101 Ray-Tracing, Ray-Marching and Path-Tracing Projects (Paperback)

Three stars feels about right. Useful, but not essential.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. Fine, but there are stronger books on the same subject if you look around.

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. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

I got a lot out of this, even if a few sections felt rushed.

I have been working with programming 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. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.