I Books

Having purchased The Three Musketeers and The Man in The Iron Mask I realised that there were three intermediate novels pulling the story together.Twenty Years After, The Vicomte De Bragelonne and Louise de La Valliere bring the complete story of the musketeers into focus. To gain the most from these stories they need to be read as virtually one book in five large chapters.

After writing The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years after, Dumas wrote a third installment to the trilogy. It is probably the most controvercial book in the trilogy, as can be revealed by reading many of the reviews. For starters, it's LONG: over 200 chapters. As a result, the English-speaking world has split it into three books: The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valiere and The Man in the Iron Mask (the most famous volume). The length is certainly a problem, in fact is it THE major flaw in the conclusion of the trilogy. Dumas is never terse or concise, but in this three-part book, he produces an monolith. This was largely due to him overcomitting himself and having to write this much for financial reasons. However, while this is a major setback, the three books still have elements of great, almost sublime Dumas left in them, which can be extracted if approached in the right way.

The final installment of the trilogy represents the dear old Athos, d'Artagnan, Porthos and Aramis maturing and growing old. The trilogy thus moves from more active and straightforward swashbuckling to a more complex and sombre picture. Like the previous book Twenty Years After, it is not completely clear as to who's in the right and who isn't, only this time it is more so. Like the previous book, age has placed the former Musketeers in a somewhat divided situation, this time involving many a clandestine dealing of state and international level. Finally, in this three-part saga, we are introduced to a huge number of characters while our Four at times take a back seat for several hundred pages. This has been criticised as well, but has a point.

In terms of this specific volume (The Vicomte de Bragelonne), it is the most historical one, as initially d'Artagnan and Athos are brought out of retirement, united in their royalist causes. After completing an adventure reminiscent of their former, more "action-packed" years, the intrigue of the newly-ascended Louis XIV begins. It is here that we can see Dumas as painting a brilliantly detailed picture of what he sees as France moving towards a more centralised, efficient yet pedestrian autocracy from Richeleu to Mazarin to Louis XIV. For the first time, d'Artagnan finds himself serving (and appreciated by) the king, however, the novel asks the question of whether this is at all a good thing. In the power-struggles of the court, we see the irony that the "detractors" of progress are often more honourable than its supporters.

If you only expect more action involving the Four, then don't bother reading this at all. However, if you persevere, you will get to see sublime glimpses of what a long way the Musketeers of old have come (for better or worse), what they think about the entire society they live in and what Dumas thinks. As well as some of the old-fashioned-style adventure. I think that the fact that this is obscured by an overly-drawn-out style, while annoying, does not detract from this being an honourable conclusion to the trilogy.

While the main characters of the Musketeers saga are present here, The Vicomte de Bragelonne does not make nearly so good use of them as in the previous two books. While true that the characters have aged along with Alexander Dumas, they retain their flair for adventure and their basically upright personalities. What fails, unfortunately, is the writing itself. Bragelonne is the first of three novels that make up the trilogy ending in The Man in the Iron Mask. But while the last installment is well known worldwide, the first two (this one and Louise de la Valliere, the latter of which I've not yet read) remain obscure. At least in this case, there's a reason for that.

First, the plot is scattered. Even by Dumas's normal standard there is little coherence. The first third of the book, roughly speaking, is fully up to the normal Musketeer standard, involving two of our heroes in military intrigue during the restoration of King Charles II to the English throne. Bravo all around for that. But after that, the story devolves into somewhat stale palace politicking in the new reign of Louis XIV. We start to see some hints of the broader schemes involving the full cast, but not enough to grab our attention.

Finally, to put it bluntly, there's just something stale about the style this time around. Dumas has yet to find his proper voice for this installment, and hence he loses the reader. I'm assuming he finds it again by the end of the trilogy, but it's just not present here.

If you are reading this review, you have probably already read the Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. You are wondering if it is worth it to continue with the series. If you decide to go on, you have three more 600+ page novels ahead of you. That is a lot of time and energy.

If you are foremost into the swashbuckling aspect of the Musketeer stories, I would not go forward. The Musketeers are now in their late 50's. They are still vital characters but they are no longer young men looking for any excuse to duel with the Cardinal's Guard. From this point on, there is a lot less sword play and campaigning. The focus of the story moves to the intrigues of Louis XIV court.

I am continuing with the series because I like the characters. I want to find out what happens to the four friends. In this novel, D'Artagnan and Athos are the principal characters. Aramis and Porthos do not show up for the first few hundred pages. Dumas has kept me entertained for the first two thousand pages of this saga and I am counting on him to keep me entertained for the next 1500 pages.

