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ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
From the review collection
Reader review4 / 5
Good, but not for absolute beginners
Good book. The writing is direct and the author is honest about limits.
I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.
A genuinely enjoyable read that also taught me a great deal.
I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.
Almost excellent. A second edition could easily push it to five stars.
A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.
Outstanding. I kept finding reasons to come back to it.
I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.
I have read a lot of books on this subject and this is the clearest.
I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with game programming.
Almost excellent. A second edition could easily push it to five stars.
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 clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.
