BOOTBLOCK REBELS: THE HIDDEN STARS OF THE AMIGA UNDERGROUND

2 hours ago
1 min read

Steen Jessen

In the dying light of arcades and 8‑bit home computers, a new kind of rebel emerged: the Amiga cracker. Bootblock Rebels pulls back the curtain on the secretive crews who stripped copy protection from the biggest games of the late 80s and early 90s, racing to release their versions first and sign them with unforgettable cracktros. Through vivid storytelling, rare imagery, and technical insights, this book traces how a handful of bedroom hackers helped define the culture, look, and sound of the Amiga underground.

Spanning 1985–1996, Bootblock Rebels captures the voices of the people who lived it: the coders, artists, swappers, sysops, and traders who built a global scene on BBSs, floppy disks, and sheer obsession. From infamous rivalries and high-stakes police raids to ingenious hacks and all‑night copy parties, it reveals a world that was always illegal, often ingenious, and undeniably influential on the digital age that followed.

PUBLICATION DETAILS