Rating: 
Summary: interesting read
Review: Stross paints a colorful picture of the Benchmark (please don't call us) VC partners whose shortest member is 6'2" tall. Along the way, we see the partners make what in retrospect was a prescient multimillion dollar investment in eBay, pass on Jay Walker's priceline, dismiss Jerry Kaplan's Onsale (competitor to eBay), but pour money into online grocery site Webvan. What does this tell us? Well, given the current state of affairs, it partly tells us that in the Internet economy (are we still calling it that?), even a book as recent as Stross's gets dated fast. But what Stross would also have us believe is that the Benchmark eBoys were of a different breed than most (please don't call us) VC firms. They decided early on they'd all be equal partners which I guess we're to take as a sign of internal nobility. They also decide early on that they'll price themselves as aggressively as possible as VC players which I guess we're to take as a sign of their confidence. At its best, the book does give a glimpse into behind the scenes deal making stuff. But be prepared for an unbridled enthusiasm for the goodness of these guys. Clearly they're pained as the good guys in a world littered with not so good guys. At times this reads like the author might have gotten a little too close to his subject and bought their spiel. But then, it's still a good read and Stross has a nice way of presenting what good be dry, unapproachable material in a very accessible way.
Rating: 
Summary: exciting. interesting, inspiring.
Review: it is rare to find a book that provides an insider's look in the venture capital business... eboys does it wonderfully!the true stories will take you from the exciting board meetings, to the completion of THE DEAL! to help truly understand the inflation/deflation of .com businesses, and what drove them to succcess, read this book... enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining look at one VC firm: Audible.com edition
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Audible.com edition of eBoys. E-boys doesn't intend to be the definitive treatise on Venture Capital. Instead, it gives you a glimpse at a new "democratic" VC firm, Benchmark, and describes some of the more interesting ventures like Ebay and Webvan. It gives you the venture capitalist perspective on those ventures, and how the standards of investing have changed from the pre-internet time days. This is not a textbook on venture capital, but it is an entertaining peek at how some of the big internet deals went down.
Rating:
Summary: Some good tips for Entrepreneurs and new VCs or Angels
Review: If your looking to become involved in Venture Capital or Angel investing this is a good starter. It offers helpful insight into the process but is light on technical details such as the structure of a fund. And if your an entrepreneur looking for capital it offers useful insight from the VCs perspective regarding what they look for, what they like and don't like, etc. Not a how to book for either group of readers but it provides useful color and flavoring for the process.
Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: A well-worn maxim of the VC industry is that the only way to really teach a venture capitalist is to let him crash a couple of times. The bottom line for any VC firm/fund is a solid ROI -there's no doubt that Benchmark is among the best on Sand Hill Road. This is a well-written book, providing wonderful access and personal details about the Eboys. A must read for budding entrepreneurs.
Rating:
Summary: I see it. I hear it. But I don't believe it.
Review: A nice story which reads really well. Unfortunately, I can't buy the concept of an altruistic venture guy battling for the entrepreneur (according to Stross, they don't like being referred to as VCs). Ferguson's "High Stakes, No Prisoners" was an infinitely better read.
Rating:
Summary: Great for the layperson on the fringe!
Review: Stross will not bore you with a straight non-fiction account. This is a great book for anyone who simply wants to learn a little more about the guys behind the CEOs of dot coms who have both failed and succeeded. As an employee of a start-up who is not privy to the confidential nature of the dealings with the VC firms that back my own company, I learned a lot about the outside forces and market conditions that can make or break a start up. Recommended reading for ANYONE involved in a start up who wonders sometimes why their Executive team can sometimes be so apparently insane. This will give you a good idea of the things going on behind the scenes, and it's an interesting read!
Rating:
Summary: Good Insights for Anyone Involved in an Early-Stage Company
Review: This book offers a "fly-on-the-wall" account of the inner workings of Benchmark Capital, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. This book details the events surrounding the funding and growth of such companies as E-bay, Priceline, Webvan, and Art.com. Additionally, the book brings the reader inside the partner meetings so one can see the heuristics of this venture capital firm. The only downside is that the author portrays the partners as sensitive to the needs of the varied people seeking funding from Benchmark. It is possible that this portrayal is accurate, however, I suspect that Benchmark is as ruthless as other VC firms. In the end I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the process of seeking funding and the dynamics of early-stage companies.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a documentary more like a made for TV movie.
Review: Business kiss-n-tell books are a sure sign that a business trend is working its way into the popular culture and is about to run its course. Like other business bravado books this book is filled with images of men as giants of business, prescient in their decisions, and posessing the casual wisdom that deserves our envy and worship. Do not read this book if you think it will help tell you what life is like in the valley. Don't read this book as a budding entreprenuer looking for an inside track on getting your business plan funded. Do read the book if you looking for a piece of quasi-fiction. Its a real story and I know some of the players professionaly and there the book is somewhat accurate. But this is not a documentary of the life of Benchmark, rather it is more like a made for TV movie (I am sure that Stross has sold the rights). Entertaining but only as entertainment. The Monk and the Riddle is a better book for addressing the meta-physical decisions required to make the leap and launch a business.
Rating: 
Summary: Danger, Will Robinson......
Review: .......if you are an entrepreneur and think that a kinder, gentler breed of venture capitalist exists as described in this book. Make no mistake: when you get funded by a venture capital firm you start a dance with the devil, and the minute that you start running out of cash you will be well aware of your partner's horns and tail. Benchmark is among the best of the bunch, but c'mon! a rapid return on investment is what drives them, not some implied gentleman's code. This is a pretty story, well-written, but one that does nothing to capture the underlying dynamics of venture capital today. Venture capitalist as hand maiden to the entrepreneur: snort!
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