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Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland Review
One of the world's leading geneticists, Bryan Sykes has helped thousands find their ancestry in the British Isles. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts, which resulted from a systematic ten-year DNA survey of more than 10,000 volunteers, traces the true genetic makeup of the British Isles and its descendants, taking readers from the Pontnewydd cave in North Wales to the resting place of "The Red Lady" of Paviland and the tomb of King Arthur. Genealogy has become a popular pastime of Americans interested in their heritage, and this is the perfect work for anyone interested in finding their heritage in England, Scotland, or Ireland. User Submitted Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland ReviewsNovember 23, 2008 History becomes part of you! I do not often write book reviews, however this DNA genetic history of Britain and Ireland is so informative I decided to add my comments for what they may be worth, maybe not much but optimistically more valuable than a Lehman Brothers bond. I recently had my Y-chromosomes tested thru the Genographic Project by National Geographic. Knowing my Haplowgroup and now my Haplowtype makes this history of Britain and Ireland come to life. When you realize this is part of your personal history it becomes individual and relative. Sykes' book has Isles history and break thru information on Y-chromosome DNA and defines the relationship. If you have any interest in genealogy and history and now how DNA has unlocked and redefined what we thought we knew, this is an essential book. I for myself value Bryan Sykes stile of writing and the background of how he accomplished this task. "Saxons, Vikings, and Celts" is most informative and pleasurable reading. Enjoy! October 10, 2008 Brilliant narrative but confusing nonetheless. Well, this is certainly an interesting presentation of these DNA findings. I am persuaded that the DNA differences between the Scots, Welsh, Irish, and English are not significant, but I'm confused about most of the other issues he raises. For example, my surname would indicate Anglo-Norman ancestry yet my tests indicate what Sykes describes as Oisin(R1B). Okay. Yet, I look at maps of continental Europe and Scandinavia on other websites and see differing levels of R1B all over the place. I'm not sure that there's any way to sort out ethnic identity based on DNA. Not that it matters that much to me. His account of Irish mythology is worth the price of the book. I also think he should have matched up his "nicknames" to the conventional haplogroup identification. October 9, 2008 Very light on the science; disconnected from genetic geneaolgy After having paid for genealogical DNA testing for both myself (both Y and Mt) and my wife (Mt only, obviously), having received the results, and having developed some understanding of them, I looked forward to this book, since our ancestors are thought to have come from the British Isles. Unfortunately, the author is completely caught up in his proprietary fanciful naming structure for haplogroups -- the "Seven Daughters of Eve" stuff. He completely ignores all the other research being done in genetic genealogy -- and the hundreds of thousands of people who have had their DNA scientifically tested -- to the extent that he does not even offer a translation table (which could have easily been done in appendix) from his fanciful names to the scientific names of the haplogroups. In this sense this book will confuse more than it enlightens. At several points in the book he announces that he will spare us all the science -- at at least one point I had the feeling that he was saying "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" and that I was in some sort of Oz. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to be spared the science, and I've worked hard enough understanding genetic genealogy that it's a little insulting to be "spared the science". If you want to kill some time, and you've read all the Tolkien and Harry Potter books, this is an easy read. You'll even get a little travelogue, and some pre-history of the British Isles thrown in. Any preconceived notions you have about your British Isles roots can survive unquestioned. However, if you're interested in really finding out where your own genetic genealogy fits in the British Isles, you'll be alternately bored and frustrated. Mostly frustrated. October 6, 2008 History Buff I am only now starting to enjoy this book. The author needs a good editor. He apparently is quite a scientist, and quite a scholar, but at least for me it take a lot of reading to get at the facts. Skip to the chapters on the DNA evidence, and then come back to his description of the history. August 16, 2008 A Very Good Read This is the book I've been looking for! I found Bryan Sykes to be a thoroughly engrossing author and storyteller as well as an accomplished scientist. His overview of British history (as well as the occasional personal anecdote) coupled with the story of collecting samples in the various regions of the Isles is entertaining and sheds much light on who we are as a people. I came away with a feeling of connectedness to all around me and a burning desire to know my own ancient ancestry. I loved not only the succinct stories of conquest and migration but also the simple explanations of current genetic anthropology. I was sorry to see this book end and look forward to reading his other books as soon as possible. Perhaps the funny thing about all this is that I am not a scientifically minded person at all. