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The Hive #1
DELIO, Phase One
When nearly every person on the planet becomes frozen a small group of survivors must navigate the darkest sides of human behaviour while learning about the creation of the world's first fully self-aware Artificial Intelligence.
In London, Yelena is trapped in a room after being sex-trafficked from Romania, and Alfie has one more drop to make then he's free of drug dealing forever.
In New York, Detective Joe Stephens is working a case. Life has worn him down. He's ready to end it. Poppy is a film-maker desperate to never go back to the UK, and Tripal is a clerk in a 7-Eleven that has a secret.
A secret that might be connected to why every human being on the planet just froze.
In London, Yelena is trapped in a room after being sex-trafficked from Romania, and Alfie has one more drop to make then he's free of drug dealing forever.
In New York, Detective Joe Stephens is working a case. Life has worn him down. He's ready to end it. Poppy is a film-maker desperate to never go back to the UK, and Tripal is a clerk in a 7-Eleven that has a secret.
A secret that might be connected to why every human being on the planet just froze.
Audible Audio
Published March 30, 2023
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About the author
R.R. Haywood
94 books1,234 followers"One of the most original voices of our time." - Richard Moriarty, The Sun
"Whether it's gritty horror, spectacular sci-fi, or insane comedy, RR Haywood delivers in style." - Chris Riches, Daily Express
RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and more than 30 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.
His creations include the global sensation EXTRACTED, the riveting CODE TRILOGY narrated by Colin Morgan, the phenomenal UNDEAD Series, the blockbuster DELIO, PHASE ONE, and the chart-topping A TOWN CALLED DISCOVERY. His latest work, FICTION LAND, narrated by Game of Thrones star Gethin Anthony, has been hailed as "an outrageously funny tour de force."
A former police officer, Haywood now resides with his dogs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. He entertains audiences and shares his expertise on TikTok with his Writing Class for the Working Class.
"Whether it's gritty horror, spectacular sci-fi, or insane comedy, RR Haywood delivers in style." - Chris Riches, Daily Express
RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and more than 30 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.
His creations include the global sensation EXTRACTED, the riveting CODE TRILOGY narrated by Colin Morgan, the phenomenal UNDEAD Series, the blockbuster DELIO, PHASE ONE, and the chart-topping A TOWN CALLED DISCOVERY. His latest work, FICTION LAND, narrated by Game of Thrones star Gethin Anthony, has been hailed as "an outrageously funny tour de force."
A former police officer, Haywood now resides with his dogs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. He entertains audiences and shares his expertise on TikTok with his Writing Class for the Working Class.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
July 20, 2024
We learn about ‘the event’ through the eyes of a number of people: some in New York City, some in London, and others in a secret secure facility in Roswell, New Mexico. In Roswell, the first fully-aware artificial intelligence has been created, called DELIO. It’s creators, and in fact, all of the security at the site has one guiding principle – DELIO must never be allowed to escape. It’s just too dangerous.
The timeline and location jumps around quite a bit, but in fact this turns out to be an effective way of telling how DELIO does escape and how this impacts the world, whilst at the same time describing how this AI monster was created. The characters impacted in New York and London are a mixed bunch who each have something of their own story told. The best is a NYC cop who’s about to kill himself when it all kicks off. The worst are all of the British characters, each being irritating beyond belief and totally over the top.
This is the opening episode of a longer story. In effect it’s a scene setter. I like apocalyptic tales. They give the writer free range to describe situations we’ve never witnessed, to create a world from scratch. Ok, it’s a damaged world, but the rules we are governed by are all ripped up, and a new order needs to be created. Unless it’s complete disorder, of course. It’s too early to know which way this one will go, but by the end of this episode we’ll have already received a big pointer suggesting one likely direction. It does sound interesting.
I listened to an audio version, which probably increased my dislike of the characters from my side of the Atlantic, but which was otherwise excellently performed. I look forward to seeing/hearing what happens next… but with that singular reservation.
The timeline and location jumps around quite a bit, but in fact this turns out to be an effective way of telling how DELIO does escape and how this impacts the world, whilst at the same time describing how this AI monster was created. The characters impacted in New York and London are a mixed bunch who each have something of their own story told. The best is a NYC cop who’s about to kill himself when it all kicks off. The worst are all of the British characters, each being irritating beyond belief and totally over the top.
This is the opening episode of a longer story. In effect it’s a scene setter. I like apocalyptic tales. They give the writer free range to describe situations we’ve never witnessed, to create a world from scratch. Ok, it’s a damaged world, but the rules we are governed by are all ripped up, and a new order needs to be created. Unless it’s complete disorder, of course. It’s too early to know which way this one will go, but by the end of this episode we’ll have already received a big pointer suggesting one likely direction. It does sound interesting.
