Book Description
âChris Anderson was one of the chief architects of the next-generation GUI stack, the Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), which is the subject of this book. Chris’s insights shine a light from the internals of WPF to those standing at the entrance, guiding you through the concepts that form the foundation of his creation.â
–From the foreword by Chris Sells
âAs one of the architects behind WPF, Chris Anderson skillfully explains not only the âhow,’ but also the âwhy.’ This book is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to understand the design principles and best practices of WPF.â
–Anders Hejlsberg, technical fellow, Microsoft Corporation
âIf WPF stands as the user interface technology for the next generation of Windows, then Chris Anderson stands as the Charles Petzold for the next generation of Windows user interface developers.â
–Ted Neward, founding editor, TheServerSide.NET
âThis is an excellent book that does a really great job of introducing you to WPF, and explaining how to unlock the tremendous potential it provides.â
–Scott Guthrie, general manager, Developer Division, Microsoft
âWPF is a whole new animal when it comes to creating UI applications, drawing on design principles originating from both Windows Forms and the Web. Chris does a great job of not only explaining how to use the new features and capabilities of WPF (with associated code and XAML based syntax), but also explains why things work the way they do. As one of the architects of WPF, Chris gives great insight into the plumbing and design principles of WPF, as well as the mechanics of writing code using it. This is truly essential if you plan to be a serious WPF developer.â
–Brian Noyes, chief architect, IDesign Inc.; Microsoft Regional Director; Microsoft MVP
âI was given the opportunity to take a look at Chris Anderson’s book and found it to be an exceedingly valuable resource, one I can comfortably recommend to others. I can only speak for myself, but when faced with a new technology I like to have an understanding of how it relates to and works in relation to the technology it is supplanting. Chris starts his book by tying the WPF directly into the world of Windows 32-bit UI in C++. Chris demonstrates both a keen understanding of the underlying logic that drives the WPF and how it works and also a skill in helping the reader build on their own knowledge through examples that mimic how you would build your cutting edge applications.â
–Bill Sheldon, principal engineer, InterKnowlogy
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) replaces Microsoft’s diverse presentation technologies with a unified, state-of-the-art platform for building rich applications. WPF combines the best of Windows and the Web; fully integrates user interfaces, documents, and media; and leverages the full power of XML-based declarative programming.
In
Essential Windows Presentation Foundation, former WPF architect Chris Anderson systematically introduces this breakthrough platform, focusing on the concepts and techniques working developers need in order to build robust applications for real users. Drawing on his unique experience as an architect on the team, Anderson thoroughly illuminates the crucial new concepts underlying WPF and reveals how its APIs work together to offer developers unprecedented value.
Through working sample code, you’ll discover how WPF draws on the Web’s simple models for markup and deployment, common frame for applications, and rich server connectivity, and on Windows’ rich client model, simple programming model, strong control over look-and-feel, and rich networking. Topics explored in depth include
- WPF components and architecture
- Key WPF design decisions–and why they matter
- XAML markup language
- Controls
- Layouts
- Visuals and media, including 2D, 3D, video, and animation
- Data integration
- Actions
- Styles
- WPF Base Services
Essential Windows Presentation Foundation is the definitive, authoritative, code-centric WPF reference: everything Windows developers need to create a whole new generation of rich, graphical applications.
Figures
Foreword by Don Box
Foreword by Chris Sells
Preface
About the Author
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Applications
Chapter 3: Controls
Chapter 4: Layout
Chapter 5: Visuals
Chapter 6: Data
Chapter 7: Actions
Chapter 8: Styles
Appendix: Base Services
Index
Customer Reviews:
Where are the WHY's?.......2007-09-05
Chris has always impressed me with his talent to explain even the hardest bits of WPF in an approachable fashion - I guess many Channel 9 and other dev-related sites visitors would agree with me. Therefore, I started reading Essential WPF with high expectations...
