DNS is a mystery. However, in Windows IT Pro this month there is an introductory article that explains DNS, and DNS troubleshooting. Deconstructing DNS by Douglas Toombs,(subscription required) contains an accessible discussion of the theory of DNS, how DNS applies to Active Directory, and Windows-based tools for troubleshooting DNS.
Some of the tools are already present on any Windows workstation; IPCONFIG, and NSLOOKUP.