Mendoza weaves together scientific discoveries and ancient wisdom to highlight the fragility of human civilization:

A central argument is that humans are the planet's greatest ecological predators, leading to our own eventual destruction.

This work continues a line of inquiry Mendoza began in books like Paranormal Colombia and La importancia de morir a tiempo . Unlike his urban noir novels like Satanás , this book focuses on , seeking to offer a "window with a view to the end of the world".