesdiary2.html Annie's Diary]" - book 1 tie-in story.
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/11-destiny-uk112.html Tiny Terrors]" - book 2 tie-in story.
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/10-transylvaniaSam2.html Transylvania Trek]" - a short story "written" by Sam Grest.
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/09-shanta2.html Shanta Claus]" (only available at Christmas)
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/08-lonelylefty2.html Lonely Lefty]" - book 3 tie-in story.
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/07-brideofsam2.html Bride of Sam Grest]" - another short story "written" by Sam Grest.
*"[http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/extras/extras/06-affairofthenight2.html An Affair of the Night]" - book 5 tie-in story (should be read just before or after book 5).


===''[[The Demonata]]''===
====''[[Vampire Blood|Vampire Blood Trilogy]]''====
#''[[Cirque Du Freak]]'' ({{ISBN|0316605107}})
{{future book}}
#''[[The Vampire's Assistant]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316905720}}/{{ISBNT|0316606847}})
#''[[Tunnels of Blood]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316607630}})


====''[[Vampire Rites|Vampire Rites Trilogy]]''====
''The Demonata'' series currently has four books released, with a fifth and sixth confirmed. The series will be made up of 10 books. The release dates listed below refer to the UK and Ireland. In America, the books will be released every spring and fall, i.e. book 5 in fall 2007, book 6 in spring 2008, etc. For release dates in other countries, visit Darren Shan's website at www.darrenshan.com and go to the LINKS section, where you will find a full list of his publishers, with links to their web sites. You should be able to find out their schedule for the books on their sites or by contacting them.
#''[[Vampire Mountain]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316905747}})
#''[[Trials of Death]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316603953}})
#''[[The Vampire Prince]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316000973}})


====''[[Vampire War|Vampire War Trilogy]]''====
'''Ordered by spot in the series and by publication date'''
#''[[Hunters of the Dusk]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316000981}})
#''[[Lord Loss]]''
#''[[Allies of the Night]]'' ({{ISBNT|0007506422}})
#''[[Demon Thief]]''
#''[[Killers of the Dawn]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316106542}})
#''[[Slawter]]''
#''[[Bec (novel)|Bec]]''
#''[[Blood Beast]]''(June 2007)
#'''[[Demonata Book 6]]'''(October 2007)
#Books 7-10 (to be released every June and October until October 2009)


====''[[Vampire Destiny|Vampire Destiny Trilogy]]''====
'''Ordered chronologically'''
#''[[The Lake of Souls]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316016659}})
#''[[Lord of the Shadows]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316156280}})
#''[[Sons of Destiny]]'' ({{ISBNT|0316016640}})


===''[[The Demonata]]''===
(Note that this is only for Books 1-6 and past that is yet to be known where they'll fit in)
# ''[[Lord Loss]]''
#''[[Bec (novel)|Bec]]'' (Between [[350 AD]] and [[400 AD]]. About 1600 years before Demon Thief)
#''[[Demon Thief]]'' (Mid [[1970s]]. About 30 years before Lord Loss)
# ''[[Demon Thief]]''
# ''[[Slawter]]''
#''[[Lord Loss]]'' (Early [[21st century]]. About a year before Slawter)
# ''[[Bec (novel)|Bec]]''
#''[[Slawter]]'' (A year after ''Lord Loss''. A few months before Blood Beast)
#''[[Blood Beast]]'' (About a year after ''Slawter''.Sometime before Demonata Book 6)
# ''[[Blood Beast]]''
# ''[[Demon Apocalypse]]''
#[[Demonata Book 6]] (Sometime before Demonata Book 7)
# ''[[Death's Shadow (novel)|Death's Shadow]]''
# ''[[Wolf Island (novel)|Wolf Island]]''
# ''[[Dark Calling]]''
# ''[[Hell's Heroes (novel)|Hell's Heroes]]''


===[[The City Book Trilogy|The City Trilogy]]===
===''The City Trilogy''===
''The City Trilogy'' was written for adult readers and was released under the name '''Darren O'Shaughnessy''' instead of Darren Shan. The third book was never published and they are now out of print. They were published by [[Orion Publishing Group]].
''The City Trilogy'' was written for adult readers and was originally released under O'Shaughnessy's own name. The third book was never published and the original versions are now [[out of print]]. They were published by [[Orion Publishing Group]]. However, in March 2008, ''Ayuamarca'' was re-published as ''Procession of the Dead'' (with substantial changes) by the Voyager imprint of [[HarperCollins]] (O'Shaughnessy's children's publisher). ''Hell's Horizon'' was released in March 2009 and ''City of the Snakes'' was released in March 2010. All three books are now also available in the US, as well as in several other countries.
#''Ayuamarca'' - First published in the [[United Kingdom]] in February [[1999]] and then in [[Russia]].
#''Hell's Horizon'' - Sequel to Ayuamarca. First published in the United Kingdom in February [[2000]].
# ''City of the Snakes'' - Never Published