There is nothing wrong with the book itself, but the marketing is completely and utterly false. Chris himself emphasizes that he would like to talk about the "why-s" of the platform and this is the very reason why I bought his book - only to find out that nothing like that happens. Quite honestly, any technical author could write this book after reading Windows 3.0 SDK documentation thoroughly - there is very little added value or insight. There are moments when Chris writes "this may be confusing..." and in this very moment, you would expect "... but it was necessary because of this and that" but that almost never happens. You are left with doubts about the quality of WPF which is probably the worst thing an author can do.
Don't be confused as I was: this book is not about "why-s", it is not about reasoning, it is not about in-depth discussion of some decisions made. It is an extensive walkthrough through the WPF features, it is a description of the framework but nothing more. Of course you will find some insights in this book but they are definitely not in proportion to Chris's role in the WPF team and his otherwise great skills.
I, personally, started reading this book as a big fan of WPF and was left with doubts if all the complexity is really necessary (and some things are pretty complex compared to Flex which is my current development environment). Actually, I think that I enjoyed reading the WPF introductory articles in the Windows SDK 3.0 documentation more and honestly, I thought that this could never happen when comparing docs and a book.
Anyway, if you really need great WPF book, don't waste money on this one - go buy Adam Nathan's WPF Unleashed. I'm on page 130 now and my enthusiasm for WPF is back. That book provides exactly what I wanted - deep discussion, great insight, practical tips, well thought-out structure and trust that the sub-optimal things in the current version are known issues likely to be fixed in WPF vNext.
Makes WPF easy to understand.......2007-07-07
The author clearly presents the reasoning behind the design, making a huge platform much more approachable.
Essential is a good word.......2007-06-29
Overall, I was not impressed with this book. I kept getting the sense that I was about to learn something interesting when - poof! - the book moved on to another topic.
So, if you're looking for an introduction to the concepts of WPF, this might be for you but do not expect any in depth coverage of any topic. I was hoping for (consider the author's background) a lot more detail.
To put this review in perspective: I have been working with WPF for quite some time and have already been through other books on WPF (including Petzold's and Adam Nathan's - the later being my personal favorite to date).
Not as 'fantastic' as I was expecting.......2007-06-15
My intention is not to criticise this book but to provide a bit of balance to the other "superlative" filled reviews. I had already read Adam Nathan's book before this and had high expectations of this one after reading the other reviews. After finishing the book I can't really understand why the reviews were so glowing. There are definitely some design insights and Chapter 7 (Actions) covered the important Command pattern in good detail, but I'm struggling to think of any advantages over the WPF Unleashed book.
I would definitely recommend WPF unleashed over this and the bottom line is I'll be looking to sell my copy of Essential WPF as I don't see the value of having both.
The Why of WPF with Real World Examples.......2007-05-25
This book is great if you want to understand the why behind WPF.
I have found that a lot of people are turned off by some the abstract teaching found in some of the Essential Series from Addison-Wesley. They feel the level of learning is too deep and doesn't show or relate to real world examples. That is not true with this book. Chris does an excellent job of digging deep while at the same time keeping the content in the real world.
This book is a definite complement of Adam Nathan's WPF book. No there is no color, but I didn't really think about it until I was writing this review.
The structure of the book's content is great, very well organized, and very thorough.
This is definitely a book you want at your side if you are programming WPF.
Book Description
If you are looking for a fast, visual way to learn Macromedia Flash 8 and create your interactive website, Macromedia Flash 8 On Demand is the book you need. Step-by-step instructions with accompanying 4-color visuals mean you'll spend less time reading and more time learning. You'll learn how you can easily integrate and add interactivity with tools, develop content using pre-built components and effectively improve authoring capabilities with custom extensions.
The new features icon used throughout the book highlights what's new in Macromedia Flash 8 and a troubleshooting guide is included to help solve your most common problems. Also, the companion software shows you how to perform everyday tasks and helps you gain web authoring experience. Let Macromedia Flash 8 On Demand help you master Macromedia Flash 8.
