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- A Good Archaeological Mystery
- Not the best of Hamilton's who-dun-its
- The Orkney Scroll
- Fake Antiques, but Genuine Characters
- Treasure hunt and murders in enchanting Orkney!
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The Orkney Scroll
Lyn Hamilton
Manufacturer: Berkley
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ASIN: 0425214311 |
Book Description
From the author who "turns every trip into an edge-of-your-seat adventure."*
A scam involving a fake Mackintosh writing cabinet-and murder-has antiques dealer Lara McClintoch traveling to Scotland's Orkney Islands, where she is pulled into a centuries-old Viking saga and a troubling quest that could end in danger.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Archaeological Mystery.......2007-08-29
Lyn Hamilton's series of archaeological mysteries involving Lara McClintock and her friends is a good archaeological mystery. The author is very thorough with her research and her novels are intriguing. "The Orkney Scroll" is based in the Orkney islands off the coast of Scotland, a little-known area with a lot of history. The Vikings settled there and raided England and the other surrounding countries returning with their plunder. This story features the adventures of one of these Vikings; Bjarni the Wanderer.
Lara McClintock is horrified when one of her customers destroys a rare and valuable writing cabinet with an axe. When he is subsequently accused of murdering a fellow antique dealer with the same axe, she is convinced he is innocent and sets off to prove it by following the past history of the writing cabinet. She goes to Orkney and finds that everywhere she turns the legend of Bjarni the Wanderer shrouds the island in mystery.
As she delves deeper into the mystery of the writing cabinet, she is befriended by several of the islanders and becomes immersed in their lives and the history of the islands.
Lara and her friends are believable, amusing and lifelike to the point that they are almost predictable. Lara's travels are always to interesting and little-known areas. Lyn Hamilton draws the local area and its weather, flora and fauna into the story. I enjoy reading her books and enthusiastically recommend them to my friends.
Not the best of Hamilton's who-dun-its.......2007-04-19
I have read all of Hamilton's mysteries and find this one the weakest. While the plot and the cultural background are interesting, the quality of the writing is mediocre. I often had to skip paragraphs because they were repetitive, full of bland descriptions (how many times does the reader want to hear that someone or something is "nice?"), and labored attempts at humor. Another flaw is too many coincidences, e.g., characters running into each other in improbable situations. The denouément is too abrupt. I have the impression that Hamilton wrote this book in haste and did not edit it properly. Hope that the next Lara McClintoch mystery will be up to the author's usual literary standards.
The Orkney Scroll.......2007-03-17
Once again Lyn Hamilton takes us into an almost unknown, fascinating world. Her history "lessons" are painless (for us the readers) and full of excitement and danger (for her characters).
Ms. Hamilton's descriptions and characters are so lifelike that you feel as if you are experiencing the events in the places and with the people she writes about.
The motives are complex, the crimes are "real" and you will really never guess "who did it."
Fake Antiques, but Genuine Characters.......2007-02-23
I must admit that I was predisposed to like this book. I love history and archaeology and was really looking forward to reading what was billed as an intelligent archaeological mystery. So I was a little surprised that there wasn't more of a focus on the archaeological theme. Don't get me wrong, the book was still good, it just wasn't quite as advertised. What the book is mostly about is the main character, Lara McClintoch (an antiques dealer), trying to figure out how she messed up on an authentication of a rare Mackintosh writing cabinet, which turns out to be a fake. The man who bought the cabinet chops it to pieces with an ax when he finds out it is a fake and the dealer who sold it to him is subsequently found murdered with the same ax. Needless to say, Lara feels a little guilty and confused because she really thought the desk was genuine.
There are several things I like about this book. First, Lara doesn't drop everything and run off to investigate. This is the real world, after all, and she has to look after her business. So she sits and stews about the problem for some time before doing anything about it. And when she does do something, she follows her few leads logically and then bumbles around when they run out. This is a very realistic approach that the reader can appreciate and relate to.
However, this book suffers from a severe case of coincidence that tosses this lovely organic buildup right out the window. When all of the possible suspects end up in a remote corner of the world at the same time, you expect them all to traipse into the castle for a midnight game of Murder on a dark and stormy night. But even with this serious lapse on the part of the author, the book is well worth your time.
Did I guess it? No. Will I read more? Absolutely.
Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at [...]
