I was lucky enough to receive the 25th anniversary edition of the duology, Bloodtide and Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess, to review as part of the Kaleidoscopic blog tour.
My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.
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Title: Bloodtide and Bloodsong duology 25th anniversary edition
Written by: Melvin Burgess
Cover design and Illustration by: Kate McKendrick Grove
Published by: Anderson Press
Blurb
London is in ruins. The once-glorious city is now a gated wasteland cut off from the rest of the country and in the hands of two warring families – the Volsons and the Conors.
In Bloodtide, Val Volson offers the hand of his young daughter, Signy, to Conor as a truce. At first the marriage seems to have been blessed by the gods, but betrayal and deceit are never far away in this violent world, and the lives of both families are soon to be changed for ever…
A generation later, in Bloodsong, fifteen-year-old Sigurd, son of King Sigmund, is the last surviving member of the Volson clan. His father’s kingdom – the former city of London – is gone. Armed with a legendary weapon, Sigurd faces death, fire and torment as he travels through Hel and back to unite his country once again.
Review
This duology is a thrilling and violently gory, fast-paced adventure set in post-apocalyptic United Kingdom, 200 years in the future. Both Signy in Bloodsong and Sigurd in Bloodtide have to fight to overcome the villainous and menacing technology engulfing what is left of the UK.
I was totally consumed by this incredible Terminator meets Lord of the Rings fantasy. The reimagining of Norse Legend mixed with science fiction, kept me turning the pages despite the fact I found the physical book rather bulky and heavy to hold.
With themes of betrayal, revenge and despair, I would recommend this duology to all fantasy fans who enjoy discovering links with popular mythology.
Extract
The top thirty floors had broken away a long time ago, but the Galaxy Building was still the tallest in London. Engineers had cleared it up so it was safe up there – sort of. A man with close, curly white hair was standing on the viewing platform, pointing out landmarks. His face was a net of fine, soft wrinkles and hard lines cut across by a Y-shaped scar over one eye. He was dressed in a loose suit, rolled up at the sleeves. As he leaned forward to point out Big Ben, St Paul’s, Tower Bridge, Docklands and beyond, the man’s jacket hung open. Under the suit was a shoulder holster. You could see the neat, deadly shape tucked inside.
This was Val Volson. He owned half of London.
By his side, following his finger, was a tall, wiry girl aged fourteen. She was wearing a short skirt and leggings and a little green jacket which hung open to reveal another shoulder holster containing another, smaller gun. It was handmade for her – girl-sized. But just as deadly.
You could see it all from up here – the buildings of London, its hills and peaks as far as the suburbs and the Wall. Beyond the Wall, dappled in the distance, lay the halfman lands – acres of rubble and tumbling walls, and the trees turning yellow on this mild autumn day, pushing their way through the Tarmac. After that, the world began.
And far out of sight to the northwest, Ragnor. Its towers and buildings were said to dwarf Old London. Halfman captives said that it seemed to float on the air, made of glittering stripes of light and glass and dark stripes of shadow. At night it shone like a bright little galaxy in the great world Outside. Its very existence was a reminder that London was locked out of the world.
‘And when we’ve got the rest of London just like that,’ said Val. He pushed his thumb down hard onto the palm of his other hand to show just where he wanted the rest of London. ‘Then, my girl, we’ll break out into the halfman lands. And after the halfmen it’s the fields and the farms and the villages and the towns. And after that we take Ragnor itself and deal with the security forces . . .’
‘But the halfmen!’ cried the girl, in an agony of delight and terror.
‘That’s the easy part. They’ll be all dead and gone by then. Then . . . England . . . Europe. Be part of the nation again. We’ll be the nation. Yeah. Not long now. We’re getting so close, Signy!’
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About the Author
Melvin Burgess was born in London and brought up in Surrey and Sussex. He has had a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play broadcast on Radio 4.
He is now regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary children’s literature, having won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for his acclaimed novel Junk.
You can follow Melvin Burgess on Twitter: @melvinburgess
To see the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule below:
I would like to thank Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to take part in this tour. Thank you.
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