This is a brilliant book...Thailand is one of the last civilizations in a world crumbling away with GMO wars.... my science scaffolding needed a little work to fully appreciate it at some points, as I wondered, what exactly is everyone trying to do? It is rich in themes, the characters are well-developed, so much so that it is not always clear who the good guys are, which I appreciated immensely... and the atmosphere of the book is compelling and original, full of sweltering heat, raging cruelty, bravado and hopelessness. And information that would excite anyone with a degree in agricultural genetic engineering... Ultimately, it is a bleak vision of a ravaged, exhaustively manipulated environment and a miserable future for us all as we war over calories, our last unit of energy. As stated it is brilliant, but I wouldn't read it with PMS or if your dog just died if I were you.