Sun Circle
First published in 1933, Sun Circle belongs to Neil Gunn's most creative period, when the success of Morning Tide had established him as one of Scotland's foremost novelists. Set in the ninth century, it nevertheless has a timeless quality, the saga unfolding in a haunting prose that is almost poetical. At one level the book is a story of Scotland's misty dawn, when the ancient, newly Christianized people living along the shores of northern Scotland were assailed by the robust, pagan Vikings from across the sea. Although the writer provides no precise geographical location, there is a strong sense of place, of the harsh winds, the damp, peaty hills and the remote landscape that Gunn knew in his Caithness youth. From the opening pages of the novel, the reader is aware of impending doom. As the young girl Breeta plays with her baby brother in the woodland near her home, she sees the Master, aged guardian of the old religion, making his way to the Tower, the tribal focal point at times of disaster. From this first intimation, the story gathers momentum, the men of the tribe converging to make their plans, and the conflict between those of the old and new religions becoming more pronounced. And entwined in this tribal saga is woven the gentler story of Breeta's awakening into womanhood and her dawning love for Aniel, her childhood playmate. At a much deeper level, Gunn is exploring a turning point in Scotland's history, a moment of choice whe the old religion of sun worship is beginning to give way before the advance of Christianity, and when the age-old civilization of the of the Picts is threatened by the onslaught of the new and vibrant Viking adventurers. This cultural conflict is reflected in the human story of Breeta, Aneil and the fair Nessa. In the interplay of their relationship Gunn reveals the primal integrity that is for him the only issue at stake. Sun Circle is a book that brings one back to a sense of one's place in the natural world, expressing Gunn's deepest feeling about the earth and the reverence it commands.
