thoughtful review of the one-volume version of William Vollman's "Rising Up and Rising Down"--

"Humankind’s propensity for violence throws up questions that Vollmann pursues through the thick of the most horrific situations. He is, by turns, baffled, dogged, frightened, tireless, overwhelmed, uncertain and sickened even as he seeks to codify the possible responses to violence and formulate the arguments which organise this vast work."