In the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide in Cambodia, a journalist is seeking a manuscript. But this manuscript is more than just a pile of papers, a memoir written by yet another nameless victim of Khmer killing squads, it has a life of its own, and the entities within it want to be known to the world. These entities - thirty-seven mandalas which feed upon human passions - want more scope for their needs. They want more food.

Horror doesn't have to be invented. True horror exists in our world as a recognition of our own darkest depths; how can we help but recoil from tales of torture and murder so egregious that some people persist in believing the events described could not have happened? Mark Laidlaw understands the nature of horror, and he uses this knowledge to root his novel, THE 37TH MANDALA, firmly in those shadowy realms which we do not wish to see, but cannot quite look away from. He opens the book in in a place which stands as a monument to the Cambodians - between one and two million by most estimates, as many as a quarter of the country's inhabitants - who were tortured and murdered by the Khmer Rouge, their own countrymen, between 1975 and 1979, their bodies strewn on what is now known as "The Killing Fields." It's to his credit that he does not attempt to explain away evil by attributing it to the influence of the mandalas (or any external force) because that would ring false. Rather he presents us with a group of living things that feed upon cruelty and evil and perhaps intensify it, but which never create it. And it's here that the real horror of this book lies, in the knowledge that the mandalas exist in a sort of symbiotic relationship with human beings, gobbling up the emotions which we are constantly throwing off, deriving more nourishment from the strong ones, delighting in the malign ones as if they were emotional t-bone steaks.

Laidlaw has created a nearly seamless narrative that carries the reader along on a flow of ideas as much as on the action, a trait he shares with Stephen King. His characters are both believable and memorable. I didn't much like Derek Crowe, Lenore, Michael, Elias Mooney or the others, but I doubt I'll forget them easily precisely because they were so human and fallible. I recognized these people and, despite myself, I identified with them. Though I had a few problems with the narrative they are, perhaps, more my problems than Laidlaw's. I found some of his choices a little gratuitous, and frankly, the novel's end was rather more downbeat than I like. Despite that, I derived a good deal of pleasure from the skill with which Laidlaw presents his ideas, in his tight, unflinching prose which forces the reader to bring a good deal of thought to the story. In one particularly brilliant section, the protagonist (naming her would give away too much of the plot) witnesses a scene between mother and child from two levels of consciousness - human and mandala. Laidlaw gives us a scene of terrible rage and cruelty in counterpoint to the ordinary dealings between a petulant child and an irritated mother, and in a moment the workings of the mandalas become at once clearer and more ambiguous. If spiritual and emotional ambiguity disturb you, or if you don't feel like working with the author to get the meat of the story, then skip this book. But if you're prepared for a book which forces you to think about these issues, then THE 37TH MANDALA is well worth your time.

Laidlaw has created one of the more unique horror novels I have ever read. I must admit that I had some difficulty getting through the first 50 pages or so of this novel, but after that, I simply could not stop reading this story.

Derek Crowe is a hack writer of new age/occult self-help books. His only concern is how to write "the" novel that will make him rich and famous. His disdain for his readers as well as his rather stunted personal life, however, combine to leave him feeling empty. While on the obligatory speaking engagement, Crowe meets the very young Michael and Lenore Renzler. What none of them realizes is that Derek's latest novel is a deceptively benevolent presentation of some serious evil. As it turns out, Derek has knowingly altered these ancient texts of the mandalas, thus allowing a powerful, horrible force into the world. Derek, Michael and Lenore are all drawn into a spiraling life-threatening chase to fight or join the mandalas.

Laidlaw's writing is superb. Even though it took me a few pages to finally get into the story, this is a novel that certainly reached out and clawed its way into my imagination. The subject is rather unique, and this is a breath of fresh air for the horror genre. Laidlaw creates interesting, believable characters, and the mandalas are some of the creepiest things I've read about in a long time! This is definitely a novel well worth your time. It's intelligent, captivating and terrifying--what more do you want in a novel?

