not a bad book. I felt coverage could be much much better. Referencing would enhance the value of the text. Cost is too high for a simple Q&A book.

Fast final review just before boards. Probably picked up 30 additional questions that I would not have known.

This is a great historical geopolitical look at the Middle East of the Dark Ages for Vampire. White Wolf does a good job of showing us the Kindred of the Middle East who have been influneced by living in the geographic center of 3 major world religions. The impact of the faiths is obvious in all of the clans. White Wold has taken pains to accurately reflect the culture of the times and superimpose it onto the likely reactions of supernaturals. If you play Vampire: Dark Ages and wish to have a religious themed game or an exotic setting then this is the book for you.

Probably the best book for the Dark Ages setting thus far, this Year of the Scarab release focuses on the Islamic world in the context of Dark Ages: Vampire. After opening up with a short fiction of a vampire's meeting with Mohammad, and another short fiction focusing on a the lengths that ashipu (Middle Eastern vampire magicians) must go to, we get to an excellent introduction. The introduction explains what the book is an isn't, as well as giving us a lot of useful books, magazines and websites to visit concerning the real history of the Islamic world. Remember that while the west was in the "dark ages", the Islamic world was experiencing a golden age of science and learning. There is also a lexicon of Arabic and Islamic terms that are used in the book, and more specifically the context they hold in the game.
The first chapter covers the history of Islam, giving a biography of the Prophet Mohammad, as well as a historical account of the spread of Islam across the Middle East and North Africa. The second chapter continues by giving a look at Islamic beliefs and practices, both from mortal and vampiric perspectives. The most interesting part here is a description of the Ashirra sect, a brotherhood of Islamic vampires who seek to redeem themselves. Very good for Storytellers and players alike, as this section is almost essential for understanding how and why the Ashirra work.
The next section is a bit of IC stuff, written by an Assamite vizier as he travels from al-Andalus across north Africa to Arabia and the Holy Land, and from there to Baghdad, Persia and finally disappearing in the east, killed by some unknown force. Think something like the vampiric equivalent to ibn Batutta. At the end are a bunch of profiles of NPCs he met along the way. Almost all of the NPCs are interesting and unique, and can easily be placed in a chronicle. The next chapter covers the various clans (all called by their Arabic names) in the Middle East, and things are quite different. As would be expected, the Assamites and Setites are dominant, but the Brujah, Nosferatu, Gangrel, Ravnos and Lasombra are also quite influencial. Indeed, all western clans (save the Tzimisce and Tremere; the Ventrue are also rare being represented only by a small Arabian bloodline) are represented to some degree, along with three bloodlines: the Salubri, Baali and Laibon.
Some of the alternate takes on the various clans are quite interesting. For instance, the conflict between the animalistic hunters and monsters of clan Nosferatu (called Mutasharid) and the peaceful Nosferatu who have adopted Islam (known as the Hajj). Indeed, the Hajj are one of the leading groups in the Ashirra. Or the Lasombra, many of whom are devout Muslims and who are treated with respect and honor. All in all, its a pretty cool section. In the end, it also gives some descriptions of Paths followed by the Ashirr and how they differ from western paths. For instance, Path of the Bedouin becomes Tariq el-Bedouin, and is focused more on living a simple, nomadic lifestyle than becoming an animal. Special attention is paid to the Path of Blood (Tariq el-Haqim) given the prominence of the Assamites in these regions.
Following this is the juicy chapter, chock full of everything you need to know to run a Cainite in the region. Aside from information on the different cultures and groups (such as Berbers, Moors, Kurds and so forth) and Arabic naming conventions, there are also some sample concepts and such. Some new Merits and Flaws, specific to the setting are given, along with new Traits and even a new Animalism power (used many by vampires to create animal ghouls out of animals that drink from isolated desert oasis). There is a great deal of information on Sihr, faith based blood magic used by the Hajj. A couple paths and rituals and not much else. Given that its specific to the Hajj and maybe a few Assamite sorcerers, I guess not too much detail is needed. And theres also some systems for situations Ashirra are likely to get into as well.
And then there is the next chapter, Damascus by Night, which gives an entire ready-to-run plot focusing on the secret corrutpion in the city of Damascus. The chapter gives a pretty nice amount of information about the city of Damascus, as well as the Ashirra in the city and how many of them have been subverted by the Baali. Character profiles of major characters are also given, so everything is already set up for you to run it. This ties in nicely with the closing chapter, which focuses on various supernatural threats that Ashirra are likely to face in the night. Information on mortal dangers (like crusaders and the Knights Templar and Islamic monster hunters) is presented, alongside bits about jackal-blooded Lupines (and other shapeshifters), wizards (primarily Ahl-i-Batin and Taftani, but also Knights Templar, Hebrew qabbalists and tribal shaman), ghosts, mummies, djinn and even mysterious eastern "Kindred" from the White Tiger Court...
Over all, this is an excellent book. I strongly recommend it to anyone intending to run a Dark Ages game, or even a game set in the Mid-East in general. The Ashirra sect supposedly survives to the modern era, though little information is given on it outside brief references in a couple other books. More information on the future of the Ashirra sect would have been appreciated. Nonetheless, this is an excellent book and well worth buying.