Customer Reviews:
Great Flash Reference book and prep for certification.......2007-01-31
I am the manager of the Seattle Flash User Group and I have also passed two Flash certification exams, so I know flash well and have used the program for several years. This book is an excellent book. When someone comes to the User Group and they are new to Flash or want to just learn the program I recommend three books, Lynda.com's Professional Flash 8: Hands On Training, to start learning the program, that will get your started learning the 20% of the program that you will use 80% of the time, the other two books are the Flash Cookbook and this book Flash on Demand.
I have read the book cover to cover; it is highlighted and has several post-it tabs attached to it. It is the first book I grab when I want to do a quick look up. It does a good job explaining and is full of photos.
It is a great reference and study guide for the exam that is why I read it cover to cover. The certification test cover a lot of area and you need a guide to review and study that covers the whole spectrum. One book will not do it, you need a couple and this one is good for that. They give a lot of suggestions on where to study and making mental notes on the test and they are very accurate.
Also I should add I do not know the people or the company that wrote this book. I am giving them a good review because I like this book and if my review helps someone to learn flash better I did my part. It is a great program. When I started to learn flash I bought a lot of bad books, if I can keep someone from being discourage again I done my part for the flash community.
I like this title.......2006-04-03
This is one of those sleeper books that gives you information on Flash, and in a way that doesn't talk down to you, and doesn't skimp on the cool stuff.
Cool title. I really like these On Demand titles.
great title.......2006-04-03
This is a great book for those who are wanting to get into Flash. Andy really knows how to talk to us who are starting in the appliction, and those who know how to use Flash. it's a great title for working with Flash.
Not a good book.......2006-03-31
While I liked how it looked at each element and described each component's basic functions, I found a lot of its content to be arguable and VERY poorly edited. In fact, it was so poorly edited, I really had a hard time taking any of it as accurate. The best example in my quick perusal was for "Understanding Basic Components" where it goes off on a wild and very badly written tangent about accessibility (very important and should probably have a whole chapter, but definitely not a "component"):
"When you work with Flash components, you can create Flash content that is accessible to users with disabilities using Flash accessibly features. As you design Flash applications, consider how your users will interact with the content[...] For more information on creating assessable compliant documents, open your browser and visit [URL], or for information on Flash, open your browser and visit [URL], go to the Flash Exchange..."
Do not spend 35 dollars on this book. If you can get it for really cheap, or free, then maybe. But don't take the content as being golden. A lot of it is questionable and a lot of the screenshots are unnecessary. And if you do have this book, get another one to verify its accuracy.
Good reference manual.......2006-03-22
This is a good reference manual for all the basic functions of Flash 8. It demonstrates clearly what all the menu options, tools, etc., do; where they're located; and how to work them. As others have noted, it's aimed at beginners. The first couple chapters will be old news for experienced users, and it covers only the most basic concepts for Action Script. It's a good overall introduction, although the text suffers from poor editing and occasional typos. These generally don't affect the content, but they are distracting.
If you're looking for a hands-on approach to learning Flash, this isn't it. You can download demonstration files at Perspection's web site, but they're always the finished product, so you don't get much chance to work out the process yourself. The book has a couple of projects in the back, but they're brief and more like extra features than tutorials. If you want something with a "learn by doing" focus, consider one of Philip Kerman's Flash books.
Average customer rating:
- A wealth of knowledge
- As an Chinese translator, I feel..
- Way better content than others! RedHat & Solaris
|
Unix Unleashed (4th Edition)
Andy Johnston , and
Robin Anderson
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Essential System Administration, Third Edition
ASIN: 067232251X |
Amazon.com
Using Solaris 8 and Linux 7.1 as their reference flavors, Robin Anderson and Andy Johnston (as well as a slew of contributors) show how to be a system administrator--and get all sorts of other work done--in the fourth edition of Unix Unleashed. Significantly different from its predecessors, this book stays generally clear of very basic matters, as well as subjects of interest primarily to software developers. The middle ground that's left--and there is a lot of it, as this book spans more than 1,100 mostly unillustrated pages--is the knowledge that a system administrator needs. Since lots of the people who work with Unix are administrators (either of databases, Internet sites, or some other kind of back-end resource), the shift in focus makes sense.