# ''Ayuamarca'' – Renamed ''Procession of the Dead'' – First published in the United Kingdom in February 1999 and later in Russia. Re-released in the UK in March 2008.
These books are due to be reprinted in the UK, by HarperCollins, with the first, renamed ''Procession of the Dead'', being released in '''Spring 2008.''' The first two books will be re-edited, and they will be released under a different name (Revealed on his own website as: '''D B Shan'''). This was first announced by Darren at the Town Hall Theatre in [[Galway]] city during the 22nd Cúirt International Festival of Literature on the 28th of April, 2007, a few days before officially releasing the statement on his website.
# ''Hell's Horizon'' – Sequel to Ayuamarca. First published in the United Kingdom in February 2000. Re-released in March 2009.<ref name=":2" />
# ''City of the Snakes'' – Last book of ''The City Trilogy''. It came out in the United Kingdom in March 2010.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Phelan|first=Eugene|url=http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/writers,%20general%20fiction%20091.pdf|title=Darren's premiere dream comes true|date=2009-10-06|work=Limerick Chronicle|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref>


===''[[Zom-B]]''===
After a conversation during a signing Darren stated that there were in fact 4 books originally in this series. The fourth book set before the other 3.
On 12 October 2011, it was announced that O'Shaughnessy's next series for teenagers under the name of [[Darren Shan]] would focus on zombies, and that the title of the series was ''[[Zom-B]]''. There were twelve books in total. The first book was released in the UK and USA in late September 2012, and the last book was released in April 2016.


#''Zom-B'', released in the UK on 27 September 2012.
===Other books===
#''Zom-B Underground'', released in the UK on 3 January 2013.
#''[[Koyasan (novel)|Koyasan]]'' - A special book released for [[World Book Day]] [[2006]]
#''Zom-B City'', released in the UK on 14 March 2013.
#''Zom-B Angels'', released in the UK on 20 June 2013.
#''Zom-B Baby'', released in the UK on 26 September 2013.
#''Zom-B Gladiator'', released in the UK on 2 January 2014.
#''Zom-B Mission'', released in the UK on 27 March 2014.
#''Zom-B Clans'', released in the UK on 3 July 2014.
#''Zom-B Family'', released in the UK on 25 September 2014.
#''Zom-B Bride'', released in the UK on 24 February 2015.
#''Zom-B Fugitive'', released in the UK in August 2015<ref name="thebookseller">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/shan-moves-hc-ss-zom-b.html|title=Shan moves from HC to S&S for Zom-B|last=Neill|first=Graeme|date=2011-10-12|website=The Bookseller|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref>
#''Zom-B Goddess'', released in the UK in April 2016<ref name="thebookseller" />


A short novel titled ''Zom-B Circus'', set between ''Zom-B Gladiator'' and ''Zom-B Mission'', was released on 27 April 2014. This is officially book 6.5 in the series chronology.
===Short stories===
#"[http://www.darrenshan.com/extras/extras/02-hagurosan.html Hagurosan]" - Originally written for ''Kids' Night In''.
#"[http://www.darrenshan.com/extras/extras/01-alanmoore.html Young Alan Moore]" - Originally written for ''Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman'', a book written to celebrate the 50th birthday of [[Alan Moore]].
#"[http://www.darrenshan.com/extras/extras/18-goodshiptree.html The Good Ship Tree]" - Originally written for the ''[[Times Educational Supplement]]'', and accepted.
#"[http://www.darrenshan.com/extras/extras/04-lifesabeach.html Life's a Beach]" - Originally written for the ''Times Educational Supplement'', but rejected.
#"Guyifesto&ndash;Who We Are" - Originally written for ''Guys Write For Guys Read''. (Play on words of "[[manifesto|''man''ifesto]]")
#''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'' tie-in short stories - ''[[#The Saga of Darren Shan|See above]]''


===''[[Archibald Lox]]''===
=== Unpublished books ===
On 1 April 2020, O'Shaughnessy announced that he had silently released three books digitally due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], making up the first volume of the ''Archibald Lox'' series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.darrenshan.com/news/article/introducing-archie|title=Introducing Archie...|last=Shan|first=Darren|date=2020-04-02|website=www.darrenshan.com|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref> There were nine books released in total, making up three volumes when they were collected into omnibus editions.
# ''[[The Contender (book)|The Contender]]'' - This book was not published because his publisher was so disgusted by it he got the hand written copy (happened to be the only copy darren Shan had) and took it home and put it into his wood log fire. This is not confirmed but it kept the publishers family warm for 30 seconds and once it was burnt they had a party (they didnt invite Daren Shan)
# ''Mute Pursuit'' - A futuristic cross between ''[[The Terminator]]'' and [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Dark Tower (series)|The Dark Tower]]''; Darren's first complete book
# ''City of the Snakes'' - See above
# ''The Cannibal King'' - Because this book was all about cannabilism the book was rejected by everyone involved with Darren Shan, everyone was so disturbed by what he had written that they suggested counciling and some people even donated to him via his blog. It's not confirmed but apparently he used the donation money to buy a shit load of gay porn on the internet.
# ''The Guide: To Being A Paedophile'' - This book was so wrong that the police got involved. They have raided his computer and found thousands of pictures of under age porn, he has been charged but has not been setenced (expected to go to court on the 27th of July). But they expect him to get 5-10 years jail.


