KCR: Digital Fortress (computer, novel)

Image by bennylin0724 via FlickrDigital Fortress is written by a guy who did bare minimal research into encryption, and use that as a premise to involved a McGuffin device (in this case, a "secret decoder ring" (no I wasn't kidding) and some standard chase plots. What Dan Brown knows about encryption appears to be gleamed from Wikipedia, and the hero appears to be modeled on himself (just like Langdon was).

I admit that as a high concept and some simple reading it ain't that bad, but I'm a geek, and I get cranky when technology was described wrong and/or doesn't make sense. And they don't here.

Frankly, I consider the Da Vinci Code to be a borrowed high concept turned into a barely acceptable thriller that only was so successful because it had somehow involved Jesus. Digital Fortress doesn't even have that hook. The result is an acceptable if formulaic "thriller".

Rating: Skip it, unless you must read every Dan Brown book available.

KCR: Takedown, capture of Kevin Mitnick (non-fiction, hacker, crime, detective)

Image via WikipediaFound this in a used bookstore, and found it to be interesting on the technical aspects, but comes across as a self-congratulatory (i.e. pat your own back) kind of book.

The story is about how Shimomura, one of the best computer security experts of the time, had his personal server hacked by some body. He was able to track down the perp, who turned out to be Kevin Mitnick, the infamous hacker, and in a few months, Mitnick was tracked down and arrested by FBI, with Shimomura's help on the tracker. The book covers both Shimomura's short biography, as well as details of the hack, his deconstruction, the trace through multiple ISPs, the phone network, and finally, to Mitnick himself.

Again, the book sounds like a self-promo book basically describe how great Shimomura is. I have no doubt Shimomura is a brilliant guy, but there's tremendous ego involved... the entire prose comes across as one big ego trip. The technical details were somewhat simplified, and while readable, will likely drive non-techies to tears as they are quite dry. I found them readable, but then I'm a geek (a cranky geek, but still a geek).

You may want to read this books counterpart... The Fugitive Game, the book from Mitnick's perspective.