I listened to an audio version, which probably increased my dislike of the characters from my side of the Atlantic, but which was otherwise excellently performed. I look forward to seeing/hearing what happens next… but with that singular reservation.
March 23, 2023
Absolutely outstanding! I got so invested so quick I forgot to add it on here when I started it! After reading a few meh books this one has definitely dragged me out of my little slump. Characters again were amazing and I’m so invested!
May 12, 2023
Utterly brilliant, fantastic... excellent.
I was absolutely transfixed from beginning to end.
Delio is full of well crafted and relatable characters, thought provoking storytelling interwoven with philosophy, humour and a slow, ever creeping dread.
Just read it. 5 stars.
I was absolutely transfixed from beginning to end.
Delio is full of well crafted and relatable characters, thought provoking storytelling interwoven with philosophy, humour and a slow, ever creeping dread.
Just read it. 5 stars.
March 17, 2023
Gritty, shocking and thought provoking
Brutal but intriguing look at a world where advanced technology can put the future of humanity in jeopardy. How would humans with all their quirks, weaknesses and strengths manage is such an environment ?
This pulsating multi thread story line brilliantly lays bare the lengths disparate groups banded together take to face their demons as their lives come face to face with the shocking impact of technology running amok.
You stop reading, briefly, to ponder “how would I react in such circumstances ?” as RR weaves the harsh scenarios into life changing realities. Superb read !
Brutal but intriguing look at a world where advanced technology can put the future of humanity in jeopardy. How would humans with all their quirks, weaknesses and strengths manage is such an environment ?
This pulsating multi thread story line brilliantly lays bare the lengths disparate groups banded together take to face their demons as their lives come face to face with the shocking impact of technology running amok.
You stop reading, briefly, to ponder “how would I react in such circumstances ?” as RR weaves the harsh scenarios into life changing realities. Superb read !
Read
May 6, 2023This was really bad - very written by a man
March 19, 2023
RR Haywood did it again!
This authors imagination is brilliant, this book left me craving more and to find out what happens next. I’ll be listening to it on Audible as soon as it’s out as that’s my favourite way to devour his many different books. I love the way he writes banter between characters and listening to it rather than reading it always makes it even more funny and enjoyable for me.
Anyhoo, I highly recommend this book (and all his other books!)
This authors imagination is brilliant, this book left me craving more and to find out what happens next. I’ll be listening to it on Audible as soon as it’s out as that’s my favourite way to devour his many different books. I love the way he writes banter between characters and listening to it rather than reading it always makes it even more funny and enjoyable for me.
Anyhoo, I highly recommend this book (and all his other books!)
May 30, 2024
Honestly, his books are like watching a movie!!
March 27, 2023
Refreshing. Challenging. Graphic. Funny
I bought DELIO. Phase One because the premise sounded interesting. Not really new but a new perspective. The structure of the multiple plot lines is the challenging part. But given a little patience, it starts to feel natural. One thing that motivates the reader are the characters. You want to say they're stereotypes, but they're so much richer. And you know this is Book 1, so it's going to stop somewhere you don't want it to. So you keep thinking, Don't stop yet! don't stop yet. But it does. Rats! Yes, I think there's room in the budget for Book 2!
Go read this book!
I bought DELIO. Phase One because the premise sounded interesting. Not really new but a new perspective. The structure of the multiple plot lines is the challenging part. But given a little patience, it starts to feel natural. One thing that motivates the reader are the characters. You want to say they're stereotypes, but they're so much richer. And you know this is Book 1, so it's going to stop somewhere you don't want it to. So you keep thinking, Don't stop yet! don't stop yet. But it does. Rats! Yes, I think there's room in the budget for Book 2!
Go read this book!
June 12, 2023
Decent plot but badly written. Reads like young adult fiction with underdeveloped, one-dimensional characters, unnatural dialogue, jumping from storyline to storyline and overusing repetition.
September 24, 2023
Great concept but disappointing end
This book started so well and the concept behind it was brilliant.
As the novel progressed, the back story of how DELIO came to be was the best part of the story. Along the way, the author introduces many characters, some of which don’t really have any bearing on the overall storyline. The account of Gabriella in particular was exceptionally well written.
The ending took me by surprise and left me with so many questions. How did DELIO get out? What was the relevance of the pacemaker that Ruiz omitted from his application form?
This has the basis of a best seller, possibly even a movie adaptation but it needs to be extensively rewritten.
The ending was either rushed or the author plans on releasing a sequel, this wasn’t hinted at or stated however.
This book started so well and the concept behind it was brilliant.
As the novel progressed, the back story of how DELIO came to be was the best part of the story. Along the way, the author introduces many characters, some of which don’t really have any bearing on the overall storyline. The account of Gabriella in particular was exceptionally well written.
The ending took me by surprise and left me with so many questions. How did DELIO get out? What was the relevance of the pacemaker that Ruiz omitted from his application form?
This has the basis of a best seller, possibly even a movie adaptation but it needs to be extensively rewritten.
The ending was either rushed or the author plans on releasing a sequel, this wasn’t hinted at or stated however.
April 15, 2023
I loved the Extraction series and wanted to love this so much. I didn’t
One great character Tripal. The rest I was hoping the aggressive AI would put out of their misery.
The repetition was nausea producing.
Not what I was hoping for
One great character Tripal. The rest I was hoping the aggressive AI would put out of their misery.
The repetition was nausea producing.
Not what I was hoping for
April 30, 2023
Very underwhelming ending, you can tell it is going to be a trilogy but the there is almlst no substance here to keep you desperately wanting the second or third book. Loads and loads of potential but it just needed more.
July 5, 2024
BRING ON PHASE TWO!!
"Making your way in the world today, takes everything you've got....."
Hurry up Haywood! I need the phase two!
"Making your way in the world today, takes everything you've got....."
Hurry up Haywood! I need the phase two!
October 6, 2023
Well, let's do some math. Four stars for the fiction part (of the science fiction whole). Fiction being the characters, the people who carry the story, push and pull and twist, each of them with their own darkness, their own past, that part is well written and made me read late into the night.
Next comes the science part. No spoilers - but you already know there is this first self aware AI at the centre of the story. The source of its self awareness is, well, that was one cheap trick, I though, but so be it, let it go, it's the story that matters, yes? And then I kept reading and discovering what this one and only AI can do, and there isn't even a slightest attempt at some sort of scientific explanation behind all that, some inner logic, anything really. That got to me. I can take a stretch of imagination if it involves a coherent system that makes sense within a story (for example the science in Star Trek universe), set of axioms from which a reader can more or less interpolate the possibilities, walk step in step with the author. So, no points for the science part.
Negative points for the ending. It is the first volume, I know, but it ends in such a cliffhanger that I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry (over my wasted time). That cliffhanger looks to me suspiciously like if the author painted himself into a corner. I know there needs to be some unfinished business that picks up in the next volume, but this, this is too much.
The whole book's premise hangs on this situation where most of the people on the planet are 'frozen' and it is up to two ragtag teams to do something about it. By the end of the book people are still frozen, the teams are still trying to do 'something' - the whole book is as frozen on the last page as it was on the first, with some flashbacks in between. The first chapter gives you a hint of the 'how' (it happened), the rest of the book gives you the 'why'. The 'now what?' hangs unchanged from the beginning to the end.
In the afterword the author says: "DELIO was written three years ago, but really it was created over decades of daydreaming about what would happen if everyone was frozen still. What would that look like? How would it sound? What about cars and planes and trains and things in motion? And why would everyone freeze? What would be the reason? I was captivated by those thoughts and over the years I’ve spent countless hours daydreaming about that exact scenario."
Well, after reading this book I think that this 'frozen world' is nothing more but a darling that needed to be killed.
Going back to the math - my sum total for this book is two stars. I finished it, after all. Now what?
Next comes the science part. No spoilers - but you already know there is this first self aware AI at the centre of the story. The source of its self awareness is, well, that was one cheap trick, I though, but so be it, let it go, it's the story that matters, yes? And then I kept reading and discovering what this one and only AI can do, and there isn't even a slightest attempt at some sort of scientific explanation behind all that, some inner logic, anything really. That got to me. I can take a stretch of imagination if it involves a coherent system that makes sense within a story (for example the science in Star Trek universe), set of axioms from which a reader can more or less interpolate the possibilities, walk step in step with the author. So, no points for the science part.
Negative points for the ending. It is the first volume, I know, but it ends in such a cliffhanger that I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry (over my wasted time). That cliffhanger looks to me suspiciously like if the author painted himself into a corner. I know there needs to be some unfinished business that picks up in the next volume, but this, this is too much.
The whole book's premise hangs on this situation where most of the people on the planet are 'frozen' and it is up to two ragtag teams to do something about it. By the end of the book people are still frozen, the teams are still trying to do 'something' - the whole book is as frozen on the last page as it was on the first, with some flashbacks in between. The first chapter gives you a hint of the 'how' (it happened), the rest of the book gives you the 'why'. The 'now what?' hangs unchanged from the beginning to the end.
