Deadlock (8)

H.I.V.E. #8

by Mark Walden

High-octane adventures continue in the eighth book of the H.I.V.E. series, and the team of supremely talented criminals is forced to question everything they know about life as villains.

Otto and Raven are desperate to rescue their friends from the clutches of Anastasia Furan, head of the evil Disciples organization. First they must track down the location of the Glasshouse, the prison where Furan trains children to become ruthless assassins. But Otto is also being hunted. In the three months since his “expulsion” from H.I.V.E., The Artemis Section—an elite intelligence division that goes after the toughest targets and reports only to the US president—has had an opportunity to locate him. Set against the backdrop of a daring high-tech prison break, nothing is quite as it seems in Deadlock .

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Action, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Childrens

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2013

About the author

I am the world’s laziest man.

No…really. Not just a bit slack, really, truly, breathtakingly lazy.

Which is why it’s taken me so long to get off my big, lazy rear end and get myself properly on-line.

I’m the author of the HIVE series of books which I hope that some of the people who stumble across this might have read and enjoyed. Or read and hated…

I am fortunate enough to live with the two most beautiful women on earth. And yes of course I’m hoping they’ll read that and forgive me for any one of the incredibly stupid things I’ll do this month.

I have yet to hold down anything even vaguely approximating a proper job.

I did help make video games a while ago but that was not the best environment for someone as lazy as me.

Reviews

[Rachel Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

TheReadingRose@BlogSpot Review

Title: Deadlock (H.I.V.E #8)
Author: Mark Walden
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genres: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, Children's.
Where Acquired: I Bought it off of Amazon
Where to Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Description:
Otto and Raven are desperate to rescue their friends from the clutches of Anastasia Furan, head of the evil Disciples organisation. First they must track down the location of the Glasshouse, the prison where Furan trains children to become ruthless assassins. But Otto is also being hunted. The three months that Otto has spent following his ‘expulsion’ from H.I.V.E. have given the Artemis Section – an elite division of the American intelligence services that specialises in capturing the toughest targets and reports only to the President – an opportunity to locate him.

Deadlock – the eighth book in the breathtaking H.I.V.E. series – continues the high-octane adventures of the supremely talented criminal team, with central characters forced to question everything that Nero has taught them and to confront the consequences of life as a villain, set against the backdrop of a daring high-tech prison break where nothing is quite as it seems.

My Review:
OK, where do I start! I am already an avid Mark Walden fan and H.I.V.E is one of my all time favorite series. Deadlock was no exception with enough twists to fill a lorry! I love, love, love Otto, Wing, Shelby, Laura, Nigel and Franz as always! not forgetting Raven, Niro, Darkdoom and all of the other awesome teachers! the addition of Nero's dad was great, it had just the right amount of tenderness, humor and emotion and it was wonderful to see Franz develop his sniper talent and get the credit he deserves for once. This book was centered around six main stories: Otto and Raven's mission, Raven's Past, The Remaining Alpha students at H.I.V.E, Furan's plans, the Artemis division and The Captured Alpha students trying to survive Furan's assassin school. This gave the plot a more diverse nature and it let you see the many different perspectives, which was interesting and let you into a few, otherwise unheard of, secrets. The twists in the last few chapters however are what made this book worth 5 stars, i will not go into too much detail here as i shall let you read them for yourself, these twists also set the series up perfectly for the next novel.

Quotes:
"The life of a villain is a life where one must make one’s own rules, but still there must be a sense of responsibility. Without that, there is nothing but anarchy, chaos, and death."

"‘So I see,’ Otto said, raising an eyebrow. ‘You know it’s almost like people don’t want me interfering with their highly advanced experimental weapon systems these days.’
‘How very inconsiderate of them,’ Raven said."

(OK, two more as i couldn't help myself! there are so many awesome quotes in this book!)

"‘Well,’ Shelby said with a crooked smile, ‘look at it this way. If you’re a member of the Disciples right now, you have Otto tracking you down and Raven coming after you when he does.’
‘Actually,’ Wing said, ‘when you put it like that, I almost… almost… feel sorry for them.’"

