Behind the book
The real ghosts.
Every ghost in this book was a real person. Three of them lived in Vasad, Hungary, in the
1600s. The others were real hackers, on real machines, in the 1980s and 1990s. They were
real. They are remembered here.
The ghosts of Vasad
Three real people who lived in Vasad in the 1600s. The lands their families owned
are the lands the story walks.
[Portrait or symbol — Rozina]
Rozina (Libercsei Rozina)
Bill's secret informant. Midnight, at the old church.
In real life
She lived in Vasad in the 1600s. She was married to Ráday Gáspár, whose family
owned these lands. She kept the library, the documents, and the stories of the
people who lived here. When people forgot things, they came to her. When things
were lost, they asked her where to look.
In the book
She is Bill's secret informant. She meets him at midnight at the old church.
She was real.
[Portrait or symbol — Ilona]
Ilona (Ráday Ilona)
She runs the Haunted House.
In real life
She lived in Vasad in the 1600s. She was the daughter of Ráday Gáspár, whose
family owned these lands. She married Darvas János, whose family also held land
here.
In the book
She is a ghost who runs the Haunted House — the Vasadi Kastély. She was real.
[Portrait or symbol — István]
István (Szilassy István)
He kept the maps. He knew where every field began.
In real life
He lived in Vasad in the 1600s. He married Darvas Zsuzsanna and inherited part
of the village. He kept the maps, the accounts, and the boundaries. He knew
where every field began and ended.
In the book
He is a ghost who helps Bill navigate the digital world. He was real.
[Portrait or symbol — Zsuzsanna]
Zsuzsanna (Darvas Zsuzsanna)
The quiet heart of the Haunted House.
In real life
She lived in Vasad in the 1600s. Her family, the Darvas family, had owned the
land where the castle stands for generations. She married Szilassy István.
Together, they kept the memory of the village.
In the book
She is the quiet heart of the Haunted House. While her husband traces the
digital maps, Zsuzsanna watches over the spirits. She makes sure they are not
forgotten. She is gentle and patient. She is the one who helps Phoenix
understand that he is not a monster, but a lost boy who can come home.
She was real.
The ghosts of The Realm
Real hackers, on real machines, in the 1980s and 1990s. The Realm was the
Australian hacker group at the centre of the story. These are the ghosts that
live inside the computer.
[Portrait or symbol — Phoenix]
Phoenix (Nahshon Even-Chaim)
A lost ghost who learns to stop running.
In real life
A real hacker. He was a leader of The Realm. He broke into NASA, the US Naval
Research Laboratory, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was
caught in Operation Dabble.
In the book
He is a lost ghost who learns to stop running. He was real.
[Portrait or symbol — Electron]
Electron
Reckless. Left traces everywhere he went online.
In real life
A real hacker. He was a member of The Realm. He was reckless — he left traces
everywhere he went online. He was one of the first to be caught.
In the book
He is a ghost who gets caught during the Midnight Watch. He was real.
[Portrait or symbol — Force]
Force
He wrote the Force Files. He chose differently.
In real life
A real hacker. He was a member of The Realm. He wrote the "Force Files" —
documents that mapped the digital underground like a treasure map. He taught
other hackers how the networks worked. But then he made a choice. He chose to
help the police instead.
In the book
He is a ghost who helps Bill track Phoenix. He was real.
[Portrait or symbol — Nom]
Nom
He climbed through the back window. He didn't get far.
In real life
A real hacker. He was not a full member of The Realm, but he followed Phoenix.
He didn't think for himself. During the real dawn raid, he climbed through the
back window of his house and tried to run. He didn't get far. He was caught.
In the book
He is a ghost who tries to run but doesn't get far. He was real.
[Portrait or symbol — Pengo & Hagbard]
Pengo & Hagbard
They sold secrets. They fled to the Amazon.
In real life
Real hackers. Members of the Chaos Computer Club in Germany. They stole secrets
and sold them. They were caught. They fled across the ocean to the Amazon
rainforest. No one knows if they will ever come back.
In the book
Their story is a warning to Phoenix. They were real.
If you would like to walk where they walked,
the real locations are here.