This book is a sequel to the two books in the "Beast Master" series (NO resemblence to the movie/TV version, which is good) about the discharged stellar commando Hosteen Storm. As with many other recent books by Norton, she has a co-author here, who probably wrote most or all of the book.
In general the style of Miss Norton's old SF novels is kept too, but the writing seems a little different, and the dialogue less natural.
The attempt to update the technology with lasers instead of blasters does not work for me, sticking with the original would have been better. Similarly, the discussion of how Earth was "burned off" makes no sense.
The other break from the original is that the Xiks are back as a power, albeit a constrained one. I got the impression the Xik worlds were destroyed from the originals. In the final fight with the Xik "aper" in the first book Storm distracts him by taunting him that he is alone, his home destroyed. But I guess that wouldn't be PC these days.
Overall a decent read, but not as good as the original.

One of the very first Andre Norton titles I ever read, more than 25 years ago as a 7th grader, was a science fiction story titled "Lord of Thunder", featuring Beast Master Hosteen Storm and his furred or feathered companions Baku the eagle, Surra the dune cat and Hing the meerkat. It was set on a desert planet called Arzor peopled with a fascinating mixture of humans and horned natives called Norbies, along with their wilder, more formidable cousins the Nitra. I became hooked on Ms. Norton's writings, and have been a major fan of hers ever since. In fact, I just did an inventory of her books on my shelves, and counted exactly 100 of them. This includes "The Beast Master", the first of the Hosteen Storm series.

For those who do not know her work, Ms. Norton is positively legendary in the sci-fi/fantasy field. Born in 1912 as Alice Mary Norton, her first published work was (I think) in 1939. In those days, it was not considered proper for women to write science fiction, so she took on the pseudonym Andrew North and, later on, Andre Norton. Here we are now, some 64 years later, and she is still writing, at the age of 91. This in itself is most remarkable. True, her recent works tend to have co-authors, but this is true of younger writers as well. Anne McCaffrey, another of my favorites, comes immediately to mind.

Unlike some other reviewers on this page, I do not in any way believe Ms. Norton's mental abilities have declined one whit with age. With my brand-new paperback copy of "Beast Master's Ark" in hand, I began a marathon session, rereading the first two books of the series, then plunging directly into the new one. One thing that struck me at once was the stylistic continuity. I know Ms. Norton's voice very well, and it rang true. Co-author Lyn McConchie may have helped out, but I don't see how she could have done the bulk of the work. Not unless she's an excellent mimic.

Granted, given the forty years since "Lord of Thunder" came out, there have been some changes in the terminology used. None of the writers of the '50's and '60's, it seems, could have dreamed of the tremendous advances in computer technology and genetics which have developed in recent years. These, extrapolated into the future, play an important role in this new story. And "lasers" have replaced "slicers", but what of it?

One thing which has always struck me about Ms. Norton's work has been her emphasis on tolerance and harmony, both between the races of humanity and between humans and the other intelligent beings in the galaxy. She has to have been one of the very first writers in her field to delve into the (still very relevant today) themes of overcoming prejudices. Hosteen Storm is a full-blooded Navajo, and other major characters are also of Navajo or Cheyenne extraction. This plays an important role in all three of the "Beast Master" novels, as in how Native American spiritual values mesh with those of the Norbies. I cannot say for certain how accurate Ms. Norton's portrayal of these beliefs are; I can, however, say that she has always treated them with the utmost respect.

And what of Tani, the new female character introduced in "Beast Master's Ark"? I have no objections to her at all. She was completely believable and sympathetic. Both Storm and Tani have similar issues: they are in a sense incomplete. Both have their animal companions, but Storm has a problem: what to do about mates for Baku, Surra and Hing? Terra (Earth), their homeworld, has been fried to a cinder by the evil Xiks. Beast Masters have very close bonds with their companions. What will happen when these grow old and die, or meet with an untimely accident? This has happened already with Hing's mate, Ho. And Storm himself is a bit of a loner. Where will he find his counterpart?

