The cultural and migratory history described here was fascinating and was precisely what I was seeking to learn. The descriptions of the distribution of blood types, on the other hand, doesn't interest me at all.

He collected DNA from people in the British Isles, as well as mitochondrial DNA from women. Seven major women from whom all other European women descended. Discussions of blood types. Results: we’re scattered around the isles and Scandinavia. The Celts are all among us.

For the most part this is an enjoyable book.  The author is in charge of Oxford Ancestors, one of the many companies that seeks to build an understanding of the genes of men and women for profit and research, and this book follows in the author's previous work on the subject in books like the Seven Daughters of Eve.  As is often the case in a book like this [1], the author weaves as great deal of his own story into the obvious larger story of population movements and how they can be traced.  This is certainly not objectionable, the author is humorous and it is deeply fascinating to see how he turned to blood donors as early adopters for genetic research in the days where blood was necessary before the cheek swabbing that I did became popular and less painful for those who wished to have their gene markers better known and understood.  And since the story is generally intriguing and mixes an interest in narrative story and myth (although selectively) with his interests in genetic genealogy, all of which provides an intriguing picture.

This particular book is organized in a geographic way, breaking up the British Isles into four large regions and numerous smaller ones that are based as much as possible on history with an eye towards distinguishing these regions based on their history and determining at least some of the influences that they were faced with.  Beginning with Ireland and then moving on to Scotland, Wales, and England, the author finds a dominant Celtic mDNA pattern (along with a healthy amount of Middle Eastern Atlantic farmers in the west) throughout the Isles except where there has been some Viking women, such as in the Shetland and Orkney islands off of Scotland.  His efforts at understanding the y-DNA picture are a bit hampered by the Genghis effect which shows mostly Celtic ancestry throughout the isles, with Gaelic replacement of Picts in much of Western Scotland and a notable spike of Danes and/or Saxons in the Danelaw.  These conclusions, along with the process by which the author sought enough genetic evidence to be able to come to his conclusions, is told with a good deal of verve and gentle humor throughout, and summarized at the end as well.

Even if I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions or with his belief in a supposed genetic clock, there is still a great deal worthy of insight here.  The author notes that the different way that y-DNA and mDNA are spread, whether on the strict paternal or maternal lines, tend to give very different results, as sex-selective patterns appear to have been far harder on men, and the competition for women led certain genes (like the Clan Donald and Dougal or the Ui Neill) to be particularly common but with a great deal more consistently Celtic stock among women, who presumably were less able to establish competitive lines that had the same difference in prestige as was the case among men.  If the author seems particularly disinclined to ponder about the relationship between the biblical history and the Isles, and the way that small elites were particularly important in leadership, there is still at least some worth in the author's approach.  If he finds a compelling story, it is at least one that he considers to be evidence based, although he appears to underestimate the importance of interpretation to his own approach, even as he gently chides such writers as Gildas for exaggerating the effects of the Saxon invasion, for example.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

I liked this book. I’m into my Celtic ancestry so someone recommended this book to me and I’m glad because it has helped me see the big picture in regard to where the Celts came from. Well written, entertaining and informative.

A really interesting and engaging book that melds a big-picture view of the various migrations to/invasions of the British Isles with fascinating specific details. I particularly enjoyed the author's curiosity and enthusiasm for the subject.

While I appreciate the author’s contributions to the field of genetics, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed by this particular book. While Sykes attempts to humanize the project by incorporating elements of mythology and anthropology, as well as anecdotes and strange asides (Ally McBeal?), I found these inclusions largely distracting and irrelevant to the core questions the book sets out to answer. Most of the important information can be found in the last chapter, which leads me to believe this book could have been a long form article instead

Interesting book on how the DNA of the UK/Ireland was spread across Europe. I focused on the Ireland/Northern Ireland portions for an upcoming trip, but there were some fascinating bits on Genghis Khan's warfare methods and how he created the most descendants in the world.

This book gives no explanation whatsoever of the genetic origins of Saxons, Vikings, or Celts. Clickbait title.

A great introduction to genetic genealogy. Written for the complete layman. It is clear, concise, balanced and fair. It contains enough historical and archeological background to put the genetic data in context and is packed with anecdotes and stories from the coal face of population genetics. Anyone from Britain or Ireland who is interested in their roots should read this. I've had my genotyping done by the National Genographic and I've spent the last few months immersed in academic papers trying to make sense of everything. It's a confusing and difficult field to jump into, even for someone like me who has a PhD in the biological sciences and who has studied genetics as part of my degree. The best compliment I can pay this book is to say that I should have started here and then set out into the deeper waters.

A fun read while thinking about family trees and reading Bernard Cornwell books. If you have ancestors or THINK you have ancestors from the Isles, then read this book. Plow through the science if that does not interest you. I find genetics very interesting. It is not all science and genetics. It is worth the time to read.

While I enjoyed the premise of this book, I thought its execution fell short. Using DNA to study the origins of the Scottish, Irish, and British people sounds great in theory. However, it took half the book to actually get to the interesting parts.

A lot of fun. He apologizes for technical sections about genetics and blood groups, but I found these to be the most interesting. I was expecting more of a history/archeology book about a subject I already know fairly well (basically a comfort listen) but ended up learning a lot. Well worth the listen for anyone with interest in their roots.