Book Description
For the 11th edition of BIOLOGY: UNITY AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE, Cecie Starr and Ralph Taggart made it their goal to "solve" some of the toughest Introductory Biology course challenges. We introduce a new issues-oriented approach with engages students in current, motivating biological topics; a built-in cross-referencing system for key topics; and, most importantly, time-saving media resources for instructors.Show students how biology matters – Opening each chapter with engaging essays on hot issues and related online voting, the text highlights the connections between biology and real-life. Online exercises promote critical thinking about issues students will face as consumers, parents and citizens. Link concepts from chapter to chapter - Students often have a difficult time with this, so the authors created a "linking" tool. A list at the start of each chapter reminds students of related topics that were explained earlier. Within chapters, a key icon identifies cross-references to relevant sections in earlier chapters. As students work through the text, they see how topics build upon one another.Monitoring students' progress with ease - BiologyNow™ offers diagnostic quizzes with automatically graded results that flow directly into your instructor gradebook (iLrn, WebCT or BlackBoard). And, to assess students' progress instantly with in-class quizzes and polls, you can use JoinIn™ on TurningPoint® content and software.Easier lecture prep - The new PowerLecture tool integrates all chapter assets - art, photos, animations, videos, links to InfoTrac articles, web links and everything else you need into each chapter's lecture slides. This "buffet" of media resources-arranged by chapter section is at your fingertips. Just cut and paste what you want into your lecture file. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

repetitive
This book is useful and contains a lot of good information, but could have been half as thick as it is. Everything is summarized more than once, in side-bars and at the ends of chapters, and key points are even repeated more than once in the text itself. The result is patchy text that is difficult to navigate and next to impossible to find information quickly in.

Biological Detour
This is the book I had in my college biology course. I find this book to be quite inconsistent. While it has it's bright spots and explains some things very well, it is one of those books where you end up having to hunt for the information. Result? You spend a great deal of time deciphering the book which has the information strewn everywhere in a fashion that's not entirely organized. Not to mention the fact that it stops dead cold in the middle of explaining a concept in order to go into great detail about another related concept. Then suddenly it jolts the reader back to what it was talking about beforehand. A good and elementary example of this is in chapter 2 where they discuss hydrogen bonding. It veers off and on from what the topic is supposed to be. It would be more helpful to cut to the chase and leave the lengthly prose out of the book. As another reviewer pointed out, the fact that the book has so many different authors is just ASKING for the final product to be inconsistent. This book is not worth the 120 dollars they expect you to pay for it.

Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life
This book is far too wordy and repetitive and could have been half as thick. It weights over 4 pounds and is very heavy to carry around.

Very often the point of a sentence is lost in the verbiage. Some basic explanations are repeated several times, whilst many more important things are left unexplained.

Many of the pictures appear to have been chosen because they are 'cool' rather than relevant to the text and just sidetrack the reader.

Some of the examples are incredibly stupid. One, at p. 18, under the heading, "Critical Thinking", 2., gives the story of a turkey that learned to equate footsteps with the provision of food. One one day the footsteps led to the turkey having its head chopped off. The text explains that the turkey learned the hard way. In fact the turkey learned nothing, as by then it was dead.

The glossary is inadequate and misses out too many new and important terms.

The answers given to the quizzes do not always agree with the text, for example, Chapter 2 Self Quiz Question 1 asks what charge is carried by an electron. The correct answer, as given at page 24, is "Negative," but the answer list in Appendix III gives it incorrectly as "Positive." Many instructors lift questions and answers from the book for on-line exams. Does the student then give the incorrect answer as per Appendix III to get the point or the correct answer, knowing that it will very likely be graded as "wrong"? Another example is in the quiz to Chapter 5, question 2.

Looking at the list of credits, it lookas if too many people have had a hand in the book and as a result it has been spoilt.

I would not recommend this book.

Basic
Extremely basic with inconsistant layout. Entire sections will be printed with a blue background, for example, that look more like a special topics box then text. In several cases the text reuses its stock photos in several unrelated sections. The text illustrates points that clearly do not need illustration (Do you know what water looks like? There is a photo of it if you need it. ) and ignores others (the beta and alpha linkages of glucose) after dicussing them. Good for high school student concepts but unacceptably uncomprehensive for college.

Homeschoolers Take Note!
This is a fantastic text for homeschooling. Each concept is introduced,discussed, and wrapped up in a 2-page spread.This is *not* the dry biotext you remember from high school.It is fascinating enough that I findmyself stealing it from my daughter's room.Perfect for a science-lovinghomeschooler who is hungry for advanced texts at an earlier age because thesetup is conducive to parental participation and discussion.However, beadvised it is written from an evolutionary point of view if you areinclined to avoid this emphais.And of course there's that really coolpicture of the monkey fighting the cheetah ;) ... Read more

Book Description

An indispensable step-by-step configuration guide for IP Telephony professionals

• Includes step-by-step configuration instructions for CallManager features and Unity administration tasks
• Demonstrates how to deploy devices and implement your dial plan
• Covers Call Admission Control features and class of service
• Examines different subscriber types and how subscribers are added, imported, and managed
• Includes step-by-step instructions for call handling and auto attendant configuration
• Describes how to use Unity and CallManager together to deliver unique features

To properly deploy any type of technology, networking professionals must understand not only the technology but also how to configure and integrate it with other solutions. That’s the key to Configuring CallManager and Unity–it focuses on the configuration issues associated with CallManager and Unity® deployments while ensuring that you understand the technologies behind your deployment.

Configuring CallManager and Unity includes step-by-step guides that system administrators and other networking professionals can use in the field. These step-by-step instructions have been worked out by an author who has both taught and implemented Cisco® solutions in real-world situations, so coverage is comprehensive for both basic and complex implementations. You will find information that will assist in the configuration of CallManager-related tasks, such as device configuration, gateway implementation, and dial-plan creation to name a few. You will also find Unity-related configuration tasks, ranging from the basics, such as holiday and schedule configuration, to more involved tasks, such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) networking implementation. In addition to covering Unity and CallManager tasks, this book includes a chapter on leveraging the capabilities of both systems to create integrated solutions, such as a MeetMe conference manager.

Tasks in Configuring CallManager and Unity are organized in the same order you would naturally perform them, and some tasks are cross-referenced with other required tasks for easy reference. You learn not only how to configure CallManager and Unity but also how to create a more feature-rich environment by leveraging CallManager and Unity features. Regardless of your specific needs, you’ll find Configuring CallManager and Unity to be a timesaving tool when performing common or complicated configuration tasks.

This IP communications book is part of the Cisco Press® Networking Technology Series. IP communications titles from Cisco Press help networking professionals understand voice and IP telephony technologies, plan and design converged networks, and implement network solutions for increased productivity.

Customer Reviews (4)

CM Guide
Wish I had found this book sooner - so many Cisco books are for the CCIE or CCIE wanna be ( I confess - I am a wanna be). But in this case I needed a guide to tell me how to administrate the system. This is a very good book for administering Call Manager.