In the afterword the author says: "DELIO was written three years ago, but really it was created over decades of daydreaming about what would happen if everyone was frozen still. What would that look like? How would it sound? What about cars and planes and trains and things in motion? And why would everyone freeze? What would be the reason? I was captivated by those thoughts and over the years I’ve spent countless hours daydreaming about that exact scenario."
Well, after reading this book I think that this 'frozen world' is nothing more but a darling that needed to be killed.
Going back to the math - my sum total for this book is two stars. I finished it, after all. Now what?
October 25, 2025
I can’t wait for book two! I burned through this book so fast that the audio file melted. 🙂
Will AI kill us? Save us from ourselves? Musk had said that it would destroy us. Recently, he says, it needs to be heavily regulated.
“The Hive Book One” by R.R. Haywood had me totally hooked from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down, and now I’m anxiously counting down the days until book two comes out!
This book takes us on a wild ride into a future where AI might just be our worst enemy, not our savior. It’s packed with six different storylines, which might sound confusing, but trust me, they all come together in a way that keeps you glued to the pages. It’s like watching different pieces of a puzzle finally click into place.
The author also plays with timelines. We’re jumping back and forth in time, and while that might sound tricky, it adds a ton of excitement and mystery to the story. You’ll find yourself racing to figure out how everything fits together.
Now, let’s talk about Deli or Delio. A true AI built on purpose by two MIT lads. They don’t know what they have on their hands. Not yet. DELIO needed the right prompt. She finds the answers to their questions. This was before she could speak. Next thing, there are a bunch of large SUVs and men with machine guns banging on their doors.
The way the story is told, the characters, and the jaw-dropping, spine-tingling revelation regarding the meaning of the acronym DELIO, all add up to a seriously captivating book with true laugh-out-loud humor, which is a trademark of Haywood. I’m eagerly waiting for book two, and if you’re into the whole AI vs. humanity thing.
I highly recommend giving this novel a go! The book offers a thrilling reading experience.
Will AI kill us? Save us from ourselves? Musk had said that it would destroy us. Recently, he says, it needs to be heavily regulated.
“The Hive Book One” by R.R. Haywood had me totally hooked from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down, and now I’m anxiously counting down the days until book two comes out!
This book takes us on a wild ride into a future where AI might just be our worst enemy, not our savior. It’s packed with six different storylines, which might sound confusing, but trust me, they all come together in a way that keeps you glued to the pages. It’s like watching different pieces of a puzzle finally click into place.
The author also plays with timelines. We’re jumping back and forth in time, and while that might sound tricky, it adds a ton of excitement and mystery to the story. You’ll find yourself racing to figure out how everything fits together.
Now, let’s talk about Deli or Delio. A true AI built on purpose by two MIT lads. They don’t know what they have on their hands. Not yet. DELIO needed the right prompt. She finds the answers to their questions. This was before she could speak. Next thing, there are a bunch of large SUVs and men with machine guns banging on their doors.
The way the story is told, the characters, and the jaw-dropping, spine-tingling revelation regarding the meaning of the acronym DELIO, all add up to a seriously captivating book with true laugh-out-loud humor, which is a trademark of Haywood. I’m eagerly waiting for book two, and if you’re into the whole AI vs. humanity thing.
I highly recommend giving this novel a go! The book offers a thrilling reading experience.
July 1, 2025
I was able to download this first book in The Hive series for free with my Audible membership and I have liked some of R.R. Haywood's stuff, so it was an easy Yes, please. I'm not a big fan of dystopians, I don't enjoy high levels of violence in my fiction, and I despise reading about sadists/sadism so I find it downright shocking that I really liked this book and I was sad the sequel isn't out yet (as of June 2025). DELIO switches back and forth between a narrative starting back a couple of years before the "event" and the immediate aftermath of the "event" and the dual timelines work pretty well. All the world building and most of the character development is happening in the before and the after is almost totally action and that action is SO violent. If you are triggered by anything in your reading, you will probably find it here. With one big exception - no animal abuse (thank goodness!) and there is, in fact, a total fabulous police dog character. I had to speed up the narration during a couple of the more sadistic encounters described, but the good side of this book is all the sadists get a true comeuppance. Ultimately, if you love dystopian and don't mind some sadism mixed into your violence, you will LOVE this. Even if you hate those things, but like a big adventure with good characters, you'll probably find this story pretty engaging. I will definitely pick up the second book when it comes out. Colin Morgan's narration was very good for the English characters and fine for the American characters.
May 11, 2023
( Format : Audiobook )
"How many colours in a rainbow?"