Noted Roman military scholar Michael Simkins and illustrator James Field team up to give us a detailed if somewhat less than comprehensive history of the development of the Roman soldier from the late republic thru the rise of Constantine. After a concise introduction that sketches the basics of how a Roman soldier was recruited and lived, Simkins text then gives us detailed glimpses into some key campaigns of Roman history and how the progression of such campaigns influenced the development of the Roman military machine. Alas, the last campaign he details in this manner is Masada, omitting some key campaigns of the triumphant Second and tumultuous Third centuries that are so important in understanding the evolution of Roman arms. Some of this slack is taken up in the excellent closing chapters that survey individual items of legionary and auxiliary equipage ranging from military belts thru edged weaponry.

Linking all this is of course the beautiful illustrations of James Field coupled with extensive color and black and white photographs of sundry Roman military gear from both archaeological recoveries and reenactor reconstruction's. Field's plates are wonderfully fluid whether displaying legionaries on mundane guard duty or engaged in desperate close combat. Each plate of course comes with a detailed image summery to allow the reader to identify specific items in the course of their actual use.

All in all, this is a highly recommended work that if not quite in the league of Peter Connoley is nevertheless still well worth the time and expense of any Roman military history buff.

I am a fan of the work of Michael Simkins. His art both in re-creating the arms and armor of ancient Rome, and in the line drawings and explanations of the equipment, makes this a great addition to your library. His text is a basic starter for historical research, which I often refer to, just to save time in my studies! The color plates are in a style which shows equipment and the way it was worn, not fancy backgrounds. I appreciate this style. The photos of the recreated helmets, armor and swords are stunning

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.

Along Came a Spider is the first installment in the detective Alex Cross series by Patterson. I did not read these books in order, but that has not detracted from the flow of any of the books. Since I have read the other books first, and the first book last, Detective Alex Cross has changed somewhat into a mellower, more likeable character. I did not see the movie, but had envisioned Denzel Washington to play the smooth and sophiscated Alex Cross and was disappointed in the choice of Morgan Freeman. But after reading this book, Morgan Freeman fits Alex Cross in this book perfectly - for this book only!!!

I love Patterson's books and have read just about all of them. I find them to be engrossing, suspenseful and I just can't put them down. He foils me with the ending each and every time!!

In this book, Patterson has a serial killer at large, Gary Soneji, who has kidnapped two children, and who wants to be known as somebody. Jezzie Flannagan from the FBI, is also on the case, giving Cross support to capture the killer. Three great strong main characters, exposed to the reader so as to get into their psyche, yet intertwined with each other to make for one incredible story.

The ending is a blow out, which is what I love about Patterson - hanging on to the edge of your seat with each and every page, and giving you the shocker at the end. I love it! His books are definite thrillers and shockers!

