I found this book in an obscure second hand bookshop. What a find! Brosnan's writing style is humourous yet succinct. There are several twists in the tale which will keep you wondering what will happen next. Though this book was published in the early nineties, the theoretical technology upon which it is based rivals many current SF offerings. Brosnan's views on theology, as expressed in this book are also refreshing.

I can highly recommend this book.

This novel is a good variation on one of the great standards of scifi: Centuries after present-day civilization is wiped out by (insert nuclear war, plague, alien decimation, meteors, etc.), the earth is a frightening, inimicable place full of mutants, monsters, remnants of ancient technology, mysterious cults, noble villagers, and of course, the mandatory evil overlords. In this case, the evil overlords are known as the Sky Lords, and they're what makes this book a notch above the usual fare. The Lords are neo-feudal warriors, each clan in control of a massive solar-powered zeppelin. Each zeppelin makes a grand circuit through its territory, exacting tribute from the 'earthworms', the poor unfortunates who are forced to eke out a meager suvival on the ground. The Sky Lords, the first book of a trilogy, focuses on Jan Dorvin, the sole survivor of an Amazon village which is wiped out by the local Sky Lord. Taken as a slave, she swears vengeance... Well worth reading; highly recommended.

This book is very cool. it's about the sky lords(huge skyships) that has the people on earth under control, but one woman, Jan Dorvin, has the mision to destroy the skylord that is buging her town. this novel ocurs in a kind of apocaliptic world, what makes the book much interesting.

The book is excellent if your telecom is on the east coast and you only care about local telephone service. It is very detailed about problems with Customer Service Records but says nothing about wireless telecom, and does not adequately cover data networking, or long distance. For a more comprehensive resource, I recommend "Telecommunications Cost Management" by Strother.

Brosnan and Messina write an excellent guide to managing costs for urban east coast businesses (i.e. New York). Much of their stuff is super-technical and a little impractical for the average telecom manager. And they don't say much about contract negotiation, RFPs, and wireless services (which can be fairly expensive nowadays).

For a much simpler perspective I suggest the book by S.C. Strother "Telecommunications Cost Management". It costs more than this book, but its well worth it. It is well-organized and more comprehensive. You get the feeling Brosnan and Messina are telecom lawyers, while Strother seems to be a telecom insider.

If you are interested in the concept of reducing your telecommunications expenses this book is an excellent start. If you are interested in a career in telecommunication consulting reviewing telecom expense this is a very basic document. The content covers about 50% of the most common billing irregularities.

A better guide to telecommunications concepts and language is "The Essential Guide to Telecommunications" (Second Edition).

The authors point out that they are most familiar with Bell Atlantic and Ameritech CSRs (Customer Service Records). This limits the information made available in conveying the differences in format and content between ILECs.