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The Blacklist #1
The Beekeeper No. 159
Raymond Reddington brings Elizabeth Keen a new Blacklister: the Bodysnatcher, an unnamed, unknown man who has turned kidnapping into an art form. But when Lizzie and the team move to intercept the Bodysnatcher, they discover that he is not their real target. Their real target is much more sinister and it will take all their strength and dedication to resist him - and to discover what Reddington is really after.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published November 29, 2016
36 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Steven Piziks
19 books24 followersSteven Harper Piziks was born in Saginaw, Michigan, but he moved around a lot and has lived in Wisconsin, Germany, and (briefly) Ukraine. Currently he lives with his three sons in southeastern Michigan.
His novels include In the Company of Mind and Corporate Mentality, both science fiction published by Baen Books. Writing as Steven Harper for Roc Books, he has produced The Silent Empire series. He’s also written books based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and The Ghost Whisperer, as well as the movie novelization Identity, which he managed under a deadline of only three weeks. His numerous short stories have appeared, among other places, in all but one of Esther Friesner’s Chicks in Chainmail anthologies and in all of her humorous suburban fantasy anthology. Currently he’s working on The Clockwork Empire steampunk trilogy for Ace Book.
His novels include In the Company of Mind and Corporate Mentality, both science fiction published by Baen Books. Writing as Steven Harper for Roc Books, he has produced The Silent Empire series. He’s also written books based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and The Ghost Whisperer, as well as the movie novelization Identity, which he managed under a deadline of only three weeks. His numerous short stories have appeared, among other places, in all but one of Esther Friesner’s Chicks in Chainmail anthologies and in all of her humorous suburban fantasy anthology. Currently he’s working on The Clockwork Empire steampunk trilogy for Ace Book.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 31, 2018
The Blacklist got larger!
HIVE IN PLAIN SIGHT
This is a prose novel, tie-in for the popular "The Blacklist" TV Series. At the beginning of the book, it was quite awesome, since you could feel the characters rigth as they should be, and it was understandable why the story was chosen for this format, since the main scenario could be financially challenging to be produced for television...
...however once the story took its major plot, I think that certainly element was too easily affecting some of the character to be believable, even in the incredible world of Red Reddington.
The Beekeeper is a dangerous villain who built a "hive" of mind controlled human drones, snatched from around the country, with an ambitious plan to take over it.
While it's obvious that media tie-in books aren't too canonical, to be taken in account when something is developed further in the TV series, it was kinda odd, to read about a time in the life of Red Reddington that due the shocking cliffhanger in the last season (5th season) that I won't tell, don't worry, but certainly proved to be risky to approach the young adult days of Reddington.
HIVE IN PLAIN SIGHT
This is a prose novel, tie-in for the popular "The Blacklist" TV Series. At the beginning of the book, it was quite awesome, since you could feel the characters rigth as they should be, and it was understandable why the story was chosen for this format, since the main scenario could be financially challenging to be produced for television...
...however once the story took its major plot, I think that certainly element was too easily affecting some of the character to be believable, even in the incredible world of Red Reddington.
The Beekeeper is a dangerous villain who built a "hive" of mind controlled human drones, snatched from around the country, with an ambitious plan to take over it.
While it's obvious that media tie-in books aren't too canonical, to be taken in account when something is developed further in the TV series, it was kinda odd, to read about a time in the life of Red Reddington that due the shocking cliffhanger in the last season (5th season) that I won't tell, don't worry, but certainly proved to be risky to approach the young adult days of Reddington.
February 7, 2017
Really good, fun case that felt like watching a two part episode. I must admit towards the end the characterisation felt a little bit off - Lizzie not knowing how to hotwire a car when she can do it like a pro, and the relationship between Red and Lizzie felt more like it did in series 1 than it should do by this point in series 4. There were moments that didn't quite work, then plenty that did. If you're a fan of The Blacklist it's a must read; if only for the little bit of Red's backstory.