CCM and Unity Step by Step Guide
I purchased this book recently and found it very easy to understand, the author did a very good job in explaining all the concepts that I needed to know.

Great Information
This is a great book at giving specifics on how to setup most everything. Although I am on Callmanager 5.0 this book does not cover this version but does provide the underlying foundation on how to configure route patterns, lists, hunt groups and most eveything in 5.0 but i believe 5.0 has added new features and interfaces that this book does not cover. All in all I could not find a CM 5.0 book out there and this one substituted quite well and therefore I give it 5 stars as being pertinent to a new version of call manager.

The Best Book Out There on this Topic
Configuring CallManager and Unity: A Step-by-Step Guide (ISBN 1-58705-196-6) by David Bateman is perhaps the best book currently out there on this subject. It is over 500 pages and has all the elements of an indispensable book: easy to read, practical in its approach, well organized, and packed with current, useful, and up-to-date information. If you are involved in configuring or maintaining the Cisco CallManger suite of VoIP telephony, you simply can not do without this book.

As those of us who have been involved with configuring or maintaining the CallManager and Unity system, it is not a trivial task by any means. (I decided to grab this book as a result of an already operational CallManager system that I inherited. I needed get my hands on a practical book that wouldn't take me for a fluff-ride.) There are a number of interconnected details that need to be worked out. While one can try their luck and make their way through them by accepting defaults settings etc., in order to attain an optimal system that can grow to an enterprise level without resulting in frustrating performance and/or security problems, a somewhat detailed understanding of the system and the parameters associated with it is essential. This book does an excellent job of walking the reader through the configuration of these parameters and providing just the right explanation of the concepts behind them. For example, the author, seemingly well-aware of the elements of good technical writing, uses the same type of wording when describing similar concepts. This is a key element of a good technical book since the subject matter of such books can get complicated and it is a good practice to use the same type of wording and similar structure to emphasize the similarity in the topics being covered. The author has used this and other techniques to his advantage when writing this book.

The book is divided into two major sections: one dealing with the CallManager and the other dealing with Unity. Both sections are very well written and references are made to the necessary parts within the sections to emphasize the relationships whenever necessary. Another very important point is that the author has presented the material in the book in generally the same order as one would configure the system. The material is further combined under the same logical groupings as found in the actual application. For a complicated system like the CallManager, this goes a long way in understanding how things tie together in the application and hence helps in getting the "big picture" as well as the details.

As far as suggestions and recommendations go for the author, I would love to see the author write a book on the design of CallManager networks. Just like a good design is critical to the performance of data networks, VoIP networks do not scale well unless backed by a robust design. In fact, performance in voice networks is even more important due to the time sensitive nature of the traffic being carried. A book on the design aspects of VoIP networks would be most welcome. Similarly, installation of CallManager is not covered in this book since that topic can easily take up a book itself. While CallManager installation is usually performed by Cisco itself, a book on this topic would be nice as well.

The need for this book is best described in the words of the author. He writes in the introduction: "While there are many fine Cisco Press books on this technology, I noticed many of my students requesting a task-oriented book.... Through the writing process, the book evolved from offering only a step-by-step guide into also offering easy to understand explanations for many of the Cisco IP Telephony concepts and components." While many authors make grand claims about their books, this one holds true to every word of it. The book does exactly as the author claims: it not only presents a very detailed step-by-step approach to configuring Cisco's VoIP solution (which is no doubt a complex and intricate system) but also presents much needed explanations of the steps in a clear, concise manner whenever necessary.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a little difficult, but very much worth ithe reading.
St. Cyril is one of the main pillars of faith in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches and one of the Popes (Patriarchs) of Alexandria. After successfully defending the Faith against Nestorius at Ephesus in 431, he spent much of his time combating what was left of Nestorianism inside of his jurisdiction which was Egypt and did so until his repose in 444. He wrote "On the Unity of Christ" long after Nestorius was deposed and exiled as a way of combating the Nestorianism within the monastic ranks who seemed to be the most heavily effected by it in Egypt.

He is definitely verbose in areas, some much more so than others, which makes this work difficult to read at times and rather trying on the patience. When one can penetrate through that, though, then they see the full value of the work and the theology expressed in it.

He explains why Mary can be called the "Mother of God" or "God Bearer" ("Theotokos" in Greek) while illuminating, as many authors before him had, on how Christ prayed in the Garden while not comprimising His unity of divine and human in one being (OUSIA), how Christ can be called a prophet in His humanity while that not comprimising His divinity, and many more topics.

It is important when reading St. Cyril to take into account the letter of reunion between John of Antioch and himself in 433 in which Cyril validates and counts as equal to his "One Nature in the Incarnate Logos" The Antiochian and Greek "In Two Natures." This is precisely needed since in the Alexandrian school of theology PHYSIS (nature) is associated with OUSIA (substance) whereas in the Eastern Orthodox, particularly Antiochian and Greek at the time (Russia and the other Slaves hadn't been converted yet) HYPOSTASIS (person) is assoiated with OUSIA (substance).

Both schools are saying and were saying the same thing just in different words. In the latter it is considered that action is needed to define true personhood and in the other (the Coptic/Oriental Orthodox) it is considered simply being a person (Hypostasis) is enough with one composite physis out of two with Christ being in two Hypostasis in the Incarnate Logos (Christ). Whereas the Eastern Orthodox say in two physis and out of two Hypostasis both recognize the difference and terminology now. This MUST be taken into account when reading St. Cyril's works.

I would also recommend reading the Tome of Pope St. Leo the Great which was written not even two decades after Ephesus in 431, it gives an excellent view using the Greek and Antiochian terminology on who Christ is in regards to His divinity and humanity and the letter from St. Cyril to St. John of Antioch (it's only about five pages long if even that). You might also want to read Fr. John Romanides papers on St. Cyril and the Tome of Pope St. Leo the Great (another five or six page one, very short but informative) in addition, they are very well rounded and informative, they even include conversations he has with Oriental Orthodox bishops concerning his paper(s). All four go together VERY nicely and each serves to express the other three more clearly.

The Unity of Christ The Monogenis
Alexandrian versus Antiochene Theology :
The Alexandrines based their Christology on john 1:14 amending it mystically with 1 Tim 3:16. They explained the Logos-sarx union with the soul-body analogy to illustrate the substantial union, an ontological oneness, between divinity and humanity in Christ. The rival theology of the Antiochenes employed the soul-body analogy to explain how the Divinity and humanity united in Christ without loosing their full integrity.

Cyril of Alexandria:
st. Cyril of Alexandria, the Christological champion for Orthodoxy, developed and exalted the theology of the famous school of Alexandria (Catechetical Didaskalia) He was trained by his uncle Theophilus of Alexandria, followed faithfully the Tradition of Alexandria from Clement, and Origen to Athanasius and Didymus, the blind. He was a great biblical expositor, and his christology is Bible based.Thomas Weinandy, debates that Cyril is the first, if not the only patristic theologian to employ the soul-body analogy properly, for different Church fathers conceive the union in Christ depending on their carrier philosophy, platonic, Stoic, or Aristotelian.

