Echoes, on the other hand, is excellent! The characters are fleshed out, believable, and amazingly like the characters on TV. Finally! I liked how the characters thoughts were also put down on paper. What made it really good, though, was the whole concept of parallel universes. It showed us all the possibilities, and the different reactions the characters (especially Janeway) had to all of them.

And the plot itself was amazing! I was totally captivated! This book wasn't your usual Voyager book - you had to THINK and really comprehend what you were reading, as it got a little confusing trying to keep track of all the different Voyagers. But it was fun, in a strange kind of way. It was really interesting. I couldn't put this book down. I read it in one long stretch.

Also, the writing was excellent. I found myself reading whole pages (sometimes more!) over and over again becaue the dialogue or whatever was just so wonderful...sad, happy, perfect, etc. This book was just wonderful in every way!

I know I may sound kind of ditzy in my enthusiasm, but this book really blew me away. I was expecting a book that took my favorite characters and mutated them into cardboard...but that wasn't what I got. I got a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon because of a book that was...well, thoroughly enjoyable! (Oy...corny, corny!)

Once again, if you only read one Voyager book...read this one. It's the best!

(By the way, did anyone notice that the middle names of the first two authors are Star Trek names? Wesley and Kathryn! And then 'Kiriki' can be Kira...or Kirk...uh oh. I think I'm a little too obsessed...)

For the billionth and final time, this is THE BEST Voyager book, so whether you borrow it from the library or buy it from here, make sure you read it. A must for any Voyager fan!

Also, the discussion questions at the end of each chapter are very nice, but the answers are not provided anywhere. So how are you supposed to know if you answered them correctly? And another thing I really hate about this book, it will say "and why do you think this happens?" and then not tell you why. About 90% of the time my answer is "I have no clue why that happened." :/ This book makes me hate physics.

I've read several books by Kristine Kathryne Rusch in the past and enjoyed them, which was my sole reason for picking up the novel. As a die-hard fan of the X-Men series, I'm also a purist, and my opinion of this novel may be a little jaded.

It is of course, well written. Kristine Kathryne Rusch is an excellent author, and one can definitely see it here, with her excellent descriptions. Unlike the X-Men movie, she also tries to delve into the character's minds, giving them far more motivation for their actions than the movie did- though I still have problems here, and will touch Wolverine's character later.

You may be thinking by now, 'What's the problem with it then?' Well, like I stated above, I am an X-Men purist. The comic series has been running for over forty years, and in this time, character backgrounds have been well and truly established. Logan's (Wolverine's) past was kept to faithfully- unfortunately, the same can not be said for Scott and Ororo. Ms. Rusch attempts to give a brief background for this pair, and unfortunately, to fans of the comics, these backgrounds are sorely lacking.

The reader must remember though, that the writer has been constrained by the movie. As a result, there is not a lot she can do about the plot-holes that you could drive a truck through, or the awful portrayal of Wolverine. (Any good X-Men fan would have told you that when Logan woke up in the X-Mansion, he would have gutted good ol' Jean Grey and gone on a berserker rampage, rather than apologising to her.)

It is a good, mindless read, and if you're going to be a passenger on a long plane or car trip then I would suggest it. However, if you are looking for a quality read that will give you insight into the world of X-Men, then I suggest running down to your nearest newsagency and picking up a few issues of the comics. The plot is fine- in movie form. As a book though, well it just doesn't cut it.

I'm not a science fiction fan, nor do I read comic books, but I've heard a lot about the movie, so I thought reading the book might give me some background. I got so caught up in the story that I read it in one sitting.

Different from the rest of the world due to a damaged/evolving gene, a group of 'mutants' must battle prejudice and most struggle to survive.

Normal humans persecute the mutants, not because they hate them, but because they do not understand their gifts.

Professor Charles Xavier, a mutant himself, is on a mission to seek out these outcasts and provide them with a nuturing environment in which they can flourish and come to terms with their powers.

