Solid next entry in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series
4 stars
Content warning
Light spoilers about the dungeon level(s) in this book, nothing major.
While very fun and entertaining, this entry of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series (and the entire train track theme) confused me a lot at times, but I believe that is the author’s intention here as the train tracks and colored lines are supposed to be confusing for all characters too. I will 100% continue reading this series. GLURP GLURP!
"The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin."
The ratings and …
Fun follow up of the Dungeon Crawler Carl saga
4 stars
I really enjoyed the first book, and this second one did not let me down. I enjoyed the way it expanded the universe and the dungeon, specially around the quest system. Will definitely read the next books soon!
The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and …
Hilarious, action packed MMORPG in a book
5 stars
I really enjoyed reading (and listening to the audiobook version) of Dungeon Crawler Carl. This book really manages to mix fantasy, sci fi and comedy in a perfectly balanced dystopian MMORPG adventure. The book can be hilarious at times, while keeping a very good, action fuelled pace. I will 100% be reading the next ones soon!
Horrorstör is a 2014 horror comedy novel that was written by Grady Hendrix and illustrated …
Entertaining horror story
3 stars
While not specially original, Horrorstör is an entertaining read, which really does feel like a horror movie (both for better and for worse), as the entire book maintains a light, quick pace while at the same time it does not explore the characters (or the creepy stuff) as much as I’d have liked.
The first part of the book (before shit hits the fan) was not creepy at all and instead it was even funny, and felt like an episode of TV Sitcom “Superstore”.
Horrorstör was an entertaining read but honestly, I’m not sure I’d recommend it, or if I would’ve picked it up at all, if it weren’t for the original IKEA parody and the genuinely cool physical edition that looks like an IKEA catalog.
Easy read, but a wasted opportunity for something bigger
2 stars
2 stars I’m not quite enjoying this book tbh. Mikko is a fascinating character, but this book doesn’t explore his personality or experience more than at a surface level. It covers some basic concepts of security in everyday terms, but doesn’t really provoke any thoughts or attempts to go beyond some surface level definitions and stories.
The book is divided into very short, numerous stories and definitions, which adds up to the lack of depth of any interesting concepts at all, but at least they make it somewhat easier to read.
Also, info about bitcoin and the blockchain are not really accurate on today's knowledge around the blockchain. Mikko claims that for example, stolen bitcoin don’t need to be laundered and categorizes it as almost anonymous - That’s not correct as proven by the traceability of the Blockchain and laundering services like TornadoCash.
The original title for …
2 stars
I’m not quite enjoying this book tbh. Mikko is a fascinating character, but this book doesn’t explore his personality or experience more than at a surface level. It covers some basic concepts of security in everyday terms, but doesn’t really provoke any thoughts or attempts to go beyond some surface level definitions and stories.
The book is divided into very short, numerous stories and definitions, which adds up to the lack of depth of any interesting concepts at all, but at least they make it somewhat easier to read.
Also, info about bitcoin and the blockchain are not really accurate on today's knowledge around the blockchain. Mikko claims that for example, stolen bitcoin don’t need to be laundered and categorizes it as almost anonymous - That’s not correct as proven by the traceability of the Blockchain and laundering services like TornadoCash.
The original title for this book in Finnish is way more accurate (”Internet”), as this book kind of ends up being a summary of some common internet terms, observed through the lens of security, without any depth to any of the terms or stories - And that is a shame, as I really believe Mikko has fantastic stories to tell.
"Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock …
A refreshingly, original horror story
5 stars
One of the few books that actually spooked me and kept me awake for a bit. The book starts very strong and although it slows its pace towards the end, I still quite enjoyed it. Great, original story and would love to see it brought to the cinema or as a TV show.
Ctrl+Alt+Chaos is a true-crime cyberthriller that tells the story of Julius Kivimäki, aka Zeekill, arguably …
Fascinating (and infuriating) story
4 stars
Pretty interesting story of teenage hacker scenes from 2010s to 2025, going from Lulzsec to The Com/Scattered Spider. The book focuses on the character of Julius Kivimaki and his evolution through some of these more notorious Hacking Groups during his early teens, as well as his trial and punishment in the 2020s. One of the parts of this book that drove me mad was knowing how many times police had interacted with Kivimaki or even arrested him without any effects on his online activity.
For anybody interested in this story, they should also check out the 4 part documentary released around the same time, Most Wanted: Teen Hacker