On The unity of Christ:
This book is the last of Cyrils theological essays discrediting Nestorius and his Antiochene christology, and contains his most mature teaching on the mystery of union that baffled the theologians since the fourth century. It was written in the form of a dialogue, to explain the Hypostatic Union in Christ.
(R. Yanney: Coptic Church review; vol 19, No 4)

Translator/Editor:
Fr. john McGukin, is professor of Early Church History, Union Theological Seminary, NY. He is a patristic scholar, and theologian. He wrote seven books and numerous articles, and is an expert on Cyril and Alexandrine theology. The translation is in a lucid language, with an elaborate introduction on Cyril's life and Christology. An in depth treatment of Cyril dogmatic theology, which has been revived in the last decades. ... Read more

Book Description
This book is a primer on doing biblical theology through the "arching" principle, or taking the Bible as a coherent and unified whole, in order to understand the unified teachings of the Bible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Pretty Good!
As a result of many criticisms from Protestant and evangelical scholars regarding Fuller's theological points on the Mosaic Law, faith, justification, and redemptive-history I was very weary to read this book. However, after reading this book I found much exegetical and practical insights regarding the Christian faith. I also enjoyed the way he speaks to the reader in a frank and easy to understand way so that even the average layperson can gain much information from the work. Also, the work can help many people gain insights into God's character and works, Christ's redemption, and man's responsibility. For Christians, there are many valuable reflections to scan over in order to gain a much more stronger faith and walk with God. Fuller's discussion on the unity of the Bible can help see through our own theological grids and challenge our own interpretive viewpoints (as a progressive dispensationalists I was very challenged by some of the arguments made by Fuller). He makes a pretty good case why the Bible must be seen as a unity rather than as a dichotomy (Marcionism?). The second part of the book dealing with God's nature and His work throughout salvation-history is an excellent argument for Calvinism. Many non-Calvinists always ask why a good and loving God would allow sin to permeate creation and only select a remnant from mankind for His blessings. Fuller answers these hypothetical questions by focusing on God's nature and work as a Trinity. His nature demands that He work in creation to increase His glory even if it means bringing sin and suffering into the world. Without the fall God's glory and mercy cannot be shown. The third section is about Israel's experiences throughout the OT as an example of what happens to people who receive God's mercy or reject Him. Those who receive His mercy are saved; those who reject His mercy are damned. Also, God is not a client that He needs humanity to work for Him--He is a patron willing to bestow grace upon sinful humans when they come to him in faith. This strikes a blow against any "church" that preaches a legalistic Gospel from self-made regulations. The last section deals with how Christ's first coming is the start of God's Kingdom program predicted in the OT. Fuller makes a good case why God's Kingdom has already come even though it still has a future element. Also, his argument for the mass conversion of Israel before the Parousia is outstanding. However, I must say that there are some negatives in this book. Fuller believes that the OT Law and NT Gospel are a continuum rather than a contrast. Critics of Fuller are right to argue that the Law has no place when it comes to receiving God's salvation through faith. To say that the Law must go alongside the Gospel is to wander into the path of Romanism, Arminianism, nomism, and works-salvation. His whole argument on the nature of the Mosaic Law is not persuasive. For most Christians, practically speaking, there is no difference between the "law of faith" and the "law of works." A Christian who is told to see the Law as a means of receiving the promises will fall into a works-salvation mentality. This can be very dangerous to those who are just "babes" in Christ. Works are the result of saving faith; not saving faith itself. This is where Fuller fails in his theology. Overall, though, I would recommend this book to those who want to understand how and why God works with humanity.

A Fuller View
As I began to emerge out of my narrow minded upbring, this was one of the first books I read. It helped me to see "the fullness of God" throughout history.From the seed of Abraham to the redemption of all things.This is a must read for anyone who desires to understand redemptive history, or at least catch a glimps of it.I wish I would have been is his classes when he tought this stuff. WOW!!

Catching On To What the Bible Is Up To
Building on his path-breaking study Gospel & Law: Contrast or Continuum?, the former Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Hermeneutics at Fuller Theological Seminary offers the Church anon-technical, highly accessible exposition of God's redemptive plan forhumanity.The fruit of his 40+ years of study, reflection and interactionwith generations of students, The Unity of the Bible is organized intorelatively short chapters, each having review questions to help the readercatch on to what Fuller is up to.Thus the book is very well-suited foruse in adult Sunday School classes, provided that both facilitator andstudents are willing to do the close, careful reading Fuller's bookdeserves and requires.

Unity of the Bible provides a thoroughly biblicalpresentation of God's controlling purpose in human history.Introductorychapters set forth Fuller's inductive, presuppositionless approach to theBible, an approach he believes mirrors the practice of the early Church,and which best positions Christians today to persuasively communicate themessage of the Bible in a diverse, multi-cultural context.Fuller thenproceeds to an inductive study of Genesis 1-3 in order to discover God'spurpose in creation.As the middle sections of Unity unfold, Fuller deftlyargues that in all of the redemptive history set forth in the OldTestament, God is unerringly working out this single purpose, a purposefinally fulfilled in Jesus' life, ministry and death.In the final sectionFuller shows how the Church now fits into God's redemptive plan to bringHis single purpose to its consummation.

Along the way the attentivereader will be rewarded with challenging and life-transforming insightsinto the Law as a law of faith, how saving faith necessarily entails theobedience of faith, and that God is our Patron Lord and not a client lord. These "aha" experiences are more than worth the effort required to followhis exegesis and arguments.Though Fuller critiques the reigningtheological paradigm of Reformed Protestantism at places, he is alwayscareful in his analysis of theologians with whom he disagrees.Throughouthis writing evinces a docility of spirit before the biblical text whichought to serve as a model for any who wish to understand and alignthemselves with the "whole purpose of God."

Thus, those who claim thatFuller sees no discontinuity between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant(cf. the review posted 12/13/99 by a reader in Minneapolis), or who detect"cynicism and error" in this book (cf. the review posted 12/8/99 by anotherreader in Minneapolis) have in my opinion not read Fuller carefully.SinceFuller forthrightly challenges some of the theological formulations of theProtestant paradigm, it is understandable that those fully committed tothat paradigm might balk at some of his judgments and conclusions.Butdisagreement with an author does not justify such a gross mis-reading ofhis work.Unity of the Bible may be "dangerous," but the peril is onlythat it will shake us out of our settled religious traditions.The promiseis that God may use this book to awaken the reader's thirst for the livingwater Who alone will satisfy.

Controversial positions, but solid Scriptural support.
Fuller's well-established purpose in writing was to present the Bible as a whole and express its coherency in theme.Throughout the book, the author comes back to this point and reminds the reader of how the current chapter or section fits in with that overall context.His approach, as stated inthe preface follows an inductive method of reasoning, challenging readersto emulate the Bereans of Acts 17.In an attempt to make aninterpretational decision, the Bereans based their conclusions on solidevidence.In his opinion, "In today's churches time and energy mustbe given to train promising people to do likewise" (p. 105).Where heemploys this inductive method to focus on specific sections of Scripture-specifically chapters 7, 12, 15, and fragmented parts of a few otherchapters- constitute the highlight of his work.These chapters form a baseupon which the majority of his theological interpretations are built. Consequently, the farther he reaches from the source of his information,the less coherency he retains in supporting these positions.To hisdefense, he seems to use an extraordinary amount of scriptural referencesin support of his ideas, and for the majority of the book, these ideas wereunderstandable and well organized.

