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H.I.V.E. #2

The Overlord Protocol

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HOW FAR WILL OTTO GO TO PROTECT HIS FRIENDS?

Otto Malpense and his friends thought their first year at the Higher Institute of Villainous Education was the most adventurous and exciting that they would ever encounter. They were dead wrong.

When Otto and Wing are allowed off campus to attend Wing's father's funeral, they have no idea it's a trap, all part of a lethal plan organized by Cypher, the most ruthless supervillain any of them have ever known. He intends to use them to retrieve the Overlord Protocol, a device that has the capacity to help him take over the world. But when things go terribly wrong, Otto will stop at nothing to hunt him down and make him pay.

With the help of Laura, Shelby, Raven, and his former nemesis, Dr. Nero, Otto must find a way to defeat an enemy that has overcome some of the planet's most infamous villains without even breaking a sweat. Because if he doesn't, the world as they know it will be changed forever.

384 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2007

149 people are currently reading
2450 people want to read

About the author

Mark Walden

66 books684 followers
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.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 357 reviews
Profile Image for Chris Horsefield.
113 reviews126 followers
February 7, 2017
If you've read any teenage spy school type books, Cherub, Jason Steed, Alex Rider etc etc... You may have wondered, 'if the good guys go to this place, what about the baddies?' They go to HIVE - a decent twist on on the genre, showing the school for Bond-style baddies and general evil geniuses.

It loses a few points when the school for villainy, although having a thoroughly morally dubious curriculum, shows absolutely no sign of any evil anywhere within the system, and only very little above that. Obviously it's a 'best friends saving the school/day/world' book, but disappointingly the evil to be conquered is more evil villains than the good evil villains... Err... Wait. The nice evil baddies have to save the world from the bad evil baddies. Anyway, if there isn't a struggle against the forces of good in the 3rd book, I'm not going to read on. Nice baddies versus nasty baddies isn't as fun as good versus evil, 'but which is which?' that the two HIVE books should have been, and would have been improved by.
Profile Image for Ronak .
114 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2022
3.5⭐
از اوناس که حوصله ریویو نوشتن براش رو ندارم ولی انی وی... خلاصه و مفید سعی میکنم حرف بزنم-
شروع شوکه کننده ای داشت و در تمام مسیر داستان برام جالب بود
تو اون دسته کتابایی قرار میگیره که خیلی خفنه ولی کاش، کاش چند سال پیش و در سن بهتری خونده بودمش:)))) واسه همین شرمنده اچ آی وی ای عزیزم اما بیشتر از این نمیتونم بهت ستاره بدم
درباره ادامه دادن یا ندادن مجموعه هم فعلا فکر نکنم تو پلنم باشه ولی اگه در حسش بیاد شاید به بقیش هم سر بزنم
Profile Image for Arsh M.
14 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2013
I am currently reading H.I.V.E The Overlord Protocol by Mark Walden. I'm at the part were Otto is falling from the explosion and is trying to fall in a target.I think the author does a good job of putting action and details like when Otto was falling twenty thousand feet from an explosion , that he had butterflies in his stomach when he was falling and that he was falling in high descent velocity.My favorite character is Otto because he is brave and strong.I think Otto is like me because he is like me we like action and we both have lots of problems.I think you should read this book if you like action and character driven books.
Profile Image for PurplyCookie.
942 reviews206 followers
January 15, 2011
If you've read any teenage spy school type books: (Alex Rider, Cherub, etc.) then you may have wondered, "if the good guys go to this place, what about the baddies?" They go to H.I.V.E.--a decent twist on on the genre, showing the school for Bond-style baddies and general evil geniuses. Thus we have a book where James Bond meets Artemis Fowl in a fast paced adventure. Couldn't put it down even if I was supposed to be working.

After an unsuccessful escape plan, Otto and Wing acknowledge H.I.V.E. as their residence for now.

When Wing's father dies, it was decided he has the right to attend the funeral. School policy dictates that in such an unfortunate situation, another student may accompany said student in distress. Otto and Wing travel to the funeral without knowing that they will walk right into a trap. But before they reach their destination they are ambushed. Who would risk assassinating Otto Malpense, star pupil of the Higher Institute of Villainous Education and favourite of Number One, the most powerful villain alive?

