Darren Shan's Blog, page 11

The Phoenix Project - Slawter review

There was a review for my book SLAWTER on a blog called THE PHOENIX PROJECT recently, in which the reviewer states that Slawter is, quote, their "favourite book of all time." You can't ask for much more than that as an author!!!!! You can check out the full review by clicking on the following link: https://phoenix-prjct.com/2024/03/18/... Many of my fans cite Slawter as one of their favourite books of mine, or at lea...

The Demonata - first meeting

I had a very positive meeting yesterday with Max and Ijaz, the two young film-makers hoping to adapt The Demonata into a TV show. We spent three and a half hours chatting and batting around ideas. They're keen to have me closely involved in the process moving forwards, and were encouraging when I came at them with some ideas they weren't expecting! That could well change as things develop, but for the time being we're going to work on this as a team -- the three Musketeers! Hmm... given the dark...

Max Aaron’s statement

I shared the official announcement from Dreamology Pictures a few days ago, stating how they had optioned the TV rights for The Demonata. A day after that, Max Aaron, half of the creative team (Ijaz Iqbal is the other), posted the following personal message on the Dreamology page: "These stories mean not just a huge amount to ourselves, but to Darren Shan and his global community of readers. We couldn't be more honoured to have been handed the keys to develop 'The Demonata' cinematically for...

Exponent review

There was a very cool new review for Cirque Du Freak on EXPONENT, the website for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. "Shan’s writing is masterful, immersing readers in a world filled with unforgettable characters that explores the mysterious and macabre." That's the kind of feedback I agree with wholeheartedly! :-) :-) :-) You can read the full review by clicking here: https://uwpexponent.com/features/2024...# 

Dreamology

I announced last week that The Demonata had been optioned, with an eye to turning the books into a TV series. Now I'm pleased to share the name of the production company - DREAMOLOGY - and their offical online announcement. Accompanying the poster, they said: "We are thrilled to announce development on the television series of 'THE DEMONATA' by Darren Shan. The show is in active development, the scripts are already being written by co-creators Max Aaron and Ijaz Iqbal. Max and Ijaz (pron...

World Book Day 2024

Happy World Book Day everyone!!! I'm doing a couple of online school events today, to tie in with it -- I'm actually in the middle of them as I type this, having finished the first one a few minutes ago, with the next coming up shortly! (If YOU are a teacher or librarian interested in trying to set up a Darren Shan event, it's easier than you might imagine -- just drop me a line at post@darrenshan.com to find out more!) I know lots of kids (and adults!) like to dress up as their favourite bo...

Kayla’s letter

A fan called KAYLA shared this with me recently -- a letter I'd sent to her back in 2007, in reply to a letter that she had sent to me. (I always reply to fan mail.) I love seeing old letters like this. I still use those size sheets when replying to letters (Basildon Bond, 178 x 137mm) and I always try to include a BIG signature like this one, whether I'm signing and letter or a book -- I hate it when people sign things with a tiny, indecipherable squiggle, so I always try to provide clarity...

SFW XV - 2024

I'm making a rare public appearance this March, in the UK, at SFW XV, a sci-fi weekender in Great Yarmouth. The event is SOLD OUT, but it's possible there might be cancellations, so if you're interested in tyring to arrange a last-minute trip, you can find out all the info here: https://scifiweekender.com/ Details of what I'll be doing are yet to be confirmed, but I'll be appearing on Friday and Saturday, probably doing a few panel events, maybe even a solo event or two, and of course signin...

Demonata option

Lord Loss, the first book of my Demonata series, was published way back in 2005. Hell's Heroes, the final book, came out in 2009. So, 19 years since the series began, and 15 since it ended. In all that time, nobody has come in strong, looking to adapt it into a movie or film. Cirque Du Freak has been optioned (twice), and Zom-B, and Lady of the Shades, and for a while there was even interest in a Koyasan musical (!!!), but no one seemed to be feeling the love for a potential Demonata adaptation....

Hell’s Heroes demon skin auction

This is something that I don't think we've ever seen up for sale on the open market before -- a copy of the British "demon skin" limited edition of Hell's Heroes. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266685884086 Only 50 of these were printed, and most went to people in the book trade. It's by far and away the rarest edition of any of my traditionally published books. Super fan Peter Durn spotted the sale on eBay and brought it to my attention. He managed to get a copy through a private sale many year...