"I always say that it’s not really been a good day if you haven’t caused a major diplomatic incident by lunchtime."

Rating:
*****

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-The Reading Rose

[Kit Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER!!!!!!! I love the H.I.V.E. series. It is my favorite series but this book, the suspense the twists the turns the whole thing was PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I May say this about many books but I love this one and will always love this one and if you dont like H.I.V.E. dont even talk to me. Ever.

[Shrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely amazing and awesome. I am waiting for the next book to come and start the 4th year of H.I.V.E.'s students in Otto's year. I am awaiting for the next adventure to come, please release the book as soon as possible!!

I think this book series should be picked up for a movie.

[Alyssakoens]

How do i download books on this shitty app

[Amita · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is probably pretty similar in quality to most of the rest of the series but it just SEEMS so much better because it follows aft*rsh*ck. the author must have realized parts of the last book didn't even make sense because certain details aren't even canon anymore LOLLLL don't blame him for wanting to pretend book 7 doesn't exist.

franz actually gets to have a personality and skills and a purpose now as opposed to being the target of every joke which is crazy. it's been 8 books but better late than never I suppose. laura is back to slaying and being a real character again! instead of whatever tf she was written as last book 😑
once again the nero & raven dynamic is top tier. it baffles me how they're always perfect in a sea of questionable writing decisions. speaking of which, the writing is still not good teehee but that's ok you get used to it by this point

IT'S FINALE TIME BABEY BOOK 9 LET'S GOOO

[Arwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but it ended on a cliff-hanger.

[Karen King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the HIVE series. It has an excellent mix of gadgetry, technology, edge of the seat twists and turns and just rollicking good story telling. I also love the fact that unlike some other YA action/adventure series, Mark Walden never loses sight of the fact that although his original audience, who began reading the series with the publication of of book 1, are getting older, the readers who begin the series now may still be 10 or 11. The content never gets to the point where it's questionable for the youngest teens, but still loses none of the excitement or edge. I also like the fact that the bad guys are actually the good guys, or at least the not-quite-as-bad guys.
Just another quality instalment for fans of the series and lovers of Young James Bond/Joshua Files/CHERUB books.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO! I thought that this book was the end of the series *sad face*, but now it is going to be continued *face going crazy* Vexed that I have to wait MORE, LONGER, to find out what happens; vexed because it's ANOTHER series that I'm still finishing; vexed because it's good and I enjoy it so yeah! the happy continues; but oy vey! enough!

OK, the swearing, extreme violence, pain, smooching continues (boo); the loyalty, friendships, perseverance, and good (villains) triumphing evil (villains) also continues.

Surprising bit at the end; hmmm, what will this mean for the series?

[Nicanor Rosario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book, but many wasted oportunities, like the backstory between Raven and Nero (which happens so fast you don't really think a broken and tortured girl can be turned that fast, no matter the hatter for Furan), Laura's POV inside the Greenhouse and the whole Otto clone (which, to be fair, is a plot starter for the next book.

At the end is one of those books that has the "yeah is good, but the best part will be on the next book" feel on it.

[Jared Elko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadlock

Very strong story with visual action, stakes, and consequences. In typical HIVE fashion, the action and character moments are still top tier. The characters all have unique personalities, skills, traits, and relationships that set them apart from each other.

Another improvement was the sense of consequences and risk in the story. It seemed like many of the events in “Aftershock” didn’t have much effect on the characters. That was far from the case here. Otto and the others change and adapts in unique ways as their challenges.

SPOILER

Especially Tom’s death was a new risk that I didn’t think the story would take given the lack of consequences in some of the other books. I am in full support of this path as it seems like Tom and Penny’s addition in Aftershock was meant to fool the reader into thinking “they are definitely the traitors” so it would be shocking when it is revealed that it was Laura. (Which it was, to be fair)

But, Tom’s death now brings the group down to a more manageable size and gives Penny a unique character dynamic in the story. It’s clear that going forward she will be much colder toward the group (Laura especially) and it could create an interesting path for her to try to forgive them or turn against them. Overall, Tom’s death gave the feeling that Walden wasn’t messing around with this one and it created a tone for the setting of the Glasshouse that any kind of tragic event could happen within it’s walls. It felt like the characters were going further into the lion’s den than ever before.