A new power is rising to challenge Number One's authority, and they need H.I.V.E. and its powerful computer to do so. Otto thought the only thing he wanted was to escape from H.I.V.E., but now he's desperately trying to save it, and himself.


More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie


Book Details:

Title The Overlord Protocol (H.I.V.E., #2)
Author Mark Walden
Reviewed By Purplycookie
Profile Image for Najah.
120 reviews
November 13, 2024
Updated 11/13/24 upon my third re-read

Quick Expose
In book 2, our MCs are faced with intense, action packed drama. Wing is killed while visiting Japan for his father's funeral. Unbeatable ninjas are trying to kill Raven, who has to keep not just herself, but Otto safe too. Cypher is our antagonist in this book and he's out to get Nero, but how? We can't figure out what his motives are, he seems unstoppable. There is so much happening!

Review
This book was so, so good! I read H.I.V.E. back in 9th grade and I fell so in love with it! Unfortunately, my school (and surrounding libraries didn't have anything past book 2) and didn't have the means to acquire the remaining books outside of school/library. I'm finally reading this series a whole decade+ later and I am so, so pleased with it! There were so many things that were good about this book, and a few things not so great and I'll list them out below, but overall it was an amazing read.

Positives
•The characters are very well written and well flushed out. In the first book, I was kind of disappointed by how stereotypical each character was, but in this book, the characters are round and they allow the events of the book affect them a bit so that was nice to see.
•The characters are so likeable! Otto and his sarcastic self got me chuckling through the whole book! In general, there is a lot of witty dialogue that makes this serious sci-fi drama pretty amusing.
•The writing style is interesting. While reading this book, there were many times where I felt as if I was reading a script for a tv show. Walden is very descriptive and does a great job setting the scene for you and it's very easy to visualize each scene in your head.
•Overall plot is really good. I get that this series' target audience is probably middle schoolers, but the story is really well thought out and Mark does a good job leading you through the story to each punch and twist. I'd like to see his plot diagram for the overall series lol
•The last few chapters leading up to the climax were SO incredibly well written and I loved the style of writing where Walden just shows you pockets of what's going on in all 4, 5, 6 different settings!! It was so exciting and thrilling!
•There is a lot left to unpack! The ending was so interesting and has me excited to read the next book and see how everything is connected. It didn't end in a cliffhanger, but Walden introduced some new information to us that keeps you wanting more. Walden definitely knew how to keep his readers interested!

Negatives/Meh's
•We are only in book #2 and the main characters are already paired up. The main characters are only 12/13 years old and kids at that age do not flirt the way Shelby does sometimes. Let's chill with the blatant couple-ish-ness. I'd really like to see it like develop later on like as the years go by, but it's already so very obvious so that's kind of a "meh" for me.
•Walden writes really long ass sentences...like dude, why? I don't hate it, but really some of his sentences can be broken down into multiple sentences. There is an abundance of periods, Uncle Mark! Don't be scared!
•Walden is very descriptive which is good, but also kind of eh. There is a LOT of detail in this book, maybe because it is science-ish fiction so there's a lot of technical jargon in there, but at the same time it isn't hard to understand, just a lot of words. This is just kind of personal preference I guess.
•This book's target audience is probably middle school aged kids. I'm 24 so there were quite a few bits in here that were intended to be suspenseful and twists that were meant to sucker punch you, but I just found them cringey and saw the twists coming for the most part. A lot of things were predictable. That being said, the plot is still really fricking good and the story is interesting.
•Clichés. So many clichés.

-The climax of the book was uh...eh It was going fairly well, but it was a bit rushed? The lead up to the climax was great, but when the action was happening, why was it happening so fast?
-Post-climax chapters were not it. The whole book had this great flow to it where one thing seamlessly transitioned into another or the next scene was explosively different, but still transitioned well. I think the parts right after the climax didn't transition well.

Random Comments for the Sake of Discourse idk
•TF happened to Operative 9 that scared shitless the aformentioned kids? He just....vanished?
•Why is the way Shelby talks so....cringey? Some of the things she says are just...not it
•Why does Laura call Shelby, "Shel?" Laura, honey, it's just one more syllable.