I read this book years ago and found it perfect. Then it went out of print and I knew the world was missing out on some of the best horror I've read in years. I'm happy it's back in print. This book chilled me so much I couldn't read it past dark.

I am a big fan of the Forgotten Realms and I have read most of the published novels and found the majority to be worth reading, but this particular novel was a little tiresome.

The story revolves around an accused thief who is given a second chance at life if he will find a certain noble who got lost in Undermountain. Artek The Knife is the thief's name and being boring is his game. Artek is half-orc on his father's side and this is the only interesting thing about him. The other characters fall short in most respects, except for Muragh the talking skull and Guss the Gargoyle. Muragh provides comic relief in the story and Guss shows great bravery. The noble and Beckla the mage are not that fascinating.

I believe if the characters were more developed this would have been a better read, but they were not and this is not.

Although I'm really a big fan of R.A. Salvatore's work, Mark Anthony really deserves a lot of praise for this book. The characters were some of the best that I've ever seen. Artek was great, and his bloodline made him that much more intresting. Beckla was also good, for she opened up a whole new perspective on mages. Even though Guss was introduced later in the story, his image of a good gargoyle was great. Muragh was a riot, filling in the comic relief that every good book needs. Lord Dairen Thal, even though his apperances were short, made a great villan. Last, but certinaly not least was Corin, the wuss of the party. His development from being a pampered dope to a confident fighter and leader was fantastic. The book had the perfect balance of fighting, emotion, and mystery. In my opinion, it's one of the best Forgotten Realms books out there. A must read for any fan.

I have read many of Mark Anthony's books and I think this one of his better ones, the end was kind of "ok" I think it would have been better if it had gone in a different direction. but hey, it was good all the same.

The author did a great job with this one. This 270-page book packs more info that plenty of "study guide" twice its size. An excellent balance of text and clear illustrations.

Good information on everything from the OSI model to troubleshooting, and it includes a case study that really helps drive concepts home. An excellent addition to any Cisco bookshelf!

Excellent! Purchased it based on the reviews of the first one and, sufficed it to say, it's better than I expected... True, many of the concepts, configurations & TS methods covered in this book were short & to the point w/o burning too much candle on it; but then again, you shouldn't be reading this if you're not already experienced in internetworking or have a clue on fundamentals... NOC engineers/Network admins: Get this book! Major headache eliminator.... Beginners/"shortcut" hunters: Do yourself a favor & buy a basic guide on Cisco routing first before tackling this one (at least that'll eliminate blaming the book because you couldn't grasp the information contained in it).

With the price of Cisco books, it's amazing I was able to find one this complete for less than $30!

I am a CCNA who is still fairly new to Cisco products, but not routing. I now work with Cisco products every day and I also have a home lab for the CCNP/CCIE - so this book is worth it's weight in GOLD to me.

The thing that impressed me the most is that it goes beyond simple Cisco 800/1600/2500 series router configuration examples and uses many of the high end router IOS commands - so no matter what you are configuring, whether it's a 2501 or a 7000; ISDN, FDDI, Ehternet, or Token Ring; SNMP,TFTP; RIP, BGP, or OSPF; or any of the other major Cisco "must know" items then you need this book.

As a CCNP/CCIE candidate AND a Network Administrator I really have an appreciation for the "Case Study" in the book. It *really* shows you what to expect in the real world environment of WANs. BTW, it makes a great CCIE Lab Scenario too!

Overall, I feel my money was very well spent. It has already paid for itself. It will be on my desk for a long, long time.

Justice League: Year One has two goals. Goal #1 - Take the core members of the "post-Crisis" Justice League of America and make them into actual characters. These being: Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aqua-Man, and Black Canary. Goal #2 - Tell a fun story that can be intertwined with old JLA stories without rewriting history.

IT ACCOMPLISHES BOTH GOALS.

Now, many readers may complain at the lack of Superman or Batman in this story. But let's be honest...we already know plenty about them. The five core members of the JLA have been around since the 1960's and what do we actually know about their characters? Not much beyond the stereotypical hero adventures that they were placed into. Writer Mark Waid does a nice job of fleshing out who these people are.