This book is part one of a three part series, the next two being the Louise de la Valliere, and the final being the more well known Man in the Iron Mask. I understand this was originally one HUGE book, but is now more commonly broken up into these three books.

This book starts about ten years from where Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics) ended. Although the book is titled the Vicomte de Bragelonne (who is the son of Athos), we don't see much of him except for the first and last parts of the book. The rest is filled with the adventures of D'Artagnan and Athos while they separately scheme (unbeknownst to the other) to aid Charles II of England to claim his throne. LOL, D'Artagnan's scheme in regards to General Monk. Aramis and Porthos are up to something mysterious and make only the briefest of appearances. The rest of the novel is filled with the mysteries and intrigues of the French court, and ends with the marriage of Henrietta (Charles II's sister) to Louis XIV's younger brother, Phillip.

If you loved the musketeers, history and intrique it is well worth your time to spend on these books.

Very few books are as riveting as this satiric masterpiece. Through the mad romp of the book's hero Ric Browde through St Louis, While I'm Dead...Feed the Dog lampoons the sacred cows of American society - religion, the press, politicians and even rock and roll. A must read

While I'm Dead...Feed The Dog is a black comedy fiction work that is accompanied by an originally scored music CD Soundtrack featuring never before released material. Written by songwriter/music producer and eight time platinum and eleven time gold awards winner Ric Browde, the novel explores teenage angst, love & sex and rock 'n roll in the '70s. Browde, who has sold over twenty million albums has worked with such artists as Poison, Joan Jett and Ted Nugent. From narcoleptic nuns, nymphomaniacs, the Mafia, a huckster televangelist, dying Latin teachers, corrupt school administrators, inept policemen, unscrupulous lawyers, buffoon reporters, half -- witted rock and roll musicians, transsexual record company presidents, drug addicted disc jockeys, greedy family members and the lovely Nina Pennington, this novel is a must for anyone who lived or wanted to live in the '70s as a teenager.

Ric Thibault will emerge as the funniest most poignient ad insightful character in modern literature

It's not often that humor is so well done and, yet, makes points that are insightful without being preachy. Ric Browde is clearly intelligent and takes on religion, the media, law enforcement, relationships, the music biz and more in a satiric send up that is simply outstanding.

Ric is funny and you can't help but laugh. However, I was compelled to pay attention to the points being made because they were good ones. Through humor Ric gets you to think about things which is always good.

This is a good book with a soundtrack too. The song "I'm stupid and so are you" is hilarious and along with the rest of the CD that accompanies the book it highlights the story being told and makes you enjoy the process all the more.

I wish my teenage years had been as exciting as Ric Thibault's, the hero of this fantastically funny novel! This book is like a drug - once you start reading you're hooked... Hope there is more forthcoming from this new author.

Instead of the usual mother daughter relationship problems, this book explores the father, daughter, boyfriend, son relationships. Michelle returns to her home town to help her sick father who needs a kidney transplant. It takes time but they finally come to a understanding that they both did what they needed to do at the time, seventeen years before. The most interesting relationship is between father and son who have never met before now. It only takes one look for Sam to realize that Cody is his. Michelle connects again with her father through a journal she wrote while waiting for his transplant. Cody also helps by reopening her old painting studio. There are many steps of healing involved but by the end of the book they are well on their way to being a real family.

I liked this book alot. It was enjoyable and thought provoking.
It was my first book to read of hers and I will be reading more by Ms. Wiggs.

I am a new fan of Susan Wiggs, after reading one of her books you want to read them all! She has wonderful descriptions of her settings, and uplifting stories.

I gave it a 5. If I gave it a 5 it's because it was the best. Happy reading.

This was Susan's first book written for present day and it is awesome. Character development and story are complete, interesting and compelling. She reminds me of Rosamund Pilcher, but a better storyteller. Not as good stylistically. Susan's ability to understand and communicate each character's personality is A+.

I loved every moment and have read several others and enjoyed them as well.

I found this book to be very inspiring. It reminds me to look at the positive things about my relationship and encourages understanding and kindness in a relationship. It does support my own needs as well and the necessary things to feel fulfilled in a marriage. I would highly recommend it. It's super easy to read and relate to.

Don't let the title fool you. This book is great for anyone who is in a relationship.

this is a must have book, whether or not you're married or even after! My husband and i highlighted sections that meant something to us and discussed them. really helped us over a hump! Highly recommend and it's an easy read.

