Reader reviews

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. 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.

Some sections were excellent and others felt like filler.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. 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. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

Exactly the book I needed. Straight to the point and genuinely useful.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

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

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Fine, but there are stronger books on the same subject if you look around.

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

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 progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

Three stars feels about right. Useful, but not essential.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.