Some key strengths of the twelve chapter (i.e. 12 issue) trade-paperback: The Flash taking the leadership role of the JLA, Aqua-Man's introduction to land-dwelling life, Black Canary's continual acknowledgement of the JSA and her possible relationship with The Flash, a great villain conspiracy that works well into the JLA mythos and does not overtly change anything that fans may already know about the team.

Sometimes retrospect storylines don't work because we (as readers) already know what becomes of these characters. However, sometimes they are just a fun read that can remind us about our love for the history of the heroes and their team and what we miss in today's comic book environment. I recommend JLA - Year One and I also believe that Brave & The Bold - Flash and Green Lantern makes an excellent sequel of sorts.

CHECK THEM OUT HERO FANS!

Here it is... how Aquaman, The Flash, The Green Lantern, Black Canary, and the Martian Manhunter all met and decided to form one team "The Justice League". It covers their awkward "getting to know you" stage. Reconciling their public and private lives. Amd it also covers each of their origins. This isn't an action filled adventure. Some of it is slow. Much of it is not how we know these heroes now. This is how the heroes were twenty-something years ago. While reading it, I found myself missing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the others who are currently featured in the Justice League / JLA. But it gives a good historical background to grow on.

Retroactive continuity is frequently a buzzword these days in the comics milieu. While the Justice League of America has been around since the late 1950's, this collection updates their beginnings and first year for the new century. Mark Waid, for many, a definitive JLA chronicler and a master storyteller, enchantingly and with loving respect, reworks early JLA adventures and lore together with contemporary plotting and characterization into a grand reading experience for new readers as well as for longtime fanboys and continuity geeks. The League here is the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Black Canary, and the Martian Manhunter, but there are tons of guests from the original Doom Patrol, the Blackhawks, the Challengers of the Unknown, and a pre-beard Green Arrow. DC's Big Two, Superman and Batman, also appear briefly. Traditional League lore such as the Secret Sanctuary, the JSA, Snapper Carr, Amazo, Despero, and Kanjar Ro are all present, but cleverly entwined with new, additional concepts such as the insidious Locus, the original Blue Beetle, Maxwell Lord, and an incipient and flirtation between the Flash and Black Canary. Waid is also an expert of the bon mot and clever conversation:

Flash (speaking of Green Lantern): "Besides, of course, he's going to get all the attention. He's the prettiest."

Black Canary: "Well, you have me there. He is cute, isn't he?"

Flash: "Actually, I was joking, but I'll take your word for it."

As with so many of these collections, there is something here for even the newest comics readers and tons of delight for the eternal fanboys. Most highly recommended.

This book has an excellent first few chapters. It really introduces the Java language, explains how it works, and makes it fairly easy to keep up. Once you start getting into the technologies that surround Java, such as database connections and CORBA, this book gets tough to follow. There is code example after code example with little or no explanation of what the code is doing step by step. I know that I like when the author walks me through code so I can understand the first time, and not have to look at more examples. This book does not do that. Overall I think there is material to be learned from this book, though I'm not sure if it's easily extracted. I haven't read the WROX JSP book, but from what I have seen, that might be a better way to go.

I've never been so happy to find a book as I've been to find this one! If you're like me, this is the perfect book for you, and from what I can tell, it's one of a kind.

I'd seen books on Java (servlets), books on JSP, books on XML, and understand the concepts of presentation/application/data layers for web applications. Unfortunately, all the books seemed to treat these techonologies as if they were stand-alone solutions. The clear focus of this book is how to get these technologies to work together to provide an elegant, modular, and easily maintainable solution to application problems.

Even in the first chapters (basic JSP application), the book is already laying out it's primary theme. It specifically draws your attention to the way the JSP's use Java in two basic areas. The first half being the creation and manipulation of objects, and the second half being the presentation of the data. It then explains that in a few chapters you'll learn that the top half should be in a servlet and the JSP should focus on the second half.