"Marriage is not a fixed entity but a work in progress, inviting ongoing refinement." ~ pg. 20

One of the things I've realized after twelve years of marriage is that reading books about marriage has truly helped me not to become a statistic. While over half of all marriages end in divorce it is not necessary to end a relationship just because you have conflict. Linda and Charlie Bloom show couples how to communicate effectively to dissolve conflict and open the way to a more nurturing relationship. Instead of expecting there to be no arguments, the authors explain how to argue so you both win.

"Love isn't always enough to sustain a marriage." ~ pg. 63
"The real issue is usually not the one you're arguing about." ~ pg. 70

I found these two thoughts to be especially true in my own marriage. When there is conflict a deep commitment to the marriage can help you survive rough spots. From the stories in this book you can also see beyond what couples are fighting about to get to what couples actually want from a marriage. Linda and Charlie Bloom encourage couples to ask for what they truly want instead of dwelling on the negatives.

Throughout this book you can learn about what holds a marriage together and what drives people apart. By reading the 101 ideas you can learn how to deepen trust and intimacy in any marriage. There is also an interesting story of how members of a tribe in Africa handle marital problems.

While the authors do spend a lot of time showing how unrealistic expectations can set you up for disappointment they also explore the idea of how raising your expectations for a good marriage can also work in your favor. By following the practical advice in this book you can heal a broken marriage and save yourself the pain of divorce.

~The Rebecca Review

this book is amazing. i stumbled upon it in the bookstore and it was the last copy on display. i picked it up and thumbed through it and i was hooked. i'd never heard of the authors and this book. unfortunately i think we give a lot of credit to authors who get on major television shows and some authors that have good stuff to say don't ever get the credit they deserve....

back to the book...it's a great book the chapters are short and sweet (but not too short) and as other reviewers have mentioned the couple has lots of experience as therapists and a real married couple. i plan to suggest to my boyfriend that we read a couple of chapters an evening and discuss them. i really like the concepts in the book and think if you're in a serious relationship leading to marriage you owe it to yourself to get this. i suspect if you're already married you can still benefit too!

Mankind has insufficient understanding of what womankind has brought to the table.

Unfortunately, American culture has too often not given women the credit and reward they deserve. Monahan and Neidel-Greenlee have created an expansive chronicle of nurse (primarily women) contributions throughout the WW II fields of combat. While I do have some criticisms of the writing style and the authors' focus priorities and interpretations, my critiques are immaterial compared to the importance of more people understanding the outlines and frameworks of the massive, intelligent, and sacrificial efforts these women freely gave.

And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II Wow! This is, hands down, one of the best books I have read about World War II. Not only did it give the true story of the nurses on the front lines, but wove the chronology of the war, starting in North Africa, up to the end of the war. You don't have to be a nurse to be fascinated by this outstanding history of the the war.

"And If I Perish" is a wonderful book! I was enthralled by the courage of these unsung heroines and had to put the book down several times when my eyes misted over & my throat became choked up.

I was surprised to read that Army Nurses jumped in the water & went ashore alongside the troops during the North Africa landings. They were under fire & died at Anzio as the field hospital was within range of German guns. Clearly-marked hospital ships were bombed in the Mediterranean and nurses survived, not one, but two such sinkings. I was shocked that the story of these front-line nurses was suppressed for so long because the government feared a "backlash" from the public.

For too long the sacrifices of this generation of brave women have been unpublished. Of the dozens of books I have read on World War II, there has been hardly a mention of the role women played except on the home front.

This book should be placed in every school library -- not only to keep the memory of the actions of these Army Nurses alive, but to provide role models for the future.

Attention! women directors & producers: There needs to be a movie about these nurses.

My mother was a nurse in the 95th Evacuation Hospital, one of the units featured in this book. Though she was not interviewed, she's the nurse on the left in the photo of two nurses and a doctor in the OR. They're wearing scrubs and she's got a mask on, but it's her! I thought I knew all of her stories inside and out, but reading this book I realized how humble she was in the telling. When I read about the hospital ship being bombed and the constant shelling at Anzio, the fact that she survived amazed me. I cried when I read about the 95th's tour of duty at Dachau Concentration Camp because I couldn't -- and still can't imagine -- what it must have been like. In recent years, the focus on WWII nurses' experiences has sharpened. My mother has been interviewed for newspaper articles and the archives in D.C. I don't think women have been given nearly enough credit for service in our nations' wars, but it's about time. This book could have been called Band of Sisters. To this day, my mother is uncomfortable with the label "hero," but she's mine. To "Smitty," "VJ," "Slem," and "Wells," I salute you.

