Reader reviews

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

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 code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

Useful in parts. Fine as a reference, less so as a cover-to-cover read.

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 particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The chapters on game design are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. Borrow it first if you can, or at least check the table of contents carefully before buying.

Genuinely excellent — I finished it in a week and immediately started again.

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 book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. 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. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

Decent, but uneven. Some chapters are much stronger than others.

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 author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. Borrow it first if you can, or at least check the table of contents carefully before 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. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

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 writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.