IRT some of the other reviews I've read...

Yes, you need to know some Java. This book isn't going to explain classes, polymorphism, inheritance, or interfaces to you -- it expects that you know what they mean. But simply working through a few Sun trails or a Java-in-24-hours type book will be enough.

Also, if the phrase "multi-tier application architecture" sounds like a foreign language phrase, then this book isn't really focused toward the obstacles that you're currently dealing with. A good chunk (about 1/2, I'd say) of the book is meant to clear up how to use these technologies in a multi-tier environment. If you don't know what one is, then a lot of the book is going to seem irrelevant.

But if you do know what "multi-tier" means, and you have understanding of the technologies, this is the book that fills in the gaps involved with integrating them together in a single solution.

I've never been so happy to find a book as I've been to find this one! If you're like me, this is the perfect book for you, and from what I can tell, it's one of a kind.

I'd seen books on Java (servlets), books on JSP, books on XML, and understand the concepts of presentation/application/data layers for web applications. Unfortunately, all the books seemed to treat these techonologies as if they were stand-alone solutions. The clear focus of this book is how to get these technologies to work together to provide an elegant, modular, and easily maintainable solution to application problems.

Even in the first chapters (basic JSP application), the book is already laying out it's primary theme. It specifically draws your attention to the way the JSP's use Java in two basic areas. The first half being the creation and manipulation of objects, and the second half being the presentation of the data. It then explains that in a few chapters you'll learn that the top half should be in a servlet and the JSP should focus on the second half.

IRT some of the other reviews I've read...

Yes, you need to know some Java. This book isn't going to explain classes, polymorphism, inheritance, or interfaces to you -- it expects that you know what they mean. But simply working through a few Sun trails or a Java-in-24-hours type book will be enough.

Also, if the phrase "multi-tier application architecture" sounds like a foreign language phrase, then this book isn't really focused toward the obstacles that you're currently dealing with. A good chunk (about 1/2, I'd say) of the book is meant to clear up how to use these technologies in a multi-tier environment. If you don't know what one is, then a lot of the book is going to seem irrelevant.

But if you do know what "multi-tier" means, and you have understanding of the technologies, this is the book that fills in the gaps involved with integrating them together in a single solution.

Firstly, it is important that I qualify my comments by stating that I read this book as a layperson. The book is very well written for those who don't have advanced degrees in theoretical physics, math, or adjoining fields. In, "Ubiquity", Mark Buchanan sets out to demonstrate that there is a, "natural structure of instability woven into the fabric of our world". The book then covers a wide range of human events, events where man and nature share influence, and where nature, in theory, acts alone. He presents the concept that that all of the mentioned tend to organize into critical states, and that at some unpredictable point they will pass their point of stability and become unstable. He uses events that range from the incident that touched off World War I, to forest fires, and traffic congestion to demonstrate the premise.

The fundamental problem that I had while reading the thesis was accepting that there are events that we have never been able to predict, and the statement that there will never be a method for prediction in the future. I have read enough science texts to know that, "never", is not only a very strong word, it is an absolute, and a very tenuous position to take. Scientists are constantly revising what is believed to be true, and everyone knows the traps that lie when stating absolutes. There are several categories of events that are measured and graphed in an effort to demonstrate commonality among seemingly diverse events. In certain given situations there does appear to be anecdotal evidence regarding, for example, how often a given war will occur based upon the previous conflict and its size.

The mathematical results that are graphed do in fact look similar, but I never have understood that proof of a theory could be an, "almost". Graphs and numbers may be similar, but how far apart can the numbers be to disqualify a theory stated in absolute terms, i.e. never?

Science and technology are forever finding ways to surmount barriers that were once thought to be absolutes, or hurtles that never could be overcome. And while predicting an earthquake certainly appears to be a fantastically difficult task, I don't understand how never can be applied to the problem. One does not have to go very far back in history to find statements by recognized experts that absolutely dismissed the idea of the mass utility of a computer. The idea that hundreds of millions of choices would be made by a machine that is portable and sits on your lap did not even qualify for science fiction.

