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DARREN SHAN
knows a lot
about sinister
things. His last
collection of
books were all
about vampires,
and now his new
series, "The
Demonata",
tackles demons.
The master of
teenage horror
takes fresh on a
journey to the
dark side.
In a fight
between a demon
and a vampire,
who would win?
A demon.
Demons are
creatures of
magic. Physical
strength is no
asset when
fighting a
demon. Some
humans (and,
indeed,
vampires) have
magical
abilities, which
allow them to
fight on a level
playing field.
But most are
hopelessly
inadequate in
the face of a
demon.
Do you
believe in such
things?
No comment!
You've
hinted that this
new series, "The
Demonata", will
reveal "the
origins of life
and everything".
Is it 42?
Nope! I can't
speak too much
about the
grander
revelations of
the series,
especially as
most of them
won't become
apparent until
the last few
books. All I'll
say is, there's
been a lot of
discussion among
scientists as to
what existed
before the Big
Bang, and why it
happened. Well,
I intend to
settle all such
arguments.
"Lord
Loss", your new
book, features a
lot of chess.
Are you a bit of
a grand master
yourself?
Nope. I like
chess, and I'm
an OK player.
But I play chess
a bit like I
write - I like
to get stuck
into the game
without any
grand plan and
see how things
develop. That
works fine with
my books, but on
the chess
boards, against
a good player,
it's not so
neat.
With "Lord
Loss" did you
deliberately set
out to write
some of the most
shocking scenes
ever found in
teen literature?
Not really.
Those who've
read my "Saga"
books know that
I don't shy away
from violence
and death. But
nor do I revel
in them. I deal
with the
consequences of
violence, the
grief and loss
that comes when
someone close to
you dies.
What would
you count as
your influences?
Stephen King,
Star Wars and a
whole lot more.
Writers are like
sponges - we
absorb
everything we
see and hear,
then give
ourselves a
squeeze and
wring our
influences out
in a different
pattern.
How would
you describe
your
relationship
with your fans?
Great. And
very close. I
love being in
close contact
with my fans. I
was a fan myself
in my teens, and
loved learning
about my writing
idols. Back
then, there was
no internet, so
I never got to
learn very much
about Stephen
King, Kurt
Vonnegut, Clive
Barker, Robert
Cormier, and so
on. They were
shadowy beasts
at best. Now,
thanks to the
web, that
doesn't need to
be the case.
Has there
been anything
any of your fans
have done that's
taken you aback?
I'm always
amazed by their
dedication. Some
travel miles to
see me. I've had
people travel up
to Edinburgh
from London to
come to one of
my events.
Is there
going to be a
Darren Shan
film?
The "Cirque
Du Freak" rights
have been bought
by Universal,
who plan to
combine the
first three
books into a
movie. They
might then film
four, five and
six together,
and so on.
There's been
interest shown
in "The
Demonata" too.
What's the
scariest film
you've ever seen
or book you've
ever read?
"Salem's Lot"
had a big impact
on me as a kid,
and so did the
book when I read
it later.
"Lord
Loss" is out now
on HarperCollins
Copyright
2005 SMG Sunday
Newspapers Ltd.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20051206/ai_n15900890 |