Treasure hunt and murders in enchanting Orkney!.......2007-01-12
The Orkney Scroll is the tenth installment in the series of archeological mysteries by Lyn Hamilton. The protagonist is Lara, an antique dealer who lives in Toronto. The murder of one of her wealthy clients seems to be tied to his purchase of a piece of furniture authenticated by Lara, that turned out to be a fake. Lara is convinced that the piece of furniture was authentic and attempts to discover the origins of both the fake and the real furniture. The trail leads to Edinburgh and then to Orkney.
Hamilton's descriptions of Orkney are vivid and realistic. This isolated island group has some amazing archeological sites and Hamilton does a nice job of integrating history, descriptions of archeological sites and an intruiging murder mystery. Her characters are interesting and lively. The prose is smooth and well plotted. An enjoyable armchair read!
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The Northern Isles: Orkney and Shetland
Alexander Fenton
Manufacturer: Tuckwell Press, Ltd.
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ASIN: 1862320586 |
Customer Reviews:
Must read for all Viking descendants and people interested in Orkney Islands........2007-06-08
What an amazing compilation of stories. The Vikings really were horrible, just like Hagar. Written about 1100, 900 years ago, these stories tell the horrible truth about Vikings and what they did to get by, as collected by an unknown author from that time. Life was primitive, just like this book.
I highly recomment this book.
Research.......2006-08-28
This is a marvelous book. I bought it to find out more about the people involved there during Viking times. I found all I wanted to know about that, plus I found a very interesting and entertaining read. The information contained in this saga is priceless.
A different look at UK history.......2004-11-21
This saga cover eight or ten generations of Norse rulers of the islands north of Scotland, from the 900s up to about 1200AD. Despite its subtitle, it's not a history in the sense that modern reader might expect. Instead, it's more a series of vignettes or anecdotes, strung together in more-or-less chronological order.
Like other sagas, this was put in current form and written down by an Icelander. Until then, the stories had been part of the oral tradition. Small surprise, then, that events of minor interest were dropped and other events dressed up after the fact - despite the book's historical value, it can't always be taken at face value.
This is quite unlike Icelandic sagas in many ways. First, is that Norse paganism was largely supplanted by Christianity. Bishops appeared in positions of power, and pilgrimages to Rome were part of the tale. St. Magnus gets more attention than just about any of the other Earls, even the later ones whose stories had less time to fade.
The difference that struck me most was that, compared to the Icelanders, this was a very violent crowd. They lacked the realtive peace of Icelanders' democratic rule of law and system of courts. Instead, more depended on the authority of kings or of the best-armed thug in the region, not always a clear distinction. Many of the characters, Svein Asleifarson in particular, seemed to rely on twice-annual plundering as their major source of income. Those trips get generally minor attention, as if the vikings were shearing sheep or harvesting grain, instead of reaping plundered loot and human life. I know that peaceful times don't make history, so the stories that are kept always present a skewed view. Still, this sounds like a very different culture.
There's no real plot or character development, and names come and go at a dizzying rate. The translator has provided a glossary of personal names at the end, and that helps keep track of all the players. Still, it's a somewhat dry book by the usual standards of recreational readers.
Anyone interested in medieval Europe, Scotland or Norse culture in particular, will find a lot to like here. It's not the most exciting of the sagas, but gives a remarkable look at a powerful influence on English history.
//wiredweird
Orkneyinga Saga reviewed.......2004-06-17
I am a fan of all things to do with Orkney and Shetland. The viking history fascinates me. The complex Norwegian/Scottish history of Orkney is extremely interesting. I would recommend this book to people interested in Vikings, western European history and on the distinct culture of Orkney,U.K.
Orkneyinga Saga.......2004-02-15
The general concensus by many people is that the Vikings became instant pussies when they finally converted to Christianity. Well think again. This is an almost all post pagan epic and they are as bloodthirsty in this one as they are in any. Lots of inter family killings for the right to have domain over the Orkney Isles, lots of raiding, lots political skullduggery, everything you know and love about these Viking sagas.
Product Description
Leaving the grime of Victorian Edinburgh behind her, Rose McQuinn makes a long-anticipated journey to visit her sister Emily who still lives in their childhood home on Orkney. But on those far-flung isles Rose does not find the peace and relaxation she anticipates; instead, events take on an unexpected and sinister twist. The calm pleasure of Rose's holiday is shattered when a body is discovered during an archaeological dig. Far from being that of a 13th century princess, as the archaeologists had hoped, it becomes clear its of a local woman, long presumed drowned but in fact brutally murdered. Rose is in a dilemma as she realizes that she probably knows the identity of the murdered but to reveal it, she will destroy forever the happiness of those closest to her.
