This book helped me to pass the 70-58 exam with a 900 and I don't really have any networking experience. I would highly recommend it. I would however appreciate it if the publisher would reveiw it again for typos which seemed to be present in quite a few places. This could throw someone like myself off.

This book helped me pass NetEss with a 933 .. It is a good book with very clear wording, which any person could understand.

I did find that there were a lot of typing and spelling errors, which does become a little much. It covers all that you need to know for the exam and will be core credit to passing. YOU MUST... also take some online tests which simulate the MCSE exam itself.

The book will definately go into my "handy kit" and will be a great referance. The reason this book lost a star was because of it lack of information on RAID(and typos!). Use another source of information for this topic! IT IS IN THE EXAM! Microsofts description of this would be the best to study.

ENJOY.. I HOPE YOU ALL PASS

I used this study guide along with Sybex's Test Success (ISBN:0782121462, read my review)and both helped me pass the 70-058 with a 900/1000. My only complaint was that WINS and DNS topic coverage in this book was null, and I was tested on these topics in more than one occasion on the real exam.

This book takes a while to read, but it gives you a wealth of knowledge. You will feel that you have actually learned something, which makes this book an excellent networking-terminology learning tool as well.

The CD tests included are challenging and they provide a good measure of your real exam readiness. I'd recommend taking these tests once each and only after you have mastered the material completely. The reason is that the test questions (and answer order) are not randomly generated and taking these tests more than once might actually hurt more than benefit your learning.

I recommend this study guide for its value as an exam tool and a networking reference. Complement it with a Cram book, the Sybex's Test Success book (mentioned above), or a source of practice exam questions (Measureup or Transcender) to tackle the NetEss test with confidence.

Bravo to Mr. David for a fast-moving, highly involving time-travel thriller. With the grim subject matter (child murders, gang wars, etc.), you'd expect more explicit gore and street language, but there isn't much of that here, and there doesn't need to be -- David's story is quite compelling as is. Who is "Cradle Robber"? Who is the "Blue-Skinned Man" who interferes with his murder spree? And will Kyle Sommers catch either of them and learn their secrets?

Unlike a lot of sci-fi I've read, character development is well-done here. The prose is a little shaky at first -- repetitive and awkward in places, but once he finds his groove in the third or fourth chapter, David keeps the story chugging along, sometimes in unexpected directions.

There is a one-two punch ending, one part of which I saw coming (but thoroughly enjoyed) and the other, not as satisfying, but _Before the Cradle Falls_ is definitely worth reading, and one of the better crafted time travel tales out there.

There are some books that you have to allow a few pages or chapters to "get into" it; this book grabbed me from the first page. Something is always happening, but it's not confusing or overwhelming - the characters are easy to get to know and easy to distinguish. I really appreciated the personal tone of the story - I enjoyed "getting to know" the characters and their feelings, thoughts and motivations; it just adds a new dimension to the story to be able to see what's going on from the different viewpoints of the characters involved (not just to see one person's "side"). There's Cradle Robber, an elusive monster (who doesn't see himself as a monster, but as a kind minister who saves children from inevitable pain had they continued living) who has been traveling from city to city, suffocating young children in their beds and leaving a small baby toy in the dead child's hand. There's Detective Kyle Sommers, who has recently returned to work after taking a leave of absence to recover from his young daughter's death. Kyle feels an especially urgent interest in solving the Cradle Robber case because every time a child dies, his daughter's death hurts that much more. There's Sherrie Nolan, a dynamic woman in a wheelchair who believes in time travel and who puts herself on the line to help Kyle, young children, and people she's never even met. And there is the mysterious and elusive man in the hat and overcoat, who witnesses say has blue skin... why is his skin blue, and why is he showing up at numerous catastrophes, all involving children, in the nick of time to lend a hand in saving lives, but then disappearing before anyone can speak with him? Who is he, why does he leave newspaper-like columns for the detective to find that contain incorrect information about a crime or tragedy that has just occurred where he has intervened, and what is he trying to do? When the mystery man crosses Cradle Robber's path, a chain of events is set in motion that threatens to not only change the past and the future, but to destroy the present world as Kyle knows it.

