Hackers

by David Bischoff

Joining a group of elite New York City computer hackers, Dade Murphy is drawn into a mystery when Joey, the youngest member of the gang, is arrested by the Secret Service for a computer crime that none of them committed. Original. Movie tie-in.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Media Tie In, Thriller

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

aka Mark Grant (with Bruce King), Brad Quentin (with Terry Bisson)

Born in Washington D.C. and now living in Eugene, Oregon, David Bischoff writes science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television. Though he has been writing since the early 1970s, and has had over 80 books published, David is best known for novelizations of popular movies and TV series including the Aliens, Gremlins, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and WarGames.

Reviews

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did was my love of the movie. It had the same story but none of the style.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review 29. Hackers by David Bischoff

Page Count : 185

Hackers has always been one of my favourite films and when I found out that there was a book of the film last year, I knew I had to have it.

David Bischoff has done a fantastic job of expanding on the story with additional scenes and information.

This is the 2nd time I have read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it just as much as I did before.

Film novelisations are one of my favourite types of books especially when they expand on the story and Hackers is definitely one of my favourite stories.

I will definitely read this again in the future and recommend it if you can find a copy of it if you like the film.


5*
*****

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent adaptation of the movie. It mostly followed the events in the movie, but added some depth to the characters and a few twists. Really really enjoyed this one.

[Lee Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hack the planet! Iconic lines from the movie made their way in and it made for a quick, light read. Not certain in added much to the original material, nor is my fashion imagination good enough to compare with the outfits we saw onscreen.

[nimrodiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written based on the screenplay of the film Hackers. While sometimes, these are fun and expand on the charecters as we see them in the movie, this one followed the script pretty tightly.

Hackers is one of my all time favorite films, so it was fun to re-visit the story. However I think next time I will just pull out our copy of the movie.

See where this book travels to next, at: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5...

[Casuarina Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting for a study of time specific jargon and can stimulate discussion on netiquette now vs then. Discussion resulting from reading this book centred around the safety and security of computer controlled devices such as cars and health equipment (e.g. pacemakers). unlikely to watch the movie as a result

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mall Rats meets Scooby Doo meets War Games

[Jag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take the movie, suck all the charm out of it and you have the book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agent Gill needs to stop using the word penetrate

I watch Hackers every so often, and revel in how 90s it is. I was a little worried about the novelization as I didn’t know how some of it would work, but it is still good, if not as great as the film.

David Bischoff has done a great job of working the script into a novelization and has interpreted the world quite well. The characters spring off the page, with added insight into Phreak (Renoly Santiago) and Kate (the ever gorgeous Angelina). Unfortunately, I was expecting more insight into Cereal Killer’s character (the wonderfully crazy Matthew Lilliard) but he is given less time on page, rather than the scene stealing brilliance from the movie. The same also goes for Joey (Jesse Bradford), as his “addiction” storyline is not included in this, although partially referenced through another character.

There are some changes between the film and the novelization. Having watched it again to refresh my memory, I noticed that some dialogue was used in different scenes and some lines were cut completely - they were maybe adlibs or added into the movie, when something wasn’t working out. The beginning is also slightly different and doesn’t have quite the boom that the film had to get it up and running.

There are also more points of view from Dade and Kate’s parents and we discover what really happened to his parents marriage. Lauren (Dade’s mum) agonises over her son’s hacking, but at the same time comes across as more supportive, especially when facing off against Agent Dill (who way overuses the word “penetrate”.)

While I wouldn’t say this is engrossing as the film is, it’s still a recommended novelization. It’s 184 pages and is slightly expensive, so I would suggest that if it is something that you need to add to your collection, you keep an eye on the price, or hunt around.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's no secret that I enjoy the cheesey 1994 movie Hackers starring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie as superhero-like even hackers Crash (Override) and (Acid) Burn. I liked it as a kid, and I still like it now, but perhaps the only reason I still like it is because how much I liked it in the 90's. Who knows? It's really not that great, full of two-dimensional Gen X characters, a simplistic plot, and not a lot of actual computer science. Plus, Burn (literally the only female character who isn't one of the main characters' moms) comes across as little more than a love interest for Crash, who happens to have the same interest in hacking. The movie definitely does not pass the Bechtel test. But, since the guys are all equally one-sided and she really does have some mad skills, I can let it slide a bit. So basically, all this is a preface to explain why I actually read a novelization of the movie. Oh, the horror. Yeah, and this was a particularly bad novelization (my apologies to the author, whom I'm sure has produced some much more entertaining original work at some point). This book landed on my virtual shelf when I was trying to download a copy of Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, a fantastic non-fiction book about the earliest players in the computer industry who really pushed the machines to their limits and led to the awesome tech we have today. Instead, I got punked with an e-copy of this. And.... because of my love for the cheesey movie, I actually read it. And it was bad. Like really, really bad. But I finished it, and maybe even liked it just a tiny bit. Please don't judge me.

