Escape Velocity

H.I.V.E. #3

by Mark Walden

Pupils and staff at HIVE are horrified to discover that Dr Nero has been captured by the forces of HOPE, the Hostile Operative Prosecution Executive, the world’s newest and most ruthlessly efficient security force. Three months pass without any news of his fate, and Number One has decided to appoint a sinister new headmistress for the school, somebody that the pupils and staff had thought that they’d seen the last of. Meanwhile Otto is also struggling to cope with new abilities that are starting to manifest themselves; can he really be unconsciously interfacing with computers without physical contact? And if he is, what exactly do these new powers really mean? The only way to find Nero and the truth behind the lies is to escape HIVE. Otto must get out, and take the risks which come with being a rogue agent. Then he just has to break into MI6…..

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Mystery

344 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Chris Horsefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first two books in this saga, I was impressed. Never before had I read a book this good by a debuting author, save Suzanne Collins. But I was willing to wait for the American release back in April. Then, last December I read the online preview, and immediately begged my father to have the book imported from Britain. It only arrived two weeks before the actual release date, but it was worth it.

The book itself ran a lot like the previous two. The beginning was quirky, the middle was a little slow, and the end was awesome.

But this one was a thousand times better.

This was what I wrote in my journal after reading it:

"A few weeks ago, I read Escape Velocity (book three in HIVE series) and it was extremely extremely extremely wonderful. It surpassed the previous two by light years, and also managed to blow Maximum Ride straight out of the water."

The beginning made me a bit tired, as it seemed as if no one could actually die and stay dead, but the ending was wonderful.

I finished it at 12:36 in the morning. I never actually fell asleep that night. I finally gave up after two hours of staring at the ceiling, once I'd counted to one thousand several times.

In short, if you're thinking you might not read it based on the previous two, I would recommend at least checking this one out from the library. It was one of the best YA books I've seen written in a long while.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ketiga ini lebih menegangkan dan 'berwarna'. Siapa Otto dan Number One sebenarnya diungkap, yg mengejutkan sekali. Raven tetap tak terkalahkan dan tokoh yg dibenci di buku sebelumnya malah jadi pahlawan akhirnya di sini.

[Deborah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to order from England, but well worth it. Dr. Nero is being held hostage, Raven is killed, and Otto saves the day. Another great H.I.V.E adventure

[Ajay Rajendran · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book's I ever read! The best part was when I discovered number one was the overlord. And I thought Nero would be the head of G. L. O. V. E but he didn't take the post .

[Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, OK. I'm gonna move this book series to my favourite books this year shelf. They're just too good to be ignored. It would be nice if I could find out if they are going to be made into a movie, but the search results keep coming up with a film about bees (not surprisingly).

This is the third book in the H.I.V.E series and I think it's safe to say it has been the best one so far. And I amk quite pleased with myself for guessing that Number One was Otto's father (which he kind of is). I can't remember the other prediction I made, but I'm sure I got it right XD.

My favourite character? Otto. He reminds me a lot of Tom from iBoy. Or does Tom remind me of Otto? I think it's fair to say that they are both similar. I would give credit to which ever book got published first.

All this rambling on about nothing has got me thinking - what would happen if there was an Artemis Fowl and H.I.V.E crossover? Now THAT would be funny. Otto would go on about how fairies don't exist, while Artemis would be trying to explain (using big words) that they do. I haven't actually read Artemis Fowl (yet) so that's pretty much all I know about the series right now. I do have all seven books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read at the moment though. Book six has a nice colour scheme ha ha.

Well, before I get completly sidetracked and start rambling on about totally un-H.I.V.E related things, I'm going to end this review.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third installment in the H.I.V.E. science fiction series. Dr. Nero has been captured by enemies of H.I.V.E. and the Contessa has returned as Number One's choice to lead the school - no one is happy to see her and she obviously has a secret agenda. Otto and his friends manage to escape the school when the Contessa orders them transferred. H.I.V.E.-Mind has been deleted and can no longer help those who remain at the school or Otto - or can he? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment.

[Shrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

On page 203, 18th line it says
' " Be careful Colonel" the professot whispered' here the spelling of Professor is written wrong but other than that the book is nice.

[Jacob Stroman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this HIVE series

[chucklesthescot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A secret meeting between old friends leaves Gregori dead, Raven missing and Nero being held hostage by a group who want to know about Overlord. The students get a real shock when The Contessa is revealed to be their new headteacher and the staff are ready to rebel. The Contessa sees the opportunity to exact her revenge on Otto, Laura, Wing and Shelby while they try to find a plan to rescue Nero.

