First thing I usually do when I get a new book is simply flipping through the pages, and start reading some snippets here and there of things that look interesting.

The book itself looks packed of information, a lot of text, with here and there a small graphic that shows a screenshot, or explains a networking situation which would be hard to explain in text only.

You could start reading the book as a complete Internet novice. The first chapter explains the bare things you need to know about the Internet, complete with explanation you need to know about where to find a Internet Service Provider, and how to connect to a FTP server.
The next few chapters start to give you the introduction to IRC. The history of the medium, security issues that will arise using IRC and meeting people on IRC, and a basic technical explanation of how IRC works.
Its time to get on IRC after reading all this theory, and it seems Alex thinks the same thing. The next material he covers is how to choose your IRC client. For each OS type out there he reviews a few IRC clients in a brief, but functional way. He even goes as far as explaining some installation tips where that might be appropriate. For ircII for example he explains how to ./configure before compiling the program, with his personal favorite settings.

From here on the book gets really interesting for the more advanced IRC users. The material Alex covers gets more in depth and explains what usermodes to set, how to connect to a server and more inside tricks.
Take the /list command for example to show the channels on the network that are currently in use. There are several parameters that will help you refine a search, instead of returning thousands of channel names (and get you disconnected along the way). Unfortunately you see one of the problems with multiple IRC server software in use here as well. For example to list all channels that have at least 30 users, the book explains to use: /list -min 30. But for example on Undernet (ircu) this would have to be: /list >30.

One of my favorite chapters in the book was the one that explains how to manage a channel. Here Alex explains all the tips and tricks you need to keep a channel opped on networks without channel services. As well as setting the correct modes for it, and how to keep the troublemakers out. Especially the part that explains how users make use of nethack to gain ops against the will of the channel ops. How to handle flooders, and also for example how to fix desynch. Very sweet.

Time for a small point of complain as well though. I must say I was a little disappointed by the chapter that covers bots. Bots are a very important means of handling a channel, or providing the users extra possibilities to make their online time more enjoyable. This chapter only contains 6 pages, and basically explains what a bot is, and where to get them from. I would love to have read some more about eggdrops, how to enhance them with scripts. Or for example about infobot, or darkbot, bots who can seriously add functionality in a help or information channel. Maybe Alex will put more time into this chapter in a next release. Or, maybe, as he is a oper on a few networks, he might not be interested in getting more bots online?

Quite opposite to the above, there is for example a whole CTCP chapter that explains the ins and outs of how CTCP works (very interesting for scripters), or for example, the chapter that explains the installation, running, and operation of a IRC server. Now you can finally learn what all those U:lines, H:lines and I:lines actually do...

Do I like this book? I sure did, I don't feel sorry at all for having spend some money on this IRC book. I consider myself not a complete IRC novice, and this book have taught me many more new tricks, and little inside information that's just fun to know. I hope a future print would include some things I kind of missed in this edition. Like a more in depth chapter about eggdrop bots, and for example the use of bouncers.
Ever wondered where the term "jupe a nick" is coming from? If you want to, check this book out, and along this little fact, you'll pick up much more information that will enhance your online experience. Alex knows how to explain technical stuff in a easy and fun way to read for us all.