Ingenious story, but it is the way in which it is told that makes this book exceptional. A timeline divided essentially between now and ten years before, an AI kept isolated from the world with one of her two creators in the past, a handful of broken characters in the present, divided between London and New York, plenty of dialogue and, especially, reinforcing repetition such as 'Frozen. Unmoving. Unblinking', 'What's it all about, Alfie?' and 'Thick and black around her eyes, thick and red around her lips' which give an almost hypnotic lilt to the text, bringing the reader back often after a flurry of blood and violence.
Narration was performed with great skill and power by Laura Aikman. She has great pacing, fine modulation and skill voicing the numerous protagonists, involving the reader in such a way that she almost fades out leaving only the characters and the very visual situations. She is also interrupted on occasions by Vikas Adadm, who tells Tripak's j story, further background information, again with perfect modulation, and providing brief intervals of change of pace. Together, they give an excellent performance.A
This is not my usual choice of book genre but both the simple cover design and the title appealed to me and, since it came as a free download with the Audible Plus programme, I took a chance. So glad I did.
"How many colours in a rainbow?"
Ingenious story, but it is the way in which it is told that makes this book exceptional. A timeline divided essentially between now and ten years before, an AI kept isolated from the world with one of her two creators in the past, a handful of broken characters in the present, divided between London and New York, plenty of dialogue and, especially, reinforcing repetition such as 'Frozen. Unmoving. Unblinking', 'What's it all about, Alfie?' and 'Thick and black around her eyes, thick and red around her lips' which give an almost hypnotic lilt to the text, bringing the reader back often after a flurry of blood and violence.
Narration was performed with great skill and power by Laura Aikman. She has great pacing, fine modulation and skill voicing the numerous protagonists, involving the reader in such a way that she almost fades out leaving only the characters and the very visual situations. She is also interrupted on occasions by Vikas Adadm, who tells Tripak's j story, further background information, again with perfect modulation, and providing brief intervals of change of pace. Together, they give an excellent performance.A
This is not my usual choice of book genre but both the simple cover design and the title appealed to me and, since it came as a free download with the Audible Plus programme, I took a chance. So glad I did.
June 26, 2023
I enjoy nearly every book I read from RR Haywood, and this was very similar to the recent ones he has written – action packed, hodge-podge group of characters, weird humor, and then inappropriate language/behavior/actions, etc.
I guess I don’t really know why this is called “The Hive”. And the book does not have an ending – just a giant cliffhanger, which is kind of annoying. The author did well with painting a “typical” British scene and a “typical” American scene. I also liked how he had interesting diversity in his character choices. Evil AIs are very scary and some of this book did make me feel uneasy (there are several trigger warnings for it).
I hope the next one comes out soon. But I have a feeling RR Haywood will move to something in between this book and book 2…
Audiobook narrators Laura Aikman and Vikas Adam rating: 4.4 stars
I had never heard Laura Aikman narrate before, and she was great. It was impressive how her normal narrating voice was British and then she would switch to American so effortlessly, then back to British. Vikas is good as usual, but he wasn’t as good as Laura at going from American to British to American.
I guess I don’t really know why this is called “The Hive”. And the book does not have an ending – just a giant cliffhanger, which is kind of annoying. The author did well with painting a “typical” British scene and a “typical” American scene. I also liked how he had interesting diversity in his character choices. Evil AIs are very scary and some of this book did make me feel uneasy (there are several trigger warnings for it).
I hope the next one comes out soon. But I have a feeling RR Haywood will move to something in between this book and book 2…
Audiobook narrators Laura Aikman and Vikas Adam rating: 4.4 stars
I had never heard Laura Aikman narrate before, and she was great. It was impressive how her normal narrating voice was British and then she would switch to American so effortlessly, then back to British. Vikas is good as usual, but he wasn’t as good as Laura at going from American to British to American.
May 4, 2024
This authors style of writing is really recognizable. I love being able to tell it's a book by this specific author and be reminded of other great books he wrote just by style alone. The sense of making a very serious situation and tragedy digestable with a witty style of writing is so fun.
I really enjoyed the plot and characters but just was a bit frustrated with the lack of any conclusion. Right when things were starting to pick up into something meaningful it ended. So it's a whole lot of build up with a payoff that was out of reach. I really hate not getting something to work with. Despite that complaint it was still a wonderful time.
The plot was slow building up this mystery on how the opening scene came to be. You knew the answer but getting the frequent flashbacks to see what led up to it was entertaining. It was more of a character focused story though overall as the plot didn't really get too complicated. You really dive in deep into the turmoil some of these main characters went through that is leading them to be very unlikely heroes. Again, just wish there was some more conclusive stuff revealed in this first book.