My Mom was in the Army Nurse Corps in the EAME Theatre and received 4 Bronze Service Stars and 5 O/S Service bars during her military service. I was always interested to know what experiences she had, however she was reluctant to speak of those memories. After reading this book, I can understand why. "And If I Perish" is a great read to help one understand the dedication of the women of World War II and what they had to endure.

In his lifetime, Raymond Brown was considered one of the foremost biblical scholars. His scholarship certainly changed Catholic biblical studies and many believe he is responsible for making the academic world at large take notice of what scholars writing from a Catholic perspective have to offer the study of scripture. His comprehensive THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH is one of his monumental works that demonstrates his expertise and adds something Catholic that can be used in a "catholic" (universal) sense.

When Brown first published this book in the mid 1970's, he was attempting to do something for a beloved portion of scripture that was often ignored. For the most part, serious scholarship on the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke was almost nil. Traditional scholars avoided it fearing that scholarship could debunk the stories themselves. Less traditional scholars saw the stories as legend that had little or no relevance for serious scholars. Brown rejected both points of view and chose to see the stories form a different point of view. Brown studies the Annunciation, the Magi, the Shepherds, the Flight to Egypt, the Child Jesus in the Temple, and the other narratives that make up these imaginative chapters of scripture and views them not as fanciful tales or legends, but the Gospel in miniature. The stories included in Luke and Matthew are essential to the Gospel story and essential for understanding the story itself. Since the time of this volume's publication, this has become one of the common interpretations of the Infancy narratives.

The book is not without controversy. One example would be Brown's treatment of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. While Brown in many ways exalts the role of Mary as a disciple, it is not a pious reflection on Mary which has caused some readers to claim Brown disputes the Virgin birth. I'm not sure this is true, especially given some of Brown's other writings and talks widely available, if not in publication certainly in libraries. This is why the reader needs to keep in mind what Brown is attempting to do in this volume: present relevant scholarship on the infancy narratives.

I have grown to love the book for a number of reasons. There is so much material in it, I am always discovering something new. This is important for anyone who has to preach on these texts. Not only can a new angle or understanding be found in this volume, it also helps the reader find personal insights for reflection and prayer, which during the time when these texts are preached can be so important. Brown's volume shows that the Birth of Christ was not just a historical event but one that has meaning today and in all ages.

Fr. Brown taks an honest hard look at the infancy narrative of Matthew and Luke. It is a struggle to find the truth in these narrative amid all the mythic lore and revisionist speculations. He digs deep down into the mountain of rubble that has accumulated, bringing out the sparkling truth that is contained within. He brings them out into the light of the day, where all speculation and myth are shown for what they are.

The historical valure of the infancy narratives are shredded to pieces during the course of this examination. Yet my faith is strengthened not undermined by this work. Why is this? Well, Fr. Brown uncovers the real motivation behind the Evangelists who composed these narratives. The primary motivation is theological.

The infancy narratives are perhaps the richest vien of theology in the New Testament. So much is hidden away in the nooks and crannies of the remainder of the Gospels, so much that only comes to light with a close examination of the infancy narratives. Once the myths are tossed aside, the glory of God begins to shine ever more clearly.

I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand the Gospel without sacrificing intellect for the sake of belief.

I was reluctant when this tome about the infancy narratives had been recommended, and after the first chapter discovered this was no ordinary book. There are myriads of commentaries, but none like this! This book elaborates at length on the short gospel narratives of the birth of Jesus, and how the NT authors had woven OT material into those narratives. It elaborates on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary: not as some wench who did as God told her, but as the first disciple of Christ to say Yes to the call of God; not merely a mother to Christ, but the Mother of the people of God by her fiat. For those who already believe, and even for those who don't, it elaborates why the incarnation is such an awesome historial event, not only in human history, but in salvation history.

Fr. Brown writes with erudition, and, while his audience is scholarly, even novices can read these gems with considerable ease. I initially intended to read the book straight through, but the density and intensity of the material suggested that a more devotional, gradual read would be more beneficial. I admit this is hard to do, because once embarked, these insights propel one to read as much as one can as fast as one can. However you decide to read it, I cannot think of a better introduction, as well as advanced scholarship, that will not leave one unchanged.

How should Christians contend with alleged contradictions, inconsistencies and historical inaccuracies in the New Testament? Perhaps many have not confronted the difficulties, while assuming that ultimately a satisfactory answer will emerge that justifies confidence in the Greek scriptures. The late Raymond E. Brown was not content to leave it to future scholarship to provide the answers. Only two gospels, Matthew and Luke, discuss the birth and infancy of Jesus. But scholars have raised questions that challenge the credibility of these narratives. Why do the genealogies not match? Why do the other New Testament writers not mention the virgin birth? What prophets said that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene? Why does Luke imply the family returned to Nazareth shortly after the birth of Jesus, while Matthew has the family fleeing to Egypt before returning? The slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem is not mentioned in secular history although other atrocities are recorded. Can the son of David be reckoned through the mother? These and other questions have provided ammunition for critics against the veracity of the New Testament.

