By Melvin Burgess (author)
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Not suitable for younger readers
A sequel to Bloodtide , Bloodsong revisits the two families and their London setting. War has now wholly destroyed the city. Of the Volson’s, only fifteen year old Sigurd remains. Defenceless without the knife given to his father by the gods and passed down to him, he must find a new weapon to fight with so that he can re-forge his country and unite it.
Like the heroes from the sagas Sigurd is willing to risk everything to fulfil his destiny and succeed in his quest. Melvin Burgess creates an epic drama in a devastated world.
Melvin Burgess is justly regarded as the Godfather of Young Adult fiction in the UK. He doesn’t disappoint with this work of mind-bending imagination and power, in which myth, magic and science fiction are mixed with the basest and best of human – and inhuman – emotions. A must-read for all fantasy fans.
'Love. Hate. So what?
It's family. It's business.' 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.
And his father's knife, a gift from the gods, has been shattered to dust. Armed with a powerful sword forged from the remnants of the knife, Sigurd faces death, fire and torment as he travels through Hel and back to unite his country once again.
'A gripping story of horrific proportions from a prize-winning author.' Publishing News
...this is more than a vivid story, full of passion, intrigue and terrifying violence. It is also beautifully wrought. -- Anne Johnstone Glasglow Herald
'Based on the same Nordic saga as the award-winning BLOODTIDE, this is another riveting story. The Bookseller
Burgess's great triumph is not so much in inventing new stories as in finding fresh ways of retelling the ones that are themselves in danger of falling into extinction. -- Kathryn Hughes Guardian
Dark and tragic as it frequently is, nevertheless pulses with the intensity of lives richly lived and experiences richly recaptured. -- Robert Dunbar Irish Times
Melvin Burgess was brought up in Sussex and Berkshire. As a child, his reading included The Wind in the Willows and Gerald Durrell's animal stories. He went on to enjoy The Hobbit and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books. A generally unconfident student, he became interested in writing when he was twelve and an English teacher praised one of his stories - "it was about the first time I'd ever done anything that got an A. I was so pleased I never stopped." After leaving school, Melvin moved to Bristol where he worked on occasional jobs, mainly in the building industry, and was often unemployed. He started writing in his twenties and wrote on and off for the next fifteen years before The Cry of the Wolf was published in 1990. He moved to London in 1983 and began a small business marbling fabrics for the fashion industry. In 1997 his controversial bestseller Junk won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal. It was also shortlisted for the 1998 Whitbread Children's Book of the Year. Four of his novels have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Melvin Burgess is regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary children's literature. In 1997, his controversial bestseller Junk won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal. It was also shortlisted for the 1998 Whitbread Children's Book of the Year. Four of his novels have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Melvin lives in Hebden Bridge with his partner.
When the Guns Fall Silent
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Bloodsong and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-14 years old
Bloodsong features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Adventure Stories, Recommended Children's eBooks, Recommendations, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
Bloodsong was written by Melvin Burgess and published by Andersen Press Ltd
Bloodsong has 355 pages
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