This was another action packed adventure in this great series about the school for villains. I love the characters in this book so much. Otto is the 'good guy' version of Artemis Fowl who puts his intelligence to the test this time to rescue Nero and save the staff and students from The Contessa. I love his friendships with Laura, Wing and Shelby whose combined talents give them every chance of coming up with a viable plan. I also love the hapless Franz (who is the Neville Longbottom of the school) and his long running battle against the school bullies and nasty teachers. More Franz please! I also love HIVE mind and it was great to see the AI computer so heavily involved in the plot.

We also get more about the teachers as they struggle to protect the students with Nero missing. Ms Leon and The Colonel feature heavily, which is good. With their plans against enemy forces and Otto's plots to rescue Nero, there is not a dull moment in this book. The action is so well written and should appeal to children and adults alike. I find that when I get started on one of these books, I just get sucked in and want to read the whole book without stopping. With the right casting, these would make good films. You have the huge plans and James Bond gadgets, Ai and sci-fi, evil characters, good villians, action and humour. Please make these into films!

There was so much to love about this book! We finally get to see the story of the mysterious Number One and it was nice to have guessed part of it right. The twist at the end with Otto was pretty mindblowing and I certainly didn't see that reveal coming! It explains a few thoughts I've had about Otto and was a great twist. We get more information about Overlord which was also a great plot. There are a few surprises cropping up in the form of a friend of Raven which was another great twist. So much to enjoy yet the book keeps the perfect blend of massive action scenes, humour and the development of a lot of characters.

Best bits? It has to be poor Franz in gym detention with the Colonel, dressed in lycra shorts and a Born To Run T shirt! I was laughing so much at that! Also the scene with Franz and Tackle where payback occurs was brilliant. HIVE Mind-his coolness reaches epic proportions in this book as if I didn't already love him to bits. I want my very own HIVE Mind!!! We get answers to a lot of questions we had and brilliand plot twists that come thick and fast. What was not to love about this book?

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a fast paced and character driven story.

[Najah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so so so so sooooooooo good!!!

Okay in books 1 &2, Walden's writing was a little lazy in parts, but Escape Velocity was amazing from start to finish!!!!!!! So many unexpected twists and turns! So many amazing characters with such well written development!!! So much action, drama, and emotion!! I definitely cried a couple times reading this book T_T Walden did a fantastic job with his villains too! They were evil to the core and man I HATED Verity and Constance. I was beyond excited when Raven was fighting them. Had me screaming "Kill them!!" the whole time lol

I also love the the type of villains Walden wrote in. There's straight up evil murderous people that you just absolutely hate to the core of your being and then there's villains who are more in this gray area of "well if xyz didn't happen, then maybe they would have turned out different." I love that he keeps the idea of a villainy very ambiguous. Big ups to Uncle to Mark for doing so much more with his characters in this book. I was honestly worried that he'd keep writing flat characters into his book, but he has made some very complex personas and I truly appreciate the depth in these characters.

Another positive from Escape Velocity has to be H.I.V.E.mind's involvement with the team. It was so great to see him throughout the book and I really hope we get to see more of him in future books. Also the science-fiction aspect of this series really hit hard in this book. There was so much going on, so many insane new machines and mechanics, and a lot of cool sci-fi tech was introduced. I am so excited to keep reading this series.

The only thing I didn't like was the grammatical errors. Simon and Schuster Books need to do a better job at catching those errors before publishing. However, that's my only quip about this book.

If the writing style in the last two books has you weary about continuing this series, just do it! We finally get to learn about Otto's background, old villains are flushed out, new villains are introduced, H.I.V.E.mind is given an upgrade, setting changes are bountiful, and the punches just keep coming! Walden has improved on all the shortcomings in his last two books and it shows . Pick it up, y'all, you won't regret it! ;)

P.S. I am so glad that Walden introduced some murder in this book! It's about time Natalya killed somebody for real! She has amazing skills and I'm surprised that she hasn't axed anybody yet. I get that this is a book meant for kids, but come on. Evil villains and super spies? There's bound to be murder lol I hope Verity is dead af tho. If I see her in future books, I expect gruesome murder :E

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the H.I.V.E series entitled Escape Velocity is excellent. In this book Dr. Nero, the school's headmaster, is captured by a new organization called H.O.P.E. The school is barely scraping by without Nero. After several months with no return of Nero the school is in need of a new headmaster. The students and staff are baffled at who Number One appoints as Nero's replacement. Otto and his friends know that they have to save Nero if they ever want their school to return to normal. Saving Nero though won't be an easy task considering the level of security H.O.P.E has, but with Otto's profound abilities he and his friends will try to rescue Nero.