This is the first series of the Alex Cross novels created by James Patterson. I have read all of them three or four times each by now..they really are that addictive. Alex Cross, the fictional love-of-my-life, is a tough, detective/psychologist in the Southeast side of Washington D.C. Alex has a wonderful family and best friend Sampson (who I always imagine as a Forrest Whittaker type) who help him get through his daily doses of crime and maiming. Let's talk about the story...it was a normal day at the Washington Day school, until two students, Maggie Rose Dunne, and Michael "Shrimpie" Goldberg are kidnapped. Their favorite math teacher, Gary Soneji takes them, burries them in the ground and demands a huge ransom. These two students were children of the most prominent families in the area. Alex and Sampson are taken off a brutal crime in the D.C. area and forced onto the Goldberg-Dunne kidnappings. Everyone gets involved. Secret Service, FBI, and the Washington police all try to work together to solve the crime. This book has so many twist and turns, and plots within plots, it will make your head spin. Every page you turn reveals something new and exciting. Even when Gary Soneji is caught....nobody is sure who is responsible...Gary seems to have a split personality (Remember Adam Stampler from "Primal Fear") and the outcome of his trial is questionable. You have to read this book...Alex Cross books like this one, and "Kiss the Girls" are movies now, but they never let you see Alex in an intimate way.... he has a loveable family, his best pal Sampson, and lots of juicy romances. All of these are left out of the movies. Why? because Patterson wants you to see the movie...love it...and then read the books..because he KNOWS you too will like it better than the movies and read the whole series. I promise, the books are really are not comparable to the movies.

This is my second Patterson-Cross book, after "Kiss the girls", which I really liked. Both are part of a series featuring the psychologist-detective Alex Cross, a tough Washington DC cop.

"Along came a spider" is an interesting book. It's the first one in the "Cross series", where the readers are introduced to the main characters that will make part in the series, like Cross, his partner Sampson, Cross family, etc.

Patterson has a very peculiar style of narrative. His chapters are usually short, wich makes the reading very fast-paced and thrilling. Also, Patterson has two kinds of narrative: one in the first-person where we see what Alex Cross is experiencing and believing, and it's a very personal and one-sided narrative; the other style is in third person, where the reader follows the steps of the main suspect of the crime the story is about. So, to be clear, we KNOW who the killer/murderer/kidnapper/whatever is from the very beggining. Does this spoil the plot or the reading? No! Patterson is master in delivering sub-plots, twists, nuances about characters along the book, all very interesting, and they make the pursuit/manhunt very enjoyable.

In "Along came a spider", Gary Soneji is the kidnapper fanatic about the Lindberg case, who intents to make history by taking away two very important children. Cross and his teammates in DC Police, FBI and Secret Service have to stop him before he strikes again. This is just the first plot of the story, and it keeps changing every ten or twenty chapters.

One thing I found annoying, though, is that Patterson made Cross something like a super-human being. There were times when I thought Cross was virtually invincible. But that is something minor.

What really matters is that Patterson created believable characters in one really good thriller. I will surely read the other books in the series, and I'm waiting for Patterson's incursion in medieval times "The jester".

Grade 8.8/10

The Exam Cram books are great. I've used many of them and have the entire series.

I think this one leaves a little to be desired in that it needs to be bigger, with more sample problems. Never-the-less, this is the book I would and did choose to start studying with.

I recommend that anyone using this book supplement their studies with practice tests, flash card questions, and other books.

Index:

1. Microsoft Certification Tests

2. Concept and Planning: TCP/IP and Windows NT 4

3. Installation and Configuration

4. IP Addressing

5. Subnet Addressing

6. Implementing IP Routing

7. IP Address Resolution

8. Host Name Resolution

9. Domain Name System (DNS)

10. NetBIOS Name Resolution

11. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

12. Windows Internet Name Service (WINS)

13. Connectivity

14. Implementing the SNMP Service

15. Performance, Tuning, and Optimization

16. Troubleshooting

17. Sample Test

18. Answer Key to Sample Test

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.

I just finished passing the MS TCP/IP exam with a score of 90% using this book as a study guide and, while this was not my sole study material (I also used the Sybex Network Press MCSE TCP/IP for NT Server 4 Study Guide and the Transcender exams), I thought the book was exceptionally good at explaining subnetting, routing, and address resolution. I have read the other reviews of this book and, while I generally agree, I can't imagine that anyone who had done even token preparation for the MS TCP/IP exam wouldn't have immediately discounted the fairly small number of trivial errors and gone on to appreciate the elegant explanations of some otherwise confusing topics. In addition, there is simply no way to say enough good things about the Transcender tests. I have used them for five exams so far and have found their value to be incalculable.