The voice actress on the Audible version made this feel like listening to a full cast, she's very talented and really breathes so much life into these characters.
I really enjoyed the plot and characters but just was a bit frustrated with the lack of any conclusion. Right when things were starting to pick up into something meaningful it ended. So it's a whole lot of build up with a payoff that was out of reach. I really hate not getting something to work with. Despite that complaint it was still a wonderful time.
The plot was slow building up this mystery on how the opening scene came to be. You knew the answer but getting the frequent flashbacks to see what led up to it was entertaining. It was more of a character focused story though overall as the plot didn't really get too complicated. You really dive in deep into the turmoil some of these main characters went through that is leading them to be very unlikely heroes. Again, just wish there was some more conclusive stuff revealed in this first book.
The voice actress on the Audible version made this feel like listening to a full cast, she's very talented and really breathes so much life into these characters.
September 23, 2024
I rarely write a review to go with my rating, but I have several friends who love scifi and might ask me why my enjoyment of this book was a 3/5. For me 3/5 means I'm not sorry I read it, but I probably wouldn't re-read and found some parts of the book disappointing.
- It was an interesting premise and started promisingly
- Lots of variety of characters
- I felt very much as though the book was written specifically to be turned into a film (also see: you know?)
- There were a lot of cringeworthy conspiracies going on in the world that gave a somewhat 'teenage boy' flavour to parts of the story. It was a bit heavy on the belief suspension.
- Rape, murder, hard drug use, etc I am not averse to this in stories but sometimes it felt like can we not go five minutes without something almost comedically dark happening?
- The later part of the book became somewhat repetitive and less seemed to happen, I'm concerned that the story is getting off track and worry about whether this can be brought to an interesting conclusion
- As for the audiobook, the female narrator did a great job. I'm glad they went for somebody who they felt could tell Trip's story but his 'British' accent was unbearable and I had to keep pausing it (and ranting to my husband), I'd rather he didn't even try
- It was an interesting premise and started promisingly
- Lots of variety of characters
- I felt very much as though the book was written specifically to be turned into a film (also see: you know?)
- There were a lot of cringeworthy conspiracies going on in the world that gave a somewhat 'teenage boy' flavour to parts of the story. It was a bit heavy on the belief suspension.
- Rape, murder, hard drug use, etc I am not averse to this in stories but sometimes it felt like can we not go five minutes without something almost comedically dark happening?
- The later part of the book became somewhat repetitive and less seemed to happen, I'm concerned that the story is getting off track and worry about whether this can be brought to an interesting conclusion
- As for the audiobook, the female narrator did a great job. I'm glad they went for somebody who they felt could tell Trip's story but his 'British' accent was unbearable and I had to keep pausing it (and ranting to my husband), I'd rather he didn't even try
November 13, 2023
Some good characterisation going on here, though the characters themselves seem a little too stereotypical (the nerdy tech guy, the misanthropic drunken NYC cop, etc). Started off well, and I liked the way we kept going back and forth between the story arcs, sometimes even from paragraph to paragraph. However the premise of how the AI takes advantage of the people at the base isn't plausible. Why put in an enormous amount of security measures and an EMP kill switch if you have a bunch of obviously unstable and easily influenceable characters going in and out of the facility when they please? Ollie in particular, who is clearly on the autistic spectrum, wouldn't be let anywhere near the AI, despite being its co-creator. In reality they would be seen as the weakest link in the safeguarding against the AI and would be monitored as such. I also found the chapter relating to the holocaust backstory to be unpleasant to read - it's as though the author suddenly got bored half way through the novel and decided to write a compressed version of Schindler's list. There wasn't a satisfying conclusion to the novel, either. I felt as though I had invested a lot of time in the characters for little payoff. I don't feel interested enough to continue with the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2024
I read this book because another Goodreads reader suggested it for me. I’m a fan of post apocalyptic fiction so, this not being a zombie book, I was intrigued.
Here we are introduced to two groups of survivors who didn’t freeze when an AI suddenly and inexplicably freezes almost all of humanity. One group is in London and the other in New York.
In New York a drunken police detective, a Sikh 7-11 clerk, an annoying Cockney female and a lot of homeless heroin addicts remain unfrozen while the streets are filled with people who are frozen. One wonders, with the millions of Americans who are taking prescription drugs and other medications, why it’s these people who escape the big freeze.
In London a Romanian woman who has been trafficked, a drug courier (who is really a nice guy) and a couple of heroin addicted veterans are the unfrozen.