I give Escape Velocity a 5 out of 5 rating. I give it this rating, because it is full of excitement and suspense. The suspense and excitement was sprinkled in throughout the entire book making every event as interesting and surprising as the last. Another reason why Escape Velocity deserves a 5 out of 5 rating is the ending was spectacular. A huge secret is revealed and the reader learns an interesting piece of information about Otto. Again Mark Walden finishes his book strongly with a fantastic ending. Escape Velocity deserves this rating because it is a suspenseful exciting book with an ending that will knock your socks off.

I would recommend Escape Velocity to anyone who loves fantasy and adventure books. In this book the characters go on an adventure to save their headmaster. On this adventure the characters use their fantasy-like abilities to do fantasy-like things, making it a great book for fans of adventure and fantasy. I would also recommend this book to teens, because almost all the main characters are teenagers. It's easy for teenagers to relate to teenagers so they would understand the book better because they can best relate to almost all the characters and their conflicts and thoughts. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who don't like reading books with higher vocabulary and characters who speak differently. Even with this I think that anyone who loves fantasy and adventure books would enjoy following Otto Malpense and his friends on their adventure to save Dr. Nero.

[Rizki Utami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Di buku ketiganya, sang kepala sekolah tertangkap oleh organisasi H.O.P.E, organisasi baru yang mengklaim sebagai pembasmi teroris Dunia. 3 bulan berlalu setelah penangkapannya, muncullah kepala sekolah baru yang tak disangka adalah pengkhianat H.I.V.E yang kejam. Otto dan teman-temannya berusaha untuk menyelamatkan Dr. Nero sampai nekat membobol Deepcore, tempat penyimpanan data MI6 yang paling aman. Karena diprediksi disanalah tersimpan data operasi H.O.P.E dan koordinat markas mereka. Dengan bantuan teman-temannya yang 'bangkit dari kematian', mereka harus menyelamatkan sang kepala sekolah tercinta. Tidak ada pilihan.

Two tumbs buat penulis, karena ceritanya yang seru dan unpredictable. Serius ketika aku bilang nggak bisa di prediksi, siapa sangka markas musuh utama ada di luar orbit bumi. Pantesan aja nggak ada yang tau dan bisa melacaknya selama ini. Karakter-karakternya juga mendukung satu sama lain, semuanya mempunyai peran yang penting dalam cerita. Keren...

Dan pertanyaan tentang asal-usul Otto terjawab disini. Persis seperti dugaan, mana mungkin ada manusia sejenius itu yang bisa menyerap ilmu hanya dengan sekali baca, mengoperasikan mesin hanya dengan melihat strukturnya. Impossible, bahkan dalam novel sekalipun, tidak bisa diterima. Well, kecuali di novel tema sihir dan dewa, itu cerita lain. Ternyata Otto kloningan yang dibuat oleh Number One dan otaknya sudah dirancang secara genetik agar melebihi manusia manapun dalam segala hal.

Bisa dibilang masalah utama di 3 novel pertamanya sudah selesai disini, jadi mungkin di novel keempat akan muncul masalah dan musuh baru. Wah... nambah penasaran lagi, apa akan lebih seru dibanding novel sebelumnya?

[Nuqksh Sapra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape Velocity is the third book in the thrilling H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) series by Mark Walden. This series follows Otto Malpense and his friends—Wing, Laura, and Shelby—as they train at a secret school for the world’s future villains. In this book, the stakes get even higher as Otto faces his most dangerous challenge yet.
Escape Velocity is the third book in the thrilling H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) series by Mark Walden. This series follows Otto Malpense and his friends—Wing, Laura, and Shelby—as they train at a secret school for the world’s future villains. In this book, the stakes get even higher as Otto faces his most dangerous challenge yet.
What I love about this book is how fast-paced and exciting it is. There are daring rescues, clever escapes, and twists that keep you guessing until the very end. The action scenes are like watching a spy movie, and the high-tech inventions are really cool to imagine. I also enjoyed the friendships between the main characters—they argue and tease each other, but they always work together when it matters most.
This book is perfect for readers who like adventure, science fiction, or spy stories. It’s full of suspense, danger, and surprises that make it almost impossible to put down.

