Set in the future as two rival gangs, the Volsons and the Connors, struggle to control London. The city is almost cut off from the rest of the country and surrounded by the Halfman Lands - a desolate area populated by creatures, Halfmen, the resultsof genetic experiments to create living killing machines. Val Volson dreams of uniting the two factions by giving his 14-year-old daughter, Signy, as a bride to the rival ganglord, Connor. A shocking betrayal almost wipes out the Volsons - only Signy and her twin brother, Siggy, survive. The fate of both gangs, and of London, is in their hands, but both must pay a terrible price for power.

 

 

This book is aimed at early readers. Early Readers are published for kids ages 5 to 8 years old, and are geared toward kids who are starting to read on their own. Page length usually falls between 32 to 48 pages (and can even range up to the 64 pages), with a maximum word count of 2, 000 words. This book was published in 2001 by Penguin Books Ltd .

Melvin Burgess was born in London and brought up in Surrey and Sussex. He has had a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play broadcast on Radio 4. Three of his novels have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.