The book is fascinating reading, and perhaps I have missed the mark. I still would suggest that anyone who is inquisitive read the book, as it is well worth the time invested.

Buchanan, a writer for Nature and a theoretical physicist, summarizes the law of universality, a sweeping concept that is very much a work in progress. The frequency of observable physical phenomena such as earthquakes and forest fires may also describe the frequency of wars and stock-market crashes, an astounding proposition on the face of it. To make his case, Buchanan first draws from Bak, Tang, and Weisenfeld's computer modeling of a sandpile, where grains of sand are dropped one at a time until "avalanches" result. The sandpile at last reaches a state of "self-organized criticality," in which an avalanche is always possible. But even though there are many more small avalanches than large ones, large and small avalanches are always possible, and can happen anywhere in the mass that is in a critical state. The model explains why earthquakes are impossible to predict, since faultlines are always in a critical state; or why forest fires can break out anywhere in the at-risk area, and can be small and containable, or large and beyond control, like the Yellowstone fire of 1988. Buchanan's speculations on human events seem dicier, though fascinating. The first world war, for instance, broke out when the countries of Europe were in self-organized criticality. War might have begun when an army invaded another country; instead, a major avalanche resulted when King Archibald Ferdinand's chauffeur turned up a wrong street and ran into an assassin. Anything could have started the war, in other words. In a corollary argument, Buchanan contemptuously dismisses the "great man" theory of history, whereby Einstein or Churchill make all the difference, instead arguing that great men are, in effect, catalysts of the critical mass. Cautionary but entertaining, Buchanan extends his thesis to fluctuations of the stock market, the migrations of peoples, and even the advance of science itself. It's impossible to say whether the social side of Buchanan's fatalistic thesis will prove elaborately wrong, though he argues it with fervor and elegance.

CERTAIN complex systems, under certain circumstances, have been discovered to behave in mathematically simple, similar ways. In 'critical states', there is no reason to look for specific causes of great events. The smallest force can have gigantic effects and sudden upheavals can strike seemingly out of nowhere. The approximate frequency of such upheavals can be predicted, but not when they will happen or what size they will be.

Mark Buchanan's book reviews the current work on the subject to highlight a deep similarity between the upheavals that affect our lives in both physical and human systems. The book warmly communicates this novel way of thinking without compromising scientific integrity. This is made possible because the author is not only a science writer but also a physicist.

Buchanan starts by discussing the principle of ubiquity which is that one should focus on the simplest mathematical game belonging to a same universal class. Details are not important in deciding the outcome because things in a critical state have no inherent typical scale in either time or space. The important issue which this book highlights is that in a critical state, something known as a 'power law' comes into play to reveal a hidden order and simplicity behind complexity. A power law means that there is no such thing as a normal or typical event, and that there is no qualitative difference between the larger and smaller fluctuations.

Buchanan illustrates this with the following example. If one takes a handful of rice (or sand) and drops the grains one by one on to a table top, a pile of rice is built soon. The pile will not grow taller for ever, though. Eventually the addition of one more grain will cause an avalanche. Such a grain is only special because it happened to fall in the right place at the right time. The addition of a single grain may have no effect, precipitate a small avalanche, or collapse the whole structure. One can predict the likely frequency of the avalanches, but not when they will happen or what size each will be. It may come as no surprise that big avalanches occur less frequently than small ones. What is surprising is that there is a power law: each time the size of an avalanche of rice grains is doubled, it becomes twice as rare.

The book reveals that power laws have been discovered for events ranging from forest fires and earthquakes to mass extinctions and stock market crashes. This is the power law for forest fires: when the area covered by a fire is doubled, it becomes about 2.48 times as rare. If the size of an earthquake is doubled, these quakes become four times less frequent. The bigger the quake, the rarer it is. The distribution is scale invariant, that is, what triggers small and large quakes is precisely the same. A power law for the distribution of extinction sizes (that fits the fossil record well) happens to be identical to that for earthquakes: every time the size of an extinction (as measured by the number of families of species that become extinct) is doubled, it becomes four times as rare. Interestingly for economists, a power law has been discovered in the stock market. Price fluctuations in the Standard & Poor 500 stock index were found to become about sixteen times less likely each time the size is doubled.

