Craig Keener is a very good scholar. His use of source material (primary and secondary) is very judicious and sound. I have always wanted a book that tried as much as possible to avoid giving interpretation, but instead focused on background customs and "everyday" perspectives of the peoples of the first century. This book does just this. However, one cannot entirely avoid interpretation in a volume like this. Still, Keener's work will help you get more out of your Bible study and it will help you avoid esoteric explanations of the Scriptures. This book is especially good for those who are weary of commentaries. Thanks again to Keener for the work put into this book.

Finally, here's all the stuff I always wanted, but could never get in the notes of a study Bible. Keener's book is 831 pages of double-columned passage-by-passage commentary, readable but never "dumbed down." "Background" refers not only to history, but to society, culture, and everyday life, and the book is both interesting and illuminating.

IVP is an overtly Christian publisher, which might make some readers, those who want objective scholarship, wary. It need not. The vast majority of this commentary is concerned with documented fact. Not all, of course. Some events are matters of controversy among historians -- for example, Herod's "slaughter of the innocents," which is mentioned by no other document than the Gospel of Matthew, and which many scholars think never happened. But, on checking the relatively "liberal" HarperCollins Study Bible, I find this isn't mentioned there either, which indicates that the verdict is still out, and that Keener has acceptable reason for taking Matthew's word on the subject. If the objectivity question bothers you, you could use Keener's book in conjunction with an ecumenical study Bible, such as HarperCollins or New Oxford Annotated. But this volume seems, to me, to be that rare book that both faith-based Bible readers, and objective scholars could love.

My biggest complaint is that, while the binding and paper are high quality, the paper is heavy & the binding stiff. It will not open flat for easy back-and-forth referral between it and the Bible text you're using.

Other than that, it's a wonderful piece of work on all counts.

This book does an awesome job of digging and ferreting out the important cultural nuances of the New Testament. It sheds light on even the more notoriously difficult passages. This book will save the busy pastor time and money. And it rewards close reading.

This is my first time reading up on Oliver Stone, or any other director for that matter.

I found this book very well written and an enormously entertaining read. The author not only gives a keen insight into what Oliver Stone is about and how he works, but the book also gives a good basic overview of how movies get made and the inner workings of Hollywood. After reading this book, I gained a new respect and appreciation for all the tremendously hard working people involved in getting a story onto the big screen.

I give the book a 3 star rating because the author didn't stay true to his topic. The first half of the book was much more revealing (and interesting) than the latter half. It worked really well from up to around the end of the Platoon era. After that it seems like the book tapers off. Besides, I find it hard to believe that you can find more details and insights into Stone's early life, when he was a nobody, than you can into his later life where he is among the biggest directors in Hollywood and a much revered and outspoken public figure.

This is a must for any Stone fan. It is a complete history of Oliver Stone; from his birth into a wealthy New York family, to driving a cab for $30 dollars a night, to the set of JFK. It gives us a compelling insight into what created one of America's greatest and important film makers and social critics.

This book really takes you into the mind of Oliver Stone. It really gets in their an shows how he directs ,and what the actors and his peerers think of his work.

This book serves as a good introductory to .NET Reflection. The book doesn't cover the Reflection.Emit class which is primarily what I was looking to learn about. I am some what disappointed.

The book comes with an 'excellent' set of real world examples, solutions and a lot of information you simply can't do without! If you're interested in 'really' unleashing .NET's true power, this book is just what you need! Once you're done with it, you'll wish the book never ended :) Yes, it's THAT good!

One of a growing series of books, this is the second that I'd picked up and even better than the first one (which was the Remoting). This book covers reflection in all its glory - giving all the details that we need to use reflection to the full. Where the book stands out from others is that it not only gives the technical details but also puts all the examples into a real world situation giving an insight into why we're using reflection in the first place. Definitely worth the [money] ...

Most books approach the subject of development with a relatively narrow focus. Some books provide a broad-based approach to economic development, others address environmentally sensitive development, and a few broach the subject of equitable development. This book effectively meshes these often divergent subjects into one general, but ultimately workable, approach to economic development.

Certainly, no single book provides the necessary backgound to assist practitioners, elected officials, or community activists. However, this book provides a good starting point for a general, self-education in development issues.

A very informative theoetical examination of what works in development based on thoughtful analysis of what has worked and what has not worked. Breaks the stereotypes of polictics and ideology that have been so central to development. Combines economic, political and social perspectives that remind me of the best of Max Weber. Wonderful book! A must read.

