Customer Reviews
Fascinating and accessibly written - By: Sian B, 14 Dec 2007 
I reallly enjoyed this book, reading it cover to cover in a couple of days. Not having read Professor Sykes' previous book, I found Blood of the Isles adequately conveyed the scope & findings to date of the Oxford Genome Project. His writing style is involving & renders a subject which could be as dry as dust both interesting & relevant to life in Britain today.
Of interest but reads as unfinished - By: Mist of Time, 02 Nov 2007 
Following on from Seven Daughters of Eve, Bryan Sykes talks about the genetic evidence that supports (or disputes) traditional myth / history of the various parts of the Isles (his neutral term for England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales).
The style is very chatty, presumably to counterpoint the detailed science bits; I did find that this made it read too much like Bill Bryson as I wasn't sure that reading about the ice cream being sampled on tour collecting DNA reallly added much to the development of the book.
I also felt let down that having set out a stalll, mentioned a much earlier survey of hair / eye colour that showed regional differences, the book stops suddenly whilst beginning the development of the England story.
I almost think this was brought out to keep interest up whilst the overalll work continues, & imagine that there will be further editions of this.