A former colleague, known as Magneto, is set on an altogether different path -- one that will destroy the world unless the Professor and his X-Men foil Magneto's demented plans.

Lurking just below the surface of this story are some very good life lessons on tolerance, acceptance, and self-worth.

This classic battle of good versus evil plays out with some great storytelling.

The authors did their job well because I liked the Professor's 'good guys' and I really detested Magneto and his bullies.

I can't wait to see the movie!

Enjoy!

As examined through a brief plot summary, Washington Square contains no clear-cut revelations in its message. Upon careful investigation of the characters, however, it seems that James wants the reader to decide whether Morris' love is true or not. In other words, in terms of the main character's conflict, should Catherine have chosen her father or her lover? In the end, James has Catherine choose neither, thus carefully creating a plot that can be scrutinized from different perspectives. With each of Morris' actions, it is unclear whether he does it out of love for Catherine or out of greed for her money. The author achieves this effect by judicious word use and careful insertions of flaws in the characters of Morris Townsend and Dr. Sloper.

Washington Square was a novel I read for school after having visited Washington Square itself many times. Having said that, although it's an excellent read for literary analysis, it's also a rather dry novel. For a student wanting to complete a literary analysis and enjoy a good book at the same time, this is not good news, thus the 3.5 stars. However, its strong points are the psychological power and the keen insight James has on human nature. Read it for those things, if anything.

James allows us to perceive the motivations of each of these primary characters and we come to recognise that Catherine is in fact in danger of being deceived. The father who is not a very sympathetic character is insightful enough to do what is necessary in his view to prevent this.

The characters are all well concieved and remain true to type throughout the story.

A bonus is the setting of old New York and the scenes of a growing city are vividly drawn. Imagine a time when moving "uptown" meant moving to what is now the Village.

Overall I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it

Thus begins the saga of a Black middle-class family torn apart by a love grown cold and their inability to find out what they truly want in life. Follow them on their journey to find fulfillment, reconciliation and renewal.

If you like predictable formula driven romances then this is the book for you. Many of the characters are so "wooden" in their presentation to the point of being superficial. As you enter into the world of their lives you ask the question, So what? The fact that you can predict the next step of the characters makes it a slow and boring read. Our author gets an average rating for this her first book foray into what can be called a romance novel.

Valerie Wilson Wesley is a far superior writer in her Tamara Hayle mystery series. This novel doesn't represent the depth and breadth of her outstanding skills. If she continues to write more in this genre then she will undoubtably get better. For now her attempt is just so-so.

Because of the author's quarrelsome nature and unusual departures from common progressions in the model views, I found this book less useful than the others. The author repeatedly explains (with a careful record of the dates) how much of his integration of the competing OO modeling methods preceded the work of the UML founders (Booch, Jacobson, and Rumbaugh) and frequently raises the small quarrels in the UML world for no purpose except to give a quick and unsupported opinion. Not surprisingly, ten of the twenty-five citations in the bibliography are the author's prior papers.

Although the title claims the method is "use case driven," techniques and guidelines for use cases are poorly done; and the author suggests that the requirements stage should begin with domain modeling and "robustness diagrams" before text for use cases is written. The author also places heavy emphasis on screen mockups during the requirements stage.

The contents would make a good lecture or two; but it is an annoying departure from the efforts of many to extend and enrich UML. Since the book is only 165 pages, it won't hurt for long, and there are thoughts here and there worth reading. Perhaps it's tongue-in-cheek, a test to see if we can spot obvious logical problems with the method.

Contrary to what some reviewers seem to think, this isn't a book about the UML, and I don't believe it tries to be a definitive reference on methodology, either. Rather, Rosenberg presents (with a clear disclaimer) his perspective and method for performing OOAD; I find it a valuable one, at that.

If you're just getting started with OO and/or the UML, and want a good overview of how the pieces fit together, read this. I'd recommend it to all other comers, as well, unless you think reviewing an additional perspective (from a successful, well-regarded individual) isn't valuable.