==Darren Shan Manga==
====Volume One====
* ''Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds'', released 1 April 2020.
* ''Archibald Lox and the Empress of Suanpan'', released 1 April 2020.
* ''Archibald Lox and the Vote of Alignment'', released 1 April 2020.
* ''Archibald Lox Volume One: The Missing Princess'' — collects the first three books in a single Volume, the way the story arc was originally written, released 31 October 2020.


====Volume Two====
Darren Shan is being adapted into a [[manga]]. Darren Shan is a very popular writer around the world, especially in Japan. *[http://www.shogakukan.co.jp/darren/news/news35.html] *[http://websunday.net/rensai/set_darren.html]
* ''Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt'', released 1 July 2021.
Thus far "The Cirque du Freak trilogy" (the first three books) has been completed in the 2007 Shonen Sunday Issue #11 with Chapter 24, running since Issue 36-37 (2006). The fourth book has begun in Issue #12 with Chapter 25.
* ''Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell'', released 3 August 2021.
Three manga volumes have currently been published.*[http://www.s-book.com/plsql/com2_detail?isbn=9784091205384]
* ''Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate'', released 1 September 2021.
* ''Archibald Lox Volume Two: The Kidnapped Prince'' — collects books four through six in a single Volume, the way the story arc was originally written, released 1 November 2021.


====Volume Three====
==Awards==
* ''Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell'' released 31 May, 2022.
===''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]''===
* ''Archibald Lox and the Pick of Loxes'', released 28 June, 2022.
In [[2001]], ''Cirque Du Freak (Book 1)'' won 2nd prize at the '''[[Sheffield Children's Book Award]]'''.
* ''Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost'', released 26 July, 2022.
* ''Archibald Lox Volume Three: The Exiled King'' — collects books seven through nine in a single Volume, the way the story arc was originally written, released 25 October 2022.


===Stand-alone books===
In [[2001]], ''Cirque Du Freak (Book 1)'' was shortlisted for the '''WHSmith Children's Book Of The Year''' in the UK.
====''Koyasan''====
A short novel released for [[World Book Day]] in the UK in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/darren-shan/work/koyasan|title=Koyasan|website=Curtis Brown|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref> The paperback edition is out of print, but it is available in ebook format through Kindle on Amazon stores worldwide. It has also been translated and released in several other countries.


====''[[The Thin Executioner]]''====
In [[2002]], ''Cirque Du Freak (Book 1)'' won the '''IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award''', in the USA. (IRA = International Reading Association, and CBC = Children's Book Council).
{{Main|The Thin Executioner}}
A one-off novel, ''The Thin Executioner'' was released in April 2010. Inspired in part by ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' and based in a brutal, fantastical world, it details the perilous quest of Jebel, the thin and scrawny son of a respected executioner, to petition a fire god for invincibility, so that he can succeed his father. O'Shaughnessy has stated that this is his favourite out of all of the books he has written.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darrenshan.com/books/details/the-thin-executioner/|title=The Thin Executioner|publisher=www.darrenshan.com|access-date=2012-02-06}}</ref>


====''Lady of the Shades''====
In [[2002]], ''Cirque Du Freak (Book 1)'' received a certificate of '''Outstanding Achievement in Books''' from '''the Parent's Guide to Children's Media Inc''', in the USA.
''Lady of the Shades'' was released in the UK and Ireland on 30 August 2012.<ref name="thebookseller" />


====''Hagurosan''====
In [[2004]], ''Cirque Du Freak (Book 1)'' won the '''[[Wyoming Soaring Eagle]]''' book award.
''Hagurosan'' is a short story originally released in a book collection called '''Kids Night In''' in the UK in 2003. O'Shaughnessy tweaked and slightly expanded it ten years later, and it was released as a book by the publishing group [[Barrington Stoke]] with illustrations by [[Zack McLaughlin]].


===Darren Dash===
In [[2005]], ''The Vampire's Assistant'' was shortlisted for the '''[[Wyoming Soaring Eagle]]''' book award.
In 2014, O'Shaughnessy started publishing his books for adults under the name of "Darren Dash", so that they would not be confused with his children's books under the "Darren Shan' name.<ref name="darrendashbooks.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.darrendashbooks.com/books|title=The Books|website=Darren Dash: The Official Website|access-date=2015-05-16}}</ref> announcing that he would be publishing the rest of his adult books under this pen name in the future.<ref name="darrendashbooks.com"/>


* ''The Evil and the Pure'' – released 2014.
===''[[The Demonata]]''===
* ''Sunburn'' – released 2015.
* ''An Other Place'' – released 2016.
* ''Midsummer's Bottom'' – released 2018.
* ''Molls Like it Hot'' – released 2019.
* ''Father of the Future'' – released 2023.


