Young readers captivated by Shan’s zombie apocalypse

Scores of young bookworms packed Cork City Library yesterday to hear international best-selling author Darren Shan read from his latest book.

Young readers captivated by Shan’s zombie apocalypse

Shan read from Zom-B Baby at the launch of the national Children’s Book Festival. The book is the fifth in the Limerick author’s Zom-B series, set to total 12 books.

The story revolves around a zombie apocalypse through the eyes of a racist teenager. Shan, real name Darren O’Shaughnessy, said in an interview with The Independent that the idea came in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London.

“I began thinking about it not long after the 7/7 bombings. My flat was in the East End at that time. A friend of mine knew where the wife of one of the bombers lived, and he stormed over there, but she was gone. I asked, ‘What were you going to do?’ and he said he didn’t know, he just wanted to do something. I wanted to say to young readers that we might live in scary times, but that’s no reason to become racist,” he said.

x

More in this section

Lunchtime News

Newsletter

Keep up with stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap and important breaking news alerts.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited