Reader reviews

Finally, a book that treats programming with the care it deserves.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

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

I have been working with computer graphics for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

This is the one to get if you are serious about parallel programming.

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. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. 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.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

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

I have been working with microsoft programming for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

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

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.