The authors employ a style that's nicely suited to the personality of administrators, as well as their job. To satisfy the "job" side of the equation, there are "best practices" sections that recommend how to configure various pieces of the system. For the "personality" side, there's rather a lot of explanatory material to explain why the best practices are what they are, and why they're not without flaw. There's very little step-by-step guidance in these pages. The authors instead prefer to use prose to explain solid thought processes: "This is what we want to accomplish (say, harden a system before it's connected to the network), here are the issues associated with that goal (known openings in default configurations, known techniques that attackers use, and so on), and here are the tools and procedures recommended for combating those problems." It's an excellent approach for administrators who approach their jobs as engineering problems. --David Wall
Topics covered: How to be a Unix system administrator with deep knowledge of all of your machine's critical subsystems. Sections deal with configuring, defending, and performance-optimizing mail services, Web services, authentication, printing, and applications. There is, unfortunately, not enough information on firewalls.
Book Description
The fourth edition of 'Unix Unleashed' will take a different tack from previous editions and other Unix books:It is readable as though it is a series of lectures on individual topics from Unix Wizards. This different approach will take the reader through the following topics:
Basic operation of the system and system administration in its simplest form: managing users and disks, starting up and shutting down the system, authenticating user connections, and administering the X Window System.
Common subsystems - the typical day-to-day tasks of system administration: sharing files, providing basic web services, printing, e-mail, and backing up the system.
The Unix toolset to make system administration more reliable and more powerful, and to administer more complex and important systems running on top of Unix.
System administration as a profession: much work needs to be done not to do the job in a purely technical sense but in a practical, real-world sense.
Download Description
The fourth edition of 'Unix Unleashed' will take a different tack from previous editions and other Unix books: It is readable as though it is a series of lectures on individual topics from Unix Wizards. This different approach will take the reader through the following topics: Basic operation of the system and system administration in its simplest form: managing users and disks, starting up and shutting down the system, authenticating user connections, and administering the X Window System. Common subsystems - the typical day-to-day tasks of system administration: sharing files, providing basic web services, printing, e-mail, and backing up the system. The Unix toolset to make system administration more reliable and more powerful, and to administer more complex and important systems running on top of Unix. System administration as a profession: much work needs to be done not to do the job in a purely technical sense but in a practical, real-world sense.
Customer Reviews:
A wealth of knowledge.......2003-06-27
I wonder how many people will buy this book since most Unix people are pretty certain they already know everything! I am guilty of that myself, I was modifying kernal code on ATT SYS V r 2 back in 1984, so I confess to being pretty skeptical about Unix Unleashed, but I must applaud the authors, this is a wealth of knowledge. And when I finished reading the book, I was glad I invested the time, it was a humbling reminder that just because I can spell "su", that doesn't mean I know everything about Unix.
The writing is very clear, think of the book as the polar opposite of a man page. They use charts, illustrations and other devices to convey difficult ideas. The book has been laid out well and that is critically important when you weigh in with over 1,100 pages. There are only a few pages in the entire work that don't have a subsection heading.
This is a good book and quite servicable as it is, I think it could even be used as a text in a semester long college course on Unix. When this goes to 5th edition I would recommend losing about 100 pages and not try to cover things like Snort, it is better to do one thing well and the Unix coverage is excellent. I would also like to see a bit more effort in meeting the promise of the title in the Towards Better Sysadmin section of the book, this is such an important topic and Andy and Robin clearly have the knowledge, experience and writing ability to help us in our journey to be better system administrators.
As an Chinese translator, I feel.........2002-02-24
All perfect, but there r too many words I can't understand at first sight(not technically) , such as "gotchas" ¡°weired... etc. ...
Way better content than others! RedHat & Solaris.......2002-01-14
This specifically covers all the necessary but not easily found tips which are useful to SysAdmins (and personal users) of these two most popular versions of Unix. This book has now become my #1 choice of the ONE unix book to buy! Look at the TOC: it's very complete topic coverage! I'd even say it replaces the classic "Running Linux" Ora book for content breadth.