March 7, 2018
Started this book while my wife finished the Alienist only to pick it up again after finishing the Alienist myself. The author did a fantastic job making it feel as if you were watching an episode of the blacklist while you read. Excellent storyline that could definitely be an episode if the NBC writers wanted it to. Great fun read!
December 15, 2016
Like reading a two episode arc of the show. That's definitely a good thing.
February 10, 2017
4/5 stars
PG-13 for action violence
Recommend to fans of The Blacklist. This is a companion to the show, so if you're not watching it, a lot of things aren't going to make sense. (But if you're not watching, you totally should be. First 3 seasons are on Netflix right now. I'm just saying.)
**Inconsistencies and timeline placement noted at the end of review**
Tie-in novels are always tricky, ranging somewhere between terrible to mediocre. This one is actually good, both on its own and as an addition to the series, so I'm doubly impressed with Piziks, Titan Books, and everyone else who made this book happen. I've already pre-ordered the next tie-in novel -The Blacklist - The Dead Ring No. 166- releasing March 2017.
The first thing I noticed is how Piziks really gets into Elizabeth Keen's head when he narrates from her perspective. She automatically profiles everyone and every situation and this more than anything gives the novel authentic flair. Keen's a profiler; she's had intensive training and it's what she does for a living. Piziks almost does a better job bringing this aspect into focus than even a lot of the episodes do.
In fact, Piziks easily steps into the minds of all the characters. Obviously, this means the story features multiple points of view, but he does it well, and this helps the story to read just like an episode. Aram, Cooper, Ressler, Navabi -I could see and visualize all of them from the way they were written.
"Think of Reddington. He wouldn't want you in here, and he's like a father to you. A twisted, bizarro-world father, but still." -Ressler, pg 141
Piziks especially nails Reddington. This is crucial! Reddington is the axis of the whole story and James Spader's portrayal of him that of the show. How Piziks portrays Red is simple but accurate, bringing Spader's lilt and irreplaceable mannerisms to life without unnecessary descriptors. Though moments actually in Red's point of few are fewer and farther in between, they are nonetheless thrilling in their believability and intrigue just as much as such moments in the show. And there's no shortage of Reddington's stories and anecdotes. I especially like the 'stale-cracker moment'.
Aram swallowed and forced himself to stay calm. Reddington needed him. Reddington wasn't going to do anything to him. It was all in Aram's head. But Reddington's hard eyes still held the screams, and Aram's mouth dried up. -pg 203
AND WE GET RED BACK STORY. They certainly didn't skimp on Red Info just because it's a tie-in. While it's not necessarily earth-shattering, it's definitely tasty and intriguing stuff, giving us a look at some of his early development and some of the people who shaped it. I'm a little on the fence as to how it lines up satisfactorily in his timeline so far as set down by the show, but I'm dying to find out how it all fits!
The villain in this piece -The Beekeeper- is especially interesting because he is the perfect antagonist for our profiler Liz Keen. A cult-like leader, he uses mind games, brainwashing, and skilled manipulation to cultivate followers and this is right in Liz's wheelhouse. This is exactly what she's trained for and it creates an interesting conflict between Liz and Red. Liz insists on taking down The Beekeeper herself, convinced she can repel his brainwashing attempts because of her training. The inevitable danger of it is just part of the job to her, but Red fights to keep her out of that exact danger. You can imagine how well Liz takes that.
The story itself is solid and easily could have been an actual episode, though I'm glad this one got to be a novel. It offers so much more insight into the characters and chances for developments between them. Several twists and turns developed that I didn't anticipate and others I thought I saw coming actually didn't (which is good, because that would have disappointed me). I loved the way that everything developed and resolved because it was so Red and it was so The Blacklist.
Inconsistencies and Timeline:
There were actually very few inconsistencies, most notably Dembe sometimes speaking broken English and 'Mrs. Kaplan', but these are pretty mild and the rest of the book easily made up for these mistakes.