Not only that, but other human-influenced events come under the same 'natural' laws. Wars seem to strike with the same statistical pattern as do earthquakes or avalanches in the rice-pile game. What is more, the forest-fire game seems to capture the crucial elements of the way that conflicts spread. A war may begin in a manner similar to the ignition of a forest. Statistics over five centuries have uncovered a power law for wars. Every time the number of deaths is doubled, wars of that size become 2.62 times less common. Such a power law implies that when a war starts out no one knows how big it will become. There seem to be no special conditions to trigger a great conflict. Likewise revolutions are moments that got lucky...

This view of history will make no one feel any safer or happier. After all, wars and revolutions could strike out of nowhere. But it is comforting that the tumultuous course of mankind need not be the outcome of human madness, but of simple mathematics. At the end of the book, one feels excitement about ubiquity. It seems that a profound breakthrough in our understanding of history is coming up. I experienced it. Join me. Read the book.

I had been working with Autocad for awhile and I always wanted
get to the next level: Customization. All the material
I had researched was for intermediate to advanced levels.
I needed something to get me started and would reward me by
allowing me to get a simple function to work. If you are new
to programming this is the book. Once you take off and get a
better understanding you can always get more information from other sources.
Do your homework and this book will get you there.

I taught myself AutoLISP from this book. I was not a seasoned programmer when I started, only a seasoned ACAD user. I had always wanted to learn AutoLISP, but the AutoLISP tutorial within ACAD--the garden path with tiles--made me feel stupid because I couldn't learn from it. This book was what I was looking for. It starts simple, so I gained confidence as I went. It moves at the right pace, and it covers not so easy concepts, like LAMBDA and MAPCAR. By the end I felt very confident with AutoLISP. Today, it is literally within arm's reach as I write this review. I highly recommend it as a way to learn AutoLISP.

This review of AutoLISP Programming: Principles and Techniques by Rawls & Hagen, 1996 ed. is being submitted by Ben Waggoner, an AutoCAD & AutoLISP instructor at Pinellas Technical Education Center, Clearwater, Florida.

I decided to use this textbook in my classes for its straightforward reduction of the AutoLISP language to understandable English. Given this book, a computer lab to work in, and minimal instructor guidance, students who have never programmed in any language before can quickly begin to write simple programs to enhance their productivity with AutoCAD. Simple exercises both introduce the beginner to AutoLISP and at the same time start him/her thinking about "how this might be expanded just a little" to become extremely useful in a work situation.

The text covers some fundamentals of programming that can be carried over into any language one might tackle later (such as good documentation and error-trapping), and these practices are demonstrated in the sample programs. The lessons (chapters) are organized logically in bite-size portions, and have "professional tips" that students can keep in mind as they advance through the exercises. In addition, the book has several appendices of important information for AutoLISP programmers. Tables of DXF codes and a quick-reference for functions are vital for programmers (one can't possibly remember *everything*) but are left out of many books claiming to be AutoLISP references. However, Rawls & Hagen did include them, so I feel that my students are not just buying a textbook for class, but a reference they can continue to use as they cultivate their programming abilities.

With that said, I do have a complaint about this book. "Misteaks" happen in publishing, don't you know, but given that this was presented to the market as a potential textbook, I felt it should be held to a little higher standard than the average dime-store novel. There is a glaring ommission: the ENTDEL function is included in both the index and in the function-reference, but does not appear on the page the index points to, or anywhere else in the book, that I have seen. To avoid embarrassment, teachers should be aware of this before they tell a student to "look it up..." In addition, the TEXTBOX function is included in the entities chapter of the book, but you have to discover that through the function- reference appendix as it did not make it into the index. The coverage of ENTMAKE could have been more thorough, and delved deeper into creating *complex* entities.

