image of person or book cover 8925201443143468186.jpg
This image has been sourced from online.
y separately published work icon Brainjack single work   children's fiction   children's  
Issue Details: First known date: 2009... 2009 Brainjack
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'A thrilling action novel set in the not-too-distant future in which a brilliant young computer hacker fights to prevent the human race from being erased.

'It would take a very special person to crack the computer systems of the White House.
An expert.
A genius.
A devil.

'All of the above, some would say. Someone like Sam Wilson, brilliant teenage computer hacker. But Sam's obsession is about to lead him into a dangerous world. A world of espionage and intrigue; of cybercrime and imminent war. A world where logging on to your computer could mean the difference between life and death.' (Publication summary)

Teaching Resources

Teaching Resources

This work has teaching resources.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Walker Books [London] ,
      2009 .
      image of person or book cover 8925201443143468186.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 438p.
      Note/s:
      • Published: 1st September 2009

      ISBN: 9781921150951 (Pbk.)
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Walker Books [London] ,
      2011 .
      image of person or book cover 2143370432188451117.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Goodreads.
      Extent: 458p.
      Note/s:
      • Published February 1st 2011
      ISBN: 9781406329063
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Ember ,
      2011 .
      image of person or book cover 2559871795302800573.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Goodreads.
      Extent: 349p.
      Note/s:
      • Published August 9th 2011
      ISBN: 9780375843679
Alternative title: Angriff Aus Dem Netz Der Nächste Krieg Beginnt Im Cyberspace
Language: German
    • Munich,
      c
      Germany,
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Dt. Taschenbuch-Verl ,
      2010 .
      image of person or book cover 7820866536312345213.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Goodreads.
      Extent: 413p.
      Note/s:
      • Published December 1st 2010
      ISBN: 9783423625807

Works about this Work

Brian Falkner Susanne Gervay , 2013 single work
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , February vol. 57 no. 1 2013; (p. 6)
Return of the Hacker as Hero : Fictions and Realities of Teenage Technological Experts Debra Dudek , Nicola Johnson , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature in Education , September vol. 42 no. 3 2011; (p. 184-195)

'When critics consider young people’s practices within cyberspace, the focus is often on negative aspects, namely cyber-bullying, obsessive behaviour, and the lack of a balanced life. Such analyses, however, may miss the agency and empowerment young people experience not only to make decisions but to have some degree of control over their lives through their engagement with and use of technology, which often includes sharing it with others in cyberspace. This was a finding of research conducted by Nicola Johnson, which also informs the two novels considered in this article, Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother and Brian Falkner’s Brainjack. The article draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of acts of resistance (Acts of Resistance: Against the New Myths of our Time, 1998) to demonstrate how these fictional representations of hacker heroes make a direct address to their readers to use their technological expertise to achieve social justice. Rather than hacking primarily to “see if they can do it,” the protagonists of these novels acknowledge the moral ambiguity of hacking and encourage its responsible use.'

Brian Falkner Susanne Gervay , 2013 single work
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , February vol. 57 no. 1 2013; (p. 6)
Return of the Hacker as Hero : Fictions and Realities of Teenage Technological Experts Debra Dudek , Nicola Johnson , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature in Education , September vol. 42 no. 3 2011; (p. 184-195)

'When critics consider young people’s practices within cyberspace, the focus is often on negative aspects, namely cyber-bullying, obsessive behaviour, and the lack of a balanced life. Such analyses, however, may miss the agency and empowerment young people experience not only to make decisions but to have some degree of control over their lives through their engagement with and use of technology, which often includes sharing it with others in cyberspace. This was a finding of research conducted by Nicola Johnson, which also informs the two novels considered in this article, Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother and Brian Falkner’s Brainjack. The article draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of acts of resistance (Acts of Resistance: Against the New Myths of our Time, 1998) to demonstrate how these fictional representations of hacker heroes make a direct address to their readers to use their technological expertise to achieve social justice. Rather than hacking primarily to “see if they can do it,” the protagonists of these novels acknowledge the moral ambiguity of hacking and encourage its responsible use.'

Last amended 16 Jul 2021 06:58:29
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X