Reader reviews

Disappointing. The description oversold what is actually inside.

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 chapters on data visualization are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. Two stars. The subject deserves a better treatment than this.

Almost excellent. A second edition could easily push it to five stars.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

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

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. 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. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

This is the third book I have read on quantum computing this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Good in places. I would borrow it before buying if you can.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Fine, but there are stronger books on the same subject if you look around.

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.