Life Sentence follows on from Rab Wilson's ground-breaking collection of poems Accent of the Mind. In this new collection Rab investigates Scottish ancient legends, conflicts throughout history, and contemporary political issues; is inspired by a cultural exchange visit to Ireland; and, presents a powerful sequence containing nine sonnets entitled Quake, based on the themes and ideas suggested to him by earthquakes. This impressive new collection is written in traditional south-west Scots, in standard English and, in Burns tradition, often a combination of the two. This is some of the finest and most innovative contemporary Scottish poetry, above all because it is inspired by life, as Rab Wilson highlights in the title poem, Fir life is whit we are sentenced to.