Tani, on the other hand, is an orphan. Her father was a Cheyenne Beast Master, killed in the war against the Xiks, while her mother, of Irish extraction, driven past the bounds of sanity in her grief, has filled Tani with a hatred of all other Beast Masters, believing that they treat life callously, all too willing to throw it away for all the wrong reasons. Tani's aunt and uncle, master geneticists, have given her a home on the spaceship known as Beast Master's Ark, a vast, traveling repository of genetic material rescued from Earth just before its destruction. But they are absorbed in their work, and do not give her all the attention she needs.

Naturally, a crisis erupts on Arzor which will throw Storm and Tani together. Somehow they will have to overcome their differences, identify the nature of the inimical Death-Which-Comes-in-the-Night, and neutralize it. The idea for this ruthless killer, and the driving force behind it, is quite clever. But, as any veteran of 100 Andre Norton novels can testify, the ending in many ways is quite predictable. Still, it left me feeling good, and looking forward to the next installment in the series, "Beast Master's Circus".

In fact, I'm so taken by these characters that I may very well buy "Circus" in hardback, something I very seldom do.

My only regret is that the publishers haven't yet reissued the first two books of the series. For those who can't wait, there are always the used book stores.

After my experience with other Norton series resuming with a co-author (Solar Queen's new books I read and quickly shelved to gather dust; Time Agents I enjoyed and re-read) I was a little concerned when I saw a new Beast Master book due out. Could they recapture what I loved in my all time favorite of Norton's SF?

They did. Yes, there is a new character, a female character, and a beastmaster herself. But she's not just a female version of Hosteen Storm. Tani is a well-developed independant character, with her own distinct personality and past. Everything fits in with the pevious books. And the danger is suspenseful and well handled.

I would have enjoyed this book even if it was not part of a series, but to see Storm, Logan, Brad; Surra, Baku, and Hing; all of my favorites - portrayed as I remembered them and in a story that kept me interested to the end was wonderful. And we even got to see more about the planet and its natives;and a bit more on the history that brought things to where they are.

There's another book in the series coming, and I eagerly await it. It's very hard for a writer to bring in a new partner and resume an old series. But Norton and McConchie pulled it off in grand style with this one. Bravo!

I just didn't GET this book...the three ladies who wrote it are, as far as I'm concerned, three of the most important female fantasy writers of all time. Yet I simply couldn't get into this book. The writing styles were just too different, and the story moved too slowly...this is a danger of multiple perspectives: the authors must backtrack to catch "their" character up to the others, and the reader is left slogging through a 400-page mess. I think that if this book had been a little better organized (and the characters a bit more believable) I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, it just left me with this vauge headache and the need to go back, re-read certain passages, and finall, put the book down and not come back to it.

this book had me bored to tears. i literally threw this book down a few times wondering when things were going to culminate? everything is tediously described three times by three different characters. three generations of a royal family are seen through three women of this royal house; the old queen, the middle aged heir and the young princess. in that it's pretty standard but instead of moving this story, which at its heart is wonderful, every scene is retold through each character's eyes with barely any variance.

this story of a kingdom threatened by an invading emperor who lusts for conquest sounded pretty interesting to me. his son, who the reader finds quickly is really loving and wishes for peace, is in this kingdom to help conqueror it. the three main characters, through who the story is told, are the queen, the heir and the young princess. the queen is aging and must pass on the throne but cannot when they are all forced to flee into hiding by the invaders. this summary is brief but the story is closely connected with the characters and i don't want to hand out to many teasers.

at the begginning of the book i was intrigued by the idea of this mystical kingdom with hidden secrets and mysterious rituals but by the third chapter i was wondering when something was going to happen to already. "tiger burning bright" hints that angels may play a very important role but then abruptly ignores the subject leaving the reader wondering why the lengthy description if they play no real role?

chapter after chapter is devoted to what every character is thinking, feeling, wearing and what they plan to do but never actually do. build up is all well and go and i am a never ending fan of suspense, holding it as critical part of a story but between three authors one would think that all this suspense was leading somewhere.

the long awaited ending was something i wouldn't call overly original, reading instead like some trashy romance novel. i knew who would end up with who by the fifth chapter and kept wondering when it would happen already. though many like the story line and i found i liked certain scenes or detail/ideas in the book overall i found it a dissappointing if not completely tiresome read.