Book Description
A brief introduction to business statistics that balances a conceptual understanding of statistics with the real-world application of statistical methodology. This essentials version features selected core topics from the authors' market-leading Statistics for Business and Economics, 8th, presented in 13 chapters. It includes the highly-regarded strengths of the longer text, including the problem-scenario approach that uses real-world examples to introduce statistical techniques. Methods, Applications, and Self-Test exercises include hundreds of problems based on real data. Examples and exercises throughout focus on ways that statistics contribute to improving the quality of products and services. This text can also be computer integrated at the discretion of the instructor. Instruction for data analysis based on Microsoft Excel and Minitab is included in appendices of appropriate chapters. Case problems are also provided with the text, with data sets available on disk for both Minitab and Excel formats.
Customer Reviews:
Great Text!!.......2003-01-19
The information in this book is clear-cut, concise, and easy to read. Easily understandable examples are given for the various statistical formulas, and extras like z-score value charts and the like help a lot. If you have a talented instructor leading your Stats class (like I did) in addition to this text, you will be sure to ace this course (like I did)!
P.S.: If you happen to be an Information Systems/Information Technology major (such as myself) DO NOT RE-SELL THIS BOOK! You will need the information in this book in your future Info Systems courses, and you will definitely realize the TRUE value of this text!
A useful book. . ........2002-02-27
. . .by authors who remember that they are writing for persons who are NOT professional mathematicians.
In today's world, frequently persons enter the business profession from a background in something other than what in the past might have been considered traditional avenues. Not all business textbooks recognize this (see my review for "Mathematical Applications")! However, this book seems to be an exception.
The material is presented in a logical format; key formulae are highlighted and set off from the rest of the text; and in-depth business examples are given in each chapter, demonstrating the particular statistical tools to be taught.
A useful and recommended volume.
Average customer rating:
- Indispensable if you are starting out.
- The definitive guide to the C Shell
- The C Shell equivalent of K&P
- Be literate, Know your c shell (csh)
- It's only good for beginner of c shell programming
|
Unix C Shell Field Guide
Gail Anderson , and
Paul Anderson
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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sed & awk (2nd Edition)
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Learning GNU Emacs, Third Edition
ASIN: 013937468X |
Customer Reviews:
Indispensable if you are starting out........2007-02-11
When I first started writing shell scripts, I found myself referring to this book constantly - and I do mean CONSTANTLY. Simple straightforward explanations and lots of examples.
I had 2-3 other books that all wound up gathering dust while this one just kept getting thumbed through.
I wrote all kinds of software for over thirty years on everything from embedded microprocessors to giant number crunchers.
This was one of the most helpful books I ever used in any of those milieus.
The definitive guide to the C Shell.......2006-04-18
The C shell (csh) is a Unix shell developed by Bill Joy for the BSD Unix system. It was originally derived from the 6th Edition Unix /bin/sh, the predecessor of the Bourne shell. Its syntax is modeled after the C programming language. The C shell added many feature improvements over the Bourne shell, such as aliases and command history. Today, the C shell is not widely used because it has been superceded by other shells such as the Tenex C shell (tcsh), the Korn shell (ksh), and the GNU Bourne-Again shell (bash). The C shell's scripting capability came under criticism in the early-to-mid 1990s for its ambiguity, especially with respect to quoting and redirection.
An example of possibly unwelcome behavior of csh scripts is the following:
if ( ! -e foo ) echo bar > foo
It would appear to say "if file 'foo' does not exist, create it with contents 'bar'". But it will in fact create an empty file, as the line is parsed such that the output redirect is set up before the file existence is tested. However, if you are a big fan of the C Shell or legacy code has forced you to deal with it, this is the definitive guide to it, even if it is 20 years old. The book is organized as follows:
Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the shell. Chapter 1 discusses what it is, what it does, and how you use it. Chapter 2 gives a brief tour of the shell with a sample terminal session.
