We all start somewhere. My start with Drools came 5 years ago when I was tasked with maintaining some legacy rules and assisting with a new ground-up effort using the latest and greatest Drools release at the time. I dug through documentation, ordered every book I could find on the subject, and pestered Mark, Edson and others in the community willing to help way more than they probably cared for, but in the end, the community helped start me out with what I'd soon find to be my new obsession. Now, I feel like it's time for me to give something back.

If you're an architect, manager, or developer looking to evaluate or get started with Drools, you may find my new book, Drools Starter, to be a great way to get up and running quickly. I've done my best to compile all the basics needed to get a feel for working with the core engine into a brief, easy-to-digest guide. Here's some of what's covered inside:

Evaluate rules engines as a fit for your needs 
Installing Drools and development tools
Authoring rule sets using the Drools Rule Language
Feeding information to your rules engine and evaluating rules
Understanding DRL syntax, operators, and functionality
Testing rules as a whole, individually, and for stability
Debugging the rule evaluation process visually and via logging
What modules make up the Drools system and the capabilities of each
Where to turn for more information and help
The book is currently available for pre-order (at a 20% discount!) over at Pack Publishing:
http://www.packtpub.com/getting-started-with-drools/book

I owe a large thanks to the community in helping me on my way through the last several years, especially to those in IRC and the mailing list who've aided with numerous predicaments and design choices along the way. Particular thanks to Mark, Edson and the rest of the development team for continued work on a great product and a great community, but especially to the two of you for spending too many hours in conversation online and at conferences helping myself and others like me find their way.