Brown discusses these matters and more in detail. He provides non-conventional solutions while maintaining his Catholicism. This book should help the Christian understand the issues raised by doubters and help them reflect on what they believe and why they believe it. One does not have to agree with Brown's conclusions to appreciate the struggle with the history and theology of the narratives. Do the narratives have a common source, or are they separate traditions pre-dating the main body of each gospel? Read Brown's The Birth of the Messiah for some proposed answers. Recommended for lay Christians who have not seriously considered the challenges to their faith.

Part of the Anchor Bible Reference Library, this is an excellent book in which Raymond Brown provides an in-depth treatment of the NT infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke. The format of the book is standard for the Anchor Bible series: the author translates a segment of the Greek NT text, provides notes on his translation, and then comments on the meaning of the text. There are nine appendices on technical issues (e.g., "Birth at Bethlehem", "The Census under Quirinius"). Also, this edition contains a supplement that updates the work to 1992 (Brown died in 1998). The treatment is scholarly but readable, and, for passages in the NT that have given rise to controversy in the past, Brown tries to give a balanced exposition of the opposing views (and he usually states what his personal opinion is). There is an enormous amount of interesting material packed into this book, as Brown canvasses much of the relevant literature.

The book has the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur declarations that the book is free of doctrinal or moral errors (from the point of view of the Roman Catholic church), but Brown's Catholicism doesn't color the book excessively. For example, he admits that it is unlikely Mary took a vow of virginity, and also that the "brothers of Jesus" were probably his brothers in the usual biological sense. More generally, Brown openly recognizes the historical improbability of certain events (such as the visit of the Magi), and doesn't strain to impose dubious harmonizations on the infancy stories or to concoct interpretations meant to uphold the literal truth of the NT. The one place where he draws a line is on the virgin conception itself; he claims that it is unscientific to reject it as impossible a priori.

The supplement makes for lively reading, since Brown describes some of the negative reviews received by the first edition of the book and engages in a bit of polemic as he re-argues his position on certain topics. However, he doesn't descend to vituperation, even when provoked.

Overall, a great book and an excellent source of references for further reading.

i read a few of the other reviews for this book and i was really suprised that so many other people have such a similar memory of it. i too read it a while back, but somehow the story has had a haunting effect on my memory. i used to read a lot of "horsey" books but this one is somehow different. i find my mind still wandering back to it more than ten years later. i would definitely recomend it, either to a young reader or an anyone who i just looking for a good book.

I have had the book since I was a kid and I will keep it in my collection. It's wonderfully written and has a great ending. It really takes a reader through a full range of feelings, happy, dreamy, sad and at times it's a little spooky. I've read it over and over, along with Doty's Summer Pony and Winter Pony (both great reads also) The first time I read this book I couldn't put it down. It will always be a favorite!

I read this book because it had horses in it (back then, I read ANYTHING with horses), but I ended up being blown away with just how good it was. This is a beautiful, haunting book that I still remember clearly more than 15 years later. I hated sad endings then, but this book was wonderful and satisfying. Buy it for any little girl who likes horses.

***The following is from the Scholastic 1980 version of the book; I DID NOT write it****

"Come on, Candy," says Gail, leading her horse, Candlelight. "Let's go exploring."

Gail's parents have just rented a carriage house, about all that's left of an old country estate. The big house was torn down long ago, and woods have sprung up where the lawns and gardens grew. Beyond the woods, fields stretch for miles - perfect for riding.

But when Gail steps through the iron gate near the edge of the woods, she has a shock. Instead of fields, she looks across a wide lawn to an enormous house! And running toward her is a girl wearing a dress from a hundred years ago!

Somehow, Gail has gone back in time. Can she return to the present? Or will she and Candy be caught in the past forever?

*****
My review:
Jean Slaughter Doty, talented author of books like "Summer Pony," "Winter Pony," "The Monday Horses," and "Dark Horse" is an incredibly good crafter of horse books. She continues her legacy of moving and detailed horse stories with "Can I Get There by Candlelight?" a tale of friednship that is ultimately doomed to fail. Overall an extremely good read that will stay with you for weeks after you read it.

