Vinland, George Mackay Brown's fourth novel, follows the turbulent life of Ranald Sigmunson, a young boy born into the Dark Ages, when Orkney was torn between its Viking past and its Christian future. Lore and legend, the elemental pull of the sea and the land, the sweetness of the early religion and the darker, more ancient rites, weave through this exquisite celebration of Orcadian history and the inexorable seasons of life.