Trying to pinpoint this event in The Blacklist timeline was tricky, but I finally nailed it down to early season 4. I assume the lack of reference to S4 characters and events was an effort to avoid potential spoilers.
In the end, The Beekeeper (No. 159) is an authentic slice of The Blacklist and it's probably the best tie-in novel I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Bravo, Piziks; bravo.
PG-13 for action violence
Recommend to fans of The Blacklist. This is a companion to the show, so if you're not watching it, a lot of things aren't going to make sense. (But if you're not watching, you totally should be. First 3 seasons are on Netflix right now. I'm just saying.)
**Inconsistencies and timeline placement noted at the end of review**
Tie-in novels are always tricky, ranging somewhere between terrible to mediocre. This one is actually good, both on its own and as an addition to the series, so I'm doubly impressed with Piziks, Titan Books, and everyone else who made this book happen. I've already pre-ordered the next tie-in novel -The Blacklist - The Dead Ring No. 166- releasing March 2017.
The first thing I noticed is how Piziks really gets into Elizabeth Keen's head when he narrates from her perspective. She automatically profiles everyone and every situation and this more than anything gives the novel authentic flair. Keen's a profiler; she's had intensive training and it's what she does for a living. Piziks almost does a better job bringing this aspect into focus than even a lot of the episodes do.
In fact, Piziks easily steps into the minds of all the characters. Obviously, this means the story features multiple points of view, but he does it well, and this helps the story to read just like an episode. Aram, Cooper, Ressler, Navabi -I could see and visualize all of them from the way they were written.
"Think of Reddington. He wouldn't want you in here, and he's like a father to you. A twisted, bizarro-world father, but still." -Ressler, pg 141
Piziks especially nails Reddington. This is crucial! Reddington is the axis of the whole story and James Spader's portrayal of him that of the show. How Piziks portrays Red is simple but accurate, bringing Spader's lilt and irreplaceable mannerisms to life without unnecessary descriptors. Though moments actually in Red's point of few are fewer and farther in between, they are nonetheless thrilling in their believability and intrigue just as much as such moments in the show. And there's no shortage of Reddington's stories and anecdotes. I especially like the 'stale-cracker moment'.
Aram swallowed and forced himself to stay calm. Reddington needed him. Reddington wasn't going to do anything to him. It was all in Aram's head. But Reddington's hard eyes still held the screams, and Aram's mouth dried up. -pg 203
AND WE GET RED BACK STORY. They certainly didn't skimp on Red Info just because it's a tie-in. While it's not necessarily earth-shattering, it's definitely tasty and intriguing stuff, giving us a look at some of his early development and some of the people who shaped it. I'm a little on the fence as to how it lines up satisfactorily in his timeline so far as set down by the show, but I'm dying to find out how it all fits!
The villain in this piece -The Beekeeper- is especially interesting because he is the perfect antagonist for our profiler Liz Keen. A cult-like leader, he uses mind games, brainwashing, and skilled manipulation to cultivate followers and this is right in Liz's wheelhouse. This is exactly what she's trained for and it creates an interesting conflict between Liz and Red. Liz insists on taking down The Beekeeper herself, convinced she can repel his brainwashing attempts because of her training. The inevitable danger of it is just part of the job to her, but Red fights to keep her out of that exact danger. You can imagine how well Liz takes that.
The story itself is solid and easily could have been an actual episode, though I'm glad this one got to be a novel. It offers so much more insight into the characters and chances for developments between them. Several twists and turns developed that I didn't anticipate and others I thought I saw coming actually didn't (which is good, because that would have disappointed me). I loved the way that everything developed and resolved because it was so Red and it was so The Blacklist.
Inconsistencies and Timeline:
There were actually very few inconsistencies, most notably Dembe sometimes speaking broken English and 'Mrs. Kaplan', but these are pretty mild and the rest of the book easily made up for these mistakes.
