Regular Expression Crossword Exercises

Good book. The writing is direct and the author is honest about limits.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Useful in parts. Fine as a reference, less so as a cover-to-cover read.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. Three stars feels about right. It will stay on my shelf, but it will not be the first one I reach for.

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

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.