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Wizzywig: Portrait Of A Serial Hacker (2012)

by Ed Piskor(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1603090975 (ISBN13: 9781603090971)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Top Shelf Productions

review 1: I had to check at the end to make sure this wasn't non-fiction; the story feels very much like it could be true, as a boy grows up in the hacker era and becomes one of the greats. The story is told part retrospective, part from a slow-moving present, as Phenicle's prison time generates more and more outrage. There is a lot of the story that is probably non-fiction, although it didn't all happen to one person. And it includes in-depth information on how some of the hacks are done. It's a very compelling story - Phenicle exists in a place where he's neither hero nor villain - he does some bad things but you never get the sense that he's actually hurting anyone besides corporations, Almost Robin-Hood like in some situations. It's a definite gray area, though, and the book... more, while definitely written from a pro-hacker position, at least acknowledges that crimes were committed. Definitely a worthwhile read if you have any interest in hacker history and culture, and even if you don't, the story of Phenicle is interesting on its own.
review 2: This is not as interesting/frustrating/deep as Kevin Mitnick's memoir, Ghost in the Wires, which covers similar material. (Wizzywig fictionalizes the stories of a few different hackers.) I think I would have liked it better had I not read 'Ghost' first. There were about four pages which had material that I found crude. I do not normally have a problem with adult material, it just seemed out of place and didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the book. less

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