Trying to pinpoint this event in The Blacklist timeline was tricky, but I finally nailed it down to early season 4. I assume the lack of reference to S4 characters and events was an effort to avoid potential spoilers.
In the end, The Beekeeper (No. 159) is an authentic slice of The Blacklist and it's probably the best tie-in novel I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Bravo, Piziks; bravo.
March 5, 2024
I loved the TV series, but am not as big a fan of the books. I ddi not like the character of Keen and not fond of Ressler. Reddington did sound like Reddington, but there was not enough of him. We spent more time on Keen.
There was a lot of action so near the end of the book it was hard to set down. I have no desire to read any more of them.
There was a lot of action so near the end of the book it was hard to set down. I have no desire to read any more of them.
June 21, 2017
"The Blacklist: The Beekeeper No. 159," by Steven Piziks was the first tie-in novel about/for "The Blacklist" TV show. If I had read this one first, I might not have picked up the second.
If you're a fan of "The Blacklist" TV show, you know all the characters. Master criminal Raymond Reddington is a valuable informant for a secret FBI task force. Reddington is obsessed with profiler Elizabeth Keen, whom he insisted be a member of the task force. Together, they catch arch-criminals that are not even necessarily on the radar of law enforcement. It's a little bit like "Silence of the Lambs," but Reddington isn't a serial killer. Some say Reddington is like Lex Luthor in a world without superheroes.
What I often find with the many, many mediocre tie-in novels I read is this--the author has what they think is a good idea. Then they try to graft characters from whatever TV show/movie into the world they have already created. I think "The Beekeeper" is an example of that.
Elizabeth Keen, against Reddington's wishes, infiltrates a dangerous cult called The Hive, which is run by The Beekeeper. He uses drugs and psychological conditioning to turn people into his "drones." The author is fascinated with the indoctrination process of cults and with making bee-human parallels along the way. Reddington, as always, has his own agenda for stirring up The Beekeeper's operation. But he becomes more invested when Keen inevitably gets in serious trouble.
One thing that both "The Blacklist" tie-in novels have in common is that the portrayal of Reddington is fairly weak and uninteresting. He acts mostly from the sidelines. Keen is the central focus of both novels, which does make sense. But Reddington is the most interesting part of the show. There would be no show without him.
Another thing that both novels have in common is that they are too long and pile on needless subplots to fatten up the book to roughly 350 pages. But I didn't really enjoy "The Beekeper." I did like "The Dead Ring." "The Beekeeper" spends far, far too much time inside The Beekeeper's Hive cult. If I'd had to read, "We are the Hive!" one more time, I might have left the book on the seat next to me on the bus/train and walked away. Some of the cult stuff was interesting, but the reader is just beaten over the head with it all again and again. Also, the author's depiction of people on The Beekeeper's cocktail of hallucinogens in just painful and awkward to read. It ruined my suspension of disbelief.
I would recommend "The Beekeeper" only if you're a die-hard fan of "The Blacklist." Or if you have insomnia and are looking to cure it.
If you're a fan of "The Blacklist" TV show, you know all the characters. Master criminal Raymond Reddington is a valuable informant for a secret FBI task force. Reddington is obsessed with profiler Elizabeth Keen, whom he insisted be a member of the task force. Together, they catch arch-criminals that are not even necessarily on the radar of law enforcement. It's a little bit like "Silence of the Lambs," but Reddington isn't a serial killer. Some say Reddington is like Lex Luthor in a world without superheroes.
What I often find with the many, many mediocre tie-in novels I read is this--the author has what they think is a good idea. Then they try to graft characters from whatever TV show/movie into the world they have already created. I think "The Beekeeper" is an example of that.
Elizabeth Keen, against Reddington's wishes, infiltrates a dangerous cult called The Hive, which is run by The Beekeeper. He uses drugs and psychological conditioning to turn people into his "drones." The author is fascinated with the indoctrination process of cults and with making bee-human parallels along the way. Reddington, as always, has his own agenda for stirring up The Beekeeper's operation. But he becomes more invested when Keen inevitably gets in serious trouble.