Having read James F. David's previous books (Footprints of Thunder, Fragments & Ship of the Damned) I knew that I would be reading his latest, and with 'Before The Cradle Falls' David has come up with his most creative and entertaining tale yet.

The story begins full force with Detective Kyle Sommers getting a surprise phone call in the middle of the night to come take a look at a murder scene. Kyle is surprised to get this call for one major reason: since his daughter's death and subsequent divorce, he hasn't been doing well -- what with the extended drinking and hallucinations and all. Almost immediately things look a little funny. A young girl is murdered, and left in her hand is a toy rattle...the signature of a serial child killer known as the 'Cradle Robber' who started his sickening spree in San Diego and has steadily moved up the West Coast until arriving in Portland, Oregon. But an odd note left by an old man wearing an overcoat and a large hat has cast a large and strange shadow over the investigation. In the cryptic note, it gives details about the crime, but some did not happen the way it actually panned out.

Before long, the old man with the coat and hat show up at various near-tragedies in and around the Portland area seemingly bent on stopping crimes BEFORE they happen. As Kyle is put in charge of the 'Cradle Robber' task force, he realizes that many in the department have lost all faith in his ability to do good police work, so he is the first to reject the time traveler theory when it first comes to light. But how can you explain the sudden appearance of the old man in so many places where crimes are JUST about to happen? Is he causing the so-called coincidences himself? Is he the Cradle Robber, or is he working together with him to throw the police off track?

VERY interesting theories, and one incredibly engaging plot keep this story moving along in several directions at once, but don't worry, David keeps a tight reign on everything and he knows exactly where to take us. Kyle's reluctant sidekick, Sherrie Nolan provides us with plenty to think about as well as comic relief. Time Travel just isn't possible, according to a Professor at Portland State University, but the more Kyle & Sherrie probe into the Cradle Robber case, the more it seems impossible NOT to believe. Why is the old man being such a Good Samaritan in the first place...and if he can travel back and do some good at this point, why can't he put this same technology to use and go back and save Kyle's daughter, Shelby from her own tragic death? According to Sherrie, altering the time-line can and WILL have catastrophic effects on the environment -- on the scale of a nuclear explosion. The major problem that Kyle is having with the time-line theory is that it's just a THEORY. Since time travel is not even supposed to be possible, how can anyone propose a theory about altering the time-line when traveling through it isn't even possible? A LOT of questions like this are raised along with some moral questions about helping someone live when without the interference of time travel they would have otherwise died. Can we and should we do something if we know that we could avert a disaster? 'Before The Cradle Falls' is a great amusement park ride with all the thrills and chills in all the right places, and I might add, a very nice ending to boot.

On a side note, having grown up near the Portland area, I was VERY pleased how the city itself became a character in the story...everything from the locations to the local mini-marts that are exclusive to the Portland area. It put a smile on my face several times while reading this great tale. HIGHLY recommended.

This book can really get your brain stimulated. It's great for conversation with others or yourself. It really makes you think about what is important in your life and what would you do if....? There are numerous answers that can be given and it's fun to ask them to friends to see what they would say and why.

If you want to learn more about yourself while having fun at the same time, I recommend this book. Some of the questions come up with quick and simple answers, and others will have you thinking for hours. I am going to order every book in this series because I was very impressed with this book!

My girlfriends and I just had a slumber party the other night. After many bottles of wine... this book came out. It was the best way to get to know about your friends and having a great time while you're at it. Good for after dinner with friends when you want to sit around and not let the evening end!

This book is sentimental, overwritten, trendy and sickeningly mediocre. Duncan may very well be the master of kitch readers crave from years of Hollywood molding their aesthetic preferences. Perhaps it would not be so bad if Duncan actually had some biting or original insight into human lives or the human condition. He appropriates "eastern philosophy" to not only trivialize the philosophy itself, but to make his lack of originality transparent. With Duncan, eastern religion can indeed be bought in a Santa Barbara bead boutique or between the lines of a hippie's banter.

