I was very excited to get this book but was disappointed upon reading it. Most of the photos looked quite old, many being shot on film in the 80s-90s. Hot shoe mount strobe work depends on being able to check the lighting in the viewfinder and I would assume Joe's current work is a lot more advanced than the stuff in the book. I also would have liked to have seen more photographs showing the "making of" and how the equipment was modified.
It's a good introduction for a photographer to the world of small strobe off camera work but I know Joe is a master and so I expected more.

McNally tells you how to apply flash to situations and conditions, how to be creative with it. You need to know how to set the buttons and dials on your flash, which he doesn't get into. He tells you right from the start that this isn't the manual. So, at this point, you still need the user's manual. (I'm praying someone will publish a dummy's user guide for the SB900.)

This book is great for what it does: it shows you useful applications for your flash with great illustrations. I plan on going back and rereading McNally's book after I get more familiar with my strobe. The book will be of far more value to me then.

If you are interested in learning about off camera flash (especially with Nikon equipment) then this book is for you. Joe has a very entertaining way of writing and the creative lighting setups he describes are so educational. Its a delightful read and the images are outstanding. He really does a great job of communicating what is going thru his mind as he approaches a shoot. I highly recommend it!

I was very disappointed in this book. While it does offer some suggestions about using hot shoe flashes it is geared mainly to Nikon users. It does not go into enough detail about flash settings, how to remotely trigger flashes etc. I would not recommend it.

I consider this book a four star for those less aware of the capabilities of speeds lights but at the same time have some basic prior knowledge of applying flash to your images. All the less than 5 star reviews I saw had valid points. With most subjects, I find learning all from one source is an unrealistic expectation. If you are new to flash, this book might be confusing in places but would still be a source of motivation to seek out other avenues of information, such as others here have suggested, strobist.blogspot.com.

Joe concentrates on the Nikon's system in particular though much of the information can be applied to other brands and adjusted accordingly. If you are looking for a paint by numbers book, this isn't it. It is an easy, informative and entertaining read though.

When, in the past, I shot environmental portraits on assignment, I would use standard strobe lighting. At that time with film, the dedicated flashes were limited by being under powered and inconsistent. Now with digital and the advancements of dedicated flash, there is less need to be burdened by the heavier studio strobes for many situations which Joe McNally illustrates in his book.

For those already in the know, then this book might not be more than a fulfillment to curiosity as how Joe did that shot. If you are a beginner, you might be left with some confusion yet there is enough inspiring content to motivate you to excel.