This is a difficult book to approach. It is either an encyclopedia, a tour de force, or an ultra-graduate-level textbook. On page 17, the author lists 12 detailed prerequisites and 22 recommended additional follow-up courses. I cannot see how a course could be structured using this as a textbook.

The book contains a multitude of short sections. Running over 400 pages divided into eight chapters, the presentation of each subject is short and concise. For example, Section 2.3.3, “Differential Equations,” in a page and a half, presents a computer program to represent the solution of a bouncing ball. There is little discussion of differential equations in general.

Examine the work as an encyclopedia. Chapter 1 introduces the subject and contains several useful terms and definitions. Chapter 2 covers specifications, languages, and models. Chapter 3 discusses hardware considerations, and chapter 4 covers the software components. Chapters 5 through 7 focus on the elements of analysis, scheduling, and optimization of embedded systems, and are the meat of the book.

An ultimate chapter discusses how to approach testing systems.

The book has 586 references and an extensive index.

Finally, I’m preoccupied with the security of the Internet of Things (IoT). Security is mentioned in the index only five times and is not a strong focus of the work. For embedded systems to work in the IoT environment, overall security is, or should be, “job number one” in any design.

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