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HIVE
Either option doesn't seem right.
Leah, the daughter of a corporate executive, lives a privileged life in a hive-like city created after nearly all of humanity is wiped out by climate disasters, plague and war. The corporation manages all of society with flawless efficiency, and once Leah opts-in to the terms of service, she'll be one of the lucky ones enjoying the fruit of other people's labor, just as her parents planned.
But Leah is, instead, hoping to spend more time with Abel, the son of the Chief Operating Officer. Leah's feelings for Abel have grown stronger. Unfortunately, the corporation has different plans for the two teenagers.
When the corporate security team brutally kills innocent bystanders, Leah is awakened to the corporation's ruthlessness. Now she wants nothing to do with her parents' world.
Leah and Abel can only be together if they escape the city and make their way to the rumored settlements beyond the corporation's reach. Escape won't be the corporation's artificial intelligence tracks all movement throughout the city, searching for suspicious activity.
Their only hope is to connect with The Collective, the resistance group trying to overthrow the corporation and restore civil liberties.
All they have to do is pull it off to find a new life.
(This is Book 1 in the self-titled series HIVE.)
Leah, the daughter of a corporate executive, lives a privileged life in a hive-like city created after nearly all of humanity is wiped out by climate disasters, plague and war. The corporation manages all of society with flawless efficiency, and once Leah opts-in to the terms of service, she'll be one of the lucky ones enjoying the fruit of other people's labor, just as her parents planned.
But Leah is, instead, hoping to spend more time with Abel, the son of the Chief Operating Officer. Leah's feelings for Abel have grown stronger. Unfortunately, the corporation has different plans for the two teenagers.
When the corporate security team brutally kills innocent bystanders, Leah is awakened to the corporation's ruthlessness. Now she wants nothing to do with her parents' world.
Leah and Abel can only be together if they escape the city and make their way to the rumored settlements beyond the corporation's reach. Escape won't be the corporation's artificial intelligence tracks all movement throughout the city, searching for suspicious activity.
Their only hope is to connect with The Collective, the resistance group trying to overthrow the corporation and restore civil liberties.
All they have to do is pull it off to find a new life.
(This is Book 1 in the self-titled series HIVE.)
284 pages, Paperback
Published October 5, 2021
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Mickey Hadick
18 books14 followersHe Is Mickey Hadick
Writes thrillers and satire. Loves telling stories. Drinks coffee a lot. Plays ukulele often, occasionally plays well. All opinions are his own.
Reading and Writing
He fell in love with writing because he fell in love with reading first. Early on, he had a thing for Russian classics, and worked his way through Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov ( that took a while). Then it was American classics, especially the short stories. Then he went thoroughly modern and has been trying to catch up with this century, but with a focus on comedy and crime fiction.
Domesticity
He lives with his wife, cats, a dog or two, and adult children who come and go as they please.
Writes thrillers and satire. Loves telling stories. Drinks coffee a lot. Plays ukulele often, occasionally plays well. All opinions are his own.
Reading and Writing
He fell in love with writing because he fell in love with reading first. Early on, he had a thing for Russian classics, and worked his way through Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov ( that took a while). Then it was American classics, especially the short stories. Then he went thoroughly modern and has been trying to catch up with this century, but with a focus on comedy and crime fiction.
Domesticity
He lives with his wife, cats, a dog or two, and adult children who come and go as they please.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 9, 2021
I found this book to be quite heavy to read. Interesting but heavy.
It's about a future dystopian society and you have the choice to opt in or opt out.
If you opt in you agree to the terms of the society and be monitored twenty four hours a day by an artificial intelligence that interprets all the data. It also allows more freedom as it provides stability, growth and supposed happiness. These people are called the incorporated.
If you opt out you are known as the unincorporated who live in urban communities and struggle daily.
This book is about a young couple finding out about the negative side to opting in. They set out on a journey to find the resistance of sorts.
It's an intriguing read. About one possible future of society. It's well written and describes life really well. But as I said earlier it's heavy going. Enjoy!
It's about a future dystopian society and you have the choice to opt in or opt out.