Once again, three of the leading science fiction/fantasy authors have shown their mettle. The characters in this book are both believable and riveting. It is so refreshing to see strong women in leading roles in a story which does not depend on their gender to move the story. I would hardily reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about intrigue, fantasy, adventure or human relationships for it contains elements of all these. I read the book in one night because I literally could not put it down without having the urge to pick it back up

Perhaps best known for writing the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing , James Weldon Johnson wrote one of the first novels to probe the ambiguities of race, the novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man. As a boy, the fictional title character is sent North with his Mother to be raised in Connecticut. He does extremely well in school and is even something of a musical prodigy.

But, he is stunned when one day in school a teacher asks the white students to stand, and scolds him when he joins them. He confronts his fair skinned mother and she reveals that she is indeed black and his father is a white Southern gentleman. His father later comes to visit, and even buys him a piano, but the child is unable to approach and deal with him.

As a young man, the death of his mother & sale of their house leaves him with a small stake & he determines to attend college. Though qualified, he rules out Harvard for financial reasons & heads back down South to attend Atlanta University. However, his stake is stolen from his boarding house room before he can register & he ends up with a job in a cigar factory.

When the factory closes, he heads North again, this time to New York City and discovers Ragtime music and shooting craps, excelling at the one & nearing ruin in the other. A white gentleman who has heard him play enters into an exclusive agreement to have him play at parties & subsequently takes him along on a tour of Europe.

Inevitably, he is drawn back to America and to music. He tours the South collecting musical knowledge so that he will be able to compose a uniquely American and Black music. But his idyll is shattered when he sees a white lynch mob burn a black man. In the wake of this experience, he decides to "pass" for white--not due to fear or discouragement, but due to "Shame at being identified with a people that could with impunity be treated worse than animals."

Abandoning his musical ambitions, he takes a job as a clerk, does well investing in real estate & meets a white woman who he wishes to marry. After examining his conscience he decides to tell her that he is black. After taking some time to confront this fact, she consents to marriage.

As the novel closes, the "ex-colored man" tells us: "My love for my children makes me glad that I am what I am, and keeps me from desiring to be otherwise; and yet, when I sometimes open a little box in which I still keep my fast yellowing manuscripts, the only tangible remnants of a vanished dream, a dead ambition, a sacrificed talent, I cannot repress the thought, that, after all, I have chosen the lesser part, that I have sold my birthright for a mess of pottage."

And the reader can't help but feel profoundly ashamed of a system of racial oppression that forced a man to make these choices--a wonderful novel.

GRADE: B+

This is a tragic book in a lot of ways. It is a reminder that America has not fullfilled her promise to all of her children. It would be great to read a book like this as an object lesson in the bigotry of the past. We have made some progress but there is still much to be done. James Weldon Johnson produced a wrenching tale. That it is somewhat autobiographical adds to the ambivalent narration. First the narrator feels shame in his heritage but then grows to accept himself and feel pride in who he is. This tells a tale that America is often loathe to hear but it is important nonetheless. The aspect of a mulatto man passing for white is sad. One should be allowed to feel pride in multiethnicity. This is a horrible stain on our culture that so many people had to live in denial of who they really were. This book is a valuable document of America's dark side. I would hope that it experiences a much deserved revival now that evidence of Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings has reopened the discussion on this sad piece of our history. Read this book and weep but most of all read this book and learn.

For a book which was first published in 1912, this is an amazingly relevant work for today. Johnson's novel (hidden in the form of an autobiography) graphically looks at relations between the races in American. The nameless main character is born in the South to an African-American mother and a white Southern aristocrat. He and his mother move to Connecticut when he is very young, allowing Johnson to show us the benevolent face of pervasive racism of the United States. Johnson avoids the easy "good" vs. "evil" view of the oppressed vs. the oppressors. Instead, the narrator becomes a permanent outcast, returning to the South upon the death of his mother and then to the ragtime era New York City. The style of the novel is clear and extremely readable--and very current. The end of the novel dives deep into the issue of racism, causing both black and white readers to question their long-held assumptions about who they are and who they appear to be to others.