Toward the latter half of thebook, primarily in the last 8-10 chapters, Fuller's ideas began to straytoward the speculative side and became more unintelligible. Whereas in thefirst half he described his theology on the plan and purpose of God, in thesecond half he turned his attention to explaining that plan as seenthroughout the history of Man.Thus therein lies Fuller's strength ofinterpretation.These arguments that are harder to understand because theyseem to have less scriptural support, center around the theory that Israelis a textbook example to Man for how God deals with disobedience andunbelief.Yet even within this somewhat less impressive section, there isa shining gem which is the descriptions on the "Ten specific attitudesof unbelief" (p. 279-296).

Overall this book is wellstructured, and presents the basic theology of the unity of Scripture in anuncommon yet important format: the Bible studied as a whole.The vastScriptural support throughout leads the reader to feel the ideas presentedare thoroughly researched and in line with Biblical teaching.

some good some Bad
Fuller's book runs the tightrope of being one of the more helpful books ever written and also one of the more potentially dangerous.His stress on the absolute sovereignty of God and God's over-arching purpose to act forhis own name's sake (Is. 48:9-11)is stunning.

However, Fuller sees somuch continuity between the Old and the New Covenants that one gets theimpression that there really isn't anything "new" about thelatter.Christ's work on the cross is an encouragment to our faith, notthe object of it per se.There is no talk of the essential place ofChrist's active obedience in our justification.

Fuller's exegesis ofpassages on the law has attracted few if any followers.Where Paul seesdiscontinuity, Fuller insists on continuity.

Also, if you have not readanything on Covenant theology, do not look to Fuller as one who canaccurately describe that system of thought.His quotes on Calvin (e.g.,p.181.2) are taken badly out of context.Fuller has not come to terms withCovenant theology's use of the term "works" and does notaccurately represent it.

Finally, Fuller tries to argue his positionsfrom a purely inductive framework.He shows the impossibility of such anattempt by continually bringing in non-inductive arguments and skippingmany points in his argumentation.

Despite all this, I must say that thereare indeed many helpful things in this book.However, if you want the goodwithout the bad, John Piper's works are much more helpful (contrary to muchthought, the two do not have identical theologies, esp. as it relates tojustification, faith, and obedience).

I don't like to write such negativereviews, but ultimately I believe this book undermines the Work of theSecond Adam, and therefore is to be read with the greatest of cautions. ... Read more

Book Description
From the completely new, exceptional art program, to the complete integration of the text with technology, Saladin has formed a teaching solution that will both motivate and enable your students to understand and appreciate the wonders of anatomy and physiology. This distinctive text was developed to stand apart from all other A&P texts with unparalleled art, a writing style that has been acclaimed by both users and reviewers and clinical coverage that offers the perfect balance without being too much. Saladin’s well-accepted organization of topics is based upon the most logical physiological ties between body systems. The text requires no prior knowledge of college chemistry or cell biology, and is designed for a two-semester A&P college course. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

O.K.
I thought the graphics in this book are AMAZING, but the text is not that great....
There are a lot of terms in bold that are not explained. The index is not very helpful in finding the terms; even basic terms that should be directed to a page(s) number.
Overall, I gave this book a "3 star" simply because the graphics are really helpful. If it were not for the graphics, it would be a "1"

One of the best textbooks I have ever had!
I really like this textbook.There were a variety of pictures and diagrams that helped me out a lot, and it definitely clarified the information that I got in lecture!

Traditional Textbook
This is a text book, and it's written like one. It's a hard read. I believe you could find a book a little easier to understand. But if you speak the language it would be great. It has excellent pictures, diagrams and tables which are very helpful. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive introduction to deploying, configuring, and maintaining Cisco Unity

• Discover the various Cisco Unity integration and deployment solutions, as well as the environmental differences between PBX and IP telephony-based telephone systems
• Learn the pitfalls of existing systems integration and how to avoid downtime
• Maintain a Cisco unified messaging solution by using the book's examples, including setups, additions, message sourcing applications, and error reporting
• Perform the proper installation, upgrade, and back up of Cisco Unity systems
• Monitor performance and troubleshoot a Cisco Unity system using the proper tools and utilities that help you ensure high availability
• Choose the proper Cisco Unity networking features to deliver messages to other voice-messaging systems

Cisco Unity is the official unified messaging solution for the Cisco Architecture for Voice, Video, and Integrated Data (AVVID) and complements the full range of Cisco IP-based voice solutions, including Cisco CallManager and Cisco Personal Assistant.

Cisco Unity Fundamentals provides design and administration goals for migrating from PBX to Cisco IP Telephony, as well as working in a mixed PBX/Cisco IP Telephony environment. You will learn about the transition from the traditional model, with separate architectures for voice-mail and e-mail systems, to supporting unified messaging: e-mail, voice, and fax messages delivered to a single inbox. You will also discover common troubleshooting solutions, such as performance monitoring and the importance of data collection for predicting future system requirements.

Cisco Unity Fundamentals begins by introducing the engineering aspects of Cisco Unity and then moves quickly into the hardware and software platforms. Part I focuses on the administration of Cisco Unity, describing the features, general setup, and global settings. Part II describes installation and discusses various types of integration with Cisco CallManager and other telephone systems, including Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy. Part II also delves into networking with other voice-messaging systems.After reading Cisco Unity Fundamentals, you will understand the system, configuration, and on-going maintenance issues associated with a successful Cisco Unity deployment.

This book is part of the Cisco Press Fundamentals Series. Books in this series introduce networking professionals to new networking technologies, covering network topologies, example deployment concepts, protocols, and management techniques.

Customer Reviews (4)

Not the best Cisco Press book I've read
Let me preface this review by saying that I appreciate the difficulty involved with writing a book.I also loathe people who simply criticize the efforts of others.Finally, I have no doubt the authors are accomplished and intelligent people.

All that being said, the book was pretty bad.It adds nothing I couldn't have gotten from reading from the Cisco documentation about Unity.It was simply an overview of features and a retread of basic principles behind system maintenance.

I'm trying to think of a concise way to make this review useful to others.Rather than me list all the things that made the book not that great, I'll use two examples of other Cisco Press books that had qualities I liked and that this book lacked.

Cisco CallManager Fundamentals was written by the people who developed Call Manager.It described the whys and history behind Call Manager, furthering your understanding of the products and creating a framework from which you can organize the vast number of things you can do with Call Manager.

Cisco Voice Gateways and Gatekeepers takes three disparate protocols - MGCP, SIP, H323 - and some difficult concepts - IPIPGWs, dial plans, TCL scripts - and explains them all in the context of VoIP networks.First, it provides the background and then, unlike either Cisco CallManager Fundamentals or Cisco Unity Fundamentals, it goes to the 5 foot level, providing specific configuration and then explanation of that configuration.

