Darren O'Shaughnessy, known by his pen name Darren Shan, is an Irish writer and novelist. He was born on July 2, 1972, in London, England. He is best known for his young adult fiction series such as The Saga of Darren Shan, The Demonata, and Zom-B, all published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. His notable work, The Saga of Darren Shan, was adapted into a manga series from 2006 to 2009 and a live-action film in 2009. The series also has a prequel, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, released from 2010 to 2012.

In addition to his young adult novels, he has authored other children's books like Koyasan and The Thin Executioner. His latest series, Archibald Lox, was self-published from 2020 to 2022. For adult readers, he has written under the name Darren Dash since 2014, and previously released works for adults under D.B. Shan and his real name, Darren O'Shaughnessy.