Some small cons:

Nero consistently endangers these children over and over again. Even though Otto is all powerful and they’re becoming friends it feels jarring how Nero has gone to wanting the kids to have nothing to do with field work to Otto hunting down the most dangerous women in the world. It would make sense for Nero to ease Otto into things even though he has special abilities. But, it puts Otto in the middle of the action as fast as possible which is the real reason we’re all reading.

Doing the “evil Otto” thing felt like retracing. I know it’s different since he’s a clone but it feels like we’ve been over this ground before. Even at that, the evil Otto lasted about 6 pages before he was killed which was a little bit of a let down considering that Furan had been going on about her secret project for the whole book just for HIVEmind and Otto to kill it pretty quickly.

At the same time, It feels a little frustrating that their are going to be 12 more clones in the future. They are genuinely threatening and dangerous but it just feels familiar when the world of HIVE has so many possibilities. I guess since Otto is so powerful it’s hard to put him up against any adversary that uses technology since he can just turn it off with a thought. I’m definitely going to read Bloodline the day it comes out but I’m curious to see what Walden does to set it apart from the past “evil Otto”.

As much as the clone was a drawback for me, it leads at a genuinely intense and emotional ending with Wing and the other lead characters trying to get the alphas to safety while Otto and Raven stop the kill switch.

On that note, Wing was a very underrated part of this book (and the series as a whole) Throughout the series he’s slowly developing as emotions start to seep through his practical character. His dialogue and actions is very well written as he is extremely capable and deeply cares for Otto but finds it hard to accept that sometimes the best thing he can do for his friends is just trust them. For such a “man of action” it’s a truly challenging position for him which develops his character in a interesting light.

A similar sentiment goes for Raven (my personal favorite of the series), she’s is genuinely distressed despite being the most dangerous assassin on the planet. Her quick and cold decision making from the past books isn’t completely taken away but she is subtly slower and more emotional when it comes to Furan. We’re starting to get the sense that Raven may genuinely care for those around her and she’s starting to accept it although it makes her a less effective killer. Especially when Raven and the students are caught by Furan at the end of the book and she tries sacrifices herself to enable their escape. It’s the logical move for her to complete her mission but she is reluctant and bumbles around a little bit before which would be out of character without the context of the flashbacks from Aftershock and Deadlock.

Laura is also broken down in a new way. Rather than being a damsel is distress she’s active in her own escape (although she technically is a damsel in distress). She is haunted by mistakes so her desperation forces her to take risks again or die. But when she continues to fail and endanger those around her to save herself, she can’t help but feel selfish. And for someone who deeply cares about her friends, that stings. It will be interesting to see how her relationship with Penny develops going forward as she tries to realize not everything that happened was her fault despite Penny being a constant reminder of her failures. Overall it feels like Laura active while letting her rescue by Otto’s goal.

Overall, I loved the direction of the story and the characters. This is easily a great book in the series. I’m unsure of how it stacks up against the others (I read them so long ago) but I felt it was a great improvement over Aftershock and it was a exciting read.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, you should read this. Although, the amount of trauma this causes is truly amazing. Mark Walden is one of the very best authors I have ever seen, and this is no exception. Plot lines were amazing, the flashbacks perfect. All in all, this is one of the best series I have ever read

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, amazing.
Where do I start?
The character development was great, the characters and plot was amazing and at one point I had to put the book down and leave the room and my mum asked if I was okay because I was making screeching noises.
100/10 as always Mark Walden.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full throttle read from start to finish! As usual with H.I.V.E. books they start off with one super bad villain, Anastasia Furan and her Glasshouse, and by the end Otto encounters another even more menacing villain leaving the exhausted reader in a cliff-hanger waiting for H.I.V.E. #9.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd Read - Its a decent book writing isnt great but its got a good storyline and good plot progress