I, myself, recall this story from my childhood and it is told with such simplicity and grace. The illustrations are done so beautifully as they should be to accompany such fine story-telling. As all fairy tales, this one has an important lesson to be learned. A story to transcend all cultural boundaries.

This is an old tale retold in a gentle, charming way. It teaches the all important lesson of caring, sharing and kindness towards those less fortunate then we are. The tale is non violent, never overbearing. The illustrations are beautiful Chinese style paintings. It enthralled our three children aged 3, 5 and 8. A great plus in any child's collection.

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?

James W. Huston has garnered a bunch of fans with his debut novel. Along with Rush Limbaugh and the thousands of others who have read this interesting story of a constitutional crisis between a dovish President as Commander in Chief and a hawkish Speaker of the House, I found myself liking this book.

Huston does some interesting things with his characters. His fictional President, like the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has no military experience. His Speaker of the House, unlike his real life model, Newt Gingrich, is a former naval officer who saw combat in Vietnam as a brown water sailor in the navy's riverine forces. As a veteran, I found both the President and the Speaker unlikable. The President was an un- realistic idealist and the Speaker a jingoistic opportunist. Mr. Huston did a good job of developing both of these figures well enough to make me dislike them and in that, I felt he did a creditable job.

Perhaps the most valuable lessons learned from this book, especially to the unitiated, were the descriptions of the workings of the various branches of the federal government. Despite the fact that the book is a novel, I think it could be used as a primer on federalism for high school students. If used at the college level, I would recommend that it be used in political science courses covering both the Presidency and the Congress.

Mr. Huston's credentials as an F-14 NFO and Intelligence Officer shines through. His training as a lawyer shines through as well when he discusses the various constitutional issues that develop as a result of his plot. I would like to correct some of the other critics who wrote here on a point of fact. Mr. Huston was not an F-14 pilot. The dust jacket points out that he was an F-14 NFO (Naval Flight Officer). That's the Guy In Back. Remember Goose in TOP GUN? Needless to say, while he may not have actually flown them, he was trained to fight in them and that background lends him a credibility not available with other authors.

Mr. Huston, like a lot of lawyers has taken to writing and I think his debut novel was a fine first effort. I look forward to his next effort because this one reminds me of the early Tom Clancy. I just hope that he doesn't run out of steam (or plausible story lines) like Tom Clancy seems to have done of late. While Mr. Clancy seems to have invented the techno-thriller as a genre, there have been many who followed his example and provided the reading public with hours of reading entertainment.

I wish Mr. Huston good fortune in his writing career. He may well be Tom Clancy's heir in the political-military thriller arena.

What if the President of the United States is unwilling to use the military to protect U.S. citizens, and defend the nation 's rights and ideals from attack? What if Congress used a hidden clause in the Constitution to authorize military action without the President's approval? That's the spectacular theme of Balance Of Power, the thrilling debut novel from James W. Huston.

For me, Balance Of Power's unique blend of the fascinating world of today's military technology with the intricacies of high-octane politics and legal maneuvering, makes it a new kind of intellectually-challenging, can't-put-it-down thriller. If you like military/political/adventure thrillers, you won't want to miss this book! It's like Tom Clancy and Stephen Coonts meet John Grisham on Patrick O'Brian's high seas. Balance Of Power's only flaw, albeit a minor one, is that it does not develop well enough the character of the bad guy, George Washington.

Huston has the potential to be a new master in this genre. I can't wait to read The Price Of Power,the sequel to Balance Of Power, to see if Huston can deliver a solid "one-two punch." Look over your shoulders Clancy, Coonts and Grisham-- there's a new player in town!

Truly fantastic political and military thriller, one of my favorite works of fiction I have read the last few years. Author James W. Huston, drawing skillfully both upon his military background as an F-14 fighter pilot in the US Navy and his legal background as a lawyer, has crafted a tightly woven yarn about terrorism in the South Pacific - Indonesia to be exact - and what the President and the US Congress do about it.

When terrorists capture the US flagged merchant ship Pacific Flyer, kill most of the crew, kidnap the captain, and then booby-trap the ship to kill potential rescuers, the world is stunned. Though the world expects President Manchester (a fictional president who serves after the President Clinton of this novel's timeline), to react, he does not order a military strike, instead announcing he is against continuing the "cycle of violence" and that while he will order a carrier battle fleet to help find the terrorist's island hideout, will not act militarily, instead seeing it as an internal Indonesian police matter.

