No, he didn't write Buffy The Vampire Slayer, as one young boy presumed at the Electric Theatre on Tuesday, but Darren Shan does have an unusual preoccupation with vampires. Even at the age of five he was known to stay up till the early hours watching horror movies at his home in Limerick, Ireland. His favourite film, predictably, is Salem's Lot by Stephen King, and he is making a name for himself as the author of the Cirque Du Freak books for children.

Centering around his alter ago of the same name, The Saga Of Darren Shan takes place in a circus in which horror reigns absolute, and nothing is as it seems. Vampires and monsters provide vivid storylines which usually involve blood, slab of meat and dismemberment. To say the books are gruesome is an understatement, but for his many fans here, across the Atlantic, and even in France, they fit in nicely with a healthy daily dose of horror.

But don't worry, Darren keeps the horror in check and the morals at the forefront, and there are many more books yet to come. There may even be a lucrative deal with Warner Bros, who have bought the film rights to his books, so keep an eye out. The third book in The Saga Of Darren Shan, Tunnels Of Blood, will be available in bookshops in a fortnight.