I'm not shilling these two other books; they don't cover Cisco Unity in anyway so they aren't its competition in that fashion.I'm not a Top 1000 reviewer who's about to say "buy this book instead!".I'm just a person studying for my CCIE who found myself thinking many times while reading and eventually skimming this book, "this is so bad!"

Again, the authors are in all likelihood nice people.And I do understand Unity a little better for having read the book.

Very helpful
Cisco Unity Fundamentals is a great book to figure out what is going on with Unity.

I used this book a lot and it helped.

Good coverage for the Unity Administrator
For those of us who live in the blurred world of networking and telecommunications, Cisco System's Unity Unified Communications System is probably a product that is familiar to you, at least by name.Functioning as a unified messaging platform, Unity has enough range to function as standalone voicemail or tie voicemail into your existing e-mail system.As the primary messaging component of Cisco's AVVID solution, Unity is tied to many of the devices in the Cisco product line, most notably CallManager, a Voice over IP PBX system.

Cisco Unity Fundamentals is centered on version 4 of the application, doing a very notable job of covering the topics that concern those who have to work with Unity or may be considering it as a solution.The books is basically divided into two sections; Administration and Engineering.Unity Fundamentals starts by baby stepping through the concept of unified messaging for those who are new to the concept then step by step covers the setup, customization, and maintenance of Unity.Cisco supported best practices for topics like backup and account creation are covered under the Administration section, which makes the book handy as a quick reference in these matters.

Once into the Engineering section, almost every screen in the Web based application is covered, in addition to the large number of external tools that have been created by the Unity community for tasks not performed by the application itself.When discussing phone system integration the authors are very careful not to lean too hard towards CallManager, instead providing fairly generic instructions allowing for people who are using the twenty plus other PBX systems supported by Unity.One drawback of the book is that it is light on Microsoft Exchange, upon which Unity systems are based.

All in all this a good book for a topic that is generally covered in classroom based training, giving those of us who prefer to use independent methods for learning options.With the new Unity based certifications available this book will probably become very popular, but should not be used as a sole method for certification preparation due to its lack of covering the underlying applications like Microsoft Exchange and SQL.From the standpoint of those just wanting to administer an in place Unity system or get an overview of the system, you really couldn't ask for a whole lot more.By covering the system and its surrounding applications for multiple scenarios there is something for everyone in Cisco Unity Fundamentals.

The Underlying Theory Under Unity.
Unity is the official unified messaging system sold by Cisco. It integrates voice, voicemail, video and data through a single telephone line. It complements the full range of Cisco IP-Based voice solutions.

As the Fundamentals book in the seriesthis book is concerned with the basic environment the system establishes. This book gives the underlying theory along with the conceptual "here is what you can do" information so that the capabilities of the system can be fully understood during the planning phase.The Cisco Unity Deployment and Solutions Guide for how to set up and run the systems.

As is always the case tieh the Cisco books, the information given here is exhaustive and complete. Except that it's almost 400 pages long, this is what I call the first forty pages of the manual. It's the part that explains just it is that you are trying to do. ... Read more

Product Description
It's No SecretServing on a church board can be a tough assignment.Marathon business meetings and petty squabbling can quickly take a toll.But lay leaders aren't the only ones who find board meetings to be a harrowing experience.So do many pastors.Larry Osborne was no exception.Six months into a new pastorate, he found himself embroiled in controversy.Old members left as fast as new ones could be added.He and the board seldom saw eye to eye on anything.Troubled and confused, he set out to find some answers.What were the secrets of an effective leadership team?Could a pastor lead without becoming a dictator?What would it take to develop and maintain a unified board?Could it even be done?Now, many years, board meetings and hours of research later, Pastor Osborne applies tested, no-nonsense wisdom to these and other questions.Whatever your situation...whether your church is in a start-up phase, is small and struggling, or is one of a growing number of so-called mega churches, Larry has been there. As the senior pastor of North Coast Church, he's walked his congregation and board through each stage.Now, in The Unity Factor, he shows us what it takes to develop a healthy leadership team with sensible strategies and warm encouragement.Now with an additional bonus chapter "What Game Are We Playing?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very good book for church board
Just finished it today. I'm a lay leader at a small bible church. nicely written, not too wordy. This would be a good book for any church board to read. It's very practical. I think it's very likely if you are on a church board you'll nod knowingly as you read it. Not revolutionary, but very practical.

I gave it 4 stars, the end chapter with the sports metaphors didn't work for me

everyone on your board should read it
One of the few books that I've ever sat down and read cover to cover in the same day. Well written; great examples.Left me with a good idea of what we were doing right and what we needed to change.This is the nitty gritty how-to's of leading a church.We're going to be using it alongside Getz's "Elders and Leaders" in our elder preparation program. I only wish I knew about it 10 years ago when I first started as a pastor.

Wondeful Book for Chruch Leaders
This book is a must for church leaders.It gives great insights to lay leaders and pastors alike.I will definitely be reading this book again!

Your Church Board Needs This Book: Right Now!
The best book in print about how to work together in harmony, whether you are helping to lead a church, growing a business, or simply trying to understand the relationships around you on the job or at home. Extremely well written, wonderfully clear --- Larry Osborne gets to the point and shows you how Biblical, positive, spiritual leadership is meant to function. Backing it up is the author's personal experience as one of the brightest and most sought-after pastors and leaders of today's church. A must-read for key lay leaders, elder boards, pastoral staff --- and more.

Dr. David Frisbie, The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Author of 8 books, including Making a Marriage: 7 Essentials for a Strong Relationship

A Valuable Read
Sometimes one reads a book to realize part-way into it that they sure wish they'd read this sooner.The Unity Factor is such a book.Had this reviewer read this years ago, many of the mistakes and misconceptions he's experienced in a church leadership position might have been avoidable.This is a very valuable book for Pastors, Chairmen of the Board, Elders and other church leaders.I found it so valuable, that I bought a copy for each of my deacons. ... Read more

Book Description
DIVERSITY OF LIFE covers Unit IV from BIOLOGY: THE UNITY AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE, 11th Edition. This brief and specialized book was designed for general non-major biology courses and presents the six kingdoms of life in an evolutionary framework. This book includes descriptions, illustrations, life cycles of representative viruses, bacteria, protistans, fungi, plants, invertebrates, and more.For the 11th edition of BIOLOGY: UNITY AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE, Cecie Starr and Ralph Taggart made it their goal to "solve" some of the toughest Introductory Biology course challenges. We introduce a new issues-oriented approach with engages students in current, motivating biological topics; a built-in cross-referencing system for key topics; and, most importantly, time-saving media resources for instructors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

horrible
the person who sold this to me lied and therefore I am very unhappy with the item in question.

