The Book of Mirrors has several good laughs and quite a bit of thought-provoking material in it. It also has fairly thorough indices on most of the information in Mage books published to that point. None of it, however, is necessary for any clear-thinking Mage player who owns the main rule book. To boot, some of the FAQs are self-contradictory. The "cheat-sheet" at the back of the book, "Common Magickal Effects," is simply inaccurate, and D. McKinney's article on gender and roleplaying is sexist and insensitive.

While it contains useful, thought-provoking matieral, and quite a few laughs, the FAQs that most people rave about are ill-thought out and sometimes self-contradictory. Also, the section regarding gender issues and roleplaying is rabidly sexist, which is somewhat surprising coming from a company that is so selfconsciously egalitarian. There is an index of all the mage books, items, rotes, etc, up until the publication of the BoMirrors, and a basic sphere effects cheat-sheet, but the latter is inaccurate.

This is one of White Wolf's better offerings within the Mage arena. While it doesn't have as many rules clarifications as I would like, it does give a strong showing for the whys and hows of running a good Chronicle, from the ground-up, including different styles and other methodologies.

One of the nice touches that's found within is the 'FAQ', a synopsis of questions similar to a Usenet FAQ, with most of the answers that many might ask found within. Also useful are the many indices found at the back of the book-- it's often that /I/ can't remember where to find something, I think that's a nice help, White Wolf has had problems with indices in the past.

Behind David Lean's directorial masterpiece 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962) lay a series of attempts to film T. E. Lawrence's life, most of them centred around the abridged version of 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom', known as 'Revolt in the Desert.' Chief amongst the filmmakers eager to produce this epic was the great Alexander Korda, who bought the rights to both books and also to several biographies that contained their material. Korda was asked by Lawrence himself not to make the film while he was alive. Five months later, Lawrence was killed in a motorbike accident and Korda began his preparations. Locations were scouted, scripts were drafted, and several actors were tested to play the lead. Walter Hudd (who had played the Lawrence-based character Private Meek in 'Too True to be Good') and Leslie Howard were the favourites, although Cary Grant and Laurence Olivier were also considered. The Foreign Office thwarted Korda at every turn, protesting that it would be ill advised to show the Turks in an unfavourable light with the ongoing political unrest in the East. After a dozen attempts to make the film, Korda let it slide. This book is tripartite: part one sketches a brief history of the attempts to film 'Lawrence of Arabia' and includes pictures of all the key players. The second part is an interview given by Leslie Howard on how he would play Lawrence; and thirdly, the final script (1938) of the Korda epic is reproduced. While it is a laudable piece of work, the book fails to hang together and emerges as two articles and a film script that are linked by the same subject, but have no cohesion. Part One is far too brief for the reader to gain an understanding of the forces arrayed against Korda and his project, and it would benefit from more research and more expansion on the views of the various directors and actors engaged for the film in its different stages. Part Two is simply the Howard interview with no editorial comment offered. Part Three, the script, also has no analysis. This is surprising, as it is rich in allusion and with peculiar sequences that (to modern eyes) detract from the overall pacing of the film. It relies heavily on 'Seven Pillars' for dialogue and description, with little or no modification. To those who are acquainted with the Robert Bolt script of the Lean film, the Korda Lawrence is but a pale shadow: eloquent passivity rather than "nothing is written" man of action; cold detachment rather than anger and angst in crucial scenes (Tafileh, the Turkish hospital); the smug imperialist rather than the tortured anti-imperialist. Korda's Lawrence was intended to be heroic, a ( ) puff-piece with a serious bite, but looking at the script today, he seems shallow, self-important and obnoxious. The real Lawrence evaded any attempt to capture him by constant shifts in personality, presenting a different face to each person he met. It would appear that the celluloid Lawrence of Korda's vision was the same; and, as such, defeated him wholly.

This book is roughly 800 pages ostensibly about the installation and configuration of Windows NT 4.0. Well, it isn't. The publisher -- QUE -- true to form, has pumped it up with useless verbage about unrelated topics so that of the 800 pages only 160 are even dedicated to installing Windows NT. I was hoping to find information useful to multi-OS installations. This sub-topic was given about 2 pages which just indicated that the boot manager should solve all of your problems.

So what you have here is a fat book which is mostly filler. The brief collection of pages that were on-topic were hopelessly weak and over-simplified. Also, this book was published in 1996 and is now hopelessly outdated as regards developments in networking and distributed computing environments.