I read this book when I was about 11 years old. I'm 33 now and still remember it. It's one of the few books from my youth that I'll pick up and re-read every now and again. This book is the first one that introduced me to fantasy. But it's also mystery, supernatural, and historical as well as a great horse story. When I think of the top ten books that influenced me to become a writer, this is one of them that always comes to mind. I really think they should do a reprint. If you can find it, I highly recommend it for horse crazy girls aged 8-14, but it's still a nice story regardless of age.

I come from a routing shop - never having a customer need for Multicast. This book brought me up to speed very quickly on the both the beauty and ease of Multicast. As a tool for my CCIE studies, I felt the first 200 pages were of immense value at helping my studies. I felt Chapter 5 (on DVMRP) was not nearly as valuable as Chapters 6 and 7 (on PIM-DM and PIM-SM).

Some typos I was able to pick out:
page 144 - 2nd line from bottom should read "...it too sends a Graft message to Router C" - not Router D.

page 168 - 3rd line on the 1st paragraph should read "...SPT to pull the (S2, G) traffic down to the RP..." - not (S1, G).

There are some other typos, but they are few and far between (but I'm not an expert on multicast!). I have heard of this book being talked about as the 'bible' for multicast - I can see why.

I give this book 5 pings out of 5:
!!!!!

I was skeptical about buying a book this old, but I just finished it and am still slightly amazed at how little has changed in multicast technology in ~8 years. I have read Doyle's multicast coverage, listened to InternetworkExpert's excellent "class on demand" (CoD) on the topic many times, and worked through over half of their 20 CCIE lab scenarios, all of which have multicast sections. This doesn't make me an expert by any means, but I know enough now to recognize that the material in this book is still worth reading.

The differences between this book and Doyle's (2004) are:
- Williamson dedicates a lot more effort to explaining the mroute table. This was my single biggest stumbling block in multicast routing
- Doyle, IMO, gives IGMP a better treatment
- Doyle goes over mtrace and mstat
- Williamson spreads the information out over more pages via liberal usage of config snips and diagrams, often one per page. This allows him to go into *brutal, painful and excruciating* detail about every line in the mroute table, every flag, every state transition, etc.
- Williamson does a more thorough job of explaining exactly what happens in PIM-SM networks (100+ pages to Doyle's ~25)
- Doyle goes over Anycast RP and gives a better explanation of MSDN, which appears to have been rather cutting edge when Williamson put finger to keyboard

I finished the book in about a week of serious effort, but I skipped the following chapters (Cisco has not put much effort into the technologies described), leaving me with about 400 pages of groovyness:
DVMRP
CBT
MOSPF
Connecting to DVMRP Networks
and several sections of other chapters

To be sure, some things have changed. I didn't see any mention of the "ip pim autorp listener" command, which negates the need for sparse-dense mode when configuring Auto-RP (can't recall if Doyle mentioned that either). Also, in current versions of IOS one *does* need to specify the RP on the RP itself, whereas Williamson (and Doyle) explicitly say this is not the case (they were both right at the time of print, Cisco has changed this). Overall however, I would say that easily >95% of the material is solid here.

So which book to buy? Well if you're serious about the CCIE and/or running a multicast network you'll get both, and read them both several times. I do hope Williamson updates the book though, as he alludes to several draft proposals, and gives a "state of the multicast internet" address that I would like to know more about without digging through two dozen RFCs. Also, the few things that have changed would be a boon to the book.

Multicasting is truly a technology solution in search of a problem. Excepting highly specialized conferencing applications (a few of which are mentioned here) it is difficult to see how multicasting can be a money-making service for carriers and providers, and the protocols have yet to really penetrate to wide deployment. That said, knowledge of this separate realm of IP networking is a must for any professional in the telecom space.

I'm glad to say that this book rewards determined scrutiny. As a technical writer supporting a very complex product line that has recently added PIM-SM to its bag of tricks, I've found this book painstaking and tremendously informative. You will need to understand IP networking before approaching this title; on the assumption that you do, you will fully understand shared trees, SPTs, and their combination in PIM to an absolute fare-thee-well. My focus when reading this book was on IGMP and PIM-SM, so I have not read absolutely every page of this title. However, Williamson breaks the processes down packet-by-packet for each protocol in the multicasting suite in almost excruciating detail. Advanced coverage of topics such as registration, pruning, and Rendezvous Point behavior means that you will have complete mastery of Cisco multicasting, and for any platform that conforms to the standards, by the time you are finished.

This is an excellent, excellent effort in what I think is a consistently solid networking series.