===Online short spin-off stories===
In [[2006]], ''Lord Loss'' won the '''Redbridge Teenage Book award''', in the UK.
* "An Essay on Vampires" "by" Steve Leonard – book 1 [[tie-in]] story.
* "Annie's Diary" – book 1 tie-in story.
* "Tiny Terrors" – book 2 tie-in story.
* "Transylvania Trek" – a short story "written" by Sam Grest.
* "Shanta Claus" (only available at Christmas)
* "Lonely Lefty" – book 3 tie-in story.
* "Bride of Sam Grest" – another short story "written" by Sam Grest.
* "An Affair of the Night" – book 5 tie-in story (should be read just before or after book 5).


===Short stories===
In [[2006]], ''Lord Loss'' was shortlisted for the '''Berkshire Book award''', in the UK.
# "Hagurosan" – Originally written for ''Kids' Night In''.
# "Young Alan Moore" – Originally written for ''Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman'', a book written to celebrate the 50th birthday of [[Alan Moore]].
# "The Good Ship Tree" – Originally written for the ''[[Times Educational Supplement]]'', and accepted.
# "Life's a Beach" – Originally written for the ''Times Educational Supplement'', but rejected.
# "Guyifesto—Who We Are" – Originally written for ''Guys Write For Guys Read''. (Play on words of "[[manifesto|''man''ifesto]]")
# ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'' tie-in short stories – ''[[#The Saga of Darren Shan|See above]]''


===Unpublished books===
In [[2006]], ''Lord Loss'' was shortlisted for the '''Doncaster Book award''', in the UK.
In July 2009, O'Shaughnessy revealed that he had written first drafts of 53 books in total. Most of those have now been published, although there are several which have yet to see the light of day, which he plans to release in the future, most probably under his [[Darren Dash]] umbrella. There are also a few that will very likely never be published. O'Shaughnessy has not revealed details of any of his unpublished books, with two exceptions — ''Mute Pursuit'' and ''The Cannibal King'':


# ''Mute Pursuit'' – A futuristic cross between ''[[The Terminator]]'' and [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Dark Tower (series)|The Dark Tower]]''; this was Shan's first completed book at age seventeen.
In [[2006]], ''Lord Loss'' was shortlisted for the '''Lancashire Children's Book Of The Year award''', in the UK.


# ''The Cannibal King'' – This was originally going to be the 12th book of ''The Saga of Darren Shan'' – book 11 was originally meant to be much longer, including elements from the first half of what became ''Sons of Destiny''. ''The Cannibal King'' was never published because it was originally part of the planned 24-book Saga. Shan had planned to write 18—24 books for The Saga, with half of them taking place in the future wasteworld shown in Book 10, ''The Lake of Souls''. For reasons explained on his web site, Shan decided to end the series with ''Sons of Destiny'', which was written and released instead of ''The Cannibal King''. He never reveals anything that he wrote in this book, because there is a possibility that he might one day write a follow-up series to The Saga, which would take parts of this book as its starting point.
In [[2007]], ''Lord Loss'' was shortlisted for the '''Leeds Children's Book award''', in the UK.


==Television and film==
In [[2007]], ''Demon Thief'' was shortlisted for the '''Doncaster Book award''', in the UK.
[[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] bought the film rights to the first three books of ''[[The Saga of Darren Shan]]'' and combined them to make a single film, ''[[Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant]]'', released in the US on 23 October 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2009/10/23/cirque-du-freak-vampires-assistant-2/|title=Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant|last=Schwarzbaum|first=Lisa|date=2009-10-23|website=EW.com|language=EN|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref> [[Lauren Shuler Donner]] produced the film and [[Paul Weitz (filmmaker)|Paul Weitz]] directed. The original screenplay was written by [[Brian Helgeland]] but rewritten entirely by Paul Weitz.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2009/10/23/cirque_du_freak/|title="Cirque du Freak": Not freaky enough|last=Zacharek|first=Stephanie|date=2009-10-23|website=Salon|language=en|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref>


In May 2019, ''[[Zom-B]]'' was optioned for a ten-part television series adaptation by London-based production company The Electric Shadow Company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/news/darren-shan-zom-b-optioned-television-series|title=Darren Shan's ''Zom-B'' series optioned for television series|last=Broown|first=Curtis|date=2019-05-31|website=Curtis Brown|language=en|access-date=2019-05-31}}</ref>
In [[2007]], ''Demon Thief'' was shortlisted for the '''Irish Children's Book Of The Year award''', in Ireland.
In March 2020, it was announced that The Electric Shadow Company had partnered with Slam Films in developing the series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/irelands-fantastic-films-moves-into-tv-with-zom-b-exclusive/5147862.article|title=Ireland's Fantastic Films moves into TV with {{‘}}''Zom-B''{{’}} (exclusive)|last=Mitchell|first=Wendy|date=2020-03-05|website=Screen Daily|language=en|access-date=2020-03-05}}</ref> In March 2021, [[Susan E. Connolly]] was announced to be attached as the lead writer on the project, with The Electric Shadow Company releasing a teaser image depicting a blood-spattered B Smith opposite her best friend Vinyl to their website.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Electric Shadow Company|url=https://www.electricshadowcompany.com/zom-b|website=The Electric Shadow Company|date=18 March 2021|access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref> On 15th January 2024, Darren Shan announced on his website that the project would not be moving forwards and that the option rights had reverted to him. <ref>{{cite web|title=Darren Shan news update|url=https://darrenshan.com/news/article/zom-b-tv-show-update|website=Darren Shan|date=15 January 2024|access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref>


