Customer Reviews

Bloodtide

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bloodtide is the first part of the Icelandic Volsunga Saga, replayed in dystopic London where ganglords rule the city and genetically engineered halfmen threaten them from the countryside. Twins Siggy and Signy Volson are separated when Signy weds a rival family ganglord, but treason, war, and intrigue may bring them back together--if both twins can survive the harrows of war. An odd combination of dystopic London and Icelandic myth, Bloodtide has an attention-grabbing concept which is often well handled but never fully justified. Burgess's writing is vivid and violent, but constant headhopping cripples the otherwise strong narrative. On the whole, this book is pretty good but not quite good enough, and I don't recommend it.

Straddling futuristic, dystopic London and ancient Icelandic myth, Bloodtide is something of an unusual combination. Burgess makes the story his own: he expands on characters and motivations, streamlines and tweaks parts of the plot, and sets the myth in an entirely new setting which, dystopic and full of halfmen, has a rich story of its own. But too often, the two very disparate aspects just don't mesh. Dystopic London has little explanation or backstory--and while an explicit backstory could be artificial, a lack of backstory makes the setting unrealistic. Burgess also has no explanation for the story's divine influences (visits from Odin, help from Loki) except to have the gods themselves enter the story--and their appearances feel out of place against the an otherwise gritty, detailed, scifi story. Dystopic London and Icelandic myths are unexpected, potentially wonderful partners, but Burgess never justifies bringing them together. Lingering questions of just why Odin walks the streets of London make the book feel a little unsubstantial.

Plot, setting, influences aside: Bloodtide is pretty good, but not quite good enough. Never does it shy from grit and guts: death, murder, betrayal, anger, love are all brutal. And rather than a cheap thrill, the violence is brutally effective. Almost the entire cast is multi-dimensional and brings to the table a litany of twisted motivations, and the story's raw violence gives characters and their actions a hefty weight. Unfortunately, Burgess's interest in characters cripples the flow of the book. The chapters alternate between first and third person, every other chapter jumping into the head of a character--often Signy or Siggy, but sometimes as strange a choice as a one-off headhop into the mind of a war general. The transition between first and third person becomes a bit less jarring as the book goes on, but it never stops feeling like a gimmick--and it makes for some narrative repetition where the edges of the plot overlap what a group of characters did with how a specific character felt about it.

I came to Bloodtide without many expectations, and what I found intrigued but failed to delight. Icelandic myth and ganglord-ruled London is an odd and attention-grabbing combination but it doesn't make sense or work out--a pity, because on their own both dystopic London and retold Icelandic myth are promising premises for a novel. Burgess is a strong writer, but doesn't seem to trust that strength: his story would stand stronger without gimmicky POV changes. I enjoyed much of Bloodtide, both for the unique story that it tries to be and for the strong characters and violence that fill it, but my final impression was somewhat soured by the book's failed potential. It's not bad by a long ways, and interested readers may want to read it and judge it for themselves. But in my opinion this book didn't quite justify the time spent reading it, and I don't recommend it.

I'd never read anything by Burgess before, but the concept of a near-future London dominated by warring gangs appealed to me, so I thought I'd check it out. The story opens with the imminent marriage of the daughter of one gangster lord to the son of the other gangster lord, uniting the longtime bitter enemies. It's not clear why civilization has collapsed, or why London is a kind of fortress with wild man-beast-machine genetic monsters beyond its walls, but Burgess is an adept enough storyteller to know that it's better just to have the reader dive into this dark new world than spend fifty pages trying to explain it all.

There's a certain grim tension as the buildup to the marriage mounts, and when a mysterious god-like figure crashes the proceedings and presents the bride's brother with some kind of magic stone dagger, things seem to have definitely taken a turn for the mythological. Despite this weird interruption, the marriage is sealed and a truce seems established. Alas, betrayal is in the air, and soon only the brother with the magic dagger is left alive, while his married-off sister is locked up in a golden birdcage with a shapeshifting cat for company.

