I bought this book because of my family history (Gunn clan originating on the Orkney isles). Having heard about some of this stuff through the media and through Norse mythology, I was expecting the Norse to be tamer in historical records. Well, they weren't. Some of these people were really nasty! Brother-brother conflicts occurred on a regular basis as they fought over who should control the Orkney islands. They killed each other, decieved each other, and stole from each other. And they did it all while writing poetry, apparently. Often, a ship going pillaging would bring a guy dedicated to documenting it in verse. Men would compete during feasts to see who could come up with the best verse. There were a few "good" people--they all seemed to be into raiding, but some were, apart from that, people who distributed wealth fairly and were well-loved. If anyone tried to harm them or steal from them, commoners (and sometimes even kings of Scotland they'd befriended) would gladly come to their aid. Interesting read. A historical record, so a big boring sometimes, but cool nonetheless to read about real immigrants and their descendents.