Three things in particular I liked about the book:

1. "The Approach in a Nutshell" as well as constant reference back to it.

2. The lists of ten.

3. The chapter on "robustness analysis" showing the transition from analysis to design (always a difficult transition in any methodology). This is the best part of the book in my opinion. It was real "hands-on".

"The Approach in a Nutshell" gives a great overview of the process including milestones, and provides a framework for everything to fit into. As the reader progresses through the book, each chapter summarizes that part of "the approach in a nutshell" that the chapter fits into. If this was the only feature in the book, it would be worth the price.

If you have ever read another series with "lists of ten", these are better. The lists of ten (there are over half-a-dozen) are worth taping up on the walls. They reflect the experience of someone who has been there and done that. The lists of ten alone are worth the price of the book.

The transition from analysis to design has rather heavy focus in this book, and deservedly so. Going from analysis to design is tricky in any methodology, and "Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML, A Practical Approach" shines in this area. The authors refer to this as "robustness analysis," and this section alone is worth the price of the book.

This won't be the only book concerning the Unified Process that you will ever buy. But it is more than likely going to be one of the most useful to you.

This is not a tutorial on the UML; purchase "UML Distilled, Second Edition" by Martin Fowler and Kendall Scott if that is what you are looking for. The title may be slightly misleading in this respect. The real focus is on the "Practical Approach" part. If you are trying to sort out HOW TO DO IT, then this is a necessary addition to your library. It won't replace your books on the UML or the Unified Process, but it will help you pull it all together into a cohesive whole so you can get a grasp on how to start and how to proceed.

In addition to being very informative and clear in direction, the book is also surprisingly interesting to read. Its clarity and brevity keep it simple. You won't get bogged down reading this one. It is very well written.

Expecting another of Dean Wesley Smith's outstanding novels filled with good solidly human characters complete with flaws and humor, I was more than rewarded by The Tenth Planet. Picking up the novel I immediately became lost in the characters and the incredible plot that develops naturally right before your entranced eyes.

The novel, set in the near future of Earth places of all things an archaeologist as the hero who steps forward to prepared mankind for its greatest challenge every. Along the way his terrifying discovery explains much of the major mysteries of our world, such as extinction events, disappearing cultures, and a very odd layer of black soot around the planet.

The story develops into a race to save mankind, and along the way we experience the best and the worst that man is capable of. Something Smith does so well when he tells a story, especially one as epic as this.

Believe me this novel leaves you wanting much more, and unable to wait for the second novel in this trilogy in the making!

If you love good suspense and science fiction rolled into one, this book is a definite!

This book is really thrilling. I have read it in one go. There have been other sf novels that used the attractive combination of archaeology and science fiction. But this is by far the best! Not only is the story well researched (the authors know about what they write), but the two writers have also an excellent feeling for action, suspense and human character. My copy of "Oblivion" is on its way. I am looking forward to it (and I will patiently wait for "Final Assaut"). The trilogy might get "cult status".

I would have given this book a perfect rating had it been just a little more up to date. Don't get me wrong though, if you want to learn Winsock, this is the book to get. After reading through the whole book, I've used it for reference countless times.

Best Winsock book available IMHO.

The book assumes UML knowledge, but the first 150 pages are dedicated to explaining web technology to the reader. Not quite "The Internet for Dummies", but hardly critical content?

When eventually the author gets into the meat of the Web Extension for UML, it's interesting, but he still spends a lot of time talking about thick-client applications, which really are the exception on public websites. There is one pretty extensive example based on ASP, complete with code. The WAE is useful, but of 300 pages, I found only about 50 useful. A lot of it has already been publisher by the Author on his own website.

1) The Process
2) Defining the Architecture
3) Requirements and Use Cases
4) Analysis
5) Design
6) Implementation

applied to the goal of designing, building and maintaining a substantial web presence. With the emphasis on the modeling, very little in the way of HTML and scripting skills are needed and very little code is presented.
If you are in the process of planning a web application, either a replacement or a new one, then it is worth your while to examine this book. For many businesses, a quality web presence is now an absolute necessity for survival. This book will help you achieve that.

