Geek Mafia: Black Hat Blues
| Date: 28 April 2011, 08:37
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Geek Mafia: Black Hat Blues (PM Fiction)
By Rick Dakan
* Publisher: PM Press
* Number Of Pages: 368
* Publication Date: 2009-09-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 160486088X
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781604860887
Product Description:
A gripping story of con artists and activists, this story follows a crew of elite hackers, new recruits, anarchists, and impersonators as they attempt to take down their most challenging target to date—the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Gathered under the cover of HackerCon in Washington DC—a place for security experts, penetration testers, and technology geeks to meet and discuss the latest hacks and exploits—this group of renegades plot their attack on the federal government for its objectionable security practices. Thought provoking and entertaining, this fast-paced adventure is based on years of research in the hacker community, addresses many contemporary social issues, and provides an overview of how hacking really works.
Summary: Passable Geek Fun, Average for Series
Rating: 3
The book once again finds a group of grifters, now aided by a number of hackers, attempting to pull off their largest heist yet. It is obvious that Dakan acquired an incredible amount of research in preparing for this story. It is welcome but, like the previous two books, the 2nd act gets bogged down in character exposition. For stories who's draw is the techno-shenanigans this section ends up being tolerated to get to the payout at the end. The lack of a clear 'baddie' also hurts the title. And for those series fans hoping for more insight into the shadowy Isaiah and his intriguing anti-corporation? Sorry, the uber compelling heavy is nothing more than a set-prop here.
Yet, despite its short comings, Black Hat Blues still is a compelling read for the right audience. Dakan does justice to the complexities of hacking - there's no magical Hollywood interfaces here. The measures and counter-measures taken are believable. Actions have real consequences. Finally, Dakan does not shy away from breaking the team down and discarding intriguing characters along the way. While it would be incredibly tempting to magically have everything work out Black Hat Blues gives no quarter in this regard, and is better for it.
Like the previous two installments of Rick Dakan's Geek Mafia series, Black Hat Blues will either be an entertaining romp or a confusing jargon-fest. Black Hat Blues is a fun summer read for those who enjoy their entertainment in the vein of the "Ocean's 13" movies, BBC's "Hustle" television series, or even TNT's "Leverage" and/or USA's "Burn Notice" shows - albeit with glasses and a propeller cap. If you enjoy reading about cool geeks doing subversive things in clever ways you'll enjoy Black Hat Blues. If long passages on how a compromised computer network can lead to more complicated social engineering sounds tedious, you'll want to pass.
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