I'll start out the review by admitting my bias: I write and edit "how to" books for a living. I'm also a computer nerd -- my books deal with software that ranges from relatively simple (MS Office) to complex (Photoshop / Illustrator). The
Steel Bolt Hacking review on Slashdot was glowing enough to spur me to action. The concept of lockpicking as a puzzle (apply reproducible principles and techniques, achieve desired result) is one that resonates with a lot of computer nerds who use these same techniques in designing and writing code, and it sucked me in.
Twenty dollars later I'm holding
Steel Bolt Hacking (SBH) in my hands. It's a self-published book, most likely through a POD (print on demand) service, with a four-color glossy cover. Not bad for a 110+ pp book.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I've found that many people who go the self-publishing route have the knowledge yet lack an editor to help organize and clarify material. This hurts a work and its ability to convey information.
This book is no different. First and foremost, it fails to hit its target: when the book is subtitled "The computerman's (sic) guide to lock picking" I'd expect that connections are drawn between skills acquired and used in the computer industry and the art of picking locks. Other than listing groups such as DefCon and dc719, and having a bunch of links on the Internet, there really isn't much of a connection. In other words, nothing unique to the computer generation will affect whether you are more or less likely to start picking locks.
Yes, there is the puzzle aspect that nerds find appealing. But enjoying puzzles is true of grandmas who do crosswords and read "cozies," forensic pathologists who breathe formaldehyde fumes as readily as oxygen, and any field researcher looking for answers in, well, a field. This does not make them any more or less likely to pick a lock than your average computer nerd, or have skills that would make them better equipped to pursue the nearly-impenetrable mysteries of a Medeco lock.
So strip away the pretention that this book is most useful for people who work with computers. Does it otherwise do the job?
Well, yes and no. There is a certain excitement and energy in Mr. Chick's writing, and he throws in enough humorous asides and comments that a reader won't be bored by page 20. This is something the MIT Guide lacks, and this energy helps gloss over sins that would otherwise sink the book. There is also twenty-four pages of coverage about hacking Master combination locks, something that isn't covered by the MIT Guide.
On the negative side, there is a lot of repetition of essential (using picks to open locks) and nonessential (dc719 is in Colorado) information. With an editor, this book would be perhaps half its current size yet would be a friendly, approachable introduction to lock picking.
There is a reason why the MIT Guide is the first resource cited to newcomers to the hobby: it gets the job done. In one short evening, it's possible to understand the theory and the practice involved with picking locks. It also has "legs," meaning that it continues to be useful for much of the early and intermediate portions of the learning curve. I'm not sure the same can be said of
SBH, which ultimately may be its biggest failure.
One helpful feature of
SBH is that it includes many Internet links to resources, including this Web site, that provide more detail on locks and lockpicking. If you read this book and want to know more, you can easily dive in on any aspects that inspire you by following a link or two.
I'd recommend this book if:
* You want a friendly, approachable beginner's guide on the topic so you can decide whether to take up lock picking as a hobby;
* You lack the time or the Internet connection to conduct a basic search on your own;
* You prefer the look and feel of a book over electrons on a screen or a paper printout from the Internet. (I'm one of these people, but I'm not a Luddite -- I just happen to like books.)
--DrDetroit
