This burlesque of human violence starts with a funeral (of all our hopes) and with a very good question (what was the first book?) and goes on to present every war waged between 1850 and 1860.

Along the way, there's also a guilt orchestra, scintillating rhythms, and, at the end, an answer to several pressing questions. Such as: are we going to survive five mil lennia of fearing, fighting and forgetting?