When I read The Hours I was totally blown away by Mr Cunningham's use of language and the absolutely brilliant way in which he blended Virginia Wolf's writing and life with his characters. Seamless is what others have said and I can't agree more. Perhaps it is because Mr. Cunningham is now a more seasoned writer--but I found his earlier work disappointing.. I kept having to go back to see whether I was getting Bobby and Jonathan mixed up their voices seemed to blend. In the book Flesh and Blood I kept seeing the same themes repeated from the other books. In any case I find him to be very talented writer and am eagerly awaiting his next novel with the fervent hope that it comes up to The Hours. Evelyn Apte

This extraordinary novel has sat on my shelf for a number of years. I didn't try it, seeing as it was so long and came with so many literary raves that it seemed like it might be like medicine---good for you but no fun taking it in.

I picked it up after having finally caved and read the brilliant THE HOURS earlier this year (a book that I loved whose film adaptation matched its excellence effortlessly), and I became easily engrossed in this novel.

I feel this novel works as a classic family saga, as a craft-driven piece of writing and as a very forward-thinking, analytical piece of literature. Basically, it feels like---at least in my adventures with his writings so far---Cunningham is incapable of failing no matter how ballsy the undertaking.

The story follows several generations of a family started by a volatile Greek capitalist and his detached Italian wife. Cunningham seems to capture many stock characters and breathe new life into them via often uncomfortably finely observed insights into their minds, their actions and the larger human tides that put them into play.

The book was very hard to leave when it was time to finish it, so that might be why I did not love the very ending, or it could be that I disliked the list of eventualities that capped it all off.

But there is so much poetry in this book, such great storytelling and so many sharp takes that I have to recommend it. Better late than never!

Oh, and...

Reading the very few very bad reviews other readers wrote for this novel, I can only guess they either did not read it or take an inordinate amount of pleasure in bashing things that are highly praised. I can understand not liking this novel in the same way I can understand some people don't like or are even allergic to chocolate, but I can't believe anyone reading this book could consider it worthy of only one star out of five. (Note that two in a row were written years after the book's release and were both anonymous curmudgeons from SF, CA. Hmmmm. Sounds like a vendetta! IGNORE them.

This is quite simply one of the finest books I've ever read. Cunningham has a fantastic talent for being able to make you empathize with his characters--even the "bad guys." Some people may think there's no real "plot" here, but whether or not that's truly the case, Cunningham does such a wonderful job at telling a story, and telling it so beautifully, there's nothing more you could ask for without over-analyzing.

I must admit, this was a different type of Mystery for me. Just an average person, I can normally figure out the "who and why" well before the end of the book. Ms. James did an excellent job of not giving away to many clues so it was impossible until near the end of the book to start piecing things together. I really liked the character of Inspector Delglish. My original thought as I listened to this book was that it would be 2 stars max. The ending of this book caught me by surprise and so I decided to give it 3. If it weren't for Ms. James great detail, I would have probably given it 4 stars.

For some reason, Ms. James felt the need to describe every character and place to the most minute detail. This description lent to the length of the book which was extremely long. More then once I thought of not finishing this book. If this hadn't been the audio version I probably wouldn't have finished. I felt the book would have been just as good if not better if some of this description had been left out. About the first 20 chapters (6 tapes) was nothing but a description of the suspects who worked in Chambers. Really, not necessary.

I havn't read any other books by Ms. James and am currently undecided about trying another.

The only other author I can think of to compare Ms. James with would be Agatha Christie. Both have that passion for describing things in their books to the most minute detail.

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.

First the BAD NEWS. It's hard to believe that a bookset that's had as many as 9 revisions can still contain so many errors. (Check out www.examcram.com and look at errata info) I spent several hours cutting and pasting the errata updates into my books. After spending 5 hours on NT 4.0 WKS, the first book in the core-four set I worked on, I got mad and emailed Coriolis. One woman blew me off saying "if I purchased the books directly from Coriolis (at full retail price) then she'd be glad to ship a free replacement set". A second woman was more helpful and sent a free replacement core-four set. However, I looked at those books in the new set and one of them was currently in need of updates. Within 6 months they all needed more updates.

THE GOOD NEWS ! Once you get the errata in the books updated, they are one of the finest study guides out there. I especially like their ALERTS and TRICK QUESTIONS throughout the book.