The entire rest of the book is a relentless, plodding, and often boring march toward revenge, as the sister plots against her husband and tries to convince her brother to take control of a brewing rebellion. Unfortunately, it's just not that engaging. The story is told by different narrators, and this choppy approach only serves to disrupt what little narrative flow there is. The inevitable payoff takes forever to arrive, and is rather anticlimactic when it does. At the very end, there's an author's note that the story is based on the Icelandic Volsunga Saga, which explains a lot. Ancient sagas, while full of colorful material, tend to be rather plodding affairs, and while I admire it when authors attempt to reimagine ancient or classic works, in this case, Burgess may have stuck too close to the original. However, for those who like it, there is a sequel called Bloodsong, which uses the second part of the saga as its source material.

Note: In some listings, this shows up as a children's book, which seems pretty strange. I'm not a big fan of age-segregating books, but this has some pretty graphic violence and a somewhat graphic incest scene, so it's probably best to preview it before handing it to anyone under 16.

I've not previously read Melvin Burgess - I don't really know why. I've certainly read a lot about him and admire a children's writer who puts so many difficult and gritty issues into the headlines. Perhaps I didn't read him before because I was worried that he would be too issue-driven. Any way, finally, I've read one of his titles....

Bloodtide is utterly terrifyingly addictively readable and not a little shocking. I take my hat off repeatedly but also am somewhat mazed by the idea that any writer (even one as unflinching as Burgess clearly is) should think of the bloody and despoiling Icelandic sagas and find in them the inspiration for a children's book. Well - Burgess did and more power to him - as it springboards him into the most breathtaking showpiece. Bloodtide pecks vulture-like at almost every element of human emotion and gnaws wolf-hound style at the moral dimensions thrown onto the book's exceptionally violent battle ground. As you'd expect of a post-apocalyptic saga blood lust, ambition, greed, lies lay much of humanity to waste. A certain frisson is added by a bit of matricide here, some incest there, cloning, genetic engineering, oh you name it - but also some ill-fated trust and love.

Burgess plays with his characters - some mutant by dint of scientific tinkering, others mutated by simple human inhumanity - in an appropriately god-like fashion. And he plays his readers expertly too.

In short: I was gripped, sickened and exhilerated by bloodtide and think Burgess to be one of the most impressive writers I've encountered this year. I am positively jealous of his skill.

By the beginnings of the twenty-third century London is in ruins with warlord like gangs ruling over segments of the city. A wall similar to that built during the Roman period is constructed around the decimated metropolis more for keeping the riffraff inside and isolating the genetically engineered vermin known as halfmen out of the city. This leaves many decent folks trapped in a dangerous environs.

The Volsons and the Conors, two of the strongest gangs, agree to merge through the marriage of their children. However, the groom betrays his future in-laws during the ceremony killing all but two, the bride and her brother. The Halfmen feast on the bodies of the Volsons. Signy, the fourteen-year-old bride, thirsts for vengeance, but has few avenues if any to succeed as she now struggles to survive. However, Odin followed by Loki and his daughter appear. Are they the real Ancient Greek Gods or a hoax and if genuine will they aid Signy in her quest?

Based on the first part of the classic Icelandic Volsunga Saga, BLOODTIDE is an exciting futuristic epic tale that will thrill adult and young readers alike. The plot is loaded with action and turns believers of readers that the "history" and the "current events" occurred. However, the tale belongs to the key cast members who rotate first person narration enabling the audience to understand their motives. Though tagged a children's novel, fans of all ages of epic fantasy will fully enjoy Melvin Burgess' powerful story of a horrific future that makes the world feel as if it has gone full circle.

Harriet Klausner

Bloodtide is a novel that will horrify ordinary readers, and make them feel quite disgust. However, the appalling plot of the novel is what made it so intriguing. The novel is unlike any other published works ever on Earth. I think the purpose of the novel is to portrait most of the human being¡¯s evil side of nature, and the unthinkable achievements. Throughout the novel, many morbid human nature are shown, such as hatred, vengeance, greed, and selfishness

The entire novel is about future London and the most important conflict between the two gangs that took over control of London. The two gangs have been fighting each other for many years over this parsimonious city with no real successes. Just when the leader of Volson (one of the groups) tried to appease the conflict and to unite London by betrothing his own daughter to his enemy¡¯s son; a dramatic twist occurred. One thing the Volson did not notice is that his nemesis is actually planning on something far more nefarious as ever¡­

The city of London is slowly crumbling, with two prominent sides tearing the city apart. There are the half-men who are too grotesque, too unworthy of living the normal life they once had, all because of the way they were transformed against their will. Then there are the humans, the ones who would rather dominate the world around them than save the city from total chaos.

