Comment Hacking Exposed Linux much much much better. (Score 2, Informative) 69
My big question is why this book is out there at all? It's published by McGraw-Hill, who is the same company that published Hacking Exposed Linux, 2nd Edition. HEL (or HLE, or whatever) is very comprehensive. It covers all the topics in this book, but with enough space that you can actually learn from it and apply it today. This book is a half-hearted attempt at a security book. It reads more like someone started to write a book, realized they'd bitten off more than they could chew, and tried to get out as fast as possible.
I strongly suggest that you don't waste your money. Go with Hacking Linux Exposed. Same publisher, better book.