Do not buy this book unless you need kindling. I threw mine out. Forty bucks down the drain.

Very light weight. No new information, simply defines terms and offers little advise

When Microsoft launched Windows 95 they set in train a massive hardware upgrade as users discovered that run in the MS lexicon does not mean the same thing as the definition in Webster or Oxford. Those with a penchant for conspiracy theories will, no doubt, have made up their respective minds that it was all a plot to make Windows users NT-ready. Ready availability of affordable Pentium processors and the falling cost of memory have made NT attractive to PC users who have networked older equipment with modern Pentium-equipped systems to share peripherals within the home or office.

NT is a powerful system with many features and options. One cannot simply load it in the same, casual way as DOS. Planning is needed to determine the best configuration for a particular setup. Fine tuning is not just an optional activity for enthusiasts; it is mandatory if the system is to work effectively (or at all).

This book is about installation and configuration and is, as the title says, a handbook. It is written for experienced users who want to appreciate the issues involved in the installation and configuration of NT as a server or on a workstation. It is divided into logical parts; installation, administration, adding hardware, managing and tuning sub-systems, networking and communications, configuring Internet services, and customising a system.

Even though twelve authors have each written separate chapters, the style and language is consistent throughout. They have managed to write in a way that avoids technical jargon, but does not give the impression of talking down to their readers. Anyone wanting to put NT to serious use for a local network or comms server (BBS or Internet) may want more specific resources, but this is a good launching place.

For some the Handbook may be all they need, but those who require more technical information will (unless already expert) benefit from the good foundation Jim Boyce and his team have provided.

None of the authors is employed by MS, so there is no hesitation in mentioning OS/2 or using other dirty words. Configuring NT to live with other operating systems is explained along with installation over a previous version of NT or other existing operating system.

Adding and modifying hardware is an ongoing task with most server setups; the authors deal specifically with multimedia devices (sound cards etc.), modems, and printers and fonts.

Readers who have no experience of network or system administration will find the discussion of administration issues clear and helpful. An introductory chapter describes the fundamentals of system administration. Following chapters talk about how servers are administered and resources shared, controlling users, and the all-important registry maintenance.

A section on networking and communications has chapters on optimising NT in various environments, including Novell and UNIX, and the use of remote access services. For those who intend using NT to run Internet services there are chapters on using Internet programs, setting up an Internet server, installing Windows messaging, TCP/IP, and implementing a firewall.

Sub-systems such as memory, file systems, data security, and hardware configuration have to be managed and require fine tuning. A section covers what the authors call "critical sub-systems." I found the discussion well presented and easy to follow.

Some companion CDs are best employed as coasters for the ubiquitous coffee mug. In this case the publishers have provided a very useful collection that can save hours of on-line time. The CD contains a formidable array of drivers, system tuning tools, Internet client/server tools, 32-bit graphics, e-mail enhancers, and other utilities.

A well-designed and well-written handbook, this title is well worth looking at by anyone with a serious interest in NT, either by way of assessing its suitability for a particular task, or as a manual for new installers. It does what the title says, provides the information needed for installation and configuration. It does that well and comprehensively, and comes with a library of utilities and system tools.

Reviewed by Major Keary

As a collector of the entire series, no one awaited this book more than I. I feel let down. Of the 13 stories, (and it's only 318 pages, not 352), seven are fiction. These were not well chosen: selections from Treasure Island and Moby Dick are not even set at sea, but are the land-based openings of the books. The non-fiction does not live up to the billing of the editorial reviews that preceded it on this page. There is not much shipwreck or survivial: several are more like philosophical essays as opposed to stories with an edge. The story on diving the Andrea Doria is perhaps the best in the book, but many of us will have seen it elsewhere, as it is recent. Why a fictional account of the Titanic and not a true one? For a book on treasure, why nothing of Mel Fisher and the Atocha? If you want sea adventure, the earlier book in the series, Rough Water, delivers a bigger punch. This volume, regratably, is one that you can put down between stories.

As a passive individual, I live through the words and experiences of first hand authors for my adventure. This narrative simply scratches the surface of those before it. "Ship of Gold", "The Fatal North" and "Abandon Ship!" come to mind immediately as adrenaline rush examples. Any of the several publications on "The Endurance" far exceed the expectations of "Deep Blue". The human spirit has greater tales to tell.