Ex-vicar's tale of murders 'hit with children'

YORKSHIRE vicar turned best-selling author has come under fire from Christians and parents over his new "children's" book – featuring 11 murders, stabbings and teenage girls having their throats ripped out.

The Rev Graham "GP" Taylor – who found fame after self-publishing world wide hit Shadowmancer – has been blasted by the Christian Voice group for "extolling death and destruction" in The Vampyre Labyrinth, a bloodsucker set in World War Two Whitby.

Vivienne Pattinson, a director of Media watch, a website that "campaigns for family values in the media", warned that the controversy could be another step towards making books an age-restricted product.

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She said: "Much has been made in literary circles recently on the merits of otherwise of age rating children's books. It is important that buyers can make an informed choice on the sort of content a book it likely to contain before they buy it.

"The Vampyre Labyrinth raises the question as to should books be classified as U/PG/15 or 18 and some kind of warning given to parents as it contains scenes of graphic horror and violence including stabbing, burning, torture and throat ripping."

Former Vicar of Cloughton Mr Taylor, 52, who lives near Scarborough, accepted: "I appear to have written a rather unsavoury book. All I can say is that the kids love it.

"Even so with the backlash I am left wondering – have I gone to far in the realms of fear? Many adults who have read it have been very frightened and yet the children don't seem to mind.

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"But I don't think books should be vetted and a classification given as a guide to parents as this should not be left to the stores to decide where the books are placed and who can buy them."

But as Shadowmancer fans snap up the latest work – which has already sold out after going on sale this week – some parents are complaining that it is too gory.

Stephen Green, chairman of Christian Voice and former chairman of the Conservative Family Campaign, said: 'It is not the sort of book I would want or expect Christian children to be reading.

"I think that anyone, let alone an ex-vicar, should be writing books that extol and uphold beauty rather than death and destruction.

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"Literature and art influence our culture and these kind of books are just a further step down the ladder into a culture that is daily becoming more crass, more coarse and violent and more sexualised.

"Parents would be doing their children a disservice if they expose them to a book such as this. "There must be more uplifting and wholesome literature for children out there.'"

Mother-of-two Nicola Craven, 39, from Cheshire, who sampled the book for suitability after a friend given it to her eldest daughter Emily, seven, said: "I want my daughter to enjoy her childhood and her sleep. This book was just too dark.

"Parents would be giving their little ones nightmares if they allowed them to read this – it's full of murder, stabbings and just too much blood and gore.

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"My daughter Emily and her little sister Evie would never get a full night's sleep if they had that as a book before bedtime.

"I am absolutely shocked and amazed that it was written by a vicar – it's not the kind of doom and destruction you expect from a man of the cloth.'"

Yet others believe the new book is a hit and church primary school teacher Eileen Anderson, 36, of Ashton-Under-Lyne in Greater Manchester, said: "I have read all of (Mr] Taylor's books and this one is much more dark and sinister than the rest.

"But I would still be happy to let my year 11 primary school pupils read it and we are now doing that in class. And I am sure other years at primary school would enjoy it. It's haunting and eerie, but I would not say that it is gory.

"I know it is marketed at the age group 12 plus, but I believe children need to hear stories that are older than their years."

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