I really enjoy the Fremont Jones series, particularly the characters and the historical setting. But the plotline of this book was simply too thin. Dianne Day has fallen into the lazy mystery writer's trap - the solution to the case is "The murderer was a lunatic!" The reader plods through myriad clues and tangents only to have everything suddenly wrapped up in one swift, unconvincing chapter.

I also fear that the Fremont Jones character is losing some authenticity. She is an atypically progressive woman for the time period, yet everyone who meets her seems to love her. Everything she does/attempts works out just perfectly (i.e., her guise as a man - so successful that her own lover doesn't recognize her), and her every problem solves itself easily (i.e., her money situation). I much preferred the Fremont of the first two books - a woman who was struggling to make ends meet, to find her way in the big city. She seems to have lost some humanity.

I hope that the next installment in this series shows Dianne Day returning to form and giving us the Fremont Jones we want to read about.

I am not really a mystery fan but was attracted to this book by it's title. As an avid student of San Francisco history I expected I might enjoy it, if only to pick apart all the historical inaccuracies! Was I ever wrong! Dianne Day obviously has done her research as her version of pre-earthquake San Francisco is right on! Not only was it accurate but it actually makes the period come alive. She gets the big things right, and the little things as well. For those who love mysteries and San Francisco this book is a must read. I enjoyed seeing the world I had read about for so many years brought to life, and in such refreshing ways. I look forward to reading all of the Fremont Jones Mysteries!

Fremont and her partner in life and business, Michael Kossoff are now running an investigative business, J & K and sort of sharing a duplex with the office on the ground floor. Their former policeman friend Wish Stephenson is working for them. Fremont has made friend who doesn't care for her unusual lifestyle, Frances McFadden. Frances is an abused wife with an interest in Spiritualism. While at a seance with Fremont, she finds herself taken over by a spirit. The medium orders her out of the building, but later asks for a visit. Fremont and Frances arrive at her house to find her murdered and very recently. Fremont of course wants to investigate and to save her friend, but Michael counsels her to be cautious. In the midst of all this, Fremont's father is coming for a visit without his despised wife Augusta. Michael tactfully leaves town. Another medium is also murdered and Fremont wonders if it is a trend and if Frances' brutal husband is involve.

The two plotlines of this novel blend beautifully. The murder mystery was a little more difficult than most, maybe because I was distracted by Fremont's reunion with her father. This is the best of the series so far.

All of my favorite characters from all of Andre Norton's previous 'Witch World' volumes meet in this volume. I've read all of her previous (solo) Witch World volumes at least three times each, and my very favorites, probably nine or ten times (the first four WW novels plus 'Year of the Unicorn'). Therefore, I feel qualified to comment on Norton's use of her previously developed characters in this volume. They came across as wooden: like someone had found a set of puppets in an old trunk in the attic, dusted them off, and strutted them across a very familiar stage. I was disappointed (to say in the least). Here were all of my old friends, together at last, and acting as though they would really rather be somewhere else.

However, even if I'd known in advance that I was going to be disappointed, I still would have read the book, just to find out how Hilarion, Simon Tregarth and his family, and the Were-riders were getting along. All of you real Witch World fans will have to do the same. Buy the book. Read it. Bid Witch World 'Hail and Farewell'.

More unsolicited advice for old Norton fans: Don't buy any of the imitation Witch Worlds that were authored by collaborators, even if Norton's name appears on the cover. No matter how good the writing, it's not Norton and it's not Witch World.

The reason I adored this book is that Mrs. Norton answered all of my questions from every short story, novella, and novel that I have read of the witch world. The characters are already friends of mine from the short stories I have read. When I read SAND SISTER I wondered if I would ever know what happened to them. Well here they are again! It is wonderful to get closure on all of my friends. I wondered what happened to Hillarion and Kathrea it is great to know they are still alive and the timeline is finally evident to us. The sulcar and the falconers are some of my favorite characters and they are here!!!! Good luck, Good reading, and God bless!!

