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SHAN THE MAN
ONE OF THE MOST
TALKED ABOUT
BOOKS OF THE
YEAR IS DARREN
SHAN’S CIRQUE
DU FREAK.
PAUL WRAY MEETS
THE WRITER
BEHIND THE
VAMPIRE-BASED
SAGA.
Where did you
get the
inspiration for
Cirque Du Freak
from?
It started with
my interest in
vampires. I was
fascinated with
them since I was
a child, and had
a big poster of
Christopher Lee
(famous Dracula
actor) on my
bedroom wall
when I was six
years old! I’d
been toying with
the idea of
writing a
vampire book for
years, but
didn’t want to
simply repeat
the same old
stories.
What sort of
books or films
influenced you?
I’m a filmaholic
and watch two or
three movies a
day! Those which
had a big
influence on me
were horror and
fantasy films,
which I immersed
myself in when
growing up.
Stephen King’s
Salem’s Lot –
first the film,
then the book –
had a huge
impact on me.
How many Darren
Shan books will
there be?
There will be 20
plus books in
the Saga Of
Darren Shan. I
can’t be much
more accurate
than that,
though I think
it will probably
come in around
the 24 or 25
book mark. I’ve
written the
first nine!
Why are people
fascinated by
vampires?
One reason is
that the vamps
are almost
always portrayed
on-screen by
suave, handsome
hunks! In my
books, I play
around with this
idea. Creatures
that live by
night, and in
rough
conditions, are
unlikely to look
good, and most
of my vampires
are fabulously
ugly!
Why did you
decide to go
against the
usual idea that
vampires are
evil?
I never
understood why
vampires had to
be evil. They
simply obey
their nature.
Why should they
kill? Why not
take just some
blood, while
people are
sleeping, unseen
and unbothered?
It’s more
sensible not to
kill, and also
makes life
easier for the
vampires — no
lynch mobs to
hunt them down!
Did you do
anything that
you were warned
against doing
when you were
younger, like in
Cirque Du Freak?
Like many kids,
I was a real
monster when I
was little, and
always did the
opposite of what
I was told! As
for sneaking off
one night to a
real-life freak
show with my
best friend … no
comment!
What will be
unfolding in
Book Two: The
Vampire’s
Assistant?
Darren struggles
to come to terms
with the changes
in his life. He
refuses to take
the big step
that will drive
him forever
forward, and
doesn’t want to
drink blood,
even though
he’ll die if he
doesn’t. On the
brighter side,
he makes friends
with the
snake-boy at the
freak show –
Evra Von – and
we meet Cormac
Limbs, a most
extraordinary
freak (even by
the standards of
the others). But
if you thought
the ending of
Cirque Du Freak
was dark, wait
till you see
this one!
Will Darren’s
friend Steve
return?
Steve returns
well down the
line, in Book
Eight.
You recently
signed a big
film deal for
Darren Shan. Who
would be ideal
as Darren?
The young boy in
the film The
Sixth Sense
would be ideal
for the title
role, though
he’s probably a
bit young for it
at the moment.
And everybody
agrees that
Christopher
Walken would
make a superb
Mr. Crepsley! |
