Deadly: Darren Shan on Dracula

Tomorrow is the centenary of Bram Stoker's death and to celebrate, the Irish Times had a special pull-out section in yesterday's edition thadt you can still access online. On the front page was this very cool article by kidlit horror master Darren Shan. How many death, blood and guts puns can he fit in a single page? find out!

As one who has followed in Stoker’s footsteps, I am often asked to explain why vampires are so popular. The short answer, which I usually avoid in an effort not to look like a bumbling fan with more enthusiasm than literary kudos, is that they’re cool, baby, cool. It is really, when you strip all of our critical mumbo jumbo away, that simple. Vampires have style. They get the best-looking ladies. They don’t age. They dwell in the finest mansions that money can buy. Dracula is like Keith Richards minus the wrinkles.