Book Description
Orkney and Shetland's history goes back over 5000 years creating the richest legacy of archaeological remains in the British Isles; with stunning coastal scenery and unique flora and fauna, the islands are a spectacular and unspoilt destination for visitors. This definitive guide to the islands gives information on their history and culture, ferries and flights, finding accommodation for all budgets, local crafts and music, prehistoric sites and monuments, nature and wildlife, and outdoor pursuits including fishing, sailing and diving.
Take the shortest scheduled flight in the world - Book a bed in a lighthouse or a castle - Find the lochs with the largest trout - Identify the call of the world's smallest seabird - Find the best of the islands' traditional folk music - Recognise the graffiti carved by Viking raiders - Find the best-preserved Stone Age village in Europe - Cruise in a replica of a Viking longship - See whales, seals, dolphins, porpoises and otters - Watch merlins, skuas, puffins, razorbills, gannets, kittiwakes and fulmars.
Customer Reviews:
Good on sites, unreliable on practicalities.......2005-07-25
I bought this in my local bookstore and tried to use it to plan a weeklong trip to Orkney. Unfortunately, while it helped me decide where to go and what to see, it failed me once I tried to make concrete plans. Many of the B&Bs had changed hands and were no longer accepting guests and those that were had often TRIPLED their prices. Save your money and visit the websites of VisitScotland and Historic Scotland which will do a better job on trip planning for free.
Book Description
The Norseman Eyvind, a fierce and loyal Wolfskin, came to a new land on top of the world to find his destiny.With his priestess bride Nessa he saved the land and weathered the treachery that was caused by Eyvind's blood-sworn friend Somerled.After much pain and sorrow the two lovers have managed to create a society where the Norse warriors and the gentle folks of the Orkney Isles live and thrive in contentment at last.A decade and more has passed since the devastating events of the creation of the settlement and Eyvind and Nessa have watched their children grow and thrive in peace.But not all on the islands are content or at peace.Thorvald, the young son of Margaret, widow of the slain king and Eyvind's war leader, has always felt apart and at odds with all he knows.He learns upon his coming to manhood that he is not his father's son but that of the love that Margaret bore for the hated Somerled and thatSomerled was not killed for his treachery but sent on a boat, adrift with little more than a knife and skein of water, doomed to the god's will.Thorvald is determined to find a boat and cast off to the West in a desperate bid to find a father he never knew...and to find out if he is made of the same stuff as the henious traitor. The tragedy of this scheme would be horrific enough...if it were not for the fact that Creidhe, the winsome daughter of Eyvind and Nessa has loved Thorvaldsince birth and unbeknownst to him conspires to go along on this most perilous of quests.What happens to them on their journey of discovery will ultimately change the lives of all they know and love...and will doom (or redeem) an entire people.
Customer Reviews:
Courage.......2007-05-10
Unlike the first book of this series, This book was alot more to my liking. It was truley an amazing experience.
(4.5 stars) In terms of the story it's great-but not my favorite of her books.......2006-09-27
"Foxmask" is the last of the duology that Juliet Marillier wrote concerning the mixing of the roaming Saxon warriors and a race of island people known only as the folk. The first book "Wolfskin" was about a warrior named Eyvind who found out that telling the truth and being faithful to the ideal of truth was more important than blind faith in those you trusted. In that book Eyvind ended up with a young priestess of the folk named Nessa, and in the end cast out his blood brother Somerled, who had turned the islands into a blood bath of war between the two races, to the sea to meet his fate.
But Somerled left something behind-a child growing in the belly of his brother's widow, who had loved him, but had known that he was selfish and somewhat evil. This child grew up to be called Thorvald. Around his 18th birthday his mother gives him a letter Somerled wrote to her upon his exile to the seas, and Thorvald, feeling cursed by the horrible acts his father committed, heads out on a boat to find him, thinking he may have found far off islands to live on.