If you opt in you agree to the terms of the society and be monitored twenty four hours a day by an artificial intelligence that interprets all the data. It also allows more freedom as it provides stability, growth and supposed happiness. These people are called the incorporated.
If you opt out you are known as the unincorporated who live in urban communities and struggle daily.
This book is about a young couple finding out about the negative side to opting in. They set out on a journey to find the resistance of sorts.
It's an intriguing read. About one possible future of society. It's well written and describes life really well. But as I said earlier it's heavy going. Enjoy!
October 16, 2021
HIVE
This is Book 1 in the self-titled series HIVE.
by Mickey Hadick
It was a strange life in a strange world
If you opted-out, you opted-out of civilization
Leah, the daughter of a corporate executive, lives a privileged life in a hive-like city created after nearly all of humanity is wiped out by climate disasters, plague, and war. The corporation manages all of society with flawless efficiency, and once Leah opts-in to the terms of service, she'll be one of the lucky ones enjoying the fruits of other-people's labor, just as her parents planned.
But Leah is, instead, hoping to spend more time with Abel, the son of the Chief Operating Officer. Leah's feelings for Abel have grown stronger. Unfortunately, the corporation has different plans for the two teenagers.
When the corporate security team brutally kills innocent bystanders, Leah is awakened to the corporation's ruthlessness. Now she wants nothing to do with her parents' world.
Leah and Abel can only be together if they escape the city and make their way to the rumored settlements beyond the corporation's reach. Escape won't be easy: the corporation's artificial intelligence tracks all movement throughout the city, searching for suspicious activity.
Their only hope is to connect with The Collective, the resistance group trying to overthrow the corporation and restore civil liberties.
All they have to do is pull it off to find a new life.
The dystopian society called Westham is separated into New Town and Old Town.
To live in New Town, you had to opt-in and agree to the “Terms of Service” where you will be monitored 24/7 by an Artificial Intelligence program where sensors track your every move, which is recorded and logged into data servers, and then the AI reviews it. Tracking, logging, and interpreting data. These were presented as challenges overcome by the corporation which allowed for greater freedoms for those opted-in, as the solutions provided stability, growth, and happiness for society. And it was run by the authoritative corporation called R 1. These citizens were call the “incorporated “.
The “unincorporated” people live in urban decaying older communities referred to as Old Town. These people living there have opted out, clinging to the rights bestowed upon them from the constitution and receiving no help from the corporation R1.
If you opted-in to the corporation’s “Terms of Service,” you most certainly would not control your own future and violating the Terms of Service got you banished to Family Valley aka “the herd.”
Here are some of the characters:
Leah Davidson
Ballard Davidson, Vice President of Messaging
Tyra Davidson, wife
Karas Davidson, daughter
Abel Barker
Greg Barker, Chief Operating Officer of R 1
Hannah Barker, wife
Illasha Barker, sister
Stanley Whitehead Director of Operations for Messaging of R 1
Novalee Whitehead, daughter
Rohn Gray, Chief Minister
Marie Margaret Gray, wife
Ashton Gray, son
Jaylend Foster, teacher at Decker’s Cafe
Viktoria Olsen, Chief Executive Officer of R1
Merritt Rasmussen Chief Security Officer
Priori Leaf Chief Inspector
Inspector Stetson Fox
I found this book to be an interesting and entertaining take on a dystopian society. It was quite imaginative in its futuristic world building. It thoroughly described this world with exciting science fiction oddities. I would happily read it again and again. And I highly recommend it to everyone no matter what genre you enjoy. I am chomping at the bit for the next installment of this series which will happen sometime next year.
Favorite Lines:
“Engage yourself”
Her father warned her of this almost daily as a child. “You want to be sent to the herd?” he would ask. “That’s what they do with naughty kids.”
“If your tree is growing in the forest but your friends don’t know about it, do you even have a tree?”
“You had to account better than the bad guys’ accountant, and lawyer better than the bad guys’ lawyer, and grift better than the grifter behind the con.”