Among these humans are two clans, the Conors and the Volsons. Both have the thirst for power and both are willing to do anything to take over London, then England, and then all of Europe. The leaders are agreeing to combine both clans, with a marriage between Signy, the daughter from the Volson clan, and King Conor.

A betrayal from the Conor clan leads to Signy, who was inspired to do anything for power by her father, the leader of the Volson clan, and Siggy, her twin brother who was skeptical of the entire idea to begin with, on a crazed road to vengeance.

It is up to Signy and Siggy to recapture what was once theirs and hopefully restore London back to what it used to be, and what it used to stand for.

BLOODTIDE takes readers on a futuristic journey that they will never forget. With its raw material and controversial plot, the story is a page-turner that will leave everyone on the edge of their seat. Melvin Burgess continues the story of restoring a city that is completely damaged in the second novel, BLOODSONG.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Based on the Icelandic Volsunga Saga, this book has everything to keep you interested from beginning to end. The storyline keeps you thinking but the violence and gore keep you reading.
London is in ruins. But 2 families fight to keep their share and their power over the city. Val Volson, a high-rise gang lord who owns more than half. He is the leader of the Volsons and is one of the most powerful men of London. He has a 14-year-old daughter called Signy, her twin brother called Siggy and 2 other sons named Had and Ben. The family is very close and intend to keep it that way. Then in the red corner we have Conor, the owner of the rest of London. Between both the landlords many wars and fights have occurred. Until now. Val and Conor decide to make a treaty. This involves Signy, Val's daughter. She has to go and marry Conor , live with him and even fall in love. This can't seem possible, can it?
The main characters of the book are the twins, Signy and Siggy. We know this for certain because all the chapters are different characters point of view and many of them are named either Signy or Siggy. All of the characters ,human or not, are described thoroughly and give your imagination something to feed on. My favourite character is Cherry. She is a shape changer from the gods and helps the twins through their struggle. She is my favourite because instead describing her as one thing, she is a shape changer so she has many descriptions including a girl, a cat and a bird.
I would say this book is a thriller part horror. I think this because it deals with characters emotions and real issues but also imaginary evil that you expect to be in childrens nightmares. This novel is targeted at 15-18 year olds or maybe even older readers.
Instead of being written in 1st person all the way through, every different chapter is someone else's opinion and point of view. Melvin Burgess uses this technique in many of his books but I think it works especially well here.
I have read many of his books but overall this is my favourite. This is because it is one of a kind and the idea of realistic issues combined with impossible evil is great and very creative. The storyline is great, the descriptions are great and overall this book is great. I compliment Melvin Burgess for his unique writing skills and his creative and overactive imagination!

I have read this book time and time again, and still never grow tired of it. The characters in this novel become real and it's so easy to become attached to them, which makes the ending kind of hard to deal with, in some respects. Everything about this book is honest and straight forward. Somethings were meant to chage, while others weren't, and sometimes life takes the course you least expect, for better or for worse. Melvin Burgess is genius and I hope to read more of his books. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a an incredible and gripping read.

I cannot begin to descibe what sort of book Bloodtide is. It is simply genius. How a personal can visualise and dipict a story like this is just mind blowing. I was gripped from the beginning. I new straight away i was gonna like this book. The way the book is layed out and the way in which the language is used is brilliant. This has to be one of the most vivid books I have ever read.
Basically, Its about two of the most powerful ganlords in London, Volson and Conor who sign a treaty. Volson Gives Conor his daughter Signy's hand in marriage for peace. The couple fall in love immediatly, but Conor goes back on his word and destroys the Volson family and territory. To Signy, its the highest degree of betrayl and makes it her life long ambition to destroy the whole of Conors empire and him.
There aren't really any bad bits to the book, abit predictable here and there but thats is really.
This book is utterly brutal, violent and brillant. Don't just take my word for it. Go and read it!!!!!

I do not want to ruin the story for all the people who had not read this book yet, so I'll be really brief.

This book is AWESOME.

Go and buy this masterpiece right now.