But with him on the boat sneaks Creidhe, Eyvind and Nessa's daughter who has loved Thorvald forever, though she knows he isn't perfect. The two, along with Sam (who owns the boat) land upon strange islands, which are devoid of children, and all the men take place in a yearly hunt to find a child who is the only salvation they could ever have from the forces ruining their lives. But this child id protected by a valiant keeper. Thorvald thinks his father is the ruthless leader of the island people, but he can't be sure, and while he works to impress the man who may be his sire Creidhe is about to find out exactly what is the truth in the strange world she stumbled into...
This isn't my favorite of Marillier's books, but in terms of technical storytelling it may be her best work yet. The writing is haunting, the suspense is well played out, and the ending is something you would never see coming. I enjoyed this, and it made me want to read more of the author's works.
Four point five stars.
Great Book.......2006-01-11
Thorvald, at the age of 18 years, has just been told about his true parentage. He immediately sets on a mission to find his father, with the help of his friend, Sam, an experienced sailor. What Thorvald doesn't expect is that his other friend, Creidhe, stows away on the boat and isn't found until it's too late to turn back. So the three journey together where they come across the Long Knife People. After hearing their story, Thorvald and Sam decide to stay on and help. Thorvald also believes that Asgrim, the leader of the Long Knife People is his father, so he decides to become a great warrior to make him proud. What he doesn't realize until too late is that Asgrim had other plans for Creidhe and when those plans go awry, she is thought to be dead. Instead, Cheidhe is on the Isle of Clouds, the exact place where the Long Knife People fight year after year to find Foxmask, the seer of their enemy. Thorvald makes it his mission to train the men to become true warriors and return Foxmask to his rightful place. On his journey, Thorvald learns about power, hope, sorrow, love and the importance of family.
Not being an avid fan of fantasy, I was a bit apprehensive when I first got this book, it being over 500 pages. After getting through the beginning, I couldn't put the book down. Thorvald's journey is fascinating. Juliet Marillier has a way of describing characters and places. With all the twists and turns in the novel, it was hard to predict what would happen next. I went from loving a character to hating them. This was the first book I've read by Juliet Marillier, but now I can't wait to read the rest. I'd recommend Foxmask to fantasy readers and nonreaders alike. I thought that this book was amazing and I can't wait to read more by Marillier.
Not up to Marillier's usual standard.......2005-12-04
I've been an avid Marillier fan since I first picked up her book Daughter of the Forest, and I loved Wolfskin, the first of this series.
That saying, Foxmask was kind of a disappointment.
Marillier has always had strong female characters, but in this book, it almost seems formulalic. Girl A, beloved by her family, has some connection to the earth/old magic via healing/telepathy/spinning, is forced by extraordinary circumstances to choose a life unlike the one that she thought she'd have and marry Boy C, while Boy B (Stalking Horse Boy) is left in the dust.
It's the same scenario in each of her novels, and although Marillier depicts each one beautifully in a way that any lesser novelist would simply make repetitive, sadly, Foxmask isn't exactly the best example of it. I found the heroine to be slighly annoying and vapid, lacking a lot of the strength that Marillier's previous heroines had. It's still wonderfully written, and fans of the Light Isles series should still enjoy it. However- definitely not in the 'reread' category as were her beginning two novels and Wolfskin.
A good read for a long flight.......2005-08-15
I picked up Foxmask in an airport in Brussels about half an hour before my flight home. I had never heard of Juliet Marillier or her Wolfskin series, so I had no idea what I was about to read.
The story of Foxmask is simple enough. It is set in the Light Isles (aka the Orkney Islands, just northeast of Scotland) and the pseudo-fantasy "Lost Isles" in about the 9th or 10th century. We are introduced to the charming, young and beautiful Creidhe, who possesses an exceptional talent for weaving. Throughout the story, she works on a seemingly endless piece called "the journey," which is like a picture-story book of her whole life. As she encounters new adventures, she adds them to her weaving, never knowing if it is the Gods who command her to weave, or if what she weaves can change the future.
Creidhe, about 17 when the story begins, has been a lifelong friend of Thorvald, a few years her senior. He has hair like fire and a temper to match, and has never quite appreciated Creidhe's constant companionship. When we meet him, he is immature and petulant, much like a 9th century teenager who is coming of age and has yet to find his purpose.