YES! It truly is a horrifying experience to get lost in the store when one is a toddler. But Duncan's style and knack for cheese reduce such moments to the most trite melodrama. He is the classic example of the writer who has used more words than he knows what to do with. If you admire the aesthetics of Hallmark cards, buy this book and swoon away.

For better nature writers, turn to Henry David Thoreau, (early) Robert Bly, Paul Theroux or even Ernest Hemingway's Nick Adams stories. Compared to Duncan, a man like Hawthorne takes readers closer to nature by having characters walk through a forest.

as I read this book. Although I don't like fishing (Duncan's favorite subject), I do like good stories. And Duncan knows how to write them. This book is easy to read because it is a compilation of short stories, albeit some better than others. But all the stories are worth reading at least once. And believe me, after the first time, you will be returning to read a few of the stories over and over. I know I did.

I was a hitch-hikn' looking for Sissy out there somewhere and along comes this book with the upside down fish-hook on it and I finally had the term for my favorite piece of women's clothing (i.e. 'the upper tenth of a pair of levis').

Ten years later I was having babies and was reading The Brothers K with my son asleep on my chest.

Now, well beyond that divorce, I find "home" in David's stories in River Teeth. His attention to me not his characters is extremely evident through his writing. I can still get chills up my spine just thinking about that Oregon concert when the lightning and thunder peeled...

The information in this book is about 8 years out of date. Several resorts that we have already visited are not even mentioned. You can honestly find more infromation from on the Internet or from your travel agent. Save the money you would have spent on this book for some sunscreen to use at the nude beaches!

This book saved us a lot of time finding the best spots. We have already gone to one of the events and loved it. Now we are planning our summer vacation! The information was right at our fingertips which made getting what we needed easy. This guide is concise, well researched and written and we both enjoyed it.

Browsing through "Adults Only Travel" got my creative juices going. What a treasure trove of adventurous destinations. If you have an open mind and are looking for romantic and erotic places to romance your partner. . . buy this book! I'm considering a second honeymoon!

I don't get into self-help books, and this is definitely NOT one of those, despite its genre listing as such on the back cover as "personal growth." I, too, heard the author on the radio and instantly heard how different he is to other authors just trying to "sell" me something. Cool dude. Sees through all the crap out there and makes sense of this zany world. Good stuff. This guy seems to be genuinely concerned about making the world (and your life) a better one. I like the part on business wisdom. I'm using it at work (and with my girlfriend. She's noticed a "change" in me and quite frankly, she's loving it if I do say so myself). He's even donating 50% of his profits to some charity. This book is long overdue, entirely justified, delightfully hostile, and a whiplash of mega-spiritual proportions designed to spark your soul while setting fire to other snake-oil peddlers (authors of other self-help books that give nothing but useless platitudes that never make a difference in your life.) If you never buy another book, make sure you read this one. There are no bogus remedies in it for your normal "problems" that all too often get labeled as "dysfunctional." Yes, yes, this book is truly a great one from a great mind. Finally, someone who tells us the REAL truth. A darn good book. Wish I had written it myself. I agree with its message. (this is where I'm supposed to tell you to go out immediately and buy it, so, what the hell...GO BUY THE BOOK!)

You won't believe the impact this will have on your life! I LIVE this philosophy, now, and I'm passing it on to my friends. My girlfriend is reading it right now and our friendship just got 200% better because of it. No kidding! I couldn't find it... I wanted it NOW! I read this book when I really needed some direction, some inspiration. I needed the Ph.D. course in "mind-body-spirit," if you know what I mean. Not only could I NOT get into "Remembering Your Spirit" (sorry Oprah!), but I didn't know I had one, anymore. I was stuck, sad, and feeling sorry for myself. I was ready to give up. Then I heard the author on the radio. Got the book. Mesmerized! After the first few pages of reading "A World Tour of Wisdom" I realized this author was very different. He was talking about me and he was talking directly to me! No book has ever pulled me in like this one. Parts of it challenged me, other parts really made me stand back and think about where I was headed if I didn't stop and think! This is an excellent book to get you to take a good look in the mirror...and see that it's okay to look at yourself. This book brought me a sense of calm I had longed for. It gave me something to be be centered on (my soul) and I discovered that I can "get over myself" (one of the author's fond sayings) and still realize my higher self and all that other trite sounding spiritual stuff that isn't so trite after all. This is no Chicken Soup for the Soul book. This is real, this is it. If anything, this book is Melting Pot Stew compared to other simplistic stuff out there. I urge you to get this book and watch your life bloom into a most peaceful Garden of Eden like you've never known before.

