Darren O’Shaughnessy, who writes under the pen name Darren Shan, is an Irish author, best known for the Cirque Du Freak and Zom-B series. His books are usually horror fantasy fiction and written for teenagers. The Cirque Du Freak series is also known as The Saga of Darren Shan, as the main character is named after the author’s own pen name. The first book in the series, The Vampire’s Assistant, was made into a movie in 2009.