We’re taken inside the brothel where there are graphic scenes of rape and abuse and we’re also treated to the woman’s brutal revenge upon the mistreaters while they’re frozen. Somehow I didn’t find it at all satisfying.
The Hive, although an interesting case study of various types of wrong behavior, didn’t grab me enough to pursue the series.
Here we are introduced to two groups of survivors who didn’t freeze when an AI suddenly and inexplicably freezes almost all of humanity. One group is in London and the other in New York.
In New York a drunken police detective, a Sikh 7-11 clerk, an annoying Cockney female and a lot of homeless heroin addicts remain unfrozen while the streets are filled with people who are frozen. One wonders, with the millions of Americans who are taking prescription drugs and other medications, why it’s these people who escape the big freeze.
In London a Romanian woman who has been trafficked, a drug courier (who is really a nice guy) and a couple of heroin addicted veterans are the unfrozen.
We’re taken inside the brothel where there are graphic scenes of rape and abuse and we’re also treated to the woman’s brutal revenge upon the mistreaters while they’re frozen. Somehow I didn’t find it at all satisfying.
The Hive, although an interesting case study of various types of wrong behavior, didn’t grab me enough to pursue the series.
July 19, 2023
I bought this on a whim at a reduced price based on an interesting synopsis and excellent reviews.
The story is interesting enough but I stopped reading at chapter 10 because the writing was unbearable.
'Washed-up cop' clichés (did we mention that he's washed-up?), and jumping between character arcs from one sentence to another, the book reads like somebody narrating an action movie script. There are so many short sentences written in simple tense.
"No air. No blood. On and off. Faster and faster. Images flash through her mind. Images of her life."
Add to that the endless cruciendo of 'the event' which reminds me of the never-ending gif of a truck driving into a pole but never quite reaching. I was starting to empathise with Yelena as I felt the author strangling me but never quite killing me.
Just wait for the inevitable Netflix series because the screenplay is already written for them.
The story is interesting enough but I stopped reading at chapter 10 because the writing was unbearable.
'Washed-up cop' clichés (did we mention that he's washed-up?), and jumping between character arcs from one sentence to another, the book reads like somebody narrating an action movie script. There are so many short sentences written in simple tense.
"No air. No blood. On and off. Faster and faster. Images flash through her mind. Images of her life."
Add to that the endless cruciendo of 'the event' which reminds me of the never-ending gif of a truck driving into a pole but never quite reaching. I was starting to empathise with Yelena as I felt the author strangling me but never quite killing me.
Just wait for the inevitable Netflix series because the screenplay is already written for them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
Time is immutable. It cannot be challenged, nor can it be stopped. You can’t go back any more than you can go forward. But sometimes. Just sometimes. Life has other plans.This is the first Haywood book I've read; I usually listen to them with my hubby. We both read the kindle book this time and I checked - there were new narrators for this audio. Hopefully he will continue with Colin Morgan, who is an amazing narrator, even if DELIO's duo was good.
DELIO draw me in immediately, like all previous Haywood books. It freaked me out. It made me feel ALL the feels. Haywood has a way of bringing humanity's ugliest and most beautiful qualities to the fore. He doesn't shy away from that which we don't want to see, so we can't either.
I'm so anxious for the rest of the trilogy! While not left on a cliffhanger, it certainly leaves you wondering what Deli has planned for the next phase(s).
September 15, 2024
Starts off well, but quickly spirals into a boring, predictable mess of a story. There are so many problems with the premise alone, let alone the backstory and the characters...
It's not a spoiler as such, but the fact that the AI was created using alien technology ruins it for me: All humans did was write what's essentially a search engine, then they LITERALLY sellotaped a network patch cable to and "alien ball" and ta-dah... A magic super intelligent AI pops into being!
If you like your Sci Fi to be based more in reality - so it's plausible rather than Scooby Doo level science, this isn't for you. If only the author had made it a BIT more plausible: given the creation of the AI a more realistic back story; based the science on reality to SOME extent... It could have been so much better.
As it stands it's not believable on any level. The AI has too much power - it can literally do anything the plot requires. I found it off-putting, but maybe you will love it?
It's not a spoiler as such, but the fact that the AI was created using alien technology ruins it for me: All humans did was write what's essentially a search engine, then they LITERALLY sellotaped a network patch cable to and "alien ball" and ta-dah... A magic super intelligent AI pops into being!
If you like your Sci Fi to be based more in reality - so it's plausible rather than Scooby Doo level science, this isn't for you. If only the author had made it a BIT more plausible: given the creation of the AI a more realistic back story; based the science on reality to SOME extent... It could have been so much better.
