Changes

''Bloodtide'' is ruthless, just as the Nordic Volsung saga is ruthless. It takes in every human emotion, every crime it's possible to commit, and every cruel turn that fate - and the gods - can throw at us. It is frighteningly harsh. It's set in a Mad Max world of violence and poverty and gangs and warlords, where genetically-manipulated halfmen form a living barrier between the haves and have-nots. So there is a great deal of violence, much of it stomach-turning. And there There is sex that doesn't come from love. And there are no happy endings. Some people might say this renders it unsuitable for younger readers but ''Bloodtide'' is also the book that confirmed to me what I'd long thought. You don't need to censor kids. They understand that revenge is damaging. They understand what bad sex is and are saddened by it. Kids ''get it'', by and large. It's the grown-ups who don't.

So, if you're a fan of dystopian fictiondystopia, forget half the books you've read. Go and read ''Bloodtide'' and its sequel, ''Bloodsong''. The best in this wave of fiction came early.