Reader reviews

Well worth picking up if you already have the basics.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Almost excellent. A second edition could easily push it to five stars.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

Worth every page. I have already recommended it to two colleagues.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.

I got a lot out of this, even if a few sections felt rushed.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

The clearest explanation of science fiction & fantasy I have come across.

This is the third book I have read on science fiction & fantasy this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.