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a_reader_is_me2013-08-15 05:40 pm
catness) wrote in a_reader_is_me2013-08-15 05:40 pm
Entry tags:
Book: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Title: Little Brother
Author: Cory Doctorow
Number of pages: 416 in paperback
Genre: sci-fi, cyberpunk
Book Number/Goal: 1/52
My Rating: 4/5
Notes: for Coursera Fantasy and Science Fiction course
Download: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download (the author's site)
Review:
The book grabbed my attention from the start - it's distributed under a Creative Commons license (free to share and adapt for non-commercial purposes), and in the introduction, the author argues for free distribution of e-books. He instantly earned my highest respect!
The story takes place in a (near) dystopian future, when DRM, censorship and global surveillance are on the rampage, and the government spares no effort in the war against terrorism. The main character, a high school student and a talented hacker, gets caught together with his friends in a counter-terrorist attack that went far beyond reasonable, and eventually becomes the leader of a computer-based resistance aimed at winning back human rights.
The title of the book is an obvious allusion to Orwell's Big Brother. (This is also reflected in the main character's handle "w1n5t0n".) In the story, Little Brothers are the hackers who watch the Department of Homeland Security's actions and document their failures and abuses of power.
A unique feature of the book is its educational aspect. The author, through the main character's words, explains basics of cryptography and information security. I understand the author's intentions, but as part of the story, it sounds a bit artificial, as the character is "talking to himself", explaining the stuff he already knows to no one in particular.
Some of the mentioned software/technology is fictional, such as ParanoidLinux operating system (after the book was published, there have been several attempts to develop such a distribution, but it still doesn't exist). Some is real, such as TOR - a popular anonymizing network.
In spite of the intense fast-paced action, I can't say that I really cared for any of the characters and for their suffering, but I enjoyed the description of technology (especially hacks/exploits) and games, as well as the bit about prisons and torture.
I highly recommend this book to geeks and to anyone who wants to learn something about computer security.
Author: Cory Doctorow
Number of pages: 416 in paperback
Genre: sci-fi, cyberpunk
Book Number/Goal: 1/52
My Rating: 4/5
Notes: for Coursera Fantasy and Science Fiction course
Download: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download (the author's site)
Review:
The book grabbed my attention from the start - it's distributed under a Creative Commons license (free to share and adapt for non-commercial purposes), and in the introduction, the author argues for free distribution of e-books. He instantly earned my highest respect!
The story takes place in a (near) dystopian future, when DRM, censorship and global surveillance are on the rampage, and the government spares no effort in the war against terrorism. The main character, a high school student and a talented hacker, gets caught together with his friends in a counter-terrorist attack that went far beyond reasonable, and eventually becomes the leader of a computer-based resistance aimed at winning back human rights.
The title of the book is an obvious allusion to Orwell's Big Brother. (This is also reflected in the main character's handle "w1n5t0n".) In the story, Little Brothers are the hackers who watch the Department of Homeland Security's actions and document their failures and abuses of power.
A unique feature of the book is its educational aspect. The author, through the main character's words, explains basics of cryptography and information security. I understand the author's intentions, but as part of the story, it sounds a bit artificial, as the character is "talking to himself", explaining the stuff he already knows to no one in particular.
Some of the mentioned software/technology is fictional, such as ParanoidLinux operating system (after the book was published, there have been several attempts to develop such a distribution, but it still doesn't exist). Some is real, such as TOR - a popular anonymizing network.
In spite of the intense fast-paced action, I can't say that I really cared for any of the characters and for their suffering, but I enjoyed the description of technology (especially hacks/exploits) and games, as well as the bit about prisons and torture.
I highly recommend this book to geeks and to anyone who wants to learn something about computer security.