Book excerpt: The Long Horizon is an extraordinary book. Much more than simply the chronicle of a life spent farming in the Scottish Highlands, it is also a wonderful collection of stories, both factual and fictional, which reflect the changes that have revolutionised Highland life and dramatically affected the natural environment over the centuries. Using the colourful background to the Fraser clan chiefs as a central theme, from the cunning Red Fox through to the sudden death of the Master of Lovat, which set in train the sale of the Fraser empire around Beaufort Castle, Iain Thomson weaves an entertaining narrative that shows how historical events have such a profound effect on what happens today. Throughout the book shines the writer's deep love of the countryside and a respect for the generations before him who have carved their living from the harsh environment of the Highlands. It is a marvellous celebration both of the farming way of life and one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland.