H.I.V.E.: Aftershock

H.I.V.E. #7

by Mark Walden

Otto and the rest of the elite Alpha stream at H.I.V.E. have been sent on their most dangerous exercise The Hunt. But when Otto and the rest of the Alphas arrive in the icy wastes of Siberia, it becomes clear that something is wrong. Dr Nero, the head of the school, has made some powerful enemies at the Global League of Villainous Enterprises - and the first strike against Nero will be a strike against the Alpha stream. There’s a traitor in their midst… and time is running out to discover who it is.

The seventh sensational story in the H.I.V.E. series from bestselling author Mark Walden.

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

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2011

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

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

A year or two ago I had to come to terms with the fact that reading from the 8-12 section in bookstores was no longer entirely satisfying. Since that time there seems to have been a massive upsurge in book series which on the surface are my kind of book, but on reading are quite dull, cliched and unoriginal. I appreciate that a lot of this is because the books are not aimed at 22-year-olds, but it's frustrating for me to start a series, but be entirely unexcited when the next book is published, to feel like I ought to task myself with seeing the series through.

Not so, with HIVE. I saw the latest HIVE book yesterday, and I bought it and read it yesterday. This is the way things used to be, and I can only put it down to the series being of a better quality.

I've read but not reviewed all the other HIVE books, I recall initially loving the idea of a school for villans, then wondering if it was a bit Harry Potterish, not in genre, but in the boarding school setting. I still think that this is not the most original series - there are elements that could be attributed to different other stories (including boarding school stories that came well before HP) - but all the pieces that have been pulled together do make it stand out in its own right, certainly far above most of the series aimed at the same age-bracket.

There is one main reason why this works. Otto is incredibly likeable - as is Wing, as is Shelby,as is Nigel, as is Franz, as are most of the teachers. The characters and their banter make me chuckle all the way through the books. I love the focus on Otto as the main character. And there are clever touches which make me see things in movie form - such as Otto shooting with a finger-gun when he was indeed 'shooting' but with his mind. There was a twist in Aftershock which I didn't see coming either. I will most definitely be reading the next book.

On the negatives, although Lucy wasn't in this book, I got very confused early on between Laura and Lucy because of the similarity in the names, and because Laura isn't half as powerful a character as Shelby. This is despite me having read what happened to Lucy in the previous book. I also find the title 'Aftershock' to be a tad irritating for sounding like any other kid/teen book and lacking a grab. I don't care for Raven too much, despite the backstory. The kiss lacked very much info, as is the case with character descriptions at times, making it harder to connect with character emotions. The main feeling I got from this book was that by the end it had only just got started, and I could have read three times as much.

I have recommended this series before and would do so again. This book was a great continuation of the ongoing story arc.

[Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expected publication September 5th? IT HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED.

I wasn't expecting to buy this so early, but we on out way to Oxford and there was a bookstore in the service station...

Cliffy. Cliffy. Cliffy. Cliffy. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Laura has a little brother? Awwwwww.

Well, I really liked this. And I'm glad that Otto left H.I.V.E; I think it was holding him back from adventures and stuff because of the rules and things. I just hope whatever he does next will be as adventurous as when his was in the school. I can't think of much more to say actually...

[Amita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me tell you a little story.

Picture me, 12 years ago, reading the HIVE series. I've finished Zero Hour, and while I didn't love it, I was invested enough in the lore to be emotionally impacted by it. The next book, though, isn't coming out for MONTHS. But I'm so excited for it!! I read every excerpt I can get my hands on. I use the Amazon book preview search function (does that still exist?) to read random sentences. I check the computer every day to find out if my copy has shipped yet and then when it has, I check the mailbox every day to find out if it's arrived. Finally, FINALLY, I get the book. I read it in one day. And then I have to face the facts.

It's bad. Not just mediocre, actually bad. Imagine my disappointment. Whatever you're imagining, it was worse.

Now that I'm rereading the series with the benefit of hindsight and without any of the emotional investment, I can say for a fact that my past self's opinion of this book was way too generous. It's truly horrible. I even debated giving this 1 star but it technically fits more with my other 2 star reads. Anyway let's discuss why this book sucks.

This author struggled with good characterization from the start but by this point in the series it's just a mess. Not a single character resembles what they started as. Sure, they keep the one stereotypical main trait that they've had since the beginning, but any depth that was maybe being developed throughout the series is completely gone. The characters are now just little names that can be filled in wherever, whether it makes sense to the story or not. It's MadLibs at this point.
In my favorite scene (meaning the cringiest part) of this trainwreck, a character goes from being mad at someone ("how could you do this" type beat) to taking their side ("it's not your fault!!") IN TWO LINES OF DIALOGUE. shawty give me whip whiplash (NCT 2017) because WHAT.

Laura, my poor bestie, especially gets ruined this book. Never have I ever seen a character destruction this bad before. Author was like uhhhh I need to create a new conflict and just threw her in there because now that Lucy is dead she's back to being the Love Interest and not her own character. She's OOC the whole time. They make her betray the good guys for some stupid half thought out reason so she literally spends the whole book either 1) crying about it or 2) having convos with the main character about if they love each other or not. Rage inducing because she's canonically (though at this point what does canon even matter) the smartest character in this mf series and she's reduced to THIS. You're telling me a character this intelligent couldn't see the 300+ different ways to get out of her situation without betraying all her friends? yeah ok.

The writing is so so so bad. It's only gotten worse over these 7 books. To use my fave scene as an example again, here's a quote: "...he realized that this was exactly what he had already begun to suspect. That someone within their group had betrayed them. But it couldn't be Laura, it just couldn't. No matter how he tried to deny it, deep inside he knew that it was true. ...But more than that he knew it was true because he could feel his heart breaking."
If you can genuinely read this without cringing you're stronger than me fr. The first part is so badly written that it contradicts itself immediately (the line starting with "but" leads you to expect the reasons he can't believe it's her, yet the next line switches it up AGAIN). And the last line... kinda just speaks for itself. It's giving middle school kid writing emo poetry about a breakup like be serious.

The plot isn't even a point in the book's favor because it's very boring. Not even getting Raven backstory made this more bearable. Her and Nero barely interact so who cares about this book at all really?

[Alethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the series, but this book went really fast. I am hungry for more!

[Jared Elko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aftershock

A well structured and exciting entry to the series. It’s been a while since I’ve picked one of these books up (read the first 6 back to back to back…) Characters are still lovable since character moments, action, and sprinkles of comedy mix together for a Hollywood blockbuster style experience.

It’s reads fast and descriptive, every scene easily forms in ur minds eye while ur real eyes are flying down the pages. This makes is one of the most fun and engaging books due to that writing styles and the world which continues to be interesting after 7 books. I still want more from this world. (It’s like Harry Potter but they make 007 villains instead of wizards)

I had some slight disagreements with the story direction. The segment, which is half the book, where they are trying to cheat on the exams feels a little too long. I feel like it could have taken up the first act to give the student something to do while the plot with Nero, Wright, and Minerva forms. But shortening this segment could run the risk of Tom and Penny not being given ample time to mesh with the group and the Minerva’s evil plot could also lose its context.

It’s just that the adventure might be more exciting if it was an odyssey across Siberia where the hero’s (mini villains) are hunted by the disciples. When we do get to “The Hunt” it is the standout of the book. The action is visceral and Otto and his friends are in a very dire situation. But, they don’t act like it which made a weird clash of tones. 20 of Ottos classmates just died in a massacre (which all of the key characters miraculously survive) And then the group proceeds to crack jokes and quips to each other as they escape like their classmmates who they have been at least seeing in the halls between classes at HIVE were just blown to pieces in front of their eyes. Nero has a defeated, angry, and desperate reaction (which I liked and was in line with the situation) But, it feels like the kids should be traumatized even considering the danger they’ve already gone through.

The last thing was, Laura. While the twist was shocking and unexpected and tied in by clues of past events it was a pretty avoidable situation even though Minerva had her family hostage. GLOVE is one of the most well equipped organizations in HIVE’s world and Nero is one of the smartest evil geniuses and Laura is one of the school smartest students. It’s hard to believe they were unable to devise a plan to lure the disciples into a trap and find Laura’s family if Laura has told Nero.

These are small problems in a overall impressive action book. The future is promising as Minerva was another bright spot in the book and it looks like her and the disciples will be formidable antagonists going forward. With Laura at the Glasshouse, Nero trying to wipe out the disciples, and Raven/Otto going up against Minerva directly I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

[Kathy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many things written about this series call H.I.V.E. something like the dark side of Hogwarts. There is definitely a similarity in that a group of young "students" develop fast friendships while fighting their enemies (in addition to their studies, of course). This was my first read in the series, so I haven't seen the characters develop.

As a librarian during the early years of the Harry Potter books I saw communities where Rowling's books were bad-mouthed because they were supposedly promoting magic and wizardry. In the H.I.V.E. books the school is actually designed to develop super villians and the student body has been kidnapped into the school. This concerns me more than Harry Potter and friends' magic.

But young people probably will just look at the friendships and the action and will, once again, ignore most of the "evil" content.

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

I was going to rate this 4 stars and try to be critical of it but, I love this series and these books too much.


I know Franz isn't a super important character, But I love seeing him become useful over time. Gosh, I was waiting for that scene where he shoots down the helicopter and Nigel doesn't believe he did it. I re-read that part like five times the first time I read this one.

In the meantime, I also remember Otto's "punishment" of being expelled from the school and becoming an ally to the hopeful destruction of the Disciples. Love that bit! Really makes me want to read the next one again.

Laura's betrayal always struck me as kind of sudden, but her family being held hostage makes sense.

As usual, I really like the books in H.I.V.E. series and I'm hoping to read the next one soon! One more before finally reading Bloodline!

[Fatima Sarder · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Bang," Otto said as he simultaneously triggered the detonators in all of the helicopter's remaining missiles.”

What is Otto still doing as the main character of this series when Raven clearly has more backstory? Two new characters join, people Otto knew from the past, his friends from the orphanage and it's up to Raven to recruit them.

The Hunt is compromised thanks to Laura who turns out to be *le gasp!* a traitor. Oh no! There no is foreshadowing to her betrayal, but of course Chief Dekker turns out to be the main baddie and poor Cole takes the brunt of it. It's the same old plot, high octane action with hardly any time for character development.

I really liked this series, but come on author, put a little more oomph into your characters.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly this series is still going pretty strong despite being on the 7th book. Got a lot more insight into Raven's backstory in this book which was interesting to read. Also two new characters were introduced. I preferred these characters to Lucy as they were already established as being from the same orphanage as Otto, rather than being random characters dropped in with little explanation.

I enjoyed the fact that the book started with the characters actually at school and had them carry out a heist that wasn't life or death like usual. Usually the books leap right into lots of drama and the main villain. Even if the heist did end up influencing the rest of the events, it started off more lighthearted by only really being a quest to cheat at exams.

Fun, easy read as usual

[Nuqksh Sapra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story begins with Dr. Nero, who makes the mistake of underestimating his opponents. While he is captured by the cunning Anastasia Furan, Otto and the Alpha Stream are secretly planning a daring rescue to save not only Dr. Nero but also the other students trapped inside, including Laura. The tension builds as every move feels dangerous, and the stakes grow higher with each passing moment.
My favorite part was when all the students joined forces to escape. Their teamwork, quick thinking, and determination kept me on edge, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous that Anastasia might catch them at any second. The way they relied on each other showed true friendship and courage, making the escape feel even more exciting and rewarding.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The later HIVE books are far more dramatic than the earlier ones, and this was no exception. Aftershock was fast-paced and exciting, even though surprisingly little actually happened compared to other books in the series that were the same length. The Laura and Otto drama seemed a little forced, and I'm annoyed at how quickly she was forgiven for betraying them and getting over 30 students killed. On that note, this book made me realise that only six people in the Alpha stream are ever actually mentioned, the others were so expendable that I didn't really feel anything when they died. The books have got far darker, too.

[ForeverDay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The villainy thing is getting a little hard to hold onto. Trying to hold in your mind that these are the bad guys but not as bad as these other guys gets tricky, especially when these 'villains' say things like they're aiming to 'rebuild GLOVE without treachery and deceit'. We want to root for the good guys, and that is what these characters are in the series to us, even if they supposedly have classes on money laundering.

Other than that, the plot races along as ever. I liked the increase in page time given to team building, and therefore the opportunity for more team banter. Also, I love Franz.

[Brooke Evans]

I don't typically review book-by-book when it comes to these kinds of series (a bunch of books in a row that are all quick, fun reads without too much under the surface.)

But this one had a Monty Python reference, and that was awesome.

(Someone gets shot and the response is: "Don't worry. It's just a flesh wound. Not much more than a scratch really.")

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is after the big action of the series, it never feels like everything’s over. In fact, the metaplot is brought in here, and the events that occur within are very interesting. There’s this suspense that feeds the entire book, and makes it just as good as the preceding works. This is still HIVE, and HIVE is still great.

[Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a wonderfull book because of how much drama happens during the climax. The book shows lots of high skill level words and some humorous dialouge. I think you should read it if your into action and realy detailed fighting.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a fun series - can't believe my whole library system only has one copy of each book! Like that you find out more about Raven in this one. Reading these at the same time as my 10 year old.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, and it is the 7nth book in the HIVE series, it is a great book and it is packed with action. it is a book for anybody that loves action and a small flare of harry potter. this book has a lot of twist and makes you not to put it down.

[Shrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book series is absolutely amazing and this book is the best amongst this series (my opinion). Deadlock is going to finish what this book started but none the less this is an awesome book to read!

[Benedict Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book to read between heavier tomes. It has been some years since I'd read the previous HIVE books, I'd forgotten that after the first couple of volumes they were no longer self-contained and was a little disappointed that it ended unresolved.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable continuation of the series. A fun read!

[Owen Vogelgesang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked what Franz did for the group in the moutains

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debating whether to actually finish the series or not. The library ended at this one. It's very cute, but I have so many other items to read!

