Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
Danny is a freelance IT specialist—that is, a hacker. He and his pal Omar are both skilled at parkour, or freerunning, a discipline designed to enable practitioners to travel between any two points regardless of obstacles. This is fortunate, because they're off on an adventure that's filled with obstacles, from locked doors to gangs of hostile pursuers. Together they follow a cryptic clue, find a missing map, figure out how to get to Timbuktu without buying a plane ticket, and join the life-and-death treasure hunt, exchanging wisecracks and solving the puzzle one step at a time.An exotic setting and gripping suspense, as well as an absorbing introduction to parkour, make this thriller a genuine page-turner.
Reviews
Review this book!
On Oct 1, 2010, feeney said
I asked amazon.com/VINE to send me this book to read and review because my 16-year old grandson is into both computers and more especially into parkour. English missionary Stephen Davies, resident in Burkino Faso wrote the boys adventure tale, HACKING TIMBUKTU. In an "Author's Note" Davies claims that this is "perhaps the first ever parkour novel." Davies does not provide a glossary of either hacking or parkour terminology. But he defines and redefines terms throughout his yarn. ***** The novel's hero is 16-year old Londoner Dan Temple. His father has moved to Australia with a new wife. Dad happily pays for Dan's rent in London. Dan is a school dropout trying to make a living as a "freelance code monkey." He is a White Hacker, i. e., does not worm his ways into computers to do harm -- at least initially. Dan's second passion is parkour (from the French parcourir, to run a course). In its simplest form, parkour is the art of running as fast as possible in as straight a line as possible toward a pre-defined goal, using only the human body as a means of propulsion. and for overcoming obstacles like walls, roofs, trenches, etc. A male practitioner of parkour is a traceur, a female: traceuse. "Parkour is not so very different from hacking. ... Both move freely to surpass the barriers erected by man to enclose and restrict" (Ch. 2). Boys love both codes and mysteries and running and jumping; so viva hacking! viva parkour! ***** Through Skype, Dan hacks his way into a computer in Timbuktu, Mali where he finds a Magic Square, the key to an immense treasure of gold stolen and hidden 700 years earlier. With his friend Omar, Dan Temple soon flies to Africa and pursues the treasure. The boys in turn are pursued by a growing horde of computer nerds worldwide who want them to share knowledge of the treasure with them. More dangerous is the novel's murderous villain Moktar Hassim, a religious student in Timbuktu. He offs or maims more than one person in his pursuit of the gold. Moktar has stolen the original manuscript giving exact indications of the trove's location. ***** Parkour is used incessantly throughout HACKING TIMBUKTU. For it is the art of escaping pursuers, as well as the art of running fast toward a goal. And are these boys pursued! Including by a larcenous London policeman. The African roots of parkour are also highlighted, as Moktar Hassim is shown to be a fast racer and obstacle overcomer in his own right. And like many others in Mali, Moktar can climb a cliff faster than is good for either Dan or Omar. ***** This is a fine boys adventure tale. I commend it warmly to parents and grandparents as a gift for boys and girls who show signs of becoming couch potatoes or mentally lazy. It is a wakeup call. -OOO-
Available Copies
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2010
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
$8.14
Show Details
Description:
Clarion Books, 2010. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
$8.14
Hacking Timbuktu
by Stephen Davies
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2010
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
$8.14
Show Details
Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2010. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
$8.14
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
$5.99
Show Details
Description:
Andersen Press, 2009. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
$5.99
Hacking Timbuktu
by Stephen Davies
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2010-11-15
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.58
Show Details
Description:
Clarion Books, 2010-11-15. Hardcover. Good. Item Price
$10.58
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$7.21
Show Details
Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Item Price
$7.21
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
$1.01
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Very Good. Item Price
$1.01
Hacking Timbuktu
by Stephen Davies
- Condition
- Used; Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Milton Keynes , Buckinghamshire, GBR
- Item Price
-
$4.41
Show Details
Description:
Andersen. Paperback. Used; Good. Simply Brit welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring theres something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within… Read more about this item Item Price
$4.41
Hacking Timbuktu Davies, Stephen
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2010-11-15
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Dacula, Georgia, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.45
Show Details
Description:
Clarion Books, 2010-11-15. Hardcover. Very Good. Nice book. Some wear to DJ edges and corners. Light mark on bottom outer page edges. Item Price
$10.45
Hacking Timbuktu
by Stephen Davies
- Condition
- Used:Good
- Edition
- 1
- Published
- 2010-11-15
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, USA
- Item Price
-
$16.00
Show Details
Description:
Clarion Books, 2010-11-15. 1. Hardcover. Used:Good. Item Price
$16.00
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2009-09-03
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Hereford, Herefordshire, GBR
- Item Price
-
$4.29
Show Details
Description:
Andersen Press, 2009-09-03. Paperback. Very Good. 1.9985 in x 19.5851 in x 12.7903 in. Item Price
$4.29
Hacking Timbuktu
by Stephen Davies
- Condition
- Used; Good
- Published
- 09/03/2009
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
London, Greater London, GBR
- Item Price
-
$4.42
Show Details
Description:
Andersen, 09/03/2009. Paperback. Used; Good. **WE SHIP WITHIN 24 HRS FROM LONDON, UK, 98% OF OUR ORDERS ARE RECEIVED WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books. Item Price
$4.42
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$6.34
Show Details
Description:
Andersen Press. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
$6.34
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- UsedLikeNew
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
$11.03
Show Details
Description:
UsedLikeNew. Used Like-New:May have Remainder Mark. Item Price
$11.03
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2010-11-15
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$64.43
Show Details
Description:
Clarion Books, 2010-11-15. Hardcover. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$64.43
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.66
Show Details
Description:
UsedVeryGood. Used Very Good:Minor shelf wear. Item Price
$10.66
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- UsedLikeNew
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
$11.03
Show Details
Description:
UsedLikeNew. Used Like-New:May have Remainder Mark. Item Price
$11.03
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.66
Show Details
Description:
UsedVeryGood. Used Very Good:Minor shelf wear. Item Price
$10.66
Hacking Timbuktu
by Stephen Davies
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2009
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Morangis, FRA
- Item Price
-
$4.99
Show Details
Description:
Andersen, 2009. Paperback. Very Good. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this book's net price to charity organizations. Item Price
$4.99
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2009-10-19
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781842708842
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$61.62
Show Details
Description:
Andersen Press, 2009-10-19. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$61.62
Hacking Timbuktu
by Davies, Stephen
- Condition
- New
- ISBN
- 9780547390161
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
$12.21
Show Details
Description:
New. . Item Price
$12.21