Chapters 3 through 6 present the C Shell as an interactive command language. Chapter 3 presents the C shell's basic command forms. Chapter 4 shows the C shell's power - its command shorthand. Chapter 5 shows how to juggle your commands using job control. Chapter 6 covers the history and alias mechanisms, which are the C shell's original claims to fame.
Chapters 7 and 8 present the shell as a programming language. Chapter 7 covers the basic language forms and Chapter 8 discusses more advanced techniques. Both chapters contain plenty of example scripts.
Chapter 9 shows how to customize the C shell to accommodate your terminal type, working habits, login/logout procedures, and custom commands.
Chapter 10 explains how the C shell works and how it interfaces to the UNIX system. Included are plenty of diagrams to illustrate just how the C shell executes commands.
Finally, chapter 11 is a collection of C shell scripts that illustrate a particular technique, perform an interesting task, or solve a problem. Most are actual scripts in use on production UNIX systems at the time this book was printed.
This book should be on the shelf of anyone who must work with the C shell on a regular basis.
The C Shell equivalent of K&P.......2004-01-31
This is Kernighan and Pike, "UNIX Programming
Environment" written for the c-shell. Best book
on the (t)c-shell.
Be literate, Know your c shell (csh).......2000-05-29
I used this book to learn more than just the fundamentals of C shell programming. Some time it is more efficient to switch to or supplement with the C shell and save many borne shell steps to accomplish the same process. The C shell environment is robust. What the C shell is not is intuitive. Therefore, you need this book for any serious scripting. This is also the basis of tcsh
It's only good for beginner of c shell programming.......1999-11-07
It's only good for beginner of c shell programmin
Customer Reviews:
Jam-Packed with Fresh Cases.......2005-09-27
_I admit that I originally bought this book simply because I tend to buy every volume of synchronicity stories that I can find. I certainly wasn't familiar with the Australian author. Having now read it, I can attest that it is the largest collection of fresh cases that I've found in years. This is a gold mine if, like me, you are fascinated by meaningful coincidence.
_The core of the book is seven chapters of coincidence files that were sent to the author from all around the world. I have found no overlap here with other published collections. You have case after case, which range from one paragraph to several pages depending on the order and complexity.
_However, this book isn't just a collection of individual cases. The first section deals with how to refine and raise one's awareness of synchronicity in their life- without abandoning objectivity. This includes journal keeping to see patterns that would normally go unrecognized. Not only that, but there are chapters on how synchronicity relates to intuition, morphic resonance, probability, numinous numbers, the clustering effect, astrology, time, miracles, same names, and chance encounters. All of these are illustrated with numerous appropriate examples.
_The author also includes a detailed study of the uncanny coincidences between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations as an appendix.
_A second appendix is a scholarly study of psychology and coincidences by Dr. Caroline Watt. This seems to be provided to balance things out in terms of objectivity- yet even this critic finds that there are cases that cannot simply be explained away by chance and selective attention.
_This book is both a first rate introduction to the subject, as well as, a treasure trove of new cases for those already fascinated by the subject.
Interesting stuff.......2003-11-21
This book is jammed packed with everyday coincidences. Some are funny, some are sad but all of them are great to read about. There are name coincidences, time coincidences and even a chapter on the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences. The author also offers advice on how to raise awareness of our everyday coincidences.
Book Description
Since it hit TV screens three years ago, the X-Files has achieved astronomical success, and has attracted a huge and dedicated cult following. Gillian Anderson (Special Agent Scully) who plays alongside David Duchovny (Agent Mulder) has achieved a popularity and fan-base equal to that of the show. Recently voted the world's most beautiful woman by People magazine, and the world's sexiest woman by FHM, Anderson's career as a superstar looks set to continue. This highly illustrated biography looks at life before and after the X-Files, as well as giving a revealing look at life as Special Agent Scully.
Customer Reviews:
What????? No Siberian Husky photos?????.......2004-03-26
I bought this thinking it was a life account of Guiliglon Anderson, famous Yukon dog sledder....Who is this chick anyway?