With all that being said, I genuinely enjoyed this book. This was one of those books were I could not put it down once I picked it up. Walden had a great story to tell and tell he did!
Profile Image for Chris.
152 reviews
June 17, 2010
Continuing the story from H.I.V.E., Walden takes his readers back to the school for supervillians in an action-packed sequel. This second outing takes readers out of the Higher Institute of Villainous Education as the anti-hero Otto's best friend Wing explores the strange connection between his family and Dr. Nero, H. I. V. E.'s principal. Well-paced and action-packed, the book screams "great beach read!" providing that readers are familiar with the first book. Like a good action movie, Walden does not stop and explain the characters and motivations to the reader-- he just keeps throwing assassins and killer robots at them. Older fans may tire of Otto always being smarter than every other character, but younger fans (and those not concerned with character development) will enjoy the story. Best for 9-13 year olds, especially those interested in world domination.
29 reviews
May 2, 2014
It was a nice beginning to what is the "main plot" or problem in the series, the Overlord take-over. The action scenes are well-written and could fit easily in a superhero or spy movie. Once again, it feels like the characters only have around one layer of personality because there is more time given to the action than to the plot. The best part of this book, however, was the part where Cypher explains in the end and everything sort of clicks into place. Not only was it a good revelation, it was nice and controversial because you have to think if Cypher really was a bad guy. I would recommend it for action lovers.
Profile Image for Kate.
121 reviews22 followers
April 25, 2009
In the sequel to HIVE, Otto is no longer determined to escape, but he has other problems, and questions. When Wing's father dies, and Otto and Wing are let out for his funeral, things just get worse. And then Cypher kills Wing! (or so they think) To top it all, Cypher has fighters who even Raven, HIVE's most skilled assassin can't beat. Otto is in danger, but he's not the only one. Back at HIVE, Shelby and Laura discover that someone is trying to destroy HIVE... from inside. Who is trustworthy, and who is a traitor?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1 review3 followers
November 4, 2017
H.I.V.E. Overload Protocol is the second book in the H.I.V.E. series by Mark Walden. The main character is Otto he is a vary smart boy with lots of extraordinary talents. When the island H.I.V.E.(Higher Institute of Villainous Education) is gets attacked it is up to them to save the their school.

This book reminds me of the Alex Rider series Anthony Horowitz. It reminds me of that because in Alex Rider Alex is a spy that has to use advanced technology and quick thinking the same way otto does. Another similarity is, both Otto and Alex don't have parents.

I would recommend this book because it was very exciting and hard to put down but I would recommend that you read the first book in the series first because then it will make more sense.
Profile Image for San To.
69 reviews3 followers
October 16, 2021
This is the type of book I wish I had when I was a kid. It's like reading an anime (though with American cartoon tropes). The series foreshadowing at the end was pretty epic, looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Profile Image for noodle!.
31 reviews
March 13, 2020
I swear I thought Wing was dead and everyone else was gonna die for 80% of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
195 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2021
This book was very good. I liked the fast pace and I liked how the prescriptive changes to a different person to have the whole picture.
Profile Image for Jacob Stroman.
51 reviews
May 9, 2022
I forgot that I had already read this book.
I also don't have another book to read for the 3 hour ride home.
Profile Image for R Van B..
154 reviews2 followers
August 16, 2024
4.5
Better than the first book!
YA. Great storyline!
Profile Image for Cyber.
79 reviews2 followers
June 26, 2022
This book was SO amazing!!! I absolutely loved it!!!
Profile Image for chucklesthescot.
2,995 reviews133 followers
July 28, 2016
Otto agrees to put his escape plans on hold to go with Wing to his father's funeral. Nero gives the boys permission but sends Raven along to ensure Otto doesn't try to escape. Laura picks up a transmission about the assassination of Otto and tells Nero but it is too late to warn the trio and the attack has terrible consequences. Meanwhile back at HIVE, an uprising is about to take place.

Ooh the action comes thick and fast in this book again! The drama unfolds when Laura discovers the impending attack but it is too late to warn her friends, who are attacked in the Tokyo safe house by agents of the evil Cypher. As the shellshocked Otto seeks revenge on his enemies, HIVE itself is under attack from Cypher, who is using teachers and students at the school to help them take over. It is now up to Laura, Shelby, The Professor, Franz and Nigel to save the school. This was such an exciting subplot, running beside Otto and his mission out in the real world.

The plot revolves around The Overlord Protocol. Overlord was designed to be the smartest ever AI but the project goes wrong when Overlord decides not to obey and wants to be free to rule the world. It is missing one protocol which has been hidden and even when the project is terminated, there are people out there who want to get hold of the protocol-like Cypher, and Nero is determined to keep it safe so it can never be used to activate Overlord.

