Game C++ Programming A Practical Introduction

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

A superb guide. The examples are small but complete.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. 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.

Not quite what I expected from the description, but there is material here.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. Borrow it first if you can, or at least check the table of contents carefully before buying.