[David Hitchcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The movie Hackers had a big impact on me. It was one of 3-4 computer movies that came out within the year, and in my mind the best of the bunch. aMany Actors in the movie have gone on to great
things.
The book follows the movie almost exactly. There are a couple spots where it provides an off camera view, or the final movie changed the scene slightly such as using WipeoutXL video game in the movie and a different generic game in the book.
I watch or read this every year and keep enjoying it almost like the first time.
Also this book only has a couple spots where it used nonsense computer terms for the time. For as many computer terms they throw around, thats really good.
If you want the glamorous side of teenagers hacking everything from school computer to traffic lights, dating sites or even building lights this is for you.

[Jonas Buijs · Rating 5 out of 5]

here's someone who didn't watch the movie and only read the book.
for lovers of the humor in the Percy Jackson series (and really any book by Rick Riordan), this is one for you! sure i didnt laugh out loud but i had a smile on my face all the time. i was sad it was so short but it was also perfect in this length. its amazingly written, sometimes lines are a bit cringe but my guess is that that was coppied straight from the movie. and for thriller lovers, trust me, the suspense is here, true page turner! and some real plottwists in here! and around that all a interwoven lovestory, what more could you want?

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dade a super smart, hacking freak crushes Wall Street as a child and gets banned from any types of electronics until he becomes 18. During this time he will read up on all the advances of coding, algorithms and improve his mind. A security guy for a huge shipping company will implant a worm into his own system to slowly remove millions of dollars from the accounts. A bunch of brilliant hacker kids will be framed and have to use all their resources to fight corruption, greed and to get their freedom.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is from a movie that has become a cult classic. It probably is a little dated since it was based on computer technology in the 1990s but it is still good. It is a quick read. I love the characters. The kids rule the day and strike back with the help of friends. It is a nice boy meets girl book and wins girl book.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Muy aburrido, incluso para ser un manual de informática. La historia carece de emoción, incluso en los momentos de máxima tensión, los personajes son superficiales y las partes, que tratan de informática, supuestamente las más importantes del libro, son confusas y están mal explicadas. Mi consejo es que no lo leáis a no ser que queráis perder el tiempo.

[Apostolos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Το διάβασα για πρώτη φορά το 1997 και, σε συνδυασμό και με την ταινία, κάτι έλεγε.
Για τα τεχνικά δεδομένα του 2019 όμως, είναι μάλλον «γραφικό»· ένα αστυνομικό με τεχνολογικά στοιχεία εντυπωσιασμού και πολλές φράσεις που, κυριολεκτικά, δε σημαίνουν τίποτε. Ξεπερασμένο.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by this author and love the technological link in both I have read. What really can be done? And should we do it?

[Steven Delbove · Rating 2 out of 5]

The movie is much better, but I did finish it.

[Ranette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun with teens who are the smartest.

[Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's terrible but also a fun and funny read. If you want teen dialog written by someone who sounds like they've never been to a party in their life or was ever a teenager this is for you.

[Δημήτρης Αθανασόπουλος · Rating 4 out of 5]

this novelization is really close to the movie and the script.
has some extra bits that are not in the movie that makes it somewhat more interesting.
a good book for fans of the 1995 movie.

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanto el libro, tiene buena trama y una historia muy interesante, sin duda lo disfrute mucho y aparte es muy rápido de leer, para mí es
Un gran librazo ❤️📖

[Vlad K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better watch movie

[Geeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it. This book was better than the movie.

[Russianwitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh it's better than the movie anyway.
Would have loved it as a teenager, now unfortunately it's not that impressive.

[Bill Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun and quick read.