Reader reviews

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

This is the third book I have read on artificial intelligence this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

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

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. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

Outstanding. I kept finding reasons to come back to it.

This is the third book I have read on javascript this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

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 particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. 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 had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

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

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 avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.