However, those are only three functions out of the almost 300 available in AutoLISP under AutoCAD r13. While there are a few other minor errors, they are forgiveable, given the two chapters on dialog box programming and the inclusion of a chapter on debugging effectively and error-trapping. Hopefully the edition for AutoCAD r14 will be completely error-free. I adopted this textbook for my class some time ago and recommend it with very few reservations to my students and associates for its clear language, logical arrangement and good resources.

Tired of always seeing super-heros fighting the same old menaces, put them in jail, only for them to escape again later? Can't stand how no one ever stays dead anymore? Sick of seeing all these stupid codenames? Well, then the Authority is your answer. I remember when I bought my first issue of Authority. It's in this TPB, #13. I originally bought it just because I really like Frank Quitely's art, but after reading it, I found something more than that. The reason why the Authority is so popular is because they're not your average super hero. Some of them don't wear spandex, some of them don't have super hero names, but they're all relatable. When you read these characters, you say to yourself, "yeah that's what I would've done," or "right on!" I know what you're probably thinking, super heros shouldn't kill. But you know what? The villains they fight are so evil, you feel it's justified in the end. Like one of the lines in this book, they're just doing what any person in their right mind would do. If you had the power to stop a dictator from sanctioning rape and torture on their country, would you do it? If you had the technology to cure cancer, would you try and find it? That is what these people do. Do yourself a favor, don't just buy this book, but also get The Authority: Relentless, the first TPB. Trust me, you won't be disappointed

The first half of this book finishes up Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's run on the book and in their final storyarc we can really see why they made the Authority great. After this the new team of Millar (also a good writer but not as good as Ellis) and Quitely take over. Quitely is a good artist, I just feels that he draws his people too chunky. Overall still a great read and though I was sad to see Ellis and Hitch leave the book, Millar and Quitely do an excellent job.

This volume is made up of two stories, "the Outer Dark" representing the end of the Warren Ellis/Bryan Hitch first year run of the book, and "the Nativity" the start of the controversial Mark Millar/Frank Quitely run on the title.

While it isn't quite the breathless trip that the first two Authority story arcs were (collected in the see "the Authority: Relentless" trade paperback), it represents a fine ending to the Ellis/Hitch run and features the last bow of a memorable character, one after my own ex-leftie heart. (By the way, they take on God, but not the diety you're thinking of,...)

"The Nativity" starts off with the Authority lashing out against the government of Indonesia, which had hired "irregulars" to brutalize East Timorese into sanctioning their abusive regime in an upcoming election, and sending a message to the governments of the world: "we will not tolerate the human rights abuses by anyone, be they invaders from other worlds, "supervillains" or even, soveriegn states",... and this triggers the first of a series of counter strikes, this one launched by the ultimate cold warrior, a creative genius with his own plans for humanity. Both a satire of the conventions of the comic book superhero genre; the culture of celebrity in the this country; and an indirect indictment of abusive governments everywhere; "The Nativity" made both Mark Millar and Frank Quitely's careers in the US, and both rapidly moved onward and upward to far more lucrative assignments; but to date this remains some of thier finest work for American publishers, and its well worth a read.

The book is a good one, but I , as a person new to implementing software process improvement in my small organization read this book and it just flew over my head, it needs a HIGH LEVEL of understanding the process - to be precise.
The materials in this book are available as downloadable PDFs in the SEI-CMM site for all the KPAs.

At one time this was the definitive text on the CMM, but is rapidly showing its age because of the new CMMI suite that the Software Engineering Institute is developing. For reference the CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) is an effort to integrate maturity models for software, system engineering and integrated product development).