PART ONE is an excellent introduction to the role of ubiquitous web application tools such as HTML, JavaScript, Style Sheets, DOM, ASP, Java, ActiveX, CORBA and XML to name some highlights. PART TWO walks the motivated reader through a well-developed, and to me, surprisingly involved, iterative process for turning vague ideas into solid application.

The appendices are even helpful. Appendix A is a visual directory for the Web Application Extension for UML. Appendix B is a sample use case which reader will find very useful as a template for future projects. Ditto for Appendix C, a sample model for a Glossary Appllcation using ASP.

Do not be mistaken. By itself, this book will not likely make you an expert in UML. Fortunately, it also manages to avoid any heavy-handed favoritism between technology products mentioned, including products from Rational Corporation. Refreshing!

As a web development project architect who is on the steep part of the learning curve, I will doubtlessly be able to add some rigor to my firm's process, beginning with initial client discovery and leading through delivery of a killer pre-development site design documentat -- one in which developers, graphic designers, managers and most importantly, clients, will appreciate. Additionally, the superior documentation which this process affords will, no doubt, significantly improve software, which is what it's all about.

That said... bring on the next mega-project. I think I feel a home run coming on!

As a consequence this book is not for beginners. You must have a firm grasp of 'C' in order to follow the thread of the model program which is developed in the book. Since this is some of the most difficult programming imaginable, it is not a good place to start learning 'C'.

Some of the conceptual discussions are outstanding. I particularly liked the section on coordinate transformations. I had orginally consulted Windows "Help" and Petzold trying to get a handle on this elusive and difficult subject. I found that the explanation in this book was by far the most accessable and exhaustive.

The index is particularly well arranged and useful, and add immeasurably to the utility of the book.

This book is unique in its structure, in that it serves as both a reference and a teaching guide simultaneously. If one merely needs to refresh the memory or one encounters a new concept that need elaboration, this book will almost certainly fill the bill in the most efficient way possible.

I will use this book for many years to come, and wish that I had known about it earlier as it would have saved me an enormous amount of labor.

It is one of those rare computer books that is written for the ages, rather than the current release of the software.

(the author of this review is a software engineer of over 30 years experience, most of it non-Windows)

I like the organization of the book which starts with the core of a well-behaved Win32 application and moves on to bigger and better things with each chapter. I learned many good Win32 programming habits, such as the proper use of Unicode and , proper message loop structuring, and so-on from this book. These lessons in Win32 programming were learned the hard way (from the school of hard knocks also called "experience") by the authors so that I didn't have to suffer the same torturous fate.

The authors start with the core of a Win32 application and then move through the core GDI objects: device contexts, fonts, windows, etc. Then they proceed to examine all the common controls one by one with an exhaustive reference of all their messages.

Along the way, the authors point out places where porting from Win16 to Win32 might be a problem, as well as pointing out known bugs in the MSDN documentation and the Win32 implementation, referencing knowledge base articles for more detail. I also found the advice for those transitioning from a unix background helpful.

This might not be the best book for a beginner that has never written a GUI application before, but if you're familiar with the basics of event driven GUI applications from other window systems (AmigaOS, BeOS, MacOS or X Window System), then this book will teach you what you need to know about Win32 without wasting your time explaining things that you already know and understand.

If you are a complete beginner, you might be better off with a different book to start with, but still might enjoy this book as a reference once you've got the basics down. When I asked around on usenet about Win32 books, many people suggested Richter's book. I looked at Richter's book many times but it just didn't move me to buy it because I wanted a book that was a more exhaustive reference and one that didn't assume I was a beginner programmer.

Several people said "Yeah, I learned from Richter, but /Win32 Programming/ is the book I keep on the shelf. Once I read through Richter, I didn't use it anymore." Another factor is that /Win32 Programming/ is hardback, which makes it stand up to lots of use on a day-to-day basis.