This is a strikingly thought-provoking book about how the forces of evolution and extinction have shaped the living world, and the part that humans play therein. These elegant and penetrating essays speak to some of our most fundamental questions about the human and animal worlds, and confirm Grady's standing as one of our foremost literary science writers.

Wayne Grady has written eight books of non-fiction, including the bestseller Tree: A Life Story, written with David Suzuki. He is also a prolific magazine writer and French to English translator.