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Book Review: Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess
May. 22nd, 2009 07:21 amTitle: Bloodtide
Author: Melvin Burgess
Published: New York: Tor, 1999
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 370
Total Page Count: 76,337
Text Number: 224
Read For: recommended by Terri Windling in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection, borrowed from the library
Short Review: 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.
( Long review. )
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Melvin Burgess
Published: New York: Tor, 1999
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 370
Total Page Count: 76,337
Text Number: 224
Read For: recommended by Terri Windling in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection, borrowed from the library
Short Review: 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.
( Long review. )
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
