Blood Song

Phew! This mythic science fiction story is strictly for Young Adults. Inspired by the Volsunga saga, it follows the fate of the god-like Sigurd, whose power to love is the sign of his remaining humanity (and thereby both his strength and his hubris).

Themes of politics, selfishness, genetic manipulation and super-technology are at the fore, and the overall vision is horrifyingly convincing. Told in the imagery of computer gaming – with all its easy cruelty and fantastical survivals – this is a dazzling and compelling novel.

Its savagery may derive in its Nordic origins, but it may nevertheless leave you with the sense of an author with a whiff of Satan about him. The snake is always hypnotic. Utterly addictive reading that comes with a health warning.