A few weeks ago I've got two Windows Azure books from Apress for review and giveaway on the group meeting.  In the very moment when I opened the first one I knew it will be difficult to review books about a something I don't really know that much about. Usually I would need just a few hours to say if I like a book or not but this time was different. After struggling for a few days the task started to be even trickier but on one moment I said to myself "hey! You don't know Azure so try from that perspective" and that is what I'm trying to do here.

Windows Azure Platform

Like I said, I don't know the great deal about the Windows Azure and I would like to learn not only how to write a code, but also understand the cloud. For that I found this book perfect indeed. The first part is focused on the idea behind the cloud, how to use it in the business and when to do so. It also shows what other competitors have to offer. It's very good read thought. After that the book goes deeper and deeper in the Azure, showing in the first place how to start, how Azure is organised and how to make it working. It's very good if you've never even looked there. Rest of the book is going deeply in each part of the Azure. The relation of code to text is definitely in favour of the latter and you can find a lot of explanation on how things are working that helps to understand both the concept and the code.

Introducing Windows Azure

The title is, in my opinion, a bit misleading. I wouldn't call this book an introduction and it seems to be more focused on those who either knows already something about the Azure, or just don't care in details under the hood. After a very short introduction, that takes just a bit more than two dozens of pages, the author throws you straight into the code. If one compare that with over a hundred pages of introduction in the previous book, the difference will be obvious. Does it mean this book is bad? Hell no! This book is just soaked in a code; every page is just packed with diagrams, screenshots and code samples. This is amazing book if you are a hardcore coder or if you have read the previous book and has an appetite for more.

To conclude this short review, both books are very good, both are dealing with the same technology and even examples are somehow similar. From the other angle both are very different and approach the topic from very different angles. If you know you need the cloud right now, pick up the second one and sink in the code. If you are just checking, grab the first and enjoy the whole new world opening in front of you. After that, grab the second book if you will need more.