Reader reviews

Good in places. I would borrow it before buying if you can.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

I have read a lot of books on this subject and this is the clearest.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

Good value. Not perfect, but I would buy another book from this author.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Hard to recommend. The examples assume too much and explain too little.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. Two stars. The subject deserves a better treatment than this.

Outstanding. I kept finding reasons to come back to it.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The chapters on algorithms are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

Very good, with a few caveats. The core material is strong.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. Good value for the price and worth the time it takes to work through properly.