==References==
In [[2007]], ''Demon Thief'' was shortlisted for the '''Lancashire Children's Book Of The Year award''', in the UK.
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
In [[2007]], ''Slawter'' was shortlisted for the '''Staffordshire Young Teen Fiction book award''', in the UK.
<!-- Adding external links to an article or user page for the purpose of promoting a website or a product is not allowed and is considered to be spam. Although the specific links may be allowed under some circumstances, ( e.g. Amazon, Internet Movie Database) repeatedly adding links will in most cases result in all of them being removed. -->
* {{Official website|https://www.darrenshan.com}}
* [http://www.foyles.co.uk/news/Darren-Shan-Christmas Interview with Darren O'Shaughnessy on foyles.co.uk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090411170204/http://www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/974.html Darren O'Shaughnessy talks about ''Cirque du Freak'']
* [http://www.bookarmy.com/People/DarrenShan.aspx Darren O'Shaughnessy lists his favourite books at bookarmy.com]
* [http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/DarrenShan Darren O'Shaughnessy reads extracts from his books for an hour as part of the One & Other art installation in Trafalgar Square]
* [http://veronikaasks.wordpress.com/darren-shan Interview with Darren O'Shaughnessy on Veronika Asks]
* [https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-on-demand/darren-shan Darren O'Shaughnessy Interview with Scottish Book Trust]
* [http://www.limerickcity.ie/Library/LocalStudies/LocalStudiesFiles/enwiki/w/Writers-GeneralFictionDrama/ Darren O'Shaughnessy in 'Writers – Fiction' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland]
* {{IMDb name|1752231}}
*[https://www.imdb.com/user/ur0443294 Darren O'Shaughnessy]'s IMDb profile
*[https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5816.Darren_Shan Darren O'Shaughnessy]'s Goodreads Author page
* {{isfdb name|6854|name=Darren O'Shaughnessy}} (with [[Darren Shan]] and D.B. Shan)
* {{LCAuth|nb99087228|Darren O'Shaughnessy|52|ue}} <!-- 2015-05-15 LC has authority pages for O'S and D.B. Shan but no distinct catalogue records -->
* [https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-nb99-000271 Darren O'Shaughnessy] and [https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-nb2008-012432 D.B. Shan] at WorldCat


{{Darren Shan}}
In [[2008]], ''Lord Loss'' was shortlisted for the '''Flume: NH Teen Reader's Choice award''', in the USA.
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:OShaughnessy, Darren}}
==External links==
*[http://www.darrenshan.com Darren Shan website]
*[http://darrenshan.blogdrive.com Darren Shan blog]
[[Category:Darren Shan| ]]
[[Category:Darren Shan| ]]
[[Category:1972 births|Shan, Darren]]
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people|Shan, Darren]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Irish horror writers|Shan, Darren]]
[[Category:21st-century Irish male writers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Roehampton University|Shan, Darren]]
[[Category:21st-century pseudonymous writers]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Roehampton]]

[[Category:Irish fantasy writers]]
[[cs:Darren O'Shaughnessey]]
[[Category:Irish horror writers]]
[[de:Darren O'Shaughnessy]]
[[Category:Irish male novelists]]
[[ga:Darren Shan]]
[[Category:Novelists from London]]
[[hu:Darren Shan]]
[[Category:Writers from the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[nl:Darren Shan]]
[[ja:ダレン・シャン]]
[[no:Darren Shan]]

Latest revision as of 23:20, 25 November 2024

Darren O'Shaughnessy
O'Shaughnessy in 2016
O'Shaughnessy in 2016
BornDarren O'Shaughnessy
(1972-07-02) 2 July 1972 (age 52)
Lambeth, London, England
Pen nameDarren Shan, D. B. Shan, Darren Dash
OccupationAuthor
LanguageEnglish
NationalityIrish
Alma materRoehampton University
Period1999–present
GenreHorror, fantasy
Notable works
SpouseHelen Basini
Children2
Signature
Website
darrenshan.com

Darren O'Shaughnessy (/oʊˈʃɔːnəsi/; born 2 July 1972)[1] is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series The Saga of Darren Shan, The Demonata, and Zom-B, published under the pseudonym Darren Shan.[2] The former was adapted into a manga series from 2006 to 2009 as well as a live-action film in 2009, with a prequel series, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, being released from 2010 to 2012.[3]