Elaine McTyer

To critique an Andre Norton book, one must critique Ms. Norton. She is a most remarkable and compassionate woman, the very finast of story tellers ( every sentence and page are action-filled with no "apologetic"explanmatory paragraphs that insult the reader's intelligence and delay the plot; every page continues the plot with no meandering and, Ms. Norton knows how to end a story. It crescendos to the end; it does not dribble. She, and the 100+ books she has solo-authored aremagnificent.Ward of the Witch World continues this tradition. Most all the characters and locations from other epics are brought together, and there are at least three separate tales combined; a feast for the Witch-World lover. The characters are well vexposed, internally and externally. Thwew is perhaps more "spirituality" accorded to them but it does not slow the plot pace. Each sentence is so packed with the explanmatory verbs, adjectives and gerunds. New is the flavor of romanmce between several of her characters; not awkwardly as some of her co-authors have attempted, but "neatly". Also, there are still threads left untied, hopefully allowing for further Witch Word stories.

For those who have read and enjoyed the early Time Trader books (The Time Traders, Galactic Derelict, The Defiant Agents, and Key Out of Time), this book will be an enjoyable extension, with just enough difference in emphasis to remind the reader that this is no longer Ms. Norton writing alone.

After some (somewhat slow) preliminaries that help re-establish this series into a somewhat more modern time frame of post-Cold War, the story picks up the loose ends left by Galactic Derelict, with a new expedition to the final destination of that book. Although their ostensible mission is to find the missing members of an earlier Russian exploration team, the book quickly turns to unraveling the mystery of how and why all the current time denizens of the planet appear to be devolved representatives of earlier highly civilized species.

The is the best aspect of this book, as in working out the mystery, there are some fascinating portrayals of multiple different species working within an overall society that may be the ultimate in enforced harmony. There is far more emphasis here on the real sciences of the cultural, anthropological, linguistic and biological variety than was present in the original books, and the basic plot provides for quite a bit of suspense and surprise, invigorating this tale with page-turning expectations. The mind-twisting consequences of time travel are reasonably worked out here, although without really answering the basic paradox inherent in time travel capabilities.

What isn't quite as good is the basic characterizations, usually one of Norton's stronger points. Ross Murdock and Gordon Ashe don't quite seem to be the people they were in the earlier books, and most of the Russian contingent seem very sketchily drawn. Murdock's relationship with his new wife Eveleen seems very artificial. However, Saba, a new character for this book, is very competently drawn, and she pretty much carries the book.

Stylistically, this book tends to more complex vocabulary and sentence structure than Ms. Norton normally uses, which I have to attribute to her collaborator. This added complexity seems to help add some muscle and a believable tone to the story.

A competent tale and a worthy new entry to the Time Trader series, a series that helped establish Norton as one of the premier writers in the SF field long before women writers became fashionable.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Time Agents Ross Murdoch and Eveleen Riorden are enjoying their honeymoon at the home of fellow agent Gordon Ashe in Safe Harbor, Maine when the emergency call came. The next day a helicopter arrives to take them back to the Project Star Center.

When the newlyweds arrive at the home base, they are introduced to Colonel Zinaida Vasilyeva of the rival Russians. Zinaida explains that a scientific team jumped back in time on the planet Yilayil and vanished. A combined American-Russian team will be sent back to land one century past the date the Russian scientists leaped. Ross, Eveleen, Ashe, and the Russian are to learn what happened and whether the malevolent Baldies are involved in radically changing this planet.

Andre Norton & Sherwood Smith continue to revive Ms. Norton's classic science fiction series. The duo successfully "modernized" the Solar Queen novels and now turns to the Time Traders books. ECHOES OF TIME is an entertaining tale that stays with the essence of the original series, but updates the Cold War rivalry into a more nineties perspective. Though needed, this technique slows the tale down a bit until the time travelers begin their journey into the past as the plot turns into a science fiction mystery. At that point in time, the novel turns into an exciting adventure that will electrify fans of the grandmaster Ms. Norton and have new readers search for some of the original tales.

