A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters is a hit-and-miss collection of ten short stories based loosely on various moments in human history: Noah’s Ark, a hijacked Mediterranean cruise ship, and a world on the brink of nuclear war. Barnes’s book is sweeping in scope, but his tone is sometimes too light-hearted and lacking in substance.