"I would give all my other books for this one," said Barjavel. This is what made me decide to buy this book. After reading the excellent "The night of time", "The great secret", "The unwary traveler," I expected a lot from this book Barjavel considered his best. Outside, there is neither a fiction novel or a policeman (read the excellent "The skin of Caesar" by the same author), or even a reflective essay or philosophical. It is a kind of catch-all general where we feel Barjavel wrote what came into his head! After the first paragraphs catchy enough, it is mired in a long rambling monologue, and it takes courage to read to the end.