When Thorvald's mother hands him a note written by his father before he was born, he finds the purpose he has long sought. Thorvald goes into a rage when he reads the letter, since it reveals his father was not the honorable person he thought, but a murderer who had been exiled long ago by Creidhe's father. Thorvald, sensing a chance to change his destiny, goes out in search of his long-lost father, who was exiled to the Lost Isles before he learned of his son's birth.
Creidhe, partially out of a sense of responsibility and partially for love, decides to go with Thorvald, and stows away on his boat as it makes it perilous journey northward. It is in these intimate moments of danger that Marillier's writing is at its best: she describes the vomit, the cramped quarters, and the constant strain on Thorvald and his companion (Sam) as they fight the raging seas in the "Sea Dove."
The Sea Dove eventually makes a desperate landfall on a mysterious island, which the lost travelers later discover is the Isle of Storms, home to the Long Knife people. Thorvald and Sam are separated from Creidhe, and Thorvald finds his calling leading a dispirited group of Long Knife men in preparation for "the Hunt," a mysterious annual journey to the neighboring Isle of Clouds. To restore peace to their people and prevent their newborn children from being snatched away by some awful sorcery, the Long Knife people must journey to the Isle of Clouds, search for Foxmask (a powerful seer who can take on animal attributes), and return him to his people, the Unspoken.
Throughout all of this, Thorvald comes to learn he is a natural leader and whips the men into shape, and Criedhe journeys to the Isle of Clouds and ends up in the care of a strange but capable man, who feels she is a goddess that has washed up on his shores.
What I like about Marillier's story is how none of her characters (with the exception of the unimaginative bad guy Asgrim) are static; they change dramatically and believably, and by the final page they have all learned valuable lessons. The lessons learned are not moral, but personal: Thorvald learns who his father is, and that he's not such a bad guy after all. Criedhe is forced to grow out of her sheltered naivete and is transformed from a lovesick little girl to a woman wise in the ways of the world. Even the minor characters, like Sam, become battle hardened. There is even an unexpected love story and a deviation from the norm: the guy does not, in fact, get the girl at the end. At least, not the guy I expected.
Yet despite these character evolutions, so carefully and deliberately wrought, Marillier's overall style failed to capture my imagination. Her language was typically uninspiring and the dialogue predictable, though often enough her descriptions of feelings and expressions were well written. However, when I reached the last word, I could not help asking, "So what? What's the point?" When it was all said and done, it seemed like little more than a love story, painfully delayed though eventually brought to a happy conclusion. I, for one, want a book that will make me think on greater things.
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Northern Scotland, Orkney and Shetland (OS Travel Map - Road)
Ordnance Survey
Manufacturer: Ordnance Survey
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Binding: Map
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ASIN: 0319230775 |
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- COX'S NAVY; Salvaging The German High seas Fleet at Scapa Flow 1919-1922
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COX'S NAVY: Salvaging The German Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow 1919-1922
Tony Booth
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
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ASIN: 1844151816 |
Book Description
On mid-Summer's Day 1919 the interned German Grand Fleet was scuttled by their crews at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands despite a Royal Navy guard force. Greatly embarrassed, the Admiralty nevertheless confidently stated that none of the ships would ever be recovered. Had it not been for the drive and ingenuity of one man there is indeed every possibility that they would still be resting on the sea bottom today.
Cox's Navy tells the incredible true story of Ernest Cox, a Wolverhampton-born scrap merchant, who, despite having no previous experience, led the biggest salvage operation in history to recover the ships. The 28,000 ton Hindenberg was the largest ship ever salvaged. Not knowing the boundaries enabled Cox to apply solid common sense and brilliant improvisation, changing forever marine salvage practice during peace and war.
Customer Reviews:
COX'S NAVY; Salvaging The German High seas Fleet at Scapa Flow 1919-1922.......2006-03-13
A very good book. Wish it had more photos.The dates in the title are off as the book actually chronicles the saga through the 30's.
The book is detailed enough to satisfy the intelligent and readable for those seeking an interesting story.
Average customer rating:
- Good concept but thin plot
- beautiful story
- BRILLIANT
- A Look into the Imagination of an "Idle, Useless Boy"
- a worthy finalist for the 1994 Booker Prize
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Beside the Ocean of Time
George MacKay Brown
Manufacturer: Polygon
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Greenvoe
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ASIN: 1904598293 |
Book Description
Equipped with a wild imagination, Thorfinn Ragnarson is the daydreaming son of a tenant farmer, who dreams up elaborate historical fantasies. His adventures include travelling as a Viking and fighting as a Falstaffian knight. Thor also catches a glimpse of his own future, causing him to reflect on history and the links between dreaming, writing, and the whims of fate. Brown successfully captures the myth-drenched magic of his native lands in this beautiful and haunting novel.