I liked this book.
This book was very helpful for my biology class in undergrad. It was quite interesting especially the areas of the 6 kingdoms of life (protists, fungi, viruses, etc.).I also used the following to study from.
The Ultimate Study Guide for Biology: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (Topics: Evolution, Ecology, Kingdom Bacteria, Kingdom Protista, Kingdom Fungi, Viruses, Plant Form and Function) Isbn was 1933023015.
I found this last study guide to be great for test preparation.It prepared me for the kind of questions to know before taking the test. It was well worth it. I passed with flying colors.It made biology a lot less intimidating. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

If you enjoy the show, you'll enjoy the book.
I wouldn't pay attention to pretentious nay-sayers on this book.


I admit, it's no literary masterpiece, and there are holes in the story's construction.But if you have no ability to suspend disbelief, I wonder what you are doing watching Battlestar Galactica in the first place.


I enjoyed it.It was fun.It starts off in an intense dog-fight between Raiders and Vipers, the Galactica and a Basestar....Then it gets a bit dry.However, once you're at the halfway mark, it's hard to put down.

Nothing ground breaking
Steven Harper's writing ability is clean and easy to follow. He paints a clear picture with short descriptions, taking you into the story and placing you beside the characters as they interact.The storyline for "Unity" is very basic, but good.My only complaint is we don't learn anything "new" about the characters or the battlestar universe.Only for can't-do-without fans of the series.

Frakking Awful
After thoroughly enjoying the previous entry in the series (Saggitarious is bleeding) this was a huge disappointment. Between the terrible, 5th grade prose and the uncannily predictable and drawn out plot, the book is just plain banal. It contains every cliche that the series is so famous for avoiding. There was hardly a single scene where the charcters acted and spoke as they do on the show. Besides the names used, there isn't much in common with the series at all, no matter how many references the author throws in to previous episodes. My recommendation is to read Saggitarious is Bleeding instead, if you haven't already.

A Welcome Read
I've read all four of Tor's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA novels so far. The first two novels left me decidedly unimpressed; the miniseries novelization didn't really bring anything new to the table, and The Cylons' Secret had little to do with the series. Peter David's Sagittarius Is Bleeding was enjoyable, but was expected given the author; it wasn't until UNITY that I finally had some hope for the long-term future of the line.

Taking place midway through the second season of the show, UNITY takes an opportunity to explore aspects of Colonial culture not really seen on the show. Author Steven Harper takes a closer look at the fleet than the show has to date, taking the chance to look at minorities who must populate the fleet, but that there's not time in a weekly television schedule to necessarily show. His counterpoints to the majorities presented in the show offer interesting alternatives, as well as adding versimilitude to the show.

This is all in service of the plot of the book itself, though. Harper tells the tale of a scientific crisis in the fleet, one that quickly spirals out of control and into a military and political situation as things in the Fleet are wont to do. Throughout all this, Harper shows his mastery of the characters and setting (especially Baltar and Starbuck, the highlights of the book), treating them as the show would and offering tantalizing hints of their futures and pasts. His prion-based crisis is certainly believable and plausible, and one which couldn't easily be explored in the show without reams of exposition that could be far more gracefully integrated into a narrative as Harper did.

UNITY doesn't offer any world-shattering revelations, or fundamental changes to the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA universe. But then, such isn't expected; it is, after all, a tie-in subservient to the ongoing show. But what UNITY does is it fleshes out the universe of the show, letting us seem some of what we can't in a 42-minute timeslot. Author Steven Harper's book does this, and does it quite well. I recommend it to any fan of the show. ... Read more

Book Description

Telephony solutions for the small and medium business, enterprise branch office, and small office

• Detailed information not available in any other resource enables you to deploy IP telephony solutions with maximum efficiency
• Building blocks of the product features provide solutions that enhance the operations and productivity of your organization
• Numerous examples show you how to configure the comprehensive suite of features available with Cisco IPC Express
• Insights from the experts demonstrate how you can enhance your IP telephony system with applications such as automated attendant and voice mail
• Management and troubleshooting tips will help you keep your network up and running smoothly

Enterprise branches and small and medium businesses require IP telephony solutions particular to their size. Cisco® IP Communications (IPC) Express is the answer: a one-box solution that provides turnkey operation with an easy-to-use web-based interface for combined voice and data needs. Cisco IPC Express delivers a comprehensive suite of telephony features, security, and applications–but how will you use them to your best advantage?

This book, Cisco IP Communications Express, provides the detailed information you need to maximize the use of this powerful product suite. By reading this book, you will learn how Cisco IPC Express and its applications can become a business solution for your office or enterprise. The experts from Cisco Systems® give you in-depth design guidance, full configurations, and valuable examples to serve as blueprints for your network. The feature operation and deployment discussions demonstrate how to configure and customize the system and how to use different product features to achieve your specific business goals. Once you deploy your solutions, you will be able to maintain your network through the troubleshooting guidance and examples of resolutions to common problems provided in this book.

Cisco IP Communications Express is a must-have for any organization using Cisco CallManager Express or Cisco Unity® Express. Technology decision makers and network administrators will be armed with relevant information on how to deploy IP communications for their particular business needs. IT managers in larger enterprises will benefit from the plans for distributed call processing design for their networks. Service providers and resellers will be prepared to sell, install, configure, and troubleshoot Cisco IPC Express based on customer needs.Beyond its application in the workspace, Cisco IP Communications Express will also prove helpful to those studying for Cisco voice-related certifications.

This IP communications book is part of the Cisco Press® Networking Technology Series. IP communications titles from Cisco Press help networking professionals understand voice and IP telephony technologies, plan and design converged networks, and implement network solutions for increased productivity.

Customer Reviews (8)

Very useful guide
A very good reference guide for any new/existing cme/cue deployment. Specifically the sample config guides were very useful. Overall this book is well written.

A Complete Reference for Configuring and Managing CME
Cisco IP Communications Express: CallManager Express with Cisco Unity Express (ISBN 1-58705-180-X) is an all-in-one resource for configuring, managing, and troubleshooting the Cisco CallManager Express (CME) solution. It is almost 900 pages and is well organized into five parts: overview, feature operation and applications, administration and management, maintenance and troubleshooting, and appendices. If you are involved in configuring or maintaining the Cisco CallManger Express, this book will provide you with all the information you need to get your work done.

Cisco CME is an integrated solution offered by Cisco for meeting the IP telephony needs of small businesses or branch offices. The CME solution, which consists of the call processing feature and the voice mail feature, runs on the Cisco routers ranging from the 1700 series to the 3700 series and beyond. Whereas the CallManager suite offers centralized approach to building out an enterprise wide VoIP network, the CME is meant to serve the needs of smaller businesses or to integrate seamlessly into the larger, enterprise solution.

The book is well written and starts out with a high level architecture of the deployment scenarios for CME. The second part gets into the features and applications side of the solution. This part is where the crux of the book lies. It presents a detailed coverage of the commands used to configure the CallManager solution under various scenarios such as implementing different call features, integrating VoIP with PSTN, and deploying CME as part of a larger CallManager solution. This part presents a thorough coverage of Unity Express (UE), the voicemail module of the CME. The third part relates to the management of CME. Particularly useful in this part is a real-life configuration example as it illustrates and brings together a lot of the material covered in the earlier part of the book. Part four gets into the essential topic of troubleshooting the CME solution. It provides useful tips and solutions for common problems found in deploying the call processing and voice mail aspects of CME. This is definitely a very useful section of the book. The last part, the appendices, has reference materials and scripts used in the book to make daily tasks easier etc.

One of the strong points of the book is a multitude of sample configurations. The authors provide sample configurations throughout the book to help illustrate the concepts being presented. This sample configuration goes a long way if the reader has the task of actually configuring CME. The other strong point of the book is the depth of coverage given to each topic that is discussed. With the exception of a handful of topics (one in particular which I'll mention), the book never glosses over any topic; rather it covers it in detail, ensuring that most aspects of the topic are addressed. The exception to this was the coverage of the D/A module(s) used for attaching analog devices to CME, such as a fax machine. Given that analog fax machines still constitute a critical part of any business, I would expect this topic to be covered in detail. However, I found that no configuration examples were provided on how to configure this in the CME suite.

In summary, this book is a great all-in-one reference for configuring and managing CME. I would highly recommend it to any professional tasked with working on Cisco's CallManager Express.

excellent book
overall this book is very good. I like the examples it presents to make thing clear, and also the broadness of topics it covers.
Since Cisco IP Telephony evolves so quickly, I wish Cisco will release newer editions with updated technologies. in particular I was hoping this book should contribute some to SIP and its deployment in UCME environment.

Very good book - not only for CCME and CUE
I've used this book as a main reference for my first complete implementation of CCME and CUE. I said "main" reference instead of "only" reference, because there are few small gaps to be filled by Cisco on-line documentation, but the deficiencies are too small to justify anything less than 5 stars. Additionally, there is a lot of general (IP and traditional) telephony information so even a relative beginner, after reading this book, will be able to intelligently interview future users (Chapter 5 is simply brilliant!), design quite complex system with many fancy call features, and even create scripts for quite sophisticated Auto-Attendant options. Certain concepts are not explained in complete detail (for example dial peers or voice ports), but deeply enough for the needs of CCME.

Solid Book. add to your Library
A must have book


This book is a great tool for full and complete understanding of Cisco's IP Communication Express. The structure is geared to first provide a foundation with an overview, then moves into design and implementation the book is organized into different parts that provide great coverage of all aspects.

Part I starts with introducing IP Communication. The coverage begins by taking you on a journey into what Cisco IPC is, the benefits of IPC, and the architecture of IPC networks. The one thing you notice is that the authors took great care in organizing the chapters. Each chapter is well written and easy to follow along. This makes the book a great choice as either a first learning book or as a refresher book for experienced professionals looking to augment their knowledge. One of the first chapters shows you the features and functions of the various gateways, WAN interfaces and IP phones available for use in an IPC network. This allows you to pick the best equipment for your particular solution. I believe this is great because it allows you learn some features of the product in order to decide if you would like to research it further; this helps streamline the process of design and political issues. Another section of the Part 1 goes over the architecture of IPC. You will learn the ins and outs of what happens at a low level. You will learn a-lot of core information; get an introduction to equipment and technologies that can be utilized.


Part II of this book is where the fun begins. Chapter 4 goes over the IP phones in more detail.You are taught about features and how to configure the individual phones. The chapter is short and to the point. Chapter 5 is an incredible book where the engineers' ears will perk up. Call Manager Call processing features are presented in this chapter. The topics here include hunt groups, call parking, shared lines, intercom, paging and much more. I really like the configurations and examples in this book. With this chapter you will be able to quickly implement the CM features.
The next chapter deals with Connectivity to the PSTN. The focuses in this chapter are signaling and how to handle the inputted digits. One of the only faults I think with this book is that chapters 5 and 6 should be swapped.

Part III and IV cover Administration, Management, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Now is really where the techies cheer up. Here is all the goodies on how to setup CME, UE, and what to do if problems arise. The gold mine is located in these 2 parts.
These chapters provide the reader with detail and examples to help reinforce all that is being explained.

I don't want to spoil this book or be long winded so I will say the remaining pages of this book are well worth the read. It covers everything you need in order to obtain a solid understanding of Cisco's IPC.There is no area that isn't covered with attention to detail. The authors provide quality information that is very useful in all areas of understanding and implementation of Cisco IP Express. The reader will come away with exceptional and relevant knowledge to do anything needed with IPC. I got this book to help augment my 4+ years with Cisco Voice products, I feel that it did help cement my knowledge and also taught me quite a few new things.


Brion S. Washington

... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Good read
I found this book very helpful in understanding the divide when we come to racial issues.As a non-African American it explained how African Americans view racial reconciliation and addressed some common attitudes held by non-African Americans that contribute to the divide between races.I would recommend this book to anyone serious about addressing prejudice, racism and racialization.

Must Reading!
This book deserves 5 stars. It's well written (not "great literature" but easy to read and understand) and it's the only book on this topic I've read that addresses these issues so clearly and forthrightly without pulling punches. He's not afraid to name names at times, either.

My only hesitation at this point: My ignorance of Black history doesn't allow me to make a judgment about the accuracy of his quotations and statements, or the accuracy of the historians whose books he cites. Judging by the rest of the book, though, I would assume that he is correct in what he writes.

This book is a cry for help, a call to attention, and a sober and prophetic warning. To me, it's must reading for Evangelical pastors and churches. I intend to give a copy to our pastor (a large and largely White church) for him and the elders to read and see if it gives them insights on what's the right thing to do in reaching the minority members of our town. I gave my copy to a Black friend/pastor I know and am looking forward to discussing it with him.

It's also must reading for ANY White Christian who wants to begin taking steps on the road to racial partnership* with Black Christians.

* Note that I did not say "racial reconciliation." After reading this book, you will never use that term again, if you have been prone to use it.

Bravo, Clarence Shuler!

He counts as one of his closest friends Gary Chapman. I assume this is the Gary Chapman who wrote the LOVE LANGUAGES books. Those are excellent books, too!

This is a very realistic bookwritten from the heart.
If you want an overview of the racial situation in America and the history leading up to where we are now, then this book is a must! Schuler describes personal experiences that are common to minorities and especially AfricanAmericans growing up in America.It also very clearly gives guidelinesthat anyone can follow to assist in promoting racial harmony in thiscounty, by both African Americans and Caucasions. It is a very objectiveview of the racial climate in our churches today.As a pastor I can seethat there is much work that needs to be done by Christians to solve thisproblem by beginning in the churches. ... Read more

Book Description

In 2001's critically acclaimed Avatar novels, author S.D. Perry set the tone and the course for the continuation of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine®, a controversial television phenomenon hailed by TV Guide as "the best acted, written, produced, and altogether finest" incarnation of Star Trek®. Since then, the DS9 saga has grown in complexity and momentum, attracting an ever-growing audience to novels about which one reviewer raved, "In these pages, DS9 truly lives again." Now, following her triumphs with Avatar and Rising Son, S. D. Perry returns for a landmark tale celebrating DS9's tenth anniversary year.

On the eve of Bajor's formal entry into the Federation, First Minister Shakaar was assassinated, derailing the induction and plunging the planet and station Deep Space 9™ into chaos. Investigation into the murder revealed the presence of a parasitic conspiracy threatening not only Bajor's future with the Federation, but the very survival of both. At the same time, the fracturing of Bajor's theology has put its people on the threshold of a startling transformation -- and the consequences now rest on the shoulders of Colonel Kira Nerys, who months ago defied the religious authority of her planet by making public an ancient heretical text that challenged the very foundation of the Bajoran faith.

Now, after a harrowing and historic voyage of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant, the weary, wounded crew of Starship Defiant is at last coming home. But the joy of their return is short-lived as the crew becomes swept up in the crisis aboard the station, with many of them confronting personal issues that force them to make life-altering choices. Among those is a grief-stricken Commander Elias Vaughn, who reaches a crossroads in his life's journey and learns the true purpose for which he was Touched by the Prophets...as well as the ultimate fate of Captain Benjamin Sisko.

And...somewhere on Bajor...a child long awaited is about to be born. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Good, but could have been better
As an enthusiastic fan of the DS9 relaunch, like everyone I was eagerly anticipating the next installment, especially as it was the conclusion of a number of exciting stories and threads established in the previous books. And "Unity" does indeed solve the various stories and threads in very good fashion. However, it seems to have been a bit rushed, and was certainly lacking in the depth and detail established in the "Mission: Gamma" series, which I had greatly enjoyed. There are many instances which could have done with just a bit more detail, in order to enchance the 'realness' of the story, as "Gamma" had done; it doesn't really allow you to throw yourself in and get lost with the story. Its almost as if the author had a checklist and was simply checking it off one by one. Furthermore, a number of characters were completely left out of the miz, or given just the barest of attention; its almost as if the author didn't find their stories interesting, and thus ignored them. If it wasn't for the "Worlds of DS9" series which followed it, we would have forgotten that (rather popular) characters like Nog, Shar, Garak, O'Brian, Dax, and others existed. I was greatly disappointed by the ending; where was the reunions of the various characters?
I would say the most lackluster of the DS9 relaunch have been "Favorite Son", "Unity", and "Warpath", the former two being written by S.D. Perry. I reserve my biggest criticism for the editors of this series, who chose Ms. Perry to write this book; she clearly was not up to the task. I would have been far happier had they given the responsibility to one of the many good up and coming Star Trek authors, or someone like Peter David; authors who recognize that good fiction consists of more than simply telling the story.

The perfect ending; but here's hoping for a "season 9" some day.
The title of this review pretty much says it all, as do the other reviews; so I'm pretty much rehashing what's already said in my praise of this book.In general, I was hoping for more with the parasite story; better origin than possible genetic tampering, and this might have been done if they had outright begun to address it sooner.But it's a minor point, because it was concluded well enough, without it being a finite finish.There's always the threat that there is more than one matriarch, right?
And, not to focus on the downside too much, because this book was a fantastic read; but one gripe I do have is the constant over-usage of abbreviations.It bugged me a little bit, how through the enitre novelized series everyone kept calling Kassidy, Kas.It wasn't a big deal, but I only recall Captain Sisko calling her Kas, and it seemed overdone throught the relaunch.But in Unity, they go even further, with abbreviating words that didn't need to be abbreviated or words I can't picture the characters saying it like that.Like, 'the Starfleet brass were already holding a 'holo-con' to be briefed on the situation', or something like that.Just seemed unnecessary; and everyone calling Keiko, Kay.I don't think anyone ever called her that in tv series and just kind of struck me as odd. Maybe it's my own dislike for using abbreviations for words that normallly aren't shorten...Don't even get me started on calling the bathroom the "refresher"; that just came out of right field.It wasn't till the second or third time using it, that I figured it out.Sounds more like the Star Trek equivilant to a refridgerator.Something across between that and a replicator or something; not a rest room.
But that's my own stupid little gripe.I really did love this book.For some reason, when I first started reading the relaunch, I could have sworn I read somewhere (namely, on here) that at the end of Unity, Sisko had to go back to be with the Prophets, that he couldn't stay; so I was kind of reading, half expecting for the other show to drop.I knew it would be a bad ending and was pleasantly surprised never to read that.In the end, the book finishes nicely and really is how the show should have ended; but truthfully, they would have needed that 8th season to get them there.

Thank God for S.D. Perry
S.D. Perry, the originator of the Star Trek: Deep Space 9 relaunch book series, concludes one of the greatest series of books in a wonderful book.

The relaunch helped those of us who felt all alone at the end of DS9 on TV feel a little bit better. With this book S.D. Perry concludes the series in sublime fashion, in a 'not so corny' way and leaves hope that there will be more books or more movies!

For fans of Star Trek; DS9, please check out the relaunch series, if for nothing else then to read S.D. Perry's books.

one of the best in the series
This installment is simply amazing.There were hardly any dull moments in the entire book and I can not think of a single flaw, which is saying a lot because I very seldom don't have anything bad to point out about what I read (fiction or non-fiction).

After reading the Deep Space Nine series for a while, I've developed a good sense of the personalities of the different characters.It's almost as if I've come to know these characters on a personal basis.So when something is written about anyone in the series out of character, I can tell immediately.S.D. Perry writes with consistency and also knows how to make the drama on board Deep Space Nine evolve and hold any Deep Space Nine fan's interest to the end.This is one of the most captivating books in the series I've read so far.One should not skip any books in the re-launch series and read this because every book in the series starting with Avatar leads up to this one.There is action, intrigue, drama and even humor in this book.The conclusion opens up all kinds of interesting follow ups.I've heard people say that they don't like DS9 because it seems too much like a soap opera or space opera.To them I say that you can't make up any kind of story without characters.There are always interesting technological things, strange phenomena and aliens in every DS9 book as you'd find in all Science Fiction.What sets DS9 and other Star Trek books apart is that the characters we've come to know very well add extra dimensions to the stories and make things much more interesting.

nice continuation of the story
this story takes off where the deep space nine series left off. jake does an archeological dig and unearths bajoran prophecies that goes againt the prophets teachings. the vedek assembly tries to keep the public from learning it, so kira makes it public. in retaliation they attain her from the religion and she has a hard time dealing with it.

in the prophecies they tell of jake bringing back a herald. he thinks they are talking about his father and instead he brings back another lost kai.

kassidy yates is long overdue with the baby and their is a prophyecy about the coming baby too.

and nog is just running around doing engineering work and nothing worth mentioning. quark is worried about losing his buisness because of bajor joining the federation.

it is a good book to catch up on detailsof old friends and the book just picks up where the series left off beautifully. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review of Amilcar Cabral's Seminal Work on Liberation
This book is currently out-of-print, it details the thoughts of Amilcar Cabral a central leader of the revolution in Guinea-Bissau. I was personally introduced to this book by a comrade who spent a number of years in the Long Kesh prisons in Belfast. The Republican prisoners studied this book and he still reads a little most mornings to give him daily inspiration.

brilliant
...brilliant words from an enlightened son of the african revolution... ... Read more