One thing that both "The Blacklist" tie-in novels have in common is that the portrayal of Reddington is fairly weak and uninteresting. He acts mostly from the sidelines. Keen is the central focus of both novels, which does make sense. But Reddington is the most interesting part of the show. There would be no show without him.
Another thing that both novels have in common is that they are too long and pile on needless subplots to fatten up the book to roughly 350 pages. But I didn't really enjoy "The Beekeper." I did like "The Dead Ring." "The Beekeeper" spends far, far too much time inside The Beekeeper's Hive cult. If I'd had to read, "We are the Hive!" one more time, I might have left the book on the seat next to me on the bus/train and walked away. Some of the cult stuff was interesting, but the reader is just beaten over the head with it all again and again. Also, the author's depiction of people on The Beekeeper's cocktail of hallucinogens in just painful and awkward to read. It ruined my suspension of disbelief.
I would recommend "The Beekeeper" only if you're a die-hard fan of "The Blacklist." Or if you have insomnia and are looking to cure it.
January 19, 2017
Couldn't finish it. I'm sure it was just my mood at the time. The plot moved swiftly, the characters well-crafted but I was just not in the mood for grit, grime and death at the time.
March 30, 2017
Pretty entertaining if you're a fan of the show, though some characters were a little underutilized. Looking forward to reading book two.
June 21, 2019
Certainly, this book very much resembled the TV show from which it was inspired. I could clearly hear each character's voice in my head from scene to scene- but I don't think that their characterizations were as strong and potent as they are in the TV show. I appreciated that Keen's profiler background was really emphasized (as I feel like in the TV show, it is a lot more subtle), Aram was incredibly awkward as per usual, and Reddington was always funny and roundabout. The knowledge he held until the end was a complete shocker, to be honest! I wish that Donald, Dembe, Navabi, and Cooper had more central roles and made more central decisions, but I can imagine that would have been vary difficult to balance compared to how they do so in the show with all the episodes.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the premise of the book. I thought that psychological and drug manipulation was absolutely fascinating albeit disturbing. I think the whole idea of the hive mind and the various bee references were clever and well played. I loved how the ending with Mrs. Griffin tied in really well with the whole bee theme.
The author's writing style made for a quick read, but I was a bit annoyed that some of the characters acted in a way that wasn't really typical for their characterization in several scenes. I was also peeved that, over and over again, the author used the same words to describe Reddington's laugh (expansive), and his general demeanor/facial expressions (schooled). I feel like I noticed it too much because it was used too often in such a short book. Some variation would have been nice.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the premise of the book. I thought that psychological and drug manipulation was absolutely fascinating albeit disturbing. I think the whole idea of the hive mind and the various bee references were clever and well played. I loved how the ending with Mrs. Griffin tied in really well with the whole bee theme.
The author's writing style made for a quick read, but I was a bit annoyed that some of the characters acted in a way that wasn't really typical for their characterization in several scenes. I was also peeved that, over and over again, the author used the same words to describe Reddington's laugh (expansive), and his general demeanor/facial expressions (schooled). I feel like I noticed it too much because it was used too often in such a short book. Some variation would have been nice.
January 22, 2020
Certainly, this book very much resembled the TV show from which it was inspired. I could clearly hear each character's voice in my head from scene to scene- but I don't think that their characterizations were as strong and potent as they are in the TV show. I appreciated that Keen's profiler background was really emphasized (as I feel like in the TV show, it is a lot more subtle), Aram was incredibly awkward as per usual, and Reddington was always funny and roundabout. The knowledge he held until the end was a complete shocker, to be honest! I wish that Donald, Dembe, Navabi, and Cooper had more central roles and made more central decisions, but I can imagine that would have been vary difficult to balance compared to how they do so in the show with all the episodes.Overall, I quite enjoyed the premise of the book. I thought that psychological and drug manipulation was absolutely fascinating albeit disturbing. I think the whole idea of the hive mind and the various bee references were clever and well played. I loved how the ending with Mrs. Griffin tied in really well with the whole bee theme.