Multicast has for several years been used in LAN environments to easily exchange information among users, especially in educational and academic research environments. The advent of audio and video conferencing has increased its use in these environments, and it is now making its presence known in WAN and Internet environments. This book gives an overview of the how to implement IP multicast on Cisco devices, and does a good job in that regard. Readers with a general knowledge of networks, even those who have not administered Cisco devices explicitly, can gain much from the book. This reviewer was not interested in the actual implementation of Cisco multicast networks, which is covered in Part 3 of the book, and so this review will concentrate on the other three parts of the book. These parts are mostly descriptive, but they do discuss some of the performance issues involved with the deployment of IP multicast, although nowhere in the book are test cases discussed, even though their inclusion would have been extremely helpful. Multicasting by itself is not a complicated phenomena to understand and use, but when it is deployed over Layer 2 or when coupled with QoS some interesting issues can arise. This reviewer was mostly interested in traffic engineering in multicast environments, and the author spends an entire chapter on this topic.

The book begins with a history of multicast and the MBone, the latter of which is a collection of Internet routers and hosts that are interconnected and are able to forward IP multicast traffic. IP multicast is of course an unreliable transmission mechanism, based as it is on UDP. Along with stating the assigned scope of the multicast addresses over IP, the author also reviews the scheme for multicast MAC addressing. The MAC address mapping will cause a CPU performance hit though since the CPU will have to be interrupted in order to deal with all 32 of the IP multicast groups. This arises since the IP multicast address information cannot be mapped into the available space of the MAC address space. There is a 32:1 address ambiguity when an IP multicast address is mapped to a MAC address.

One can summarize the properties of the multicast routing protocols discussed in the book straightforwardly:

PIM (Protocol Independent Multicasting) can run in three different modes, namely Dense (DM), Sparse (SM) and Sparse-Dense. A router will always forward multicast traffic on a dense mode interface unless all the PIM neighbors of the interface prune themselves from the multicast tree. Multicast traffic will be forwarded on a sparse mode interface only if at least one of the PIM neighbors explicitly joins the multicast tree. In sparse-dense mode, the interface can be running in sparse mode for some groups and dense mode for others. There is a "hello interval" for PIM multicast which is the frequency at which the router will send PIM query messages, the latter of which are used for selecting a PIM designated router. The PIM designated router is responsible for sending IGMP (v1) queries. Bootstrap messages can be forwarded from an interface in PIMv2. This allows all PIM-SM routers in a domain to dynamically learn all Group-to-RP mappings.In PIM-DM, the multicast traffic is periodically forwarded even on pruned interfaces of a source-based distribution tree. This allows the learning of membership changes. This 'state-refresh interval' can be configured on the first-hop routers of the multicast source, allowing the interface to periodically send a state refresh control message down the source-based distribution tree. When doing multicast in an NBMA (NonBroadcast MultiAccess) network, a router will replicate multicast packets for all neighbors configured for broadcast (actually pseudobroadcast to use the author's characterization). To avoid this, one can configure the router in NBMA mode, which will then only allow the replication of packets for PIM neighbors. NBMA mode is only supported by Cisco for SM networks.

DVMRP (Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol) does neighbor discovery, where network routing information is exchanged between neighbors. This information consists of Route Report messages that advertise a source network and a hop-count. DVMRP generates two routing tables, one is a multicast routing table to the receivers and a unicast routing table to the sources. When forwarding, a DVMRP router will use the unicast table for RPF (Reverse Path Forwarding) checks and the multicast table for forwarding multicast packets. When doing unicast routing, the router will use the unicast table for the RPF check, but will use a different multicast routing protocol for forwarding multicast packets. There is a metric value associated with a DVMRP unicast route, which is the sum of the interface metrics of a route between the router originating the report and the router in the source network.

For multicast traffic, one can control bandwidth with: 1. Aggregate rate limiting, which sets an upper bound for all multicast traffic being sent on an interface. 2. Mroute table entries wherein each individual multicast stream is set to a maximum rate. 3. `Scoped zones' and multicast boundaries, which prevent multicast traffic with a high rate from traveling outside the provisioned regions. Doing actual multicast traffic engineering is complicated do to the need for calculating the proper RPF (Reverse Path Forwarding) interface (and not the destination IP address). The author discusses in detail some of the techniques that can be used, such as GRE tunnels and `pseudo load-sharing.' GRE tunnels are used to do load-splitting of multicast traffic, which cannot be done otherwise since multicast is allowed only one incoming interface. He also describes how to do traffic conversion between broadcast and multicast, this being allowed for Cisco IOS 11.1 or later. This is a useful capability for networks where the source or the receivers, or both, do not support IP multicast.