O'Shaughnessy has published other children's books as Darren Shan, including Koyasan, and The Thin Executioner. From 2020 to 2022, he self-published his latest young adult series Archibald Lox.[4]

In the past, O'Shaughnessy has also published novels for adults under the Darren Shan pseudonym, but since 2014 he has released his work for older readers under the name of Darren Dash.[5][6]

Early life and education

[edit]

O'Shaughnessy was born in St Thomas’ Hospital in London, opposite the Houses of Parliament. At the age of three, he started school at English Martyrs' near the Elephant and Castle where he lived. When he was six, he moved with his parents and younger brother, to Limerick in Ireland, where he has lived ever since.[7]

He received his primary education in Askeaton, and attended secondary school at Copsewood College, Pallaskenry, graduating in 1989. He returned to London in 1990 to pursue a degree in Sociology and English from Roehampton Institute of Higher Education.[7]

Career

[edit]

O'Shaughnessy bought his first typewriter when he was fourteen and wrote many short stories, comic scripts, and books that he never finished, many of which are unpublished. O'Shaughnessy claims that most of these stories will never be published. His first success came to him at age fifteen, when he was a runner-up in a TV script-writing competition for RTÉ in Ireland, with a dark comedy story entitled A Day in the Morgue.[8]

After university, O'Shaughnessy worked in a TV cable company in Limerick for two years, before becoming a full-time writer at the age of 23. His breakthrough came with Ayuamarca, published in February 1999 by Orion Publishing Group under his full name.[9] The sequel, Hell's Horizon, was published in February 2000. Ayuamarca was re-released in March 2008 under the title Procession of the Dead and the pen-name D.B. Shan. Hell's Horizon followed in March 2009, and the third in the trilogy, City of the Snakes in March 2010 (but this time under the name of Darren Shan). In January 2000, Shan released Cirque du Freak, the first book of The Saga of Darren Shan series in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The series was a huge global success and by 2021 his books were on sale in 40 countries, in 32 languages, and had sold thirty million copies worldwide.[2]

O'Shaughnessy signed up with the Christopher Little Literary Agency in 1996 and they continued to represent him until Christopher Little's death in 2021. He is now represented by the Curtis Brown Agency.[10]

Personal life

[edit]

O'Shaughnessy continues to live in Pallaskenry in Limerick, Ireland with his wife Helen Basini, a freelance university lecturer and global aid specialist.[11][12] On 23 September 2014, the couple celebrated the birth of their first child, Dante, named after the famous Italian author Dante Alighieri.[12] Shan and his wife Helen welcomed their second child, a daughter named Gaia, on 26 March 2019.[13][14]

Books

[edit]

The Saga of Larten Crepsley

[edit]

This is a four-book series covering 200 years in the life of Larten Crepsley, a vampire first introduced to readers in The Saga of Darren Shan.

  1. Birth of a Killer. Released in the UK and US in October 2010.
  2. Ocean of Blood. Released in UK and US in April 2011.
  3. Palace of the Damned. Released in UK and US in September 2011.
  4. Brothers to the Death. Released in UK and US in April/May 2012.

The Saga of Darren Shan (also known as the Cirque Du Freak series)

[edit]

Vampire Blood Trilogy

[edit]
  1. Cirque Du Freak (ISBN 0316605107)
  2. The Vampire's Assistant (0316905720/0316606847)
  3. Tunnels of Blood (0316607630)

Vampire Rites Trilogy

[edit]
  1. Vampire Mountain (0316905747)
  2. Trials of Death (0316603953)
  3. The Vampire Prince (0316000973)

Vampire War Trilogy

[edit]
  1. Hunters of the Dusk (0316000981)
  2. Allies of the Night (0007506422)
  3. Killers of the Dawn (0316106542)

Vampire Destiny Trilogy

[edit]
  1. The Lake of Souls (0316016659)
  2. Lord of the Shadows (0316156280)
  3. Sons of Destiny (0316016640)

The Demonata

[edit]
  1. Lord Loss
  2. Demon Thief
  3. Slawter
  4. Bec
  5. Blood Beast
  6. Demon Apocalypse
  7. Death's Shadow
  8. Wolf Island
  9. Dark Calling
  10. Hell's Heroes

The City Trilogy

[edit]

The City Trilogy was written for adult readers and was originally released under O'Shaughnessy's own name. The third book was never published and the original versions are now out of print. They were published by Orion Publishing Group. However, in March 2008, Ayuamarca was re-published as Procession of the Dead (with substantial changes) by the Voyager imprint of HarperCollins (O'Shaughnessy's children's publisher). Hell's Horizon was released in March 2009 and City of the Snakes was released in March 2010. All three books are now also available in the US, as well as in several other countries.