May 17, 2023
I loved this read! I, among thousands of other "Blacklist lovers" finished the tv series, and still wanted more. This book was written so well I could picture everything as if I was watching a 2-part episode from the show. I quite literally couldn't put it down without wrestling with myself to read one more chapter. One of my favorite things the author made sure to include were Reddington's little anecdotes he so often has, where he trails off into nonchalant story, or some very vague meaning of life that throws the other characters off, and makes them wonder what on earth he's getting at. The ending was super good. The whole book moved with a consistent pace, there were no lulls or "boring parts". There was constant things happening that made you sit at the edge of your seat! I need to read the next one.
September 4, 2024
It's a very confusing read this book. The initial story is fun, nothing groundbreaking, but just fun. Reddington is as good in the book as in the show. The remainder of the characters are just a bundle of mess. Constantly changing motivations and characteristics. Besides that, the fact that author uses the word drones for both real drones and the henchmen of the bad guy, which does cause a bit of confusion.
Overall, it's a fun but confusing read
Overall, it's a fun but confusing read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2018
It’s like another episode of the great show
Amazing, gripping, wonderful! It feels almost like I’ve just watch an episode of one of the greatest TV shows. Must-read for every blacklist fan!
Amazing, gripping, wonderful! It feels almost like I’ve just watch an episode of one of the greatest TV shows. Must-read for every blacklist fan!
August 23, 2021
I love the TV series but I loved this book even more. It really was like I was watching an episode.
The story was fabulous and I was saddened when it ended.
The only down side is there are only two books in the series.
The story was fabulous and I was saddened when it ended.
The only down side is there are only two books in the series.
March 22, 2024
Did I know it would be bad? Yes.
Was I desperate enough to try it anyway? Also yes.
(I'm only on season six and I. Am. Dying. Send help and a version of Elizabeth that is actually nice to Red 😭😭😭)
Was I desperate enough to try it anyway? Also yes.
(I'm only on season six and I. Am. Dying. Send help and a version of Elizabeth that is actually nice to Red 😭😭😭)
November 19, 2019
Good diversionary book. Nothing spectacular but not bad.
Read
January 10, 2022I love the television show and I enjoyed the book, too!
August 17, 2024
written perfectly to relay how the episodes of the show are, amazing read! concept of the beehive/beekeeper wasn't really my kind of thing, but so worth the read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2019
more like 1.5 stars, but i didn’t absolutely hate it and my expectations were low going in, so i rounded up rather than down. the plot felt on brand, and reddington’s characterisation was really solid, and maybe the author felt like as long as those worked nothing else would really matter. samar was barely in it and was given nothing cool to do, so he nailed that part, too.
but so many other things felt off. mostly small things, but they added up to paint a picture of someone unfamiliar with their source material. like, aram wrestling a rifle out of a woman’s hands and hitting her with it? then calling elizabeth “keen”? elizabeth actually saying the words “not all men”? ressler being halfway competent? too out of character.
also, for this one i blame the editors rather than the author, but it’s MR kaplan, not mrs. SHE’S DEAD, PUT SOME RESPECT ON HER NAME.
but so many other things felt off. mostly small things, but they added up to paint a picture of someone unfamiliar with their source material. like, aram wrestling a rifle out of a woman’s hands and hitting her with it? then calling elizabeth “keen”? elizabeth actually saying the words “not all men”? ressler being halfway competent? too out of character.
also, for this one i blame the editors rather than the author, but it’s MR kaplan, not mrs. SHE’S DEAD, PUT SOME RESPECT ON HER NAME.
March 25, 2018
This book is amazing when we look at James Spader who is playing Raymond 'Red' Reddington, who is a gangster... and he is one of the brilliant ones. Not some kinda stupid jerk... but whole new level criminal.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews