I just finished reading Tad Williams' 'Otherland' series. Tad is a good author. He writes strong characters and doesn't shy away from using interesting story hooks (I won't give them away as I think people should read it) to twist the story.

He also has a good fantasy series that begins with 'The Dragonbone Chair'.

If you're a Fantasy fan, try 'A wizards first rule' by Terry Goodkind.

Too, pick up Neal Stephenson's work (Yes, all of it) including 'Snowcrash', 'The Diamond Age' and, my favorite 'Cryptonomicon'.

In this same vein, Bruce Schneier's 'Secrets and Lies' is a great compliment to his textbook, and should be read by everyone in the IT environment. Security is a process, not a product.

C-.