We meet a king's son who gambles away his life to a giant but with the help of the giant's daughter, wins back his life. The giant's daughter helps the king's son complete impossible tasks and as any good gruesome fairy tale would have it, there's some blood and sacrifice that costs the king's son his happily ever after marriage. Next we're in a stinking foxhole with Jackie Jordan, a soldier looking for the meaning of life. Unfortunately, he seems only to find death. Further down the road, we look on with a husband and wife who are watching their children burn up in a house; the unfortunate consequence of a sick and irreparably damaged marriage. Later we find ourselves listening in on an unlikely confession of a priest. We hear this confession by way of a subtle conversation he engages in with a stranger. Ferguson moves among these topics with the ease of an artist--each simple stroke a work of art in itself. His dialog can either shove you forward into the foxhole or gently reveal the confessions of a lost man. His carefully detailed descriptions (even the clever descriptions of the little man who isn't really there) are rendered with a unique style that draws you in and holds you down in your seat even though you are aware that to read on may be the most terrifying and unsettling choice you've made in a long time. But read on. You won't regret it.

Don't think that Ferguson's wide range of topics leaves him short on substance. That's the beauty of this collection. He's clearly a man of deep and penetrating knowledge on the very subjects about which he writes. In "The Temptations of Guthlac" he uses a Beowulf-like style to portray the struggle of a man torn between good and evil. It's a well-tuned style that would be impossible for many of today's modern writers. Ferguson then takes a four-line poem from a turn of the century poet and transforms it into a ghastly and riveting story. The range in the book is simply amazing. The diverse topics, writing styles, descriptions, and approaches leaves the reader wondering, "Did one person really write this and if so, does he have multiple personalities?" Yet every story in the book is unique and strong. Pick up this book and then get ready for a wild ride. Just be sure to strap yourself in because like any good roller coaster, you'll be all over the place but loving every minute of it.

This book is a valuable new resource for all those interested in global environmental issues, particularly climate change. It is essential reading for policy makers and environmental activists, and it will be an important text for courses in global environmental politics, environmental policy studies, American foreign policy, and international relations.

CONTENTS: Climate Change and Foreign Policy: An Introduction-Paul G. Harris • Critiquing U.S. Climate Change Policy • Climate Change: Is the United States Sharing the Burden?-Paul G. Harris • Upholding the "Island of High Modernity": The Changing Climate of American Foreign Policy-Peter Doran • Politics of U.S. Climate Change Policy • Governing Climate Change Policy: From Scientific Obscurity to Foreign Policy Prominence-Jacob Park • From the Inside Out: Domestic Influences on Global Environmental Policy-Neil Harrison • Congress and the Politics of Climate Change-Gary Bryner • Regulation Theory and Climate Change Policy-Andreas Missbach • International Policy Instrument Prominence in the Climate Change Debate-Karen Fisher-Vanden • Regime Effectiveness, Joint Implementation and Climate Change Policy-Jorge Antunes • International Norms and U.S. Climate Change Policy • The United States and the Evolution of International Climate Change Norms-Michele M. Betsill • International Norms of Responsibility and U.S. Climate Change Policy-Paul G. Harris • Exhaustive endnotes and comprehensive index.