Reader reviews

A genuinely enjoyable read that also taught me a great deal.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

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

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

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

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The chapters on programming are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. Solid, and I would buy another book from this author without hesitation.

Well worth picking up if you already have the basics.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. 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 read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. 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.

This is the third book I have read on physics simulation this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. 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. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. Solid, and I would buy another book from this author without hesitation.