9/6/11

Series - H.I.V.E : Higher Institute of Villainous Education - Mark Walden - ages 9+



 H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of 
Villainous Education
Book 1

What's the Story?




 Otto Malpense may only be thirteen years old, but so far he has managed to run the orphanage where he lives, and he has come up with a plan clever enough to trick the most powerful man in the country. He is the perfect candidate to become the world's next supervillain.

That is why he ends up at H.I.V.E., handpicked to become a member of the incoming class. The students have been kidnapped and brought to a secluded island inside a seemingly active volcano, where the school has resided for decades. All the kids are elite; they are the most athletic, the most technically advanced, and the smartest in the country. Inside the cavernous marble rooms, floodlit hangars, and steel doors, the students are enrolled in Villainy Studies and Stealth and Evasion 101. But what Otto soon comes to realize is that this is a six-year program, and leaving is not an option.

With the help of his new friends: an athletic martial-arts expert; a world-famous, beautiful diamond thief; and a spunky computer genius -- the only other people who seem to want to leave -- can Otto achieve what has never been done before and break out of H.I.V.E.?

Book 1 Reviews
"This book was an awesome read...One thing I like about this book is that it is mysterious and leaves you with some questions." - Keenan from Kidsblogs @ National Geographic
"Packed with mysterious characters of all kinds, fabulous technological wonders, and numerous unanswered questions, this is a novel which most readers will find hard to resist." - Through the Looking Glass
"You'll be drawn in from the very first chapter...  Bad has never been so good." - The Trades
"The pace never slowed – racing forward at an alarming rate with new twists and turns around every corner making it incredibly hard to put down." - Books 4 Teens (U.K.)


H.I.V.E.:  Overlord Protocol
Book 2
Book 2 Reviews
"This book is a improvement on the first one and the plot leaves you confused in some places while filling you in in others the whole way through. It's a good read and has plenty of action and surprises to keep the reader interested." - Devonian Book Review
"...I love that the series is taking a bigger dip into the realm of comic book villains – making it a series that I personally think everyone will love especially boys." - Books 4 Teens (U.K.)
"Mark Walden's eagerly anticipated follow-up to H.I.V.E. - The Higher Institute for Villainous Education is one of those rare treasures of book series in that it not only lives up to its predecessor, but it actually surpasses it." - The Trades
" I like the first book better, but this one still held my interest and kept me reading just as well as the first one. " - YA Books Central


H.I.V.E.:  Escape Velocity
Book 3
Book 3 Reviews
"A great book in a series that is always improving and changing. It answers questions,resolves plots yet introduces new ideas and challenges. Another book in a great series." - Devonian Book Reviewer
"While it is kind of ironic for villains to act as heroes and still see themselves as villains, the energy and action are just too good to resist in this series." - Kiss the Book
"I think I would have liked it in my distant youth. But then, I liked Get Smart a crazy lot, and H. I. V. E. has more than a little of the tongue-in-cheek KAOS about it. Except, in this version, Siegfried is kind of one of the good guys." - Geek Speak Magazine


H.I.V.E.:  Dreadnought
Book 4


Book 4 Reviews
"The positives? Dreadnought is a gripping, action-packed and thoroughly enjoyable adventure that will appeal to both sexes... Negatives? Franz talks in supposedly comic bad English... it made me cringe and it didn't feel right in this day and age. - Fantasy Book Review (U.K.)
"It's not often you root for the baddies to win but Otto and Co. are much, much better than the alternative." - Reading Teenage Fiction
"Mark Walden manages to create an intelligent and witty novel that you just can't put down." - SF Book



H.I.V.E.:  Rogue 
Book 5
Book 5 Reviews
"The H.I.V.E. books are consistently brilliant, perfectly paced stories full of edge-of-your-seat action sequences, sparkling humour and great dialogue and banter... I have not yet met a 12 year old boy who didn't love reading one of these books. " - Book Zone 4 Boys
"Characters learn things about their backgrounds they would rather not have known. Characters die... It’s certainly exciting – but it’s much grimmer than the original novel and this should be taken into account." - The Great Raven


H.I.V.E.:  Zero Hour
Book 6


Book 6 Reviews
"For me this is what reading is all about - pure escapist fun - and the H.I.V.E. books are a perfect example of why as an adult I still love reading books for kids . . ." - Book Zone 4 Boys
"The series has gotten to the point where books can't be read stand-alone, so read the others first. It's worth the effort." - The Great Raven


H.I.V.E.:  Aftershock
Book 7
Book 7 Reviews
 "...whilst I would recommend the book, I believe it would be quite hard to fully understand without reading most of the series’ novels first. If you are an avid reader of the series though you will like this as it is action packed and starts a whole new era with all the changes in place with G.L.O.V.E." - Book Bitz (U.K.)

"Aftershock is exciting, enthralling, light-hearted and Mark Walden's distinctive style of writing returns. I did think some parts dragged, and I wished there was more out of HIVE ... but once I'd reread it I was more satisfied." - Twin Sister Bubble

What Else Ya Got?


Official Book Site 
Hive Hub (U.K.)

Official Author Site
Mark Walden is a busy guy with a busy site.  Besides updated news and a blog, Walden also has fan forums where you can discuss the books.

Mark Walden H.I.V.E.:  Aftershock Blog Tour
To promote book 7 of his H.I.V.E. series, Mark Walden visited blogs both in the U. S. and U.K..  Below are links to three of the sites.  If you're interested in all the blogs he visited then go to the authors site where he lists them all.

Book Zone 4 Boys interviews Mark Walden

At Feeling Fictional Mark Walden talks about how he came up with the idea for H.I.V.E.

For those of you who can't find someone to sponsor you at H.I.V.E., Walden talks about "How to be a Villian" at Writing From the Tub

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