The coolest person.......2002-01-04
I think she is the coolest, smartest, prittyest person.
I love the show and want to meet her!
Gillian sounds very intelegent.
Reading this book makes you feel like you know Gillian A........1999-07-16
Reading this book makes you actually think you know Gillian Anderson in person! It gives you the same amount of info on Gillian as it does X-Files. It also has many photos of Gillian. I recommend this book to all X-file fans!
A must have for any X-Files fan!.......1999-05-18
This book is great for those fans of the show who like both the character Scully and the actress who plays her (Gillian Anderson)! This book give a wonderful background of her life and of her work on the X-Files. A must read for any fan!
A great book.......1999-02-23
I already knew a lot about Gillian Anderson before I read this book, but it really made some of the information I knew more clear. I enjoyed it very much and would suggest it to any fan of Ms. Anderson. She's truly an amazing person!
Book Description
In the most ambitious and exciting X-Files adventure to date, Mulder and Scully fly to the Yucatan jungle to investigate a missing team of archaelogists. Their exploration leads to a strange electronic signal coming from beneath ancient ruins -- a signal aimed upward, at the stars....
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2007-02-25
Love, love, love this book! Kevin Anderson has the characters of Mulder and Scully spot on. The story is gripping and adventurous and is the best in the series. Definitely a must read for the X-files fan craving more Mulder/Scully stories.
Okay if you're not expecting much..........2006-06-17
This book was not well thought out. Muldar's jokes are made without regard to the urgency of the situation. If you and your partner were standing alone at night in a spooky ghost city and armed soldiers appeared out of nowhere, would you crack a joke? If the U.S. military needed to blow up a pyramid would they attack it with a mortar? Would that even be enough? The firefight scene lacked realism. If you were the head of a small unit in a firefight against a much larger force and some FBI woman started lecturing you while your men died, would order her to her tent and stand guard outside?
A way to revisit the series.......2005-07-04
I enjoyed this book very much. It was a way for me to rip myself from the reruns and visit the series from a new perspective. Yes, Rubicon says "uh" too much, and even though this pre-dates the movie it is a little similar..well, very similar, but it was a new adventure, and that was all that really mattered. It is interesting how Anderson used existing specualtions about the Mayan civilization, but twisted them into Mulder and Scully's universe. I am happy he didn't take too many liberties. That is what online fanfiction is for. I am/was an avid shipper and this story had enough shipperific moments to satisfy me. I wish I could see Gillian and David act it out. That would be awesome.
The truth is not in here.......2005-04-13
This is the type of adaptation that gives adaptations a bad name.
The assignment of writing an "X-Files" book is a very difficult one. Anderson probably wasn't allowed to have any kind of meaningful character development, nothing can happen that has any sort of permanent effect on any of the regular X-Files characters, and you're introducing characters that every single reader has undoubtedly formed some preconceived notions about.
Given these limitations, perhaps all you can do is churn out some by-the-book prose and play it safe. That's what Anderson has done here.
The story itself is more like the X-Files movie, in that it takes place over a longer period of time than any given episode of the tv show, and has more plot twists and turns. It deals with a trip to central america, and the main dangers are drug smugglers and the possible existence of a strange dragon-like beast that appears in ancient Mayan mythology.
I would have liked to have seen the author take greater advantage of the particualr strengths that the book format allows. More flair in the writing would have been appreciated, but this is also a chance to do whatever can be imagined; there are no restrictions of budget or location or time. Instead, this is just an extended version of the formulaic plot that the tv show has established. There's a case to solve, and Mulder and Scully set out to solve it.
Before you shell out 22 bucks for this book (I have the hardcover edition), I would suggest trying some fan fiction published on the internet. You'll find a wide range of writing there, of course, but the best of that lot is better than what you'll find here.
A Treasure beyond Measure!.......2004-09-15
Brilliant! And again, Brilliant! A book of such profound allusions, similes and metaphores (mostly similies) that I was blown away. "...yelling 'bingo, bingo!' as if she were being mugged." Great lines like that are frequent in this book. Such a sublime talent this Anderson fella has.
