diff --git a/hackage-db.cabal b/hackage-db.cabal
--- a/hackage-db.cabal
+++ b/hackage-db.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:                   hackage-db
-Version:                1.2
+Version:                1.3
 Copyright:              Peter Simons
 License:                BSD3
 License-File:           LICENSE
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
   Location:             git://github.com/peti/hackage-db.git
 
 Library
-  Build-Depends:        base >= 3 && < 5, tar, Cabal, containers,
+  Build-Depends:        base >= 3 && < 5, tar >= 0.4, Cabal, containers,
                         directory, filepath, bytestring
   hs-source-dirs:       src
   Ghc-Options:          -Wall
diff --git a/src/Distribution/Hackage/DB.hs b/src/Distribution/Hackage/DB.hs
--- a/src/Distribution/Hackage/DB.hs
+++ b/src/Distribution/Hackage/DB.hs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 -- | Parse the contents of Hackage's @00-index.tar@ into a 'Hackage' map.
 
 parseHackage :: ByteString -> Hackage
-parseHackage = Tar.foldEntries addEntry empty error . Tar.read
+parseHackage = Tar.foldEntries addEntry empty (error . show) . Tar.read
   where
     addEntry :: Tar.Entry -> Hackage -> Hackage
     addEntry e db = case splitDirectories (Tar.entryPath e) of