He's been Mr. In-Between from birth, the middle child in a family of five siblings. His father is a practical steel-mill worker, his mother a free spirit who considers dullness the only true sin. Loving both, trying to please both, leaves him torn between their ideals. A promising athletic career provides opportunity for a college education, but clashes with his youthful reliance on street reputation and toughness. A need for connection, for a sense of place, struggles against the urge to explore and take risks. By the time he's ten, he's drinking and spiraling into a world of severe...

If we could read the thoughts of Aku, leader of a small clan of Sapiens living in the fertile valley of Mesopotamia on the shore of the Black Sea 7500 years ago, it might read something like

.. Life is good. It is getting warmer and food is plentiful. For some time now members of my group have heard stories from our trading partners that the Sea Without End, beyond the great hill where the sun vanishes, is reclaiming the land. I indeed have verified this on my recent voyage. I have given much thought to this matter. Perhaps the Sea Without End God is at war with our Sea God. I must...