Shaders Unchained: Writing Powerful Shaders for Every Platform

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

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 balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. 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. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

I have read a lot of books on this subject and this is the clearest.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with computer graphics.

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

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. 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. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.