  1. Ayuamarca – Renamed Procession of the Dead – First published in the United Kingdom in February 1999 and later in Russia. Re-released in the UK in March 2008.
  2. Hell's Horizon – Sequel to Ayuamarca. First published in the United Kingdom in February 2000. Re-released in March 2009.[5]
  3. City of the Snakes – Last book of The City Trilogy. It came out in the United Kingdom in March 2010.[15]

Zom-B

[edit]

On 12 October 2011, it was announced that O'Shaughnessy's next series for teenagers under the name of Darren Shan would focus on zombies, and that the title of the series was Zom-B. There were twelve books in total. The first book was released in the UK and USA in late September 2012, and the last book was released in April 2016.

  1. Zom-B, released in the UK on 27 September 2012.
  2. Zom-B Underground, released in the UK on 3 January 2013.
  3. Zom-B City, released in the UK on 14 March 2013.
  4. Zom-B Angels, released in the UK on 20 June 2013.
  5. Zom-B Baby, released in the UK on 26 September 2013.
  6. Zom-B Gladiator, released in the UK on 2 January 2014.
  7. Zom-B Mission, released in the UK on 27 March 2014.
  8. Zom-B Clans, released in the UK on 3 July 2014.
  9. Zom-B Family, released in the UK on 25 September 2014.
  10. Zom-B Bride, released in the UK on 24 February 2015.
  11. Zom-B Fugitive, released in the UK in August 2015[16]
  12. Zom-B Goddess, released in the UK in April 2016[16]

A short novel titled Zom-B Circus, set between Zom-B Gladiator and Zom-B Mission, was released on 27 April 2014. This is officially book 6.5 in the series chronology.

Archibald Lox

[edit]

On 1 April 2020, O'Shaughnessy announced that he had silently released three books digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making up the first volume of the Archibald Lox series.[17] There were nine books released in total, making up three volumes when they were collected into omnibus editions.

Volume One

[edit]
  • Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds, released 1 April 2020.
  • Archibald Lox and the Empress of Suanpan, released 1 April 2020.
  • Archibald Lox and the Vote of Alignment, released 1 April 2020.
  • Archibald Lox Volume One: The Missing Princess — collects the first three books in a single Volume, the way the story arc was originally written, released 31 October 2020.

Volume Two

[edit]
  • Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt, released 1 July 2021.
  • Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell, released 3 August 2021.
  • Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate, released 1 September 2021.
  • Archibald Lox Volume Two: The Kidnapped Prince — collects books four through six in a single Volume, the way the story arc was originally written, released 1 November 2021.

Volume Three

[edit]
  • Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell released 31 May, 2022.
  • Archibald Lox and the Pick of Loxes, released 28 June, 2022.
  • Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost, released 26 July, 2022.
  • Archibald Lox Volume Three: The Exiled King — collects books seven through nine in a single Volume, the way the story arc was originally written, released 25 October 2022.

Stand-alone books

[edit]

Koyasan

[edit]

A short novel released for World Book Day in the UK in 2006.[18] The paperback edition is out of print, but it is available in ebook format through Kindle on Amazon stores worldwide. It has also been translated and released in several other countries.

The Thin Executioner

[edit]
Main article: The Thin Executioner

A one-off novel, The Thin Executioner was released in April 2010. Inspired in part by The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and based in a brutal, fantastical world, it details the perilous quest of Jebel, the thin and scrawny son of a respected executioner, to petition a fire god for invincibility, so that he can succeed his father. O'Shaughnessy has stated that this is his favourite out of all of the books he has written.[19]

Lady of the Shades

[edit]

Lady of the Shades was released in the UK and Ireland on 30 August 2012.[16]

Hagurosan

[edit]

Hagurosan is a short story originally released in a book collection called Kids Night In in the UK in 2003. O'Shaughnessy tweaked and slightly expanded it ten years later, and it was released as a book by the publishing group Barrington Stoke with illustrations by Zack McLaughlin.

Darren Dash

[edit]

In 2014, O'Shaughnessy started publishing his books for adults under the name of "Darren Dash", so that they would not be confused with his children's books under the "Darren Shan' name.[20] announcing that he would be publishing the rest of his adult books under this pen name in the future.[20]

  • The Evil and the Pure – released 2014.
  • Sunburn – released 2015.
  • An Other Place – released 2016.
  • Midsummer's Bottom – released 2018.
  • Molls Like it Hot – released 2019.
  • Father of the Future – released 2023.

Online short spin-off stories

[edit]
  • "An Essay on Vampires" "by" Steve Leonard – book 1 tie-in story.
  • "Annie's Diary" – book 1 tie-in story.
  • "Tiny Terrors" – book 2 tie-in story.
  • "Transylvania Trek" – a short story "written" by Sam Grest.
  • "Shanta Claus" (only available at Christmas)
  • "Lonely Lefty" – book 3 tie-in story.
  • "Bride of Sam Grest" – another short story "written" by Sam Grest.
  • "An Affair of the Night" – book 5 tie-in story (should be read just before or after book 5).

