Reader reviews

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

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 book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

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

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 writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

A useful guide. The examples assume a particular environment, but that is fixable.

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. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

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

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

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

I have been working with game programming for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

Almost excellent. A second edition could easily push it to five stars.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.