Finally--a book that doesn't sound so "religious" or self-righteous. I cannot relate to those authors who have made tons of money and then expect the rest of us "average Americans" to be able to drop everything we've got going on in our "real" lives and just become "enlightened" like they are. Phooey! It must be easy --REALLY EASY--to be able to write all day about the divine, travel everywhere, and then charge outrageous fees for thsoe ridiculous "spiritual retreats" that don't tell you a gosh darned thing -- except that they really let you know how much money you're out of, and how much you just gave up for the "master." Ha! THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT! I loved it. LOVED IT! This author is real. I want to meet him. He speaks from what seems to be a much deeper, and much more realistic place than all the hip-and-famous spiritual "directors" out there who seem to be into nothing more but getting on TV, making money, and looking good for the media. BUT WAIT! Read this book. It's a VERY different (refreshing) approach to getting in touch with the divine inside...and out. It is so amazing. The author's voice rings true, not trite. He clears away all the confusion and makes some profound arguments. He talks directly to you no matter where you are on your path --like he's guiding you. I can't say enough good things about this book. Just read it. You'll have your eyes opened wide and your heart all filled up ...with LOVE and JOY. I urge people from all walks of life and all spiritual AND religious backgrounds to read this book. It has an important message for everyone. I loved it.

I can't even do origami cranes, so when I picked up Elements of Pop Up it was really scary. Inside this volume you'll find a graduate course in how to turn paper into that beloved art form, the popup book. I wish I taught high school art because I'd use this book as the basis of a whole semester's course. The author, David Carter, has done some of my favorite popups (Bugs in a Box, being one). This book proves that true genius is proved by the ability to make the extremely complex simple enough for an idiot like me to understand. After I read it, drooled over the various elements that are taught (by example) I was ready to go get a razor knife and some card stock and give it a try. Other than skiing down hills in Taos, there is nothing scarier for me than following directions on folding and cutting. I tried it with his directions and managed to adequately produce a kind of Forrest Gump version of Robert Sabuda's Movable Mother Goose. If practice makes perfect, then I've got about a thousand years of practice to go, but thanks to David Carter and James Diaz (who lives in my old home town Albuquerque) for making it possible.

Finally: A how-to book on pop-up engineering with REAL pop-ups for examples! Not only is this a how-to book for budding paper engineers, it is a pop-up collectible in itself. Authored and designed by two of today's outstanding engineers, it demonstrates with clear instructions and graphic examples (which dramatically rise from the page) the various means by which the magicians of pop-up technology achieve their almost-magical effects. This is a book for all ages, to learn from but also simply to enjoy.

It's hard to put an age range on this presentation which is definitely not for the very young: this provides a pop-up presentation on how to put together a pop-up book, surveying all angles of the paper engineering involved. From parallel and angle folds to pull tabs, this provides step-by-step coverage plus a history of pop-ups. Middle school age ranges on up will find it delightful.

The study guide is enough to pass the test. It contains all the material on the exam that you will need. I strongly recommend using the two CD's to implement a study network and doing the labs. I also read the book, cover-to-cover, twice.. then went back and re-read security and zenworks. The day before the test I used Exam Cram online resources to review. I have no prior Novell experience and was only A+ certified prior to this exam. The study took me one month at about 4 to 5 hours a day. The book DOES contain editorial errors, such as referring to incorrect Figures or tables and a few incorrect statements. Read carefully or you will not pick up on it when it happens.

I passed the 50-653 Netware 5.1 Admin test yesterday with a score of 714/800. Passing was 568/800. This is the only book I used to study, and I can tell you that all of the exam questions referenced things I had learned/remembered from this book. It took me 3 weeks of hard studying, I read it carefully once then reviewed it a second time.

