Part graphic novel travelogue, part tongue-in-cheek travel guide, this is the adventures of caustic cartoonist Rall in the wild and woolly central Asian countries, a powder keg sitting on tomorrow's oil. Rall combines articles with comics chapters relating his experiences retracing the old legendary Silk Road, starting with the sublime history of China and ending in the absurdity of the petty dictatorships of the 'The 'Stans'. It's exotic adventure, satire and a fun way to find out more about a part of the world that looms in importance.