I just took the Workstation exam, and passed with a high grade. I used the Exam Cram, NT Workstation 4.0 by Sybex & transcender test. I feel the Exam Cram book was extremely useful for the review, although I don't think I could have read only this book & passed. However, the authors themselves recommended the Sybex book, and state clearly that the Exam Cram books are not to be used as your only study material. There were some errors (including on the review card where they say that winnt.exe /b is for an installation using boot disks - it's the opposite, a bootless install!), but the errors were obvious, and didn't cause me any problems - if you knew the material at all, they jumped out. All in all, a worthwhile investment. I also highly recommend the transcender tests. Server test is next!

I have passed a total of 4 exams using the exam cram books and 4 without their help... these books are cheap at twice the price and they saved me literally hours and hours of studying and hundreds of pages of reading - assuming you also have some experience.

The Exam Cram pack saves you $20 from buying the books separately and buying them from amazon saves another $20, and you also get a cd of test questions that were pretty good as well.

There are some minor typos but show me a technical manual without them.

Anyway, I can't rave enough !!! Buy these books now !!!

They helped me pass networking essentials, NT Workstation, NT Server, and Frontpage 98 on the 1st pass! What more can I say.

Good Luck on you studies.

I enjoyed reading this book, as a fun jaunt through the stranger folks inhabiting the world of science fiction fandom. The book is about an exciting rescue executed by a group that is famously known for not being able to decide where to meet for dinner... for a full day. It is fun, as such.

On the other hand, in this book, the enemy is the "Greens". This group includes those who consider burning fossil fuels to be a bad idea, along with the crystal-people, and those who believe in magic. Obviously, by grouping all of these folks together, Niven et al. can deliver a scathing diatribe against these irrational creatures that are destroying the Earth. This part of the book, I found a bit hard to take.

So, overall, it's a fun romp through fandom, but don't take the political rants too seriously, or you'll get a stomachache.

This book is definately the one to read for anyone who is bothinterested in science fiction and involved in fandom to any extent.The future projected by the authors is frightening in its possibilities - the more so because, like most science fiction, it IS possible. However, it also says a lot about the fan community, and the way fans will stick together and help each other out when it's needed. It is apparent that the authors really know fandom; it's refreshing to see the fan community portrayed as intelligent, supportive individuals with minds of their own, rather than introverted, stamped-out-of-the-same-mold geeks with no life outside of sci-fi! I highly recommend this book.

Good entertaining speculative fiction with a surprising and unusual perspective!
OK, this book is not great Sci-Fi. It reads like an old StarTrek episode, or even more like Galaxy Quest! I was inspired to write because of the negative reviews about this book. A writer accused anyone who likes this book as being "Braindead" and a "Rush Limbaugh dittohead".
Yes, in this book, the environmentalists are the bad guys.
Unfortunately, most people in the environmentalist community act more on feelings than science. Worse yet, most of our environmental POLICY is shaped by feelings and not science.
This book is science fiction. It offers the scientifically sound POSSIBILITY that the environmentalists are wrong. In real life they often are. Many people are.

If your strong political feelings make you take offense at a work of fiction that even suggests that you might be wrong, then you are not a good candidate to read or criticize speculative fiction. In fact, interesting unexpected possible futures are what real science fiction fans are usually curious about.

To the writer who called Pournell fans (that's the rest of us reading this) braindead Rush Limbaugh dittoheads- what are your credentials?
Here are the credentials of Fallen Angels author Larry Pournelle (copied from the Science Fiction Book Club) - Pournelle boasts a fleet of degrees from the University of Washington: a B.S. in psychology and mathematics, an M.S. in experimental statistics and systems engineering, and PhD.s in both psychology and political science. An energetic proponent of technological progress, Pournelle serves as chairman of both the Citizen's Advisory Council on National Space Policy and the Lunar Society, Inc. He worked on human factors for the early space program, creating proposals that led to the development of on-board computers and more. The Air Force Academy still uses his nonfiction 1970 work, The Strategy of Technology (co-written with S.T. Possony), as a textbook. Always a trailblazer, Pournelle was one of the first authors to use a computer (as far back as the late 1970s) for his fiction and nonfiction writing; his first personal computer, EZEKIEL, is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "Chaos Manor," his column of computer punditry, was a monthly mainstay in Byte until the magazine folded in 1998.