This book is the one that introduced the CMM to the masses and is what is now called the CMM-SW (SW=Software). It is still a valid reference for software-only organizations from a key process area point of view. As such, it still has value to any organization that is striving to attain CMM level 2 or above. If you're new to the CMM (and there are many who are), this the CMM is five levels of capability maturity, when chaotic organizations assumed to be at level 1. It is not a methodology, so do not expect to find any "how to" information in this book. What you will find in this book is a description of the CMM itself and its structure, and key process areas that need to be in place in an organization for each level of the model. Each key process area has associated key practices.

In a nutshell, the CMM is a benchmark. The key to achieving level 2 or above requires a commitment to perform. This book will tell you what processes need to be in place, and what the key practices are for each process, but will not tell you which methods to use. It's dry reading, but there is no ambiguity in the descriptions, which makes this book a valuable reference if you are involved in a company-wide CMM initiative. If your goal is to explore the value and benefits of the CMM, then I recommend A Guide to the CMM by Kenneth Dymond as a better place to start. Despite its age and the CMMI initiatives this book still merits 5 stars for those who are actually implementing the CMM for software.

This book is an excellent reference for anyone studying the SEI/CMM framework. It is excellent if you are a beginner or an old timer in the world of process improvement. This is by far the best book written by the Watts Humphrey group. I received this book at 4:00pm, cracked it open at 7:30pm and did not put it down till 11:00pm. The style, and approach makes this book enjoyable, YES enjoyable to read. Some critics have been too harsh on the CMM model and try to dismiss it. These same critics then try to explain that CMM is a waste of time,and praise RUP/UML. This is not so. SEI/CMM establishes the framework that gauge success in a software organization. Methodologies such as RUP/UML, and Structured Analysis and Design support the CMM and its Key Process Areas. There is no conflict, only support. Think of the CMM KPA(s) as the "what" and the methodologies as the "how". Kudos to the authors in their continuing efforts to teach the software community about process improvement.

In general, I enjoyed reading DARK CONTINENT. Mazower's coverage of pre-WWII and of Hitler is thorough, intense and eye-opening. I consider this the highlight of the book.

I was disappointed by his coverage of 1950 and beyond. Mazower's coverage of the rise of the European Union and the fall of communism was not nearly as thorough or intense as his coverage of other topics.

However, a single 400 page volume on European 20th Century history can't cover everything. I recommend this book to anyone who wished to learn more about pre-WWII, Hitler's Third Reich and the first decade of the Cold War.

In this fascinating history, author Mark Mazower traces this history of Europe from the end of the First World War, through to when the book was written in 1998. This is not a list of dates and battles, but so much more than that. The author traces the evolution of Europe's thought, and as such culture. It begins with the 1920s' embrace of democracy and the rise of the minorities issue, continues with the 1930s' rejection of democracy, the rise and fall of the extreme Right in the 1940s, the evolution of the two halves of divided Europe, and on to Europe's post-Communist development.

I have read many, many history books; most being the standard list of names and dates, battles and elections. But every once in a while I encounter a fascinating book that goes into depth explaining how things developed and why. This book is definitely one of the latter. I especially enjoyed the inter-war period, which explained so much that was unclear to me; things like the development of the race issue, and the reasons behind the ethnic troubles that rocked so many middle and eastern European countries in that era.

This book gave me a lot of food for thought. If you like a book that makes you think, then I highly recommend that you get this one. It is a fascinating and highly informative look at post World War One Europe.

First a disclaimer. Mr. Mazower is a cousin of mine.

Dark Continent is an impecable reaserched study of 20th Century Europe. It's findings on ethnic strife are troubling and very relevant given the situation in the Balkans.

This having been said, I do find fault with the book. Mr. Mazower has a rather skewed idea of conservatism, lumping Reactionaries, Monarchists, National Idealists, and Classical Liberals (American libertairians) together under the "Right". Furthermore, he fails to apreciate the ideological similarities between Stalinism and Hitlerism. I do believe that anyone interested in the rise of totalitarianism would be better suited to look elsewhere as well. (The Road to Serfdom by FA Hayek comes to mind.)

Nevertheless, Dark Continent is worth your time given its controversial nature and well thought out and research base.