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history or with a family that hails from the Isles. Or, to anyone with a desire to know how we are all connected biologically. Perhaps the most intriguing 'side benefit' of this book is a feeling that most of the conflict among peoples today could be seen in a different light when we finally come to understand that on the level of DNA we are all so remarkably the same. August 15, 2008 NOT for the lay person I am a science fan. My degrees, such as they are, are in chemistry. I have worked in science for a very long time. But I've never really been a biology buff. I do read a good deal of science, but I could not make my way all the way through this. The historical parts were extraordinarily interesting. I enjoyed how the author showed how others had tried to put together data to figure out where the peoples of the British Isles came from. I was stunned at how racism was supported by "science". And I really liked how the author gave credit to those before him and their endeavors. But when it came to the biology, I was lost in the details. I realize the author did a great job of dumbing things down for those of us who know none of this. But it really just didn't catch my attention. I think perhaps you need to have a good interest in this field before picking up this book. I was hoping this book would spark my interest in molecular bio, as I am into history and science. It just didn't. (*)> July 29, 2008 R1b (Oisin) If you understand my title, you might be similarly frustrated and fascinated by this book. I do not have my Y-DNA (R1b) through the British Isles. What we know is our common family male ancestors were born in the Eastern Europe, but there common male ancestor came from Western Europe (Germany - confirmed through family genealogy). R1b is apparently one of the larger haplogroups for Y-DNA of males currently living in Germany, so this came as no surprise. What was somewhat of a surprise is that it is obvious to me is that R1b is the main halogroup of the Celts even before I read the book, and by far the largest of the British Isles. Further, a closer look at our Y-DNA showed close matches, particularly in Scotland. I family friend - a medical doctor - explained that it is not unusual to have close matches exist across the English Channel. Consequently, I became very interested in the DNA makeup of western Europe. I wanted some background on the DNA as the British Isles ties to the rest of Europe. The book does this, but in a very non-technical way. The author purposely avoids being technical. Unfortunately, I think the book sacrificed too much here for me, that is in his zeal to simplify the topic. On the other hand, if technical terms and scientific details turn you off, this is probably a good read for you. He obviously understands DNA. But he digresses off the subject too often for my tastes, and I found the side-trips to be a bit silly at times. Maybe he writes in the same way he lectures (I can see how some might find these somewhat unrelated stories entertaining). But I don't think it necessarily follows that you should write like you speak. Maybe I am in in minority here. On the other hand, I found the history of the Isles entertaining. Had my family history showed a more immediate tie to the Isles, I probably would have had greater interest and given the book a higher rating. This book was difficult for me to rate, as it was excellent in some ways, and a bit frustrating in others. Overall, the problems forced me to give it a lower rating, but I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic of DNA and history of the British Isles. I was fascinated to see how MtDNA relates to Y-DNA and that they have different histories (WOW!). The author does an excellent job of explaining this (MtDNA is the primary focus of the book, but he does address Y-DNA). I do like how he broke down the analysis of DNA by region, and slowly started to make sense of the test results. But as other reviewers have mentioned, he could have done this a lot faster - I expected more information about DNA after reading about 300 pages. On the other hand, I found the data on the DNA collection in the appendix summarized well. Tying the results of the DNA to the known history of the Isles, is the big message of the book. So if you also want a history book of the Isles with an explanation on how DNA factors into it, along with a lot side-trips dealing with issues surrounding the collection of DNA from the public, this is a book for you. July 20, 2008 A DNA history An easy read of a short history of the imigration to the British Isles as validated by the DNA of their decendants. A must read for those interested in their deep genealogical sncestery. July 6, 2008 Myth busting It was hard to follow much of Sykes' argument. After many pages of complicated statistical grinding, the reader is left with precious little return. Only the final part on England offered a noteworthy discovery: the essentially Celtic inheritance of the present population. But the book, admittedly limited in its scope, leaves some important questions: where did the Celtic language of the English go? Why, considering the large influx from Iberia, are there no traces of Spanish or Portugese? Still four stars is a good rating, and if anything, the foray into genetic demography whetted my appetite for more. June 30, 2008 Saxons Vikings Celts A very interesting and well set out book which progresively explains the historical continuity from the Ice Age onwards. For more Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland reviews click here.
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