Harriet Klausner

Around scifi conventions I've heard FIREHAND referred to as so godawful it's the perfect example of why not to buy a collaboration, and after looking at its cliche romance, its pointless plot and stupid villains, I had to agree, so I avoided these collaborations until I was given this one.

I really like how the authors have upgraded the fifties science of the old ones, and given the characters some complexity. Even the bad contributions from Griffin were included and given some life. I hope there will be more.

This book may be the most exhaustive one ever written on the Salem witchcraft trials. I have read other books on the subject, but I found this one to be tough going. It is not a book for beginners. I have always wondered whether the girls were faking their seizure-like behavior, and I finally found the author's belief on the second to the last page. Author Norton believes the younger girls ages thirteen and under exhibited genuine fits for unknown causes. What about the physical causes such as bleeding and teeth marks, and what caused them? Did they injure themself? The author admits to not having an answer. Some of the older girls in their late teens and early twenties appear to have possibly taken part in collusion in their accusations of others. I guess if that is the case, and their victims were hanged for it, the girls could rightfully be accused of murder. I found parts of the book such as the trials of various ones tough going. The author has tied the witchcraft in Essex County, Massachusetts, to the Indian wars (King Philip's War and King William's War) in the area now known as Maine. If you haven't done any reading on this subject I would suggest you find one of several other books on Salem witchcraft that is available. This book would be suitable for those looking for a very detailed treatment of the subject. I based my rating of three stars on my interest level, but I'm sure those with a greater understanding of the subject would rate it higher.

Norton's book is not pleasurable reading, in the sense that it's difficult to get through. There are so many names and so many references, you just can't get a smooth read going.

However, it's so much better than the typical colonial american history book, it's worth the trouble. The witchraft hysteria has never been adequately explained, until now. Norton traces the accused and accusers to coastal Maine, where attacks by both French and native americans took a heavy toll in the 1670s and '80s, causing severe emotional trauma and generating gossip. Most coastal Maine families moved to northeast Massachusetts, to towns like Salem, Andover, Boxford, Haverhill, etc. and the accusers tended to come from them.

It's the only explanation that makes any sense. Previous attempts to portray the hysteria as resulting from economic divisions were never able to make sense of the judges sending twenty innocent people to their deaths with only the vaguest of evidence.

The author centers what is indubitably one of the most scholarly accounts I have yet read on the events in Salem on a new premise: That all the events were influenced by the Second Indian War and by the protagonists harrowing experiences during that conflict. Note that this doesn't exclude other causes, such as property disputes, envy, illicit affairs and the like that others have used in the past, and which are also mentioned in this book.

I don't know that I agree completely with what Norton is saying, although she does have several valid points. Either way, the book is a magnificent chronology and analysis (albeight colored by Norton's view) of one of the most puzzling events of our nation's early history. As an added bonus, her theory and her attempt at proof made her do a much better job of fitting in the events at Salem with what was happening in the rest of the New World at that time, as well as in England. It's certainly not casual reading, but it is a must read if you are interested in the subject.

Andre Norton is one of those rare authors who can continue to create new characters and settings in well developed plots. The present book introduces Willadene, a bedraggled waif fostered to a distant cousin to work as a scullery maid in the cousin's inn. Her future prospects are scant, with the cousin wanting to give her in marriage to a bloated drunkard of evil character who frequents the inn - a typical medieval notion of an arranged marriage. But Willadene's sensitivity, which makes her ill working in a tavern kitchen, turns out to be an asset to a dealer in herbs and cosmetics, and even more of an asset to the Duke's household.

Events carry Willadene into a grand and dangerous adventure. The Duchy is infested with evil which must be rooted out. She becomes involved with the Duke's daughter, the chancellor, a visiting prince, and "the bat," as the story moves forward to an action filled climax. The story seems to jump forward in a few spots, and switches between actions of different characters, but overall it's a good tale.

This was my first Andre Norton book and I must say I liked it very much. Scent of Magic is a return to classic high fantasy-- with an interesting premise of people having the power to smell evil. Young scullery maid Willadene is elevated into the highest society of court for her special powers...but she is caught in court intrigues that go deeper than just evil. When the high lady Mahart is taken, Willadene sets out on a journey with the spy Nicolas to rescue her. Through all is woven scentes, both evil and good, and a story of a miraculously scented flower.