This book reads as if it was written in 20 minutes, and no editing. I highly recommend this for anyone with a command of english literature and a good sense of humor.
Average customer rating:
- The story moved well and was fast paced,suspensefull.
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The X-Files Audio Collection
Kevin J. Anderson
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
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Customer Reviews:
The story moved well and was fast paced,suspensefull........1998-05-23
In the tradition of this fine television seris,the story was excellent. Set in the jungles of Mexico,the storyline was a bit exotic and interesting. The inclusion of a military commando team and the ensuing firefight was suspense and action mixed in a well writtien AND well read story. This audio series on this show just keeps getting better and better....would love to hear another one read by Gillian Anderson..
Book Description
Dr. Gregory, a renowned nuclear weapons researcher, is not only dead--he's been charred to a radioactive cinder.
Since this is a death on Federal property, Mulder and Scully are hastily called in. As FBI agents who specialize in unexplained phenomena, they are the investigators of The X-Files, strange and inexplicable cases which are also mysteries that the FBI doesn't want solved.
When a second victim, completely unrelated to nuclear science or Dr. Gregory is obliterated in the New Mexico desert, and then a third dies the same way in Washington, DC, Mulder and Scully begin to focus on the frightening dimension of their task. The bizarre deaths cannot be a coincidence. And as they work to uncover the secret unifying element that unites these deaths, it becomes clear that this twisted puzzle has fatal consequences for the entire world.
Customer Reviews:
Intriguing from Beginning to End.......2007-02-28
Of the three X-Files novelizations by Kevin J. Anderson, I think I like this one best. The plot is fast-paced and the story line is mysterious.
It's a shame that there are only a few X-Files novelizations by Anderson and other authors. I loved the show and am just discovering these books.
Now, it's too bad there aren't any "Millennium" novelizations!
Supernatural happenings in a nuclear age.......2005-11-11
This is a review of the audiobook version of Ground Zero by Kevin Anderson read by Gillian Anderson.
Set against the world of government sponsored nuclear weapons research , Ground Zero has agents Mulder and Scully investigating the death of a researcher who is blown to bits - but the rest of his office is intact. There is no known personal sized nuke- so what happened? The audiobook is read by Gillian Anderson , and the abridgement has the focus on Scully's part of the investigation and the unlikely supernatural conclusion that takes the agents to the south pacific and the site of a planned above ground test of a new super weapon.
Anderson's reading is great! I got a good chuckle out of her comments about how that Mulder's theories were bound to be way out there and not grounded in science. Well paced, the book moves along with action and theory and some cool supernatural mysticism concerning a lost tribe , wiped out by an above ground nuclear test in the 50s and their long journey to retribution and vengeance from beyond......
Disappointing.......2005-02-28
I was excited to know that there was another X-files book make by Kevin Anderson because I love how well he writes his novels.
I was disappointed when I finished the book. Here are the positives and the negatives I found.
On the positive side it was detailed.
On the negative side I found that the main plot of the story seemed a long way away from what was happening. I felt lost and confused at the end.
I really wish that it had not been drawn out so much. I understand that it was meant to build suspense but I didn't understand anything until the last seventy pages.
If you are going to read Kevin J. Anderson's novels read: "The X-files Antibodies
I Enjoyed This Book.......2004-03-13
I enjoyed this book but i thought i could have been better. While reading this book i felt like Mulder was left out alot. But the book kept my attention. Although i thought it could have been better i reccomend this book.
Good idea- weak execution.......2003-05-26
Now having read 7 books either written or co-written by Kevin J. Anderson,(3 Star Wars, 3 X-Files and 1 Dune) I can say that the man has good ideas, I just don't think that his writing is all that absorbing. As with his Star Wars books, his X-Files books never quite ring true of the characters. As for the cases, they are pretty good, but it isn't Mulder and Scully who are chasing down the monsters. Of all the new X-Files books, Charles Grant's "Whirlwind" nails the characters of Mulder and Scully, but the case isn't particularly involving.
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