Hungry for Horror

Once it was boarding school capers[惡作劇] and puzzling mysteries solved by tweed-clad detectives that sparked young readers’ imaginations. Now， it seems， it is the promise of tales of blood sucking vampires[吸血鬼]， insatiable[貪得無厭] zombies[僵尸]， howling werewolves[狼人] and terrifying beasts that inspire young audiences to pick up a book.

Teen horror is a genre which seems to be going from strength to strength， with titles like The Demonata[《魔域大冒險》] and The Saga of Larten Crepsley[《吸血俠達倫·山傳奇》] by Irish born writer， Darren Shan， topping the charts. Indeed Darren Shan’s success has earned him the title of “Master of Children’s Horror” and his books， which also include The Thin Executioner and the vampire series The Saga of Darren Shan[《達倫山傳奇》]， have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

But what is it about horror fiction that appeals to young readers， and just how grisly[恐怖的] do they like it？

“I think horror allows teenagers to focus on real-life issues in a fantastical way， helping them analyse and make sense of the world as they are coming to a greater understanding of it，” says Darren. “In my book， Lord Loss， the main character’s parents and sister are slaughtered by demons. While that’s obviously not going to happen to anyone in the real world， many children will lose people they love during their formative years[形成性格時期]， whether it’s grandparents dying of old age， or friends or relatives in accidents. A book like this can hopefully help them prepare for when death strikes at them in real life. Good horror is always about helping us prepare for the darker aspects of life—and since we can’t avoid them， we might as well turn them into entertainment.”

Darren tours frequently， attending events in schools and libraries and talking to young readers helps him gauge[判斷] what they can and can’t take in terms of frightening content. He explains： “When I’m writing an especially grisly scene， I imagine myself reading it out in a live environment， and ask myself if I would feel comfortable doing so. If not， I’ll go back and tweak[調(diào)整] the scene. I have no set formula for deciding what is suitable and what is not. I simply go with my gut instinct.”

Activity

Match the beginnings and endings of these phrases from the article.

Solutions A. imagination； B. a mystery； C. strength to strength； D. the charts； E. your gut instinct