This is the best multicast book on the market. It is a must have whether you are preparing for the CCIE Lab or just want to understand multicast.

The explanation was simple and clear. There are tons of configuration examples covering pretty much all kinds of scenarios. The author actually explained every single line of the configurations.

I bought this book for my Lab exam, and after two days of reading, 99.99% of my questions were answered (the only one I still have is I actually made PIM-DM work in a hub-spoke frame relay network. The prune message from one spoke was actually seen by the other spoke, I don't know why the hub would forward it out).

I have to admit this is one of the best books I've read for a long time. Just like Jeff Doyle's TCP/IP Routing is the Bible of IGP, this book is the Bible of Multicast.

This book completes the series of Mandala coloring books by this author. Well worth the money spent.

I teach an alternative high school class and these designs have helped my students focus and relax at the same time. Anyone who works with troubled teens should have these at their disposal...one more item to add to your bad of tricks!

I think this will be fun to color with my granddaughter. We love to color things together, and we love designs. Thanks.

I enjoyed this book very much. I kept it on my coffee table and would color in it to relax. Now that each page is colored I have moved it to my bookshelf.

Out of the half dozen coloring books we bought last year this one was our favorite. Every design felt well thought out and was quite fun to color. My only complaint is that there weren't more pictures to color. This is well worth buying if you're looking for a challenge to your coloring skills.

I admit, I was skeptical. I've never believed that tapes or cds of someone droning phrase after phrase actually had any use to someone learning a language, but my friends told me that the Pimsleur Program was different. I'm fluent in German so I checked the first level out of the library. I figured that since its a language I already speak I would be able to tell if it was actually teaching anything worthwhile. I was completely amazed! The pimsleur program doesn't just tell you how to ask where the train station is, it gives you a knowledge of the language that can be expanded on. You're not just mimicing, you know what you're saying. I was so excited about "discovering" Pimsleur that I went out and bought the Norwegian course and am having much success with that!

We've tried 5 other audio language programs for our family, and I took a conversational German class at a community college. I wish I'd found this program before I'd wasted so much money on other programs (and before I lived in Germany for several months!)... In just a few lessons, we are UNDERSTANDING the language better than we ever could have with other programs, are more confident about speaking, and excited about learning more. Everything is introduced in context, making it easy to remember. The program continually builds on what has been learned, so review is built in but not boring. The question and answer format forces one to THINK about what they have learned instead of just repeating phrases without figuring out what each word means and how it should be used. We'd like out children to have mastery of several languages, but with the next language, we won't be floundering trying to find a good program. For spoken language, we'll go straight to Pimsleur!

I already speak more German in FOUR WEEKS than I have been able to speak French in FOUR YEARS of classes using this method.

For the first time, I am actually learning to speak and understand another language (rather than just reading and writing). I thought I was a dunce at languages! Turns out, it was the education system. I recommend getting a few books to supplement what you learn in this method, but I would wait until you begin Pimsleur German II to do this. Get the spoken language down first, and then learn to read and write.

I took German in high school and college, but wanted to brush up on it.

I just completed German I, and I was pleasantly surprised. To achieve spoken competence requires a hugh amount of repetition and drilling to internalize the patterns. But different people have different learning styles; some respond well to reading and practicing grammatical principles and paradigms, others are more ear-oriented. At first, the endless repetition was frustrating; I must have heard "Would you like to drink something with me?" about 40 times. And "Where is Goethe street?" about 30 times. For someone who remembered some of his school German, it was a little much.

The pace picks up in later lessons, and it began to get a little more interesting and challenging as new vocabulary and grammatical structures are added.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I think a pure beginner would do very well with these tapes.

If only they weren't so hideously expensive. Fortunately, my library system carries all 3 levels of the German series, so I'm all set. Before paying for the full set, you might want to pick up the smaller 4-cassette version to see if it suits your learning style.

I have been using this program for about 2 months. After a couple of weeks I kind of forgot to listen to the cds for about 2 weeks or so. I thought I would have to start all over again from the beginning, but I was surprised when I realized that I had remembered everything I learned.

I think the reviewer(s) who gave this program 4 stars instead of 5 only because it didn't cover all of the months of the year and/or days of the week is being a bit unfair. Maybe it is fair if you have had a German course elsewhere and have somewhat of a head start. But seriously, how many of us are there out there that can read and write in a foreign language [at least a bit] feel completely lost listening or at worse trying to converse in that language?

This program is easy and it works! If you only want to learn the grammatical structure and/or expand your vocabulary obviously this program is not for you. If you want to begin [a very good head start] to learn German then you are very well on your way.