The teachers are involved on both sides fighting for control of the school. In the first book you sort of didn't really like Nero for holding Otto against his will but here you see how much he cares about his students and how he will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. So I like him now! There is some supreme evil taking place in this book amongst the teachers but I can't spoil it for you by saying who is in the plot-but nothing is what it originally seems! I really liked the plot twists that were coming throughout the book and I so much wanted Cypher to get what was coming to him!

The characters are so good. Franz and Nigel are two of the most unlikely villains of the future and they are going to have to put pure terror aside to help save the school. It is a scary thought! I loved their scenes which were highlights in the book. The huge twists at the end with Cypher were brilliant and very unexpected. You just never know what is coming next in this series, which is why it is so addictive to read. Laura and Shelby are just as smart as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter books but twice as tricky and I love seeing the girls get such a big slice of story to themselves.

This series has been so enjoyable. There are the gadgets from James Bond, a mixture of magic and science, the smartest MC ever and a mix of action and humour that all ages can enjoy. If you like Artemis Fowl, you should like this hopefully!
Profile Image for Justin Yan.
49 reviews
October 27, 2011

This is quite the fast-paced sequel to the first book and is full of twists and turns in its own right. The book starts to get interesting when Wing's father dies, and Otto accompanies him to his funeral. Not long after that, Cypher and a squad of seemingly invincible ninjas ambushes Otto, Wing, and Raven at the hotel and it is clear that they wouldn't be mourning Wing's dead father. At first many things may seem to be put together, such as the attack on Nero and Cypher's little visit, but it is much more intricate as the story develops. New readers may be slightly astounded at the fact that the main characters are seemingly invincible. It may seem like a coincidence at first when Raven and Otto survive the massive explosion on the rooftop, but further reading into the H.I.V.E. books reveals that these "coincidences" happen quite often. It's probably a part of the suspense and action, but I feel that occasionally the reader's has to be surprised at the outcome of these life-or-death situations.


As readers read about Overlord and Cypher's secret base, things will start to come together piece by piece. The final attack on H.I.V.E. is quite intense, but the reader probably already expects H.I.V.E. to survive the attack, which is rather logical given it is only the second book in the series. Combining teamwork and friendship to save Wing and H.I.V.E. offsets the minor issues with the book. The conclusion of the book is relaxing compared to the beginning and gives you all of the answers to the questions in this book, but also presents a cliffhanger in good old H.I.V.E. fashion. All in all, the Overlord Protocol is a fun book that presents an interesting plot and you'll probably be so into the book that you will forget about guessing what will happen.

3 reviews
March 20, 2011
I read thus book because i had to read a book that qualfied for a book i had to read on spring break so I choose this one because it had a green cover. I also read this book because when I read the back it sounded really instersting. One last reason i read this book because of the title it told what H.I.V.E stands for which is The Higher Institude of Villainous Education and that told me that this is about science which i liked.
My opion of this book is that this book was good. The people that worked on the plant were fixing the damages caused by the monster rampaging plant. Otto is coming up with an idea of how to escape out of the school but he hasn't found a way to do that yet. After i read those parts i got hooked into the book. Then i got hooked more when Otto's friend Wing finds out that his father died in a lab accident. His dad used to work for G.L.O.V.E (the Global League of Villanious Enterprises.
I think people this book will be good for are teenagers who have nothing to read recommended this book to. I also recommended this book to people who have an interested in science because this book is mainly for people who really likes science. The last people I recommened this book to adults who also have a interesed in science and just adults who have nothing to read.
Profile Image for Lady Knight.
837 reviews43 followers
June 26, 2010
Mark Walden's H.I.V.E. series is amazing! It is beautifully written, entertaining and action packed. I can't wait for the third part in the trilogy to be released!

Otto, Wing and co. are back for their second year at H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute for Villanous Education) and all seem to be settling in. Wing though, is still mystified by Nero's having the other half of his mother's pendant and needs to know if Nero killed her. Otto agrees to delay his escape plans to help his best friend find the answers he needs. Suddenly, Wing is called to Nero's office and told that his father died in a lab accident and that he and another student of his choosing would be allowed to leave H.I.V.E. (under Raven's protection) to attend the funeral. Wing chooses Otto and the pair are whisked off to Tokyo...