Short stories

[edit]
  1. "Hagurosan" – Originally written for Kids' Night In.
  2. "Young Alan Moore" – Originally written for Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman, a book written to celebrate the 50th birthday of Alan Moore.
  3. "The Good Ship Tree" – Originally written for the Times Educational Supplement, and accepted.
  4. "Life's a Beach" – Originally written for the Times Educational Supplement, but rejected.
  5. "Guyifesto—Who We Are" – Originally written for Guys Write For Guys Read. (Play on words of "manifesto")
  6. The Saga of Darren Shan tie-in short stories – See above

Unpublished books

[edit]

In July 2009, O'Shaughnessy revealed that he had written first drafts of 53 books in total. Most of those have now been published, although there are several which have yet to see the light of day, which he plans to release in the future, most probably under his Darren Dash umbrella. There are also a few that will very likely never be published. O'Shaughnessy has not revealed details of any of his unpublished books, with two exceptions — Mute Pursuit and The Cannibal King:

  1. Mute Pursuit – A futuristic cross between The Terminator and Stephen King's The Dark Tower; this was Shan's first completed book at age seventeen.
  1. The Cannibal King – This was originally going to be the 12th book of The Saga of Darren Shan – book 11 was originally meant to be much longer, including elements from the first half of what became Sons of Destiny. The Cannibal King was never published because it was originally part of the planned 24-book Saga. Shan had planned to write 18—24 books for The Saga, with half of them taking place in the future wasteworld shown in Book 10, The Lake of Souls. For reasons explained on his web site, Shan decided to end the series with Sons of Destiny, which was written and released instead of The Cannibal King. He never reveals anything that he wrote in this book, because there is a possibility that he might one day write a follow-up series to The Saga, which would take parts of this book as its starting point.

Television and film

[edit]

Universal Studios bought the film rights to the first three books of The Saga of Darren Shan and combined them to make a single film, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, released in the US on 23 October 2009.[21] Lauren Shuler Donner produced the film and Paul Weitz directed. The original screenplay was written by Brian Helgeland but rewritten entirely by Paul Weitz.[22]

In May 2019, Zom-B was optioned for a ten-part television series adaptation by London-based production company The Electric Shadow Company.[23] In March 2020, it was announced that The Electric Shadow Company had partnered with Slam Films in developing the series.[24] In March 2021, Susan E. Connolly was announced to be attached as the lead writer on the project, with The Electric Shadow Company releasing a teaser image depicting a blood-spattered B Smith opposite her best friend Vinyl to their website.[25] On 15th January 2024, Darren Shan announced on his website that the project would not be moving forwards and that the option rights had reverted to him. [26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Melton, J. Gordon (2010). The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead. Canton, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. p. 633. ISBN 978-1-57859-350-7.
  2. ^ a b Shan, Darren (17 July 2016). "'I was in my late 20s before I made enough to move out of home...'" (Interview). Interviewed by Louise McBride.
  3. ^ Miller, Laura (23 October 2013). "Zombie writer gives High Close pupils some tricks of the trade". getreading. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. ^ Shan, Darren (13 March 2021). "Darren Shan writes about his new series - Archibald Lox". The School Reading List. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b Heller, Jason (20 January 2011). "Darren Shan: Procession of the Dead". AUX. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Books For Older Readers". www.darrenshan.com. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b "About Darren". www.darrenshan.com. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  8. ^ Joshi, S. T. (2010). Encyclopedia of the Vampire: The Living Dead in Myth, Legend, and Popular Culture. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 289. ISBN 978-0-313-37834-8.
  9. ^ "Darren Shan". Christopher Little. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  10. ^ "About The agency". Christopher Little. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Helen Basini Profile". University of Limerick. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  12. ^ a b Sheridan, Colette (22 October 2014). "Darren Shan: A damned good storyteller". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  13. ^ Darren Shan [@darrenshan] (26 March 2019). "Gaia Shan was safely delivered on the maternity wing of Vampire Mountain early this morning. Mum and daughter both doing fine. Proud Vampire Prince doing even finer!! 👻" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Artist Profile Darren Shan the Master of Horror | Limerick.ie".
  15. ^ Phelan, Eugene (6 October 2009). "Darren's premiere dream comes true" (PDF). Limerick Chronicle. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Neill, Graeme (12 October 2011). "Shan moves from HC to S&S for Zom-B". The Bookseller. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  17. ^ Shan, Darren (2 April 2020). "Introducing Archie..." www.darrenshan.com. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Koyasan". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  19. ^ "The Thin Executioner". www.darrenshan.com. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  20. ^ a b "The Books". Darren Dash: The Official Website. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  21. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (23 October 2009). "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant". EW.com. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  22. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (23 October 2009). ""Cirque du Freak": Not freaky enough". Salon. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  23. ^ Broown, Curtis (31 May 2019). "Darren Shan's Zom-B series optioned for television series". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  24. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (5 March 2020). "Ireland's Fantastic Films moves into TV with 'Zom-B' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  25. ^ "The Electric Shadow Company". The Electric Shadow Company. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Darren Shan news update". Darren Shan. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
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