I give David a 5 on this book. 1st off, it has what you need to pass the test, and then some. On top of that, the complaints you've seen about superheroes and long story lines and confusion arising when mixing these stories with Netware information really doesn't apply so much to the 5.1 version of this book. I read his 4.1 and 5.0 CNA versions previously, and that's where the reputation for filler was earned. I was very relieved that he kept it to a minimum in this book, earning him a 5-star from me. I got everything I expected from this book, including a 725 mark (584 to pass) for the test. Install the server from the companion cd and run through the excercises. Makes all the difference in the world. Thanks Dave.

It's too bad that Mr. Clarke feels the need to share his thoughts on Zen, include useless quizzes totally unrelated to NetWare or networking, and offer crossword and wordsearch puzzles instead of useful, real-life quizzes and tests. This book was quite complete as of it's publication date, but it is a little out-of-date now. Mr. Clarke also confuses readers with inconsistent terminology at times, once referring to a server as a dedicated 'workstation' rather than a dedicated computer, and a continuing reference to a 'central print queue' rather than just 'print queue.' His constant medical analogies and references are mundane and worthless. The book is written to about an eighth grade level, not an eighth grade reading level, but an eighth grade intelligence level. It's like reading a child's book of NetWare. The book does appear to be organized well and the necessary information is contained in the book. It's just unfortunate that it is buried between and beneath endless pages of medical school wannabe diatribes, 'Zen' garbage, and off-topic quizzes as filler. The book is nearly 1,000 pages, but if the useless garbage were removed, it would be more like 600-700 pages. It's truly too bad because Mr. James does appear to know NetWare very well. I teach computer courses for a business college that uses this book as a text. It is extremely difficult to teach from this book because of the filler and the lack of useful quizzes and tests in the book. The Clarke Tests on the CD are good, but are filled with stupid sound clips from movies and TV that are of varying volume, some quiet and some quite loud. They are very unprofessionally recorded and very annoying during testing. The tests on the CD included with the New Riders MCSE books are far superior to the Clarke tests, however. The saddest reality is that this is apparently the best book available other than Novell's own training books which are much more expensive and are apparently only available through authorized training centers (with training courses).

Clarke has an easy way of presenting what is otherwise complicated technical concepts. The book is organized well for the reader to take breaks in the middle of topics.

I like the way Clarke organized the relevant topics in passing the CNE exam---adding Humor to a boring concept. This book also contains stuff that would help you even for MCSE. It is really a good source of knowledge for both CNE, CNAs etc. wannabees.

Alan Dean Foster's "novelization" of James Cameron's screenplay for "Aliens" is certainly above average as such things go. What is really interesting now is that with the complete director's cut of the film we discover that all of the "depth" Foster was providing, such as the scene where Newt's parents discover the wrecked ship, were in Cameron's original script. But that is fine, since you do not really want the person writing a novelization to go out and create too much new material. The true strength of this novelization is in fleshing out the scenes, not so much the action sequences but those between people trying to make the best out of a bad situation that is only getting worst. The story still maintains a pace consistent with the driving force of the film. Alan Dean Foster does so many of these novelizations that when he really nails one like he does with "Aliens," we need to stop and take notice.

Commentary

I usually am one to read relationship/unrealistic novels such as The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye, but after falling in love with the movie "Aliens" when I was seven I thought reading the book may be fun to. I have to admit, I have read this before, but not since the third grade so picking it up again was not a problem because I had lost all memory of the tale. The thing I like about reading books based on movies is that you get a whole new idea of what each character is feeling when something happens. For instance although Sigourney Weaver is a truly talented actress, when Ripley is trying to get Newt (AKA Rebecca Johnson) to drink the hot chocolate in the movie you don't get the same essence of her emotion towards the child as you do in the novel. I appreciate Alan Dean Foster because he has a tendency to go over what is expected and dive into the depths of a character, making them more distinguishable and easier to get to know. This book is truly one of the only books that makes reading it before or after you see the movie a fun ride. Plus there's a lot of swearing, that's always a plus.

Great book! Like the movie is was suspenseful, action packed, and scary. The first book wasn't as good as this one though. The best parts are the end, and the part where Ripley is trapped with the facehuggers, and without weapons!