#Dystopian #Science Fiction #Fantasy #ComingofAge #PostApocalyptic #Romance #ArtificialIntelligence #AI
December 2, 2021
Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to get into this novel because the premise was interesting but unfortunately the characterization needs work. The characters barely act like they should, considering the restrictive nature of their lives. Many lack real emotions and do not rebel as quickly as they should. For dystopian novel it lacked urgency and real human emotion.
I really wanted to get into this novel because the premise was interesting but unfortunately the characterization needs work. The characters barely act like they should, considering the restrictive nature of their lives. Many lack real emotions and do not rebel as quickly as they should. For dystopian novel it lacked urgency and real human emotion.
April 14, 2022
The Corporation or the Collective, to opt-in or opt-out, New Town or Old Town, are some of the choices facing Abel and Leah in this dystopian novel of the near future. The two teenagers are confronted with the quick and final judgment if you vary from what is expected of you as normal behavior. They are expected to attend church services, which turn out to be nothing more than Las Vegas-like entertainment. They can’t very in voice patterns, movements, or speech without incurring the suspicion of the AI. The AI interprets these things and can summarily pass judgment on the individual who deviates from the expected without human intervention. Their families are high up in the corporation, so they are watched more closely. The two eventually conspire to escape the rigidity of New Town to somewhere in Old Town, which still has a semblance of the old way before the corporation took over.
There are some interesting side plots, and as the story unfolds, the history of why the corporation is in power with no government oversight. It is an exciting read and I would recommend it to any.
There are some interesting side plots, and as the story unfolds, the history of why the corporation is in power with no government oversight. It is an exciting read and I would recommend it to any.
November 24, 2021
I did enjoy this story, first in an interesting series, I hope! There were sections that were a little dry, but I did still really like the ideas & story line. A good selection of characters in a twisted dystopian society! Good fun read, if you like this genre!
December 31, 2021
This was interesting. It came across to me as a YA dystopian book. I stayed up late a couple of nights to read on. Editing was okay with just a few minor typos.
Main characters were two teens who at the age of 16, "graduate" from their school studies to "opt in" to the corporate Big Brother that has taken the place of the former US government.
What exactly is involved and what exactly that means is not entirely spelled out. There are references made to "heaven" which are not explained, but it is not the heaven we are used to thinking about. Presumably, this one is a place on earth where you go when you are ready to retire form corporate service.
There are also references to "fulfillment,""Family Valley," (which sounds like some place that families go to die), and other terms that are never explained.
The rules of the corporation are never fully explained nor is it apparent why people have agreed to the rules. Early in the story, there is a strange altercation which results in a number of people being gunned down in front of two of the main characters. This is never explained. There is a shadow group called the "Collective." It is made out to be a group of terrorists in opposition to the Corporate "good guys." But there is no explanation of who they are, why they exist (other than to oppose the Corporate governing group), or what they are trying to accomplish.
SO much is left unsaid that it makes for a frustrating read. It seems likely that there will be additional books that will (hopefully) shed light on some of these issues. But we don't know.
I think the book would have been MUCH better had there been a good deal more world-building and more answers provided.
Main characters were two teens who at the age of 16, "graduate" from their school studies to "opt in" to the corporate Big Brother that has taken the place of the former US government.
What exactly is involved and what exactly that means is not entirely spelled out. There are references made to "heaven" which are not explained, but it is not the heaven we are used to thinking about. Presumably, this one is a place on earth where you go when you are ready to retire form corporate service.
There are also references to "fulfillment,""Family Valley," (which sounds like some place that families go to die), and other terms that are never explained.
The rules of the corporation are never fully explained nor is it apparent why people have agreed to the rules. Early in the story, there is a strange altercation which results in a number of people being gunned down in front of two of the main characters. This is never explained. There is a shadow group called the "Collective." It is made out to be a group of terrorists in opposition to the Corporate "good guys." But there is no explanation of who they are, why they exist (other than to oppose the Corporate governing group), or what they are trying to accomplish.
SO much is left unsaid that it makes for a frustrating read. It seems likely that there will be additional books that will (hopefully) shed light on some of these issues. But we don't know.
I think the book would have been MUCH better had there been a good deal more world-building and more answers provided.
