Child of the Hive - Jessica Meats

Child of the Hive is a fantastic new sci-fi thriller. If you’re not one for sci-fi, don’t be put off by that label. There aren’t any aliens or spaceships. The setting of the story is very much like the world we’re living in, but there’s enough technology to keep the sci-fi fans happy too. It’s set in the very near future and deals with the experiences of some young people who get inadvertently caught up in a fight between the Hive and the Beeks. ...
...be portrayed as bumbling nerds. Child of the Hive is refreshingly different.

As well as likeable characters, you get plenty of action and a strong plotline throughout. Gun fights, chase scenes, kidnappings, explosions, and a lot of other stuff to satisfy the need for excitement. The plot keeps you turning the page. This is one of those books where you decide a read a chapter before going to bed and end up staying awake half the night ... more

Child of the Hive is a fantastic new sci-fi thriller. If you’re not one for sci-fi, don’t be put off by that label. There aren’t any aliens or spaceships. The setting of the story is very much like the world we’re living in, but there’s enough technology to keep the sci-fi fans happy too. It’s set in the very near future and deals with the experiences of some young people who get inadvertently caught up in a fight between the Hive and the Beeks.

At first glance, the book seems like it will be a simple “good guys vs bad guys” adventure, but it doesn’t take long for you to figure out that the bad guys aren’t necessarily bad and the good guys aren’t always that good. Even as an outside observer, it’s tough to know where your loyalties should lie.

There are several main characters in this story, which adds to the depth. Will is a mathematics genius, aged sixteen at the start of the book, trying to get his A-Levels while hiding from both the Hive and the Beeks. Ben and Alex are Will’s friends who have no idea about his past until they’re caught up in it.

Drew is a soldier who works for the Beeks. He’s been assigned to hunt Will down. This is where things get interesting. Drew was once Will’s brother’s friend and he’s torn over whether he should be capturing Will or helping him escaping.

Sophie is a girl who was damaged by the Hive. She now lives in the Beeks’ headquarters because no one knew what to do with her. She spends all her time colouring in patterns of squares on graph paper. As you read the book, you quickly learn that there’s more to Sophie than meets the eye and this builds through the first half of the book. Though she hates the Hive, with good reason, there are times when she is sympathetic to them. Since you sympathise with Sophie through the book, so you start to sympathise with those who were apparently the bad guys.

Rachel is a computer programmer who works for the Beeks. She spends less time worrying about the Hive than she does trying to find ways to get Drew to notice her. She’s an interesting character because you get some girly moments, combined perfectly with traces of the computer geek stereotype.

One thing I love about this book is that it has characters would generally be considered geeks, but it doesn’t resort to cliches. Way too often in books and films, mathematicians or computer experts will be portrayed as bumbling nerds. Child of the Hive is refreshingly different.

As well as likeable characters, you get plenty of action and a strong plotline throughout. Gun fights, chase scenes, kidnappings, explosions, and a lot of other stuff to satisfy the need for excitement. The plot keeps you turning the page. This is one of those books where you decide a read a chapter before going to bed and end up staying awake half the night because you need to know what happens next.

But the strength of the book is probably the fact that it’s not simply an adventure story. It covers a lot of interesting concepts and difficult topics. If you think in depth about this book, you can start asking some serious questions about what it means to be human. As well as that, it touches on the subject of bereavement, cancer, war and a whole lot more. You can read the book once for the plot, then a second time to get yourself thinking.

I love this book and would recommend it to anyone, particularly if you like a strong focus on plot.
 

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