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Summary: The 'Anarchist's Cookbook' of Exploits.
Review: Although I needed a better fundamental foundation for understanding what's discussed in this book, Mr. Erickson's banter eases someone like me into the more technical speak. This book is the meat and potatoes for anyone who wishes to really know their stuff when it comes to exploits and hacking in general. Keep that napkin handy, because it's going to get a little messy. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely a great place to spur advanced study
Review: Although this text is aimed at more experienced programmers, it definitely provides insight that you'll be hard pressed to find elsewhere. More or less, many programming books in general are either interesting and for beginners or advanced and very dull. This book is pretty advanced but written in manner that keeps the reader interested. Highly recommended for anyone who would like some hacking background as well as some Linux/Unix systems background. Definitely a great place to start for those who are truly interested in today's more low level system internals.
Rating:
Summary: Best exploit book on the market
Review: Best example of a book on exploitation on the market. Take this excerpt: "They're coming at you all fists and elbows. You're screaming, 'No, no, no!' but all they hear is, 'Who wants cake?' And they all do, Francis. They all want cake." Brilliant.A must have.
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Summary: The First Hacking Book I've Respected
Review: Don't expect the conceptual fluff. Be prepared for school. This book does not use the time and motivation wasting filler that so many "hacking" books fill pages with. This describes in significant depth the root techniques used in exploitation. It can make some technical assumptions about the reader, and it is helpful to have programming experience, but I prefer this approach. I would rather have the author "teach to the highest common denominator" and not the lowest... What you don't know when you read this book, you will be motivated to learn. The writing style can be a little empty, and could use a bit more of a layered approach, but this is a minor criticism. I work in IT security, and this is the first hacking book I have ever recommended. Go for it.
Rating:
Summary: The First Hacking Book I've Respected
Review: Don't expect the conceptual fluff. Be prepared for school. This book does not use the time and motivation wasting filler that so many "hacking" books fill pages with. This describes in significant depth the root techniques used in exploitation. It can make some technical assumptions about the reader, and it is helpful to have programming experience, but I prefer this approach. I would rather have the author "teach to the highest common denominator" and not the lowest... What you don't know when you read this book, you will be motivated to learn. The writing style can be a little empty, and could use a bit more of a layered approach, but this is a minor criticism. I work in IT security, and this is the first hacking book I have ever recommended. Go for it.
Rating: 
Summary: You have to be a programmer to understand this book
Review: Good, but difficult to follow unless you are a programmer. But I didn't learn a great deal from it and enjoyed the challenge.
Rating:
Summary: Good for techies wanting to learn more
Review: Hacking: The Art of Exploitation is a highly-technical book not designed for the faint of heart. However, it has some great material that any information security professional could benefit from. I especially like the coverage of buffer overflows and network attacks - two of the major types of attacks our systems face. The WEP attacks coverage is good as well. As the author of a "hacking" book myself, I know that a lot of effort goes into putting together a technical book - especially for a book as technical as this one. Although it may not be the most practical book to learn about penetration testing or vulnerability assessments, it's certainly a great read and resource for those who want to get behind the scenes and understand what's going on with all those bits and bytes inside a computer and across a network. Kudos to Jon Erickson for putting together such a unique work.
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Summary: don't get too excited
Review: I agree with some other reviews. I love the idea and image of this book, but it's all too short. This book should have been 1000 pages. The NT chapter is only about 30 pages, mostly which only defines the attacks. I could have written a 30-page essay for my highschool about NT attacks before i read this book.
Buy it, it's a nice addition to the library.
Rating:
Summary: Very Technical & Overly Philosophical
Review: I bought this book to gain a better understanding of how modern OS and Network protocols can be exploited (hacked). While this book covered these topics in some detail, it lost my attention due to its lack of explanation. I am an IT professional with high level programming and networking experience and I felt that certain topics (such as x86 machine language, and memory calls) where glossed over. This book would have a had a wider audience if it included more explanation. Some parts of the book are well written while others are rushed through.
Rating:
Summary: Decent book
Review: I found this to be a decent book but nothing over the top. The best chapter is the second, which deals with buffer overflows. The rest of the chapters are quiet basic intros to networking and crypto. If you are completely new to the security scene, this is a great book to start with.
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