Meanwhile, Nero must attend a G.L.O.V.E. meeting where he is openly confronted by Cypher (another G.L.O.V.E. member who hates Nero) and told that his school is useless. Number One steps in but the resentment and hatred between the two is at an all time high...

Tons of action and adventure make this a wonderful book for readers of any age. In my experience this series is a huge hit with boys between the ages of 8 and 14. Awesome!
Profile Image for Hikachi.
434 reviews6 followers
March 16, 2012
Action packed, with multiple deaths and twists on tow.

It's a highly entertaining book. Much better than the prequel. When in the prequel the readers were simply introduced to Otto Malpense and his friends, as well as how clever he is according to people around him. (I believe clever is a bit understatement here.) Anyway, this book proved that Otto may be the main character, but it doesn't mean that he always have to be in the spotlight.

This time, it revolves around the amulet that Wing (and also Nero) has. Under the pretense that Wing's father passed away and thus request his presence for the funeral, Nero has no choice but to send Wing to go to Tokyo and attend the funeral. He told Wing that he could bring a friend and (as expected) his choice fell to Otto. With Raven as their chaperone, they have nothing to worry about. Shouldn't is the main word here. They were attacked on their way, and believed that they're the only survivors, Raven and Otto had to work their way to find out what actually happened. Apparently, things weren't doing so well in H.I.V.E island as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rizki Utami.
212 reviews21 followers
July 21, 2016
Novel kedua ini lebih seru dibanding novel pertamanya. Bisa di bilang juga lebih menegangkan saat H.I.V.E diserang. Aku jadi ngerti kenapa cover novel pertamanya ada tulisan "Hogwarts untuk penjahat, tapi tanpa sihir". Kemiripan nya ada pada cerita sekolah di serang dan para murid, staff keamanan dan pengajar harus bekerja sama mempertahankan sekolah serta Otto sebagai karakter utama yang super jenius dan spesial - yang akan mengingatkan kita pada Harry Potter. Tidak ada sihir, yang ada adalah perang teknologi, teknologi mana yang lebih mutakhir H.I.V.E atau lawan nya..

Akhirnya, misteri keluarga Wing terungkap sudah di novel keduanya ini. Tinggal satu lagi yang belum terjawab, hubungan Number One dan Otto. Semoga di novel ketiganya bisa terjawab. Dan.. aku berharap banyak alat-alat canggih yang muncul di novel ketiganya yang akan membuat ceritanya lebih menarik lagi.

67 reviews
July 11, 2008
The second installment of this series is as fun and action packed as a summer blockbuster. And like any action blockbuster, the emphasis is on lots of excitement and special effects, and not so much on complex characterizations. H.I.V.E stands for the Higher Institute of Villainous Education and is basically a fancy, high-tech school for young villains in training. Even though all the characters are supposedly bad guys, some are worse than others. Our protagonists (who are fighting the really bad guys) are sympathetic, and it’s hard to believe that these are villains. This second in the series works as a stand alone title. I would recommend this to reluctant readers and could see this appealing to fans of superheros, Hogwarts school, Alex Rider, or Artemis Fowl.
10 reviews
July 11, 2011
For Maxamillion Nero, there is no one more to hate than Cypher. Always hidden by a mask, and a disregard for human life, he is more than the usual evil. Annoyingly his plans WORK, so he is pushed higher and higher up G.L.O.V.E.'s honor list.
At H.I.V.E. Otto and Wing are invited to Wing's father's funeral after an explosion in his lab at G.L.O.V.E. But things do not go as planned...
This book is good book for readers of the 1st book in this series hungry for more. Also, it explains the 1st book pretty well so new readers can catch up. This book is an even better followup to book 1, with new freinds as well as new enemys, especially one completly unexpected one...
Profile Image for Jen.
17 reviews
April 21, 2009
A great sequal to the first book.
Profile Image for Shanna.
63 reviews
June 17, 2009
I loved this book. It was better than the first one. I will recommend it to my 5th grade students.
Profile Image for Cait Blair.
18 reviews
October 22, 2015
SO GOOD
I was worried the sequel would not be great but it was fabulous!
2 reviews1 follower
Read
October 13, 2015
This was a really good book. The story was well thought out and very clear. The problem was very easy to find. This is a great book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 357 reviews

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