February 6, 2022
I feel so awful about leaving one or two-star reviews as I know the author has put a lot of time and effort into the book but I had to DNF this book and, although it wasn't terrible, it really didn't keep my interest.
The plot set out was interesting and the world that had been built with its layered system and the opt-in option sounded fascinating.
But the dialogue was so stilted that it didn't feel like real conversations between people. It felt a bit like when someone is learning a language for the first time and they can only communicate in proper, formal sentences- even when using slang.
The characters of Leah and Abel fell very flat. I didn't believe there was any affection between them at all and I couldn't tell you much about their personalities as they felt very one dimensional.
There was a lot of information dumping within the dialogue and the prose, rather than letting the information flow organically.
I found the reactions of the characters off as well. The sudden 'bombshell' of Abel's sister's origin was barely a line and garnered no reaction, despite it supposedly being big news. Leah's mother and sister were just bizarre in their behaviour and descriptions of Abel's parents felt forced "They went into the room and then out again and then several moments later they went in again and out again"
Like I said there were good aspects to the book but it felt like I was reading about robots pretending to be human.
The plot set out was interesting and the world that had been built with its layered system and the opt-in option sounded fascinating.
But the dialogue was so stilted that it didn't feel like real conversations between people. It felt a bit like when someone is learning a language for the first time and they can only communicate in proper, formal sentences- even when using slang.
The characters of Leah and Abel fell very flat. I didn't believe there was any affection between them at all and I couldn't tell you much about their personalities as they felt very one dimensional.
There was a lot of information dumping within the dialogue and the prose, rather than letting the information flow organically.
I found the reactions of the characters off as well. The sudden 'bombshell' of Abel's sister's origin was barely a line and garnered no reaction, despite it supposedly being big news. Leah's mother and sister were just bizarre in their behaviour and descriptions of Abel's parents felt forced "They went into the room and then out again and then several moments later they went in again and out again"
Like I said there were good aspects to the book but it felt like I was reading about robots pretending to be human.
November 17, 2021
Received as a review copy from NetGalley, this is an honest review. Set in a futuristic dystopian city where how one lives their life is determined by if you join the powerful Corporation that rules the city. For Leah, she is among those privileged families that benefits from the Hive structured city and now she stands on the cusp of following the path of her status and keep being a privileged individual. Everything Leah though she wants changes when she and a friend witness the city's security forces murder an innocent person; Leah struggles to understand why. But unraveling the truth of how this city operates puts Leah and her friend Abel in the cross hairs of the powers that run it that want to keep what secrets they have buried in the shadows. Beautifully harrowing, highly recommended.
December 1, 2021
I read this as an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was really confused over the whole opt in and opt out plot and the basis behind it all.
The main character was really annoying and you can see the very child in her in all her actions and thought process about repercussions for her actions.
I would have liked more world building and character developing but the overall.plot sounds good.
I was really confused over the whole opt in and opt out plot and the basis behind it all.
The main character was really annoying and you can see the very child in her in all her actions and thought process about repercussions for her actions.
I would have liked more world building and character developing but the overall.plot sounds good.
February 21, 2022
I received an ARC from the author, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This story envisions a stark future that is completely plausible, given the state of our society today. The life and surroundings of our MC are vividly portrayed and easily imagined. Characters are interesting, likable and sympathetic; you'll want to see them succeed.
An excellent cautionary tale! I look forward to more of this series.
This story envisions a stark future that is completely plausible, given the state of our society today. The life and surroundings of our MC are vividly portrayed and easily imagined. Characters are interesting, likable and sympathetic; you'll want to see them succeed.
An excellent cautionary tale! I look forward to more of this series.
January 5, 2023
This is an interesting story about how groups of people can survive in something like a faction state. Much like divergent, there are groups of people that live where they live and have certain privileges due to their status and profession. There are some surprises and a few moments when you are not sure things are going to end well for the characters.
October 6, 2022
I didn't care for this book, but I am glad for the opportunity to give it a try. #hive #mickeyhadick
March 17, 2024
This book was an easy read. A post-apocalyptic government ran world where the main character has to navigate the world they live in.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews