Reader reviews

Strong content, uneven pacing. I would still recommend it.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

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

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The chapters on data visualization are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with data visualization.

An enjoyable and informative read, though it could have been shorter.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. 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. Good value for the price and worth the time it takes to work through properly.

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

I have been working with game development for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

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

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

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. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.