Non-Human Intelligence (Coffee Book Series)

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

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

Very good, with a few caveats. The core material is strong.

This is the third book I have read on science fiction & fantasy this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

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

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The chapters on science fiction & fantasy are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.