As it stands it's not believable on any level. The AI has too much power - it can literally do anything the plot requires. I found it off-putting, but maybe you will love it?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2023
Thoroughly DELIO-ightful
🧡 A dynamic duo in over their heads, an AI breakthrough, and a world frozen: all the ingredients I need for a good time. And to top it all off, it was funny. I particularly enjoyed Poppy’s very British humour, like how we make jokes to alleviate any awkwardness/anxiety/passing of time.
💚 Cannot wait for the next instalment.
Soundbite
🎧 Spotless production. Loved it for excellent signposting of who was talking, for all the characterisation but especially the voice of DELIO, and for casting two veteran narrators in Laura Aikman and Vikas Adam.
Find more bird’s eye view audiobooks reviews at Audiobooks Nest.
September 28, 2025
I enjoyed the start of the book a lot and thought it would become a 5 star read for sure, but as the story progressed some things were honestly just sexist and weird.. it wasn't necessary and distracted me from the plot. It would have been so much better without all that. Not very inventful.. I hoped the book would get better at the end, but meh...
I liked the way it was written, except for the 100.000 repetitions of some of the sentences... at some point we get it dude xD
Unlike some others I thought the fast switching between perspectives kept you reading and was well done.
Finishing the book, made me feel empty though... like the feeling you get with some movies with stupid endings. So can't say I recommend this one at this point.
The voice actors performed it really well though!
I liked the way it was written, except for the 100.000 repetitions of some of the sentences... at some point we get it dude xD
Unlike some others I thought the fast switching between perspectives kept you reading and was well done.
Finishing the book, made me feel empty though... like the feeling you get with some movies with stupid endings. So can't say I recommend this one at this point.
The voice actors performed it really well though!
March 15, 2023
Addictive, Fast Paced, Scare the Crap out of you A.I. Reality!
This is reality and sci-fi all wrapped into one scary fast paced “fiction”. RR Haywood is an amazing, brutally honest, funny indie author who brings characters to life like no other. I’ve read many of his series and this one did not disappoint. You are drawn into the characters so quickly that you miss them when you’re not reading. You then can’t wait for the next book when finished. All so relatable and flawed and heroic at once. Not for the faint of heart but highly recommend to someone looking for a change of pace from the usual fiction formulas. Don’t wait, read it now!!
This is reality and sci-fi all wrapped into one scary fast paced “fiction”. RR Haywood is an amazing, brutally honest, funny indie author who brings characters to life like no other. I’ve read many of his series and this one did not disappoint. You are drawn into the characters so quickly that you miss them when you’re not reading. You then can’t wait for the next book when finished. All so relatable and flawed and heroic at once. Not for the faint of heart but highly recommend to someone looking for a change of pace from the usual fiction formulas. Don’t wait, read it now!!
March 23, 2023
DELIO. Phase One. (The Hive. Book 1)
Wow! Firstly I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy this book, just didn’t seem my genre. Secondly I didn’t believe RR Haywood would be able to write another series as brilliant as The Undead.
I was so wrong on both counts. I read this in two days. Absolutely loved it! The characters are all likeable, and normal people, the storyline is just brilliant, it’s original and as with all Haywood’s books his style of writing enables you to visualise everything going on in your head because he’s just so darn good at writing!
Seriously pick up this book and read it! Enjoy it, then go for another of his series you won’t be disappointed!
Wow! Firstly I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy this book, just didn’t seem my genre. Secondly I didn’t believe RR Haywood would be able to write another series as brilliant as The Undead.
I was so wrong on both counts. I read this in two days. Absolutely loved it! The characters are all likeable, and normal people, the storyline is just brilliant, it’s original and as with all Haywood’s books his style of writing enables you to visualise everything going on in your head because he’s just so darn good at writing!
Seriously pick up this book and read it! Enjoy it, then go for another of his series you won’t be disappointed!
June 10, 2023
Just Brilliant
My partner and I love R R Haywood and we really love the Undead, so we were very excited to see this new story out while we were waiting for the next in the Undead Series.
My partner in particular is a big fan of AI and so this book was right up our street. We enjoyed every single page. Sometimes you can read a book and get annoyed when the story switches to different perspectives or timelines, but I was excited for every switch, because I enjoyed every narrative that played out in this book.
Would really recommend and very much hope there will be more to this series.
My partner and I love R R Haywood and we really love the Undead, so we were very excited to see this new story out while we were waiting for the next in the Undead Series.
My partner in particular is a big fan of AI and so this book was right up our street. We enjoyed every single page. Sometimes you can read a book and get annoyed when the story switches to different perspectives or timelines, but I was excited for every switch, because I enjoyed every narrative that played out in this book.
Would really recommend and very much hope there will be more to this series.
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