A fan called Ash posted this very lovely post about my short book Koyasan on Facebook last week:

"Your yearly reminder that Koyasan is wildly underrated and deserves a place in everyone's Shan collection as much as the more grandiose books and series. Although, maybe I'm biased.

"I found my copy in an old abandoned stone bus stop that had been turned into a free book swap. I was eleven, I'd just moved house, and I was feeling overwhelmed and lonely. To try and alleviate that, I was exploring the country roads and fields surrounding the village. I was homeshooled, which meant life was isolated at the best of times, and we moved house so frequently i was starting to feel like lonely was just...normal. But that didn't make it suck any less.

"Imagine how deliriously happy finding a book by my favourite author for free made me feel! A book I didn't even know existed! I had to rub my eyes twice before i even let myself touch it, just in case I was imagining things. Sure, it was dog eared and damp, but to me that made it all the more perfect. I read the whole thing right there, in the pouring rain, in that tiny, dark stone shack filled with mildewy books. Then I read it again. I would have read it a third time, but it was almost dark by then. I ran home with it in my coat pocket, holding onto it with one hand the whole way like it might vanish if I let go. I read it two more times before i fell asleep with it still in my hand.

"We only lived there a couple of months, but I will never, ever forget that day. I still have that same tattered copy, I will cherish it always."

That really is one of the sweetest posts I've read in a long while. I'm very fond of Koyasan -- in fact, I spent a few years trying to get it off the ground as a stage musical, and although that's currently fallen between the cracks, it's something I'll try to revive one day if the opportunity ever arises -- so it's nice to see I'm not alone in my love for it. There have been some foreign language translations published in various countries, but the only English language physical edition was published for World Book Day in the UK back in 2006. For some strange reason my publishers have never looked to republish it, but it IS available worldwide through Amazon stores as a low-priced eBook, for those who can't track down a second-hand copy of the paperback.

Ash's post originally appeared on the Darren Shan Discussions fan page on Facebook, which is well worth a visit -- you can access it by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/839821919370288/permalink/4300326823319763/

The July issue of my monthly newsletter can be read online here: https://darrenshan.com/news/shanville-monthly