I am not sure how to rate this book. It is a reference book so I can't hold it to the same standards as a work of fiction. Reference books should be rated on their usefulness and accuracy. Since it is mostly reviews, which are subjective, accuracy does not really apply and how useful can a book of literary criticism really be? That said this book does contain some information about Terry Pratchett's early work that I did not already know about, and I'm a fairly fanatical fan. The type and the margins are small, so all 88 pages of text are stuffed as full of words as they possible could be. You are definitely getting your money's worth. Andrew Butler does have a sense of humor, which is important since he is reviewing a humor writer, but some of his jokes may prove confusing to people who haven't read the books. Sarcasm and irony are hard to pull off in fiction; they are even harder in non-fiction. In general I found his criticisms irritating if you know what he is talking about and misleading if you don't. He gives each book a rating and admits "The purpose of this last is clearly to annoy people!" And it succeeds admirably.

Newly out of the hospital, commander John Coffin of London's mythical Second City police is confronted with a woman's severed arms and legs outside his former home. His thoughts turn to long abandoned affair--could the limbs belong to the woman? When a second women is murdered, Coffin begins to suspect his wife's friends. Yet with all of the police force at his disposal, no one seems to be able to find a real clue, or discover any reason why these attacks are happening now.

Author Gwendoline Butler does a fine job setting the scene in the 'second city' of London--a city of abandoned warehouses, crime, and poverty, with just the beginning of gentrification brought on by the theater. American readers may find Butler's Englishisms occasionally difficult to follow (although occasionally amusing--I especially enjoyed the police secretary with the pot plant (perhaps potted plant) on her desk).

With multiple murders, a dismembered woman and a decapitated cat, COFFIN'S GHOST should have been a fast-moving adventure. Instead, Butler's writing moves at a ponderous pace, leaving the reader both confused about where the plot is going and lethargic to find out. Coffin's regret over his affair seems more based on his fear of his wife's reaction to it than any realization that he made a mistake, and his treatment of the abandoned mistress is difficult to view sympathetically.

"Coffin's Ghost" is supposed to be a mystery/thriller novel, but unfortunately, there is neither in this book. I was so excited to read this book and it took forever for me to find a place to order it from. I recieved the book and was utterly disappointed. There is no mystery or suspense in this novel whatsoever. This book came from England and it is extremely hard to follow, the book skips around like a rabbit in a field. You never know why something happens and you are always left hanging there. The characters are introduced randomly and they are speaking in "short-hand" making it hard to follow and understand. After reading this book I still have no idea what it was about. This novel has no plot or theme. Not reccommended.

... The book seems to contain a lot of rumour and hype, recast to look like facts and serious substance. The most immediate giveaway that the author needs to learn something about the topics he writes about is his complete failure to recognize that Java (tee em, the programming language) is a totally different thing from JavaScript (also tee em :) He has a section title introducing security issues with Java Scripts, but the discussion refers simply to "Java" some of the technical descriptions clearly relate to Java, the programming language, but most of the "threats" he identifies are nothing of the sort.

...

After reading this book, I felt that the book was another high gloss advertisement for the author's security consulting firm. Even the glossary is not even close to some of the common definitions that are used in the firewall/internet and security industry. The mention of firewalls throughout the book is cursory at best and does not mention vendors that produce commercial firewalls. The Companion CD is at most mostly demos and could have been better documented. Most of the information in the book could have been acquired off the internet a lot more easily than it is mentioned in the book. I hope in the second edition or the errata to the book, that it is hea vily revised to accomendate the present status of the computer security/internet and firewall industry.

Boring, no poetry in this book. Bebe Butler and the polarwearz are one in the same...creative imagination running wild.

Oh hark, where art thou mind running off to now?

As an avid reader of travel essays, especially those whose subject is Mexico, I eagerly purchased Mr. Butler's book. I quickly lost interest after seeing so many spelling and grammatical errors in the first 53 pages. I sent an email to the publisher, University of Arizona Press and await a reply.

Here are some examples:

1) On page 30, paragraph 5, the author uses the word Carnival and adds an accent on the last "a". The correct Spanish word is carnaval and has no accent. I'm guessing he was trying to use the Spanish word because of the erroneous insertion of the accent mark.

2) On page 50 the author makes reference to Mexican architect Luis Barrigan. He uses the architects name extensively throughout the page. The architect's name is Luis Barragan. Apparently Mr. Butler makes random, gratuitous and inconsistent use of the accent mark because not only is Mr. Barragan's name misspelled, but should have and accent mark above the last "a".

3) On page 52, the author mentions a recreational complex in Monterrey called Fundicora Park. The correct name for this complex is Fundidora Park or Parque Fundidora.

4)On page 53 the author refers to a Rodrico Velarde, founder of a landmark restaurant in Monterrey. The correct spelling is Rodrigo, not Rodrico.

Your $...will be better spent elsewhere. Try True Tales from Another Mexico.

I would recommend it for a first year network technology student if it were about 1/10th the cost.

I knew this was a skinny little book when I ordered it so I cannot fault the brevity that characterizes this booklet. What I do find fault with is the excessive detail given to one's appearance and the lengthy discourse on wine tasting. This book has 46 pages of instruction; thirteen devoted to personal appearance and seven devoted to wine. With four pages of illustration this leaves very little space for what could be considered Business Etiquette. Most of the actual advice offered is sound, if shallow and incomplete. I object to the suggestions that people with southern accents or nasal voices should take diction lessons. Also disturbing was the chapter titled Interviewing Techniques that lists four "items necessary to ensure a positive interview." The fourth necessary item is to not be overweight. I could not in good conscience recommend this book to anyone needing serious advice on business manners.

This book is rated with a reading level of 3-5 not 4-8. There is a big difference. The reading level is inappropriate for the child I purchased it for. There are very, very few words to the page.

He lost his virginity at the age of 51, and his poetry undoubtedly got a great deal better afterwards. Political claptrap marred his works and spoilt some vaguely pleasant ideas. I am afraid that any man who spends his entire life concerning himself with politics and Celtic twilight missed a great deal of the reality of life. However, I am inclined to attribute a great deal of this to Ms Gonne, who without a shadow of a doubt was the main factor responsible for his horrendous 'Helen of Troy' images. To any student studying this text, I would urge them to remember Dr Derek Pezrekier's pithy comment at a lecture given at Berkley University, California: "Mr Yeats - what did you spend the money on?" to which a student replied "What money?" "The money your mother gave you for brain surgery.".

Unfortunately I had to buy the book and read all 600 pages of it. It was my textbook for one of my courses at uni. Generally, the content of the book is quite all right, but lots of mistakes (esp. of numerical nature) make the book nearly worthless. If your lecturer wants to use this book as a reference, tell her/him it is even not worth the way to the bookshop.