[Patricia Triz · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE THIS TO BITS! Great start to a two-parter, and more backstory is revealed!

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a bad idea for Nero expelled Otto at the end.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book and it was very entertaining.

[Jude Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otto needs to infiltrate a base in Siberia but he needs the help of all of his friends to do it. He is also gets rizzy in this one which is always enjoyable in a YA book

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The seventh novel in Mark Walden's H.I.V.E series, Aftershock, is a wonderful book. It tells yet another adventure Otto Malpense and his friends go on. Dr. Nero, now the head of of the Global League of Villainous Enterprises, is trying to restore the organization to its former glory, but with the organization's old, fired members fighting to regain their original power it will be a hard task to accomplish. Dr. Nero also has to worry about the annual exercise, called the Hunt that H.I.V.E holds, and this year it's Otto and the rest of his Alpha stream's turn to partake in the extremely dangerous test. Otto and his friends are very familiar with dangerous experiences, but none of them are prepared for the events that take place at the Hunt location. Revenge and betrayal fuel the characters in yet another amazing novel by Mark Walden.

I gave Aftershock a five star rating. The book deserves this rating because it is very, very suspenseful. The book also contains many plot twists throughout the entire novel. Another reason why I gave Aftershock this rating is because every page in the book is action-packed and full of adventure. This book is also one of my favorites because Mark Walden slowly reveals things about each characters' past. The book flashes back to certain parts of Raven's past several times. These flashbacks show what Raven did before she worked at H.I.V.E and tell the readers what turned her into one of the best and most ruthless assassins in the world. By not giving all the information about certain characters' past the author makes the reader want to keep reading. Mark Walden also describes the character's thoughts and feelings very well and in creative ways. Because of all these reasons Aftershock deserves a five star rating.

I would recommend this book to readers in middle school. I would recommend this book to middle school aged readers, because I think that it's easiest for readers of this age to relate to the characters and understand the vocabulary. I would also recommend this book to anyone who loves suspenseful and action-packed novels, because Aftershock is full of both action and suspense. Aftershock also has many cliffhangers. Because of this I think that anyone who loves books that leave them hanging and books that make them want to keep reading would enjoy reading Aftershock. People who are interested in technology would also enjoy reading Aftershock because the characters use a lot of advanced technology, and they describe the technology in detail. Aftershock is a very well-written novel and I think that anyone who picks this book up and starts reading it will not want to put it back down.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aftershock by Mark Walden was another epic book in the series. For me, the plot has not disappointed because there are a few more twists that I did not expect. First of all I did not expect Joseph Wright tried to assassinate G.L.O.V.E.'s head of ruling council Dr. Nero. But I knew that he would try and get revenge because Dr. Nero had dismissed the former ruling council. I definitely did not expect him to try and kill Dr. Nero because I thought they were still on the same side.

Right after that part, Joseph Wright was trying to convince other members of the dismissed ruling council to join him against Nero, which results in joining G.L.O.V.E.'s arch enemy forces. This part I thought was a little bit over the top. I think that Walden should have just let them form their own group instead of thinking the possibility of joining the opposition.

I gave the book a three star rating because I felt that it was a little bit rushed. There were many parts in the story I felt it should have been better described and use of better language. I think Walden could have made the storyline a bit longer and maybe put some more unexpected twists. Some parts I felt was a little bit hard to understand, I think that Mark Walden has used too much description and too much metaphors. Some parts I felt that the author could just make the text simpler to read. Plus, I think that after reading the blurb at the back, there wasn't much in the book that surprised me because I felt the the blurb gave away too much of the story. I already kind of expected what was going to happen and when it was going to happen.Clearly I think that this book is still not the best in the series.

[Peter Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aftershock Peter Lin
Mark Walden

Otto Malphense has hatched a grand scheme. He plans to steal the answers of their upcoming exams as well as gain information about an activity they are participating in, The Hunt. But when his plan goes wrong, the Hunt goes wrong as well. Instead of conducting the usual Hunt, the students of H.I.V.E are ambushed. Otto and his friends nearly die, but with the help of their friend Raven, they escape. But at the cost of two of their friends.

I immensely enjoyed this book. The story was amazing in the first place, and towards the end, the twist of betrayal was just icing on the cake. When the Hunt was first ambushed, I liked the perspective switching that allowed to revel in the abilities of all characters present. For example, when Otto was using his powers to detonate the missiles from within the helicopter, it switched to the person who was about fire the missile in the helicopter. It showed that person watching Otto use his ability. That was a great way to let the readers picture abilities far more accurately. Overall, I liked the unique way the author wrote the story.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy the subject of villainy because the story puts an interesting aspect from the criminals point of view. Age range of this book would probably be 8 and above because younger children may not understand the content, however, even adults should enjoy the story.