{"title":"Books by Melvin Burgess","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781399701525","title":"Loki","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE FIRST ADULT NOVEL BY THE CARNEGIE PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eJUNK\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A spirited retelling... witty and insightful.' i PAPER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'His prose is electrical, crackling with a mischievous charge.' BUZZ MAGAZINE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Told with wit [and] verve... it's a book that exerts a curious charm.' MAIL ON SUNDAY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Burgess recounts Loki's genius . . . with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one sometimes beautifully lyrical masterwork.' SFX MAGAZINE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'a mischievous, unpredictable and clever book that breathes new life into an already fascinating character and godly race.' CULTUREFLY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStep into the ancient fir-tree forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to legends as epic as those of the Greeks and the Romans.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMelvin Burgess revolutionised children's literature with the infamous cult novels \u003ci\u003eJunk\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDoing It\u003c\/i\u003e. In his first adult novel, \u003ci\u003eLoki\u003c\/i\u003e, he breathes new life into Norse myths.\u003cbr\u003eStarting with the Norse creation myths, the trickster god Loki takes the reader on a wild ride through Norse mythology, from the time the gods - the founders of Asgard - defeated races of monsters, and hurtling through famous stories, including Odin hanging himself on the World Tree, the theft of the corrupting gold ring and the murder of Baldr, the god of love and the Sun. This narrative may seem familiar enough at first, but the reader should beware. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn within the heart of a fire in the hollow of a tree-trunk, Loki arrives in Asgard as an outsider. He is a trickster, an unreliable narrator, the god of intelligence and politics. In spite of his cleverness and sparkling wit (or, perhaps, \u003ci\u003ebecause\u003c\/i\u003e of this...) Loki struggles to find his place among the old patriarchal gods of supernatural power and is constantly at odds with the god of thunder - Thor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alongside the politics of Asgard, it charts the course of Loki's many loves and families, from his mothering of Odin's famous horse to his intense, turbulent, and, eventually, fatal relationship with Baldr the Beautiful - a tender and moving story of love that goes wrong, jealousy and a transitioning that is forbidden by society.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a retelling that is contemporary  in tone, at once amusing and relatable. It is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the old gods of power and authority and instigate a new era ruled by love and intelligence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685704278389,"sku":"9781399701532","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":43128741167282,"sku":"9781399701525","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399701532_4737a9f5-a3af-48cb-9030-04a085359cfd.jpg?v=1792598860"},{"product_id":"9781783448456","title":"Junk","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Carnegie Medal and Guardian Fiction Prize-winning classic YA novel reissued for a new generation. With an introduction by Malorie Blackman and all-new material exploring the book's controversial history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt was a love story. Me, Gemma and junk. I thought it was going to last forever.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down. She wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, finally, you have to come down. Melvin Burgess’ most ambitious and complex novel is a vivid depiction of a group of teenagers in the grip of addiction. Told from multiple viewpoints, \u003ci\u003eJunk\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful, unflinching novel about the effects of drug abuse on teenagers. Once you take a hit, you will never be the same again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Everyone should read \u003ci\u003eJunk\u003c\/i\u003e' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205033394354,"sku":"9781783448456","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781783448456.jpg?v=1786025792"},{"product_id":"9781839132049","title":"Three Bullets","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Bloods are in control and they’re desperate to turn Britain  into the world they want to see: right, white, Christian supremist.  Anyone who they call abnormal is a target. Amidst the chaos of civil war  the country is on the move as small militia groups  fight each other and a sea of refugees escapes the cities and the  pursuing Bloods. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen her home is destroyed in a bombing raid, Marti must strike  out on a mission of her own - to save her father and get his vital software  into the right hands. But Marti is mixed race and trans and has her young brother in tow. Crossing into enemy territory  could prove suicidal. Yet Marti's enemies haven't reckoned with her indomitable will to survive - and the gun she carries, which has three bullets . . .\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205529108658,"sku":"9781839132049","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781839132049_6d711386-fdbd-4c72-969d-c6546dbf9095.jpg?v=1786028359"},{"product_id":"9781783448357","title":"The Lost Witch","description":"\u003cp\u003eBea has started to hear and see things that no one else can – creatures, voices, visions. Then strangers visit Bea and tell her she is different: she has the rare powers of a witch. They warn her she is being hunted. Her parents think she is hallucinating and needs help. All Bea wants to do is get on with her life, and to get closer to Lars, the mysterious young man she has met at the skate park. But her life is in danger, and she must break free. The question is – who can she trust?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCarnegie Medal-winner Melvin Burgess returns with a powerful, thrilling fantasy for young adults about magic, myth and following your instincts.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304531636597,"sku":"9781783448357","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781783448357_d66b1b1e-507b-4034-bbe1-41d015fd1e27.jpg?v=1786025784"},{"product_id":"9781781124949","title":"PERSIST","description":"Can mother and daughter persist long enough to find a way back to one another? A haunting, powerful drama from Carnegie Medalist Melvin Burgess about a struggle to return to life. A girl in a coma. A desperate mother.Marianne has been absent from her own life for so long that even her mother's unwavering faith is starting to tremble. But Marianne, floating in her own world, is starting to remember who she is – and the sad woman that visits every day. Can they both persist long enough to find a way back to one another?Particularly suitable for readers aged 13+ with a reading age of 7.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304684499317,"sku":"9781781124949","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781781124949_65f686d8-634a-4508-b592-6c086dd9b2c6.jpg?v=1786025744"},{"product_id":"9781839136009","title":"Bloodtide \u0026 Bloodsong: The Complete Duology","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMelvin Burgess' dark fantasy epics, inspired by Norse mythology, now available as one sensational duology for a new generation of fans \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLondon is in ruins. The once-glorious city is now a gated wasteland cut off from the rest of the country and in the hands of two warring families – the Volsons and the Conors. \u003cbr\u003eIn \u003cb\u003eBloodtide\u003c\/b\u003e, Val Volson offers the hand of his young daughter, Signy, to Conor as a truce. At first the marriage seems to have been blessed by the gods, but betrayal and deceit are never far away in this violent world, and the lives of both families are soon to be changed for ever...\u003cbr\u003eA generation later, in \u003cb\u003eBloodsong\u003c\/b\u003e,  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. Armed with a legendary weapon, Sigurd faces death, fire and torment as he travels through Hel and back to unite his country once again.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307950289269,"sku":"9781839136009","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781839136009_ded8695e-9bef-4c87-99bf-e170a6de3e76.jpg?v=1786028516"},{"product_id":"count","title":"Count","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrandon is a boaster – he says he is brilliant at lots of things. Then he is challenged to count up to ten million. So Brandon starts: one, two, three . . . and before long he is up to one thousand. Everyone around him is bewildered and annoyed: his friend Waris, his teachers and Miss Hexx, the head. But Brandon can’t stop counting. And the higher he counts, the more everyone takes an interest, when Brandon reaches 30,000 he goes viral, by the time he gets to one million, he has a manager and a stadium full of fans counting with him. And then strange, impossible things start happening. The numbers are taking over everything . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fun and contemporary story about rise and fall of celebrity, and ultimately staying true to yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57487919546741,"sku":"9781783449880","price":6.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781783449880.jpg?v=1786355140"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-melvin-burgess.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}