The author of this primer is a former Microsoft developer. He left to take up a senior role in a smaller company. The book is intended for experienced Microsoft Windows developers who are planning to write applications in Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) for Windows 8. It addresses the needs of this rather narrow target audience quite well.

Normally, a developer in this situation would rely on web-based tutorials, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), and YouTube. The latest online material is indispensable to a developer during the development process.

The small size of this book makes it easy to read while commuting or traveling, to gain an overview of a new development process, particularly when the Internet is unavailable. In under 100 pages, this work introduces new concepts and provides a fair amount of prescriptive information. The author assumes a lot of prior knowledge to achieve this brevity. Only new information is presented. Knowledge of earlier development processes is taken for granted.

The editing and proofreading is of a high standard, and there is a two-page index.

I recommend this book for experienced Microsoft Windows developers who are about to begin developing XAML applications for Windows 8. By the time you buy it and read it, newer information will be available, but you may well consider it a good investment of time and money to use this little book to get your project started.