From the appearance of the human race in Africa, four million years ago, to our ultimate destiny beyond the stars, Martin Rowson's first novel takes us to Mexico under the Aztecs, the Inquisition in Rome, the secrets of the Internet, the bogs of Irish nationalism, introduces an alcoholic werewolf and his dog, educates us in literary and management theory, glimpses 9/11, journalism, warfare, time travel, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Global Warming, personal therapy and focuses on Hell. Retelling the stories of the worst decisions the human race has ever made - and featuring a cast that includes St Simeon Stylites, Hernando Cortes, Adolf Hitler, Evelyn Waugh, Sigmund Freud, Josef Stalin and Candide in Las Vegas, and with supporting roles from Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pol Pot and Osama Bin Laden (as well as Superman and a talking sturgeon), ''Snatches'' is a brilliantly picaresque, funny and ultimately worrying exploration of love, art, politics, history and just how bloody awful it is to be here.