Becky Bookworm Book Review - Bloodtide +Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

  Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a very dark and frightening portrayal of what may well happen to British society if the government flees, gangs rule and technology goes too far.
Yet it is woven smoothly into an age old norse tale of two feuding families, the agendas of the old gods, the pursuit of revenge and how the quest for peace is never free from pain and sorrow.
The characters are all mainly over teenage years yet the struggles each goes through makes them more adult in mind then they appear on the skin.

It is a very good thriller and adventure tale as the saga should be although in some places it does slow down a bit if only to allow the reader to emmerse themselves ever deeper into the grim reality of the world portrayed in the book but the ending is as dramatic as befits the great saga that is being retold. Melvin really has brought fresh blood and misery to this norse legend.
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Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The story of Sigurd really does begin quickly and Melvin doesn't waste too much time going over what's happened since Siggy became King Sigmund in Bloodtide but the basic gist is there is still great evil in the former United Kingdom. That comes in the form of a mutant being sterotyped as the dragon Fafnir and his hoard of gold is not just gold but all the many bizarre and sinister technologies of this dystopian world set in the future.
Over all it is a thrilling adventure story, the action never really stops although I did feel it lag a bit during the time Sigurd spent in 'Hel' with Bryony (aka Brighild the fallen valkyrie) right up to when he met the Nibblong siblings. Melvin did manage to keep the wicked mother-in-law in the plot which ultimately leads to the tragic love triangle.
Yet the only real difficulty I had with the story was the way he portrayed Sigurd's character from half way through to the end, it almost became Jesus-like with the millions of people crowding to see him and the way Sigurd kept questioning his own life, his feelings, his past etc. It just didn't seem much like a dragon slaying warrior king-reborn to me but perhaps like Jesus was in the garden before he was betrayed.
But either way yet again Melvin has managed to reinvigerate with fresh gore and woe this tragic norse legend of family betrayal, love and misfortune all because of a cursed ring.

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