Many are outraged as his reaction, none more so than Speaker of the House John Stanbridge. Furous over what he sees as a failure to act and accusing the President of pacifism, he tries to get around the President's orders regarding the terrorists, hidden on a foritified island which the battle group centered around the carrier USS Constitution under Admrial Billings locates.

Brash and brilliant aide to Standbridge, Jim Dillon, comes up with a little known provision in the US Constituion in Article I, Secton 8, relating to the power of the Congress to issues Letters of Marque and Reprisal. Researching it, he finds that the power was formerly used to grant legal authority to armed merchantmen in times of war, authorizing private ships to act as war ships. Instead, with Standbrige's support, it is proposed, voted on, and passed, the Letter instead issued to the Constitution battle group!

I won't comment much more on the course of the novel, other than to say it is great political thriller to see the constitutional crisis that comes to embroil all three branches of the federal government, and the struggle of Congress and the President to get the battle group to act how they see fit. It is also a great military thriller, to see a US carrier battle group, with fighters, attack craft, helicopters, and Marines operating against terrorists, a true joy to read particularly in the wake of the tragic and horrid attacks of September 11, 2001.

Highly recommend this work to all fans of military fiction, technothrillers, political thrillers, and fans of Tom Clancy. Pay close attention to the events in the novel, as there is truly excellent follow up in the riveting sequel, The Price of Power.

After seeing the movie I wanted to learn more about the characters and looked specifically for the first Alex Cross mystery by James Patterson-this IS the first book in the series. The main character, Detective (and Phd. in Psychology) Alex Cross is a fascinating character. Two of the other major characters weren't as well developed as I would have liked and after finishing the book I felt I was left with a lack of enough information to fully understand (and in the case of one of them-barely understood) the "why" of crime committed. I don't want to give out too much information about the book and risk spoiling it for anyone but I definitely wouldn't have seen the end coming if I hadn't already seen the movie.
Make sure to read Kiss the Girls next! Cross' character is much further developed and it's a more fascinating read.
Somewhat intriguing but in comparison I felt Kiss the Girls was a better written book.

At first, watching the brutality and tragery happened in NY, and reading the crimes in this book, I wish those should disapper.

1. Which is first, chicken or egg?
The part descibing on possibility of multiple character in Gary Murphy/Sonjei, reminded me of the movie, Primal fear in which Edward Norton deceived Richard Gear so amazingly. So many books recenly are published aiming for Hollywood movie, or many mystery novels and movies look like relatives. Where is the creativity? Among books and movies, I just found only 'Sixth sense' to prove the author's creativty.

2. The detailed and long desciption on the romance made me lost in following the kidnapping case. I think this targeted for the reversal in relationship, but which is a little boring.

Although, I gave this book 4 stars.
Because the character of Alex Cross, which is now confused with that of Morgan Freeman (He's too COOL though old), is so realistic and appealing to attract and deserve many people's affection. And one more, I cannot put aside the book and read the last 20-30 pages holding breath.

James Patterson is one of the best mystery novelists in US.

Of all the James Patterson books, Along Came A Spider had to come along, this is an engrossing read, It took two sits for me to read this, it grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go, It follows Detective Alex Cross and his adventure to Stop Gary Murphy/Soneji who appears to have a split personality and he's been accused of murdering two children, one is a famous movie star's child. It's up to Alex to hypnotize Gary and get the truth, he meets Jezzie Flanagan an FBI agent whom he falls in love with. This book will shock you until the ending which has an amazing twist to it. I recommend Beginners of James Patterson this Book, I also recommend it to any body, If you like this read Cat & Mouse which has Gary Soneji in it to. I cannot wait for Violets Are Blue.

I like Exam Cram. In fact, I like them a lot. But, I would not rely on them as the only study aid for an MCSE exam.

The TCP/IP Exam Cram is a nice book. It presents most of the salient points for the MCSE exam in a nice compact manner. There are some errors, as with all of the MCSE books from all sources (except maybe Microsoft Press). But, once you get the concepts down enough to find the errors, you are generally ready for the exam.

The biggest shortcoming of this book is the limited subnetting examples. There is a enough information, but presenting how to set up a subnetting table would have been far more useful to passing the MCSE exam.

If you work with TCP/IP in an NT environment, this book and your experience should be enough to pass the exam. If you are going for a paper MCSE, it would be best to augment your education with further material.