[Zoe Reber · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I always say that it’s not really been a good day if you haven't caused a major diplomatic incident by lunchtime”-Deadlock. I honestly feel like this quote sums up this book perfectly.
I loved every book in the H.I.V.E series by mark Walden. The books did a good job developing character, Raven in particular. Raven has always been my favorite character because of her mysterious backstory and her continuous loyalty to H.I.V.E.. One thing that was fun about the books was the gradual change in presentation throughout the books. For example, in the first book or two the first few paragraphs of every chapter were in a different font but, in the later books this trend ceases. However, in the later book there are the three little symbols that look like hazard warnings whenever we switch point of views. I would recommend these books to any elementary or middle school kid. I can’t wait for the next one.

[Bookwyrm's Bones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading this book, as I re-read the whole series in anticipation for H.I.V.E. Bloodline... which was released six years after this one came out. I'm glad I re-read this book, because I definitely missed details the first time reading it. The only things that puzzle me about the books are small details that might be wrong, like the color of Penny's hair changing to its natural color after just a couple of months from vibrant pink. Her hair was darker so she would have needed bleach (from my understanding) to make her hair that vibrant in the first place, so it would have faded to blonde unless they cut off all of her colored hair in the Glasshouse.

Anywho! Once again, I love Franz being incredibly useful, the wit, the insanity. I love reading pure chaos and H.I.V.E. always scratches that itch for me.

I'M SO EXCITED TO READ BLOODLINE. Not sure how much I'll like it, but I'll finally know what happens and will be done with this series.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finally continuing this series after five years and I'm picking up RIGHT where I left off, which is a really... Interesting (TM) experience. I'm surprised at how much I remember, honestly.

This was a great read. This series has always, in my opinion, done tension and stakes very well, and I feel engaged and excited whenever I read these books. They're easy to read and have excellent humor, and I'd recommend them to anyone.

This book in particular was very well done, and really did a great job setting up the final book in the series (or what I understand to be the final book in the series.) Very hyped to jump into that after this refresher!

[Bryce Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a good book because if you have followed the series you find that this is the best book yet with so much suspense. This book is about Otto and whats left of the friends trying their other friends from the hands of the disciples. If you like long series with action, suspense and mysteries surrounding the characters, then this is a great book for you. For all we know, there could be another book because of what happened in the book. So if you are convinced to read this book, then stay tuned for the ninth book in this series.

[Brandon V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was easily one of the best books I have ever read. From the nonstop action to the completely unexpected twists and turns I literally could not put the book down (I have been reading it since I got home with only one break for dinner). Unfortunately, this is the conclusion to the H.I.V.E series for now, but the next book is expected to come out on the 1st of June so I wait in unending suspense until that euphoric moment when Mark Walden reveals H.I.V.E. number 9 on over the summer.

[EdwinB_D2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a science fiction by Mark Walden about a boy's experience at H.I.V.E. I think that the book is pretty interesting in its own way of unrealistic science fiction. You would like this book if you like books that are unrealistically futuristic.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe it ended on a cliffhanger when will the next book be out???

I enjoyed Deadlock a lot, it was fun and fast-paced and the plot was very interesting. It is quite dark, but still ends happily, which I'm glad about.

[ForeverDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very exciting, in that things were constantly happening, and tied up well, but felt a bit darker/depressing than some of the previous books in the series.

(I still find it a little funny that there's a character called Diabolus Darkdoom and his son... Nigel)

[Owen Vogelgesang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one, was sad for diobolus about the megaladon.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS TRULY THE GREATEST SERIES I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm serious) :D :P :)

[Teferi Mekonnen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing series, kept me interested to the end

Would recommend to everyone




D a f g h j k l z x c v b n m q

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm happy. Laura and Otto are finally together.

[Patricia Triz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice ending, characterization was quite believable-ish. More and more backstory, but even more questions. Looking forward for the 9th.

[Margo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do they end it like this?!?!

[HB · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★