Customer Reviews:
Good concept but thin plot.......2005-08-02
Brown clearly set out with a purpose in mind with this novel, and accomplished it brilliantly. The representation of how life in the Orkneys remained unchanged for centuries until suddenly being completely uprooted was very well done. Even having no knowledge of the islands beforehand, I was able to picture them through Brown's descriptions. The masterly of the language is excellent, especially with a little flair of local dialects. Vnfortunately, the nature of Brown's purpose makes it difficult for a good plot to surround it, and the story is rather unrewarding. Early on there is an interest in what's going to happen, but as it unfolds it becomes somewhat "hmm," and no more. For this I gave it a tough rating, but I do recommend that people read it, regardless of personal interests because it does show an interesting aspect of life.
If you are like me and were drawn to this book because you heard that Thorfinn is FPP (has a fantasy prone personality), it may not be what you're looking for. The idea of Thorfinn being FPP seemed to be more to move the story and goal along, and I'm not sure if Brown actually had experience with the condition. It's possible that Thorfinn is not FPP but a kid who fantasizes a lot and outgrows it.
beautiful story.......2005-07-20
I bought a copy of this book in a used bookstore in Thurso before embarking on the Northlink ferry to Stromness in Orkney. This book evokes past and present in Orkney. I really love this book! I sure wish more writers (including myself) could write even half this well...
BRILLIANT.......2001-03-23
This novel indicates how much Brown was a master of language and imagery. He is equally effective at capturing magical flights of fancy and the ceaseless destruction of modern society. The tension between modern society and the traditional community has a global relevance that makes the story universal. The story would be just as poignant in Africa as it is in Brown's Orkney. A truly remarkable work that well deserved being Shortlisted for the Booker prize
A Look into the Imagination of an "Idle, Useless Boy".......2000-01-22
The first half of this novel is completely engrossing. Young Thorfinn Ragnar takes occurences from his everyday life and from these common threads weaves beautiful stories in his imagination. Of course, no one in the real world realizes the importance of these dreams, or how gifted Thorfinn is at weaving tales, and therefore he is dismissed as an "idle, useless boy." In the second half of the book, the story takes place in the real world, abandoning the accounts of Thorfinn's imaginary worlds, and it is here that the novel loses a bit of its charm. The novel is still a beautifully-written novel, and I'm very glad I had the chance to read it.
a worthy finalist for the 1994 Booker Prize.......1999-01-24
George Mackay Brown placed an "idle, worthless child" in a boat to look at Time and mold and meld it with his young eyes. Thorfinn Ragnarson is the boy that sails in and out of his own world of Norday in the Orkney Islands of the 1930's. He takes the people of Norday and travels with them into ancestral pasts that far outstrip their solid, predictable day to day lives. When old Jacob Olafson dies, Thorfinn stops at the kirkyard on his way home from school. The Old Testament words, heard just the day before, ring with the gravediggers spade: "That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past." and Thorfinn builds a life for this old man. He brings baby Jacob across the sea to Norday, sees Jacob the young man board the Hudson's Bay ship, Windward, to journey to the "land of Eskimos and Indians" and return in ten years with an Indian wife. Real time runs its thread of laughter, solid Orkney logic and unexpected colour in the persons of Isa Esquoy, the small, constantly squeaking postmistress-storekeeper, Albert Laird, the joiner who crafts cradles and coffins, Mr. Simon, the droning, long-suffering schoolmaster and the Reverend Hector Drummond, a somewhat muddled minister whose mystery visitor, Sophie, appears in the homes of solitary folks and leaves a trail of laughter and love. Thorfinn, the adolescent, is stricken with an un-dying love for Sophie which surfaces only after the fields, barns and livlihoods of Norday are smothered under the necessary adjustments of war. Before that war, Thorfinn, the young man, still a solitary creature, had conjured the seal-people and spun love, marriage and dream-children from the sounds and silences of the sea. We thank you, George Mackay Brown, for those brief voyages that are the lives of men and for the whispers of melody from that "music that goes on and on, all the way from before the beginning till after the end."
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