The court intrigue was done quite well, though I felt that Sherwood Smith's Court Duel did a better job. The only major quibble I had with the story was the flat characterizations. Willadene and Mahart were not very well developed at all, and I would really liked to have seen more of the elusive and enigmatic Nicolas. Still, the plot is almost enough to make up for that lack. If you like the genre of high fantasy, you will find Scent of Magic enjoyable.

This is the first Andre Norton book in my library, and it won't be my last. I very much disliked the author's science fiction, but the fantasy is amazing. The characters were very fleshed out and the plot was twisted with evil.

Quite similar to _Crown Duel_ or _Court Duel_ by Sherwood Smith...maybe not as good as those two, but has the ability to grasp the reader from beginning til end.

This was the first book I read on computers, when I didn't know anything about them. That was two years ago and now that I look back it was a decent book. I remember reading it and being fascinated, even though some stuff was a little complex. All in all this was a good book. If you're an absolute newbie then read it.

This book is not good for advanced users though. Whether it claims to be or not, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU KNOW A FAIR AMOUNT ABOUT COMPUTER HARDWARE ALREADY. If you do you will be disappointed. That's why I always go for books that are more advanced to push myself.

.. I was not overly impressed. Being new to the inner workings of a PC I was immediately lost. I've had to read chapters over in order to understand what the authors are trying to say. What has helped me was another computer manual that was beutifully illustrated and helped me to recognize the parts & pieces of hardware that Mr. Norton referred to in his book. I did like the glossary though. This book is definitely not one to recommend to beginners.

Peter Norton's Inside the PC, Eighth Edition, and holds your attention better than most other technical books. It is written in a conversational style, which is easy to understand. Norton lays out his topics logically beginning with basic hardware information and becoming increasingly more complex. He uses pictures, graphs, and tables sparingly, only when necessary. Some of the most interesting sections are his Historical Asides, Notes, Technical Notes, Tips, Standards, and his own Principles, which come from his personal experience. There is a Quick Navigator inside the front cover that tells you where in the book to find general areas of information. The book has a useful glossary and a cross-referenced index. This is a good informational book at an intermediate level.

My initially reaction was "wow, this is really useful." But a closer read left me disappointed. The initial 32 pages are a half-decent set of Miss Manners for web publishing, but nowhere near as comprehensive (or, IMHO, useful) as e.g. Krug's "Don't Make Me Think". The remaining 200 or so pages are an attempt at a glossary/style guide alphabet-style. Some of the definitions are useful enough - it is nice to finally have the web site/website discussion solved in print.

But it is unclear what ground the authors wanted to cover, and the selections are an odd bunch, many of the definitions are incomplete. Why is there a specific entry for "Australian dollar"? The definition of "authentication" talks only about credit card authorization - there's nothing about user authentication. And why does ASP get its own definition, while PHP, ColdFusion, Perl and any number of other technologies are omitted?

I was very impressed with McGovern and Norton's "Content Critical", but their style guide is a bit of a dud.

This book was disappointing. I had higher expectations--largely due to the title and my quest for a good online style guide. I was particularly disappointed with the spelling of website as one word verses the many other style guides listing it as two--Web site. No mention about this spelling difference was even listed.

If you read and keep up with tech. magazines and various Web sites, this book will provide information that you already know. It is well organized, however, and would serve as a good reference for those who really don't understand the latest tech. buzz words or abbreviations--hence the 3-stars. A similar book that serves this same purpose is Webster's New World Computer Dictionary.

If you're looking for a cybertized version of the Chicago Manual of Style, this isn't it. But if you need to migrate your writing and editing skills to the Web, there's no better place to start than the Web Content Style Guide. I frequently lecture on content development, usability, and information architecture. This book is always on my list of recommended reading.

In addition to great writing guidelines and advice, there's also valuable information about the related issues of usability, navigation, and design. This is particularly important since many writers ignore these subjects thinking they are too technical or outside their area of responsibility (think again!). Keep the WCSG close at hand and your work can't help but improve.