I took the test and passed w/ a 948. In addition to this book, I read the New Riders and MS Press titles. This book is definitely worth the read. But, by no means should it be the only thing you read before taking the test. A couple of the chapters are really sloppy, and there's some outright wrong information contained. This one is definitely not on par with the other Exam Cram books. But, as a final review, it is still the best thing available. I would recommend this book and the MS TCP/IP books, in addition to the Transcender tests to give a knockout blow to the exam.

After using Sybex for Server 4 and Workstation 4, I almost gave up on ever understanding TCP/IP when I started with Sybex TCP/IP. Sybex made the convoluted subject of TCP/IP much worse that it actually is. They also had looooong stupid analogies throughout the book that were a waste of reading time.

On the other hand, Exam Cram was extremely orderly and offered the most concise and understandable explanations of the TCP/IP suite. They helped the reader build a framework or context to hang all the information on rather than the seemingly endless flow of disconnected information presented in Sybex.

Also, I have read what the OSI model is in at least 6 books. This was the first time it was explained in way that gave it some "reality" rather than a mysterious abstraction.

When learning any subject from a book, the reader must "select" a distilled set of facts and relationships to put to memory. This book has effectively condensed the subject to the essential basics, so much less energy has to be spent on reduction. Everything is pertinent, no filtering needed.

The 5th printing has corrected most of the errors referred to by other reviewers.

is the only way to describe A CERTAIN JUSTICE, P.D. James' newest Adam Dalgliesh novel. In comparison with her previous work, I would say the most outstanding facet of this book is the remarkable quality of the writing. While James has always been an accomplished wordsmith, this book seems to be written with even greater literary style, and it flows much more smoothly than ORIGINAL SIN, which at times could become excessively verbose.

The characters are, as usual, drawn realistically and interestingly. It is unfortunate that the story's most fascinating character is also the murder victim. Bold, ruthless, and basically dislikeable, Venetia Aldridge is a skilled criminal attorney who has no shortage of enemies. Angry colleagues, a rebellious daughter, and one dangerous psychopath comprise the impressively varied list of people who come under suspicion when Venetia is found stabbed to death at her desk, horrifically decorated with a bloodstained wig.

The plot is ! not as complex or as elaborate as, say, an Agatha Christie or even one of James' previous novels. Nonetheless, the story is solidly constructed and serves up quite a few ingenious twists before the final revelation of the murderer's identity. Highly recommended.

This book is delightfully complicated and devious, with twists and turns to keep a person riveted and guessing throughout. Venetia Aldrige is a successful and demanding barrister, called to defend a man accused of murdering his aunt. She successfully gets him acquitted, then soon afterward is dismayed and fearful when he turns up in her daughter's life. She tries to get some one to help her get rid of him, but she has a personality that hasn't made many friends and no one will help. Then, one morning she is found dead in her chambers. Chief Inspector Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is summoned to the case and he and his team set out to unravel the mystery of who killed Venetia and why. As suspects are interviewed and backgrounds checked, several plausible motives are uncovered. In which direction does the truth lie?

P. D. James is one of today's top-notch mystery writers. Her stories are complex and riveting. So complex, at times, that you wish you had taken notes in the first part of the book to keep all characters straight. Several of her books have been made into movies for the "Mystery" series on PBS. Although the story was so complicated at times that my head hurt, I am still giving this book a high recommendation. Ms. James writes books that are held together with a strong story line, not the flimsy sex-violence-vulgar language "fillers" of many modern writers.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

Although the trappings of the tale are very much 1990's -- sexism and "queen bee" behavior in a law firm, financially stretched two-income families, a career woman who has no satisfactory personal relationships, etc. -- this book felt very "old-fashioned" to me. The plot is well constructed and well thought out, but some devices (e.g., a letter mailed by someone just before she is killed) are awfully Agatha Christie. I didn't think that "coincidence" was overused; what seems at first to be coincidence often turned out to be deliberate behavior by someone with an agenda. And the violence in the subplot wasn't gratuitous -- it made perfect sense given the characters involved. I felt that the "whodunit" aspect was the least interesting part: the murderer HAD to be one of a limited set of people, so the element of surprise was missing (I figured it out long before the conclusion!).
To me, the chief pleasure of James' novels is how she creates an entire "world" peopled with believable, memorable individuals, then uses a crime as the force that disrupts the orderly motion of everyone's lives and brings out hidden aspects of their characters. She's excellent at conveying the atmosphere of a firm or an institution -- every one she's written about in her novels is unique. And her ability to convey the "feel" of someone's life with a few well-chosen details is unsurpassed. From this standpoint, I found the book just about perfect, and I enjoyed it immensely.