[Mary Hodgman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape Velocity was really intense and interesting! After Dr. Nero, head of H.I.V.E. is captured by an evil facility called H.O.P.E., Otto and his friends take action. Many things happen during this epic adventure, not all good. Otto is discovering the secrets of his unique ability to control computers with his mind, and with the advanced technology of H.O.P.E., this gift comes in very handy. The hardest part of course is breaking into their base to rescue Dr. Nero. that is, breaking into M16... which is much easier said than done. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Anne Maddox · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not that it was that bad.........Okay - so I read this book because I picked it up at a used book sale for my classroom library. It looked fun, so I took it home to read. I didn't realize that it wasn't a stand alone....or worse yet, that it was the third book. It wasn't too hard to get the hang of what was going on, but even after I did, the plot was a bit flat. It's very juvenile, and I am likely not the target audience. If you are not 14 or younger, you are not the target audience either.

[Amita · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first two installments are just this series masquerading as a normal book series. here's where things start to get wild and i can actually start giving reviews. but joke's on you bc the reviews are gonna be just as nonsense as the books themselves

so the first thing is that in order to enjoy this series you have to ignore the fact that most of the characters are incredibly one dimensional and that the writing is objectively not great. and also that there's kind of a sexism vibe. that one's a bit less obvious but if there's one person you can trust about this series, it's me bc i've read it about a billion times.

uhhh ok so yeah ignoring all those things this one is actually v fun. raven and hive mind are tied for best character and also for number of times they've "died" only to come back like 30 pages later. also i love laura

can you believe that this series had the depth to have one of the strongest, most ride or die platonic m/f relationships i've ever seen? because i sure can't! nero and raven......... like how is the series that gave us THEM the series that also gave us the kiss typo??????
which is in this book. the kiss typo is basically. okay so two of the characters canonically kiss in this book but with absolutely no buildup. there are no hints about it in any book so far, nobody reacts in the way you would expect, and it's completely out of nowhere in the scene. the line is like "she hugged him and then kissed him for longer than he was expecting" or something like that. absolutely, 100%, that was supposed to say "she hugged him for longer than he was expecting". in context, without context, either way, that's absolutely what makes sense to fit there. but nope! kiss typo and now they've canonically kissed in book 3. lmao this book is a trip

the contessa having her redemption arc... crazy fr!! and don't even get me started on the plot twists...

if you like drama in your novels i cannot recommend this series enough

[Meta Morfillah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judul: Escape velocity
Penulis: Mark walden
Penerbit: Mizan fantasi
Dimensi: 432 hlm, cetakan I Maret 2014
ISBN: 978 979 433 760 8

Dr. Nero diculik! Pelakunya adalah sebuah organisasi baru bernama HOPE yang mengklaim sebagai pembasmi teroris dunia. Tiga bulan HIVE lewati tanpa kepala sekolah, hingga Number One mengangkat seorang kepala sekolah baru. Sayangnya kepala sekolah baru itu adalah pengkhianat HIVE yang kejam.

Otto dan kawan-kawan bertekad membebaskan Dr. Nero meskipun tantangannya jauh lebih sulit. Mereka harus keluar dari HIVE dan menembus markas MI6 HOPE yang mustahil ditembus. Tapi puncak dari itu adalah kenyataan menyakitkan yang kelak akan Otto ketahui. Di sini, kita tidak pernah tahu mana jagoan dan mana penjahat!

Really great! Aku suka banget konflik di buku seri ketiga ini, twistnya tidak terduga dan makin kece membayangkan peralatan mutakhir serta sarang MI6 dan number one. Juga sedih untuk Otto dan HIVE mind.

Aku apresiasi 5 dari 5 bintang.

"Orang yang kamu takuti tak akan pernah mendapat kesetiaanmu yang sejati." (H.267)

Meta morfillah

[Aarav Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, unlike the recent ones I have read, has managed to keep me grasped with the plot. The book is based on the suspicion that everyone had from the beginning that Number One is the real enemy. It follows Otto and his gang in a story filled with adventure to the brim. The author has surpassed his own expectations and has delivered a book which was up to the standards. The thing that I found the best about the book is thinking about how the characters' feelings had changed from the first book. Otto was trying to run from H.I.V.E in the first book, but in this book, he is putting his life on the line trying to save the headmaster. This book has a fault in my opinion. Characters keep returning from death as if Hades has gone on vacation, which is rather unrealistic.

[Zoe Wynns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh- what a plot twist! I did kind of expect for Number One to be one of Ottos parents that was still alive but this was more creative. RIP HIVE MIND MY CHILD I LOVED YOU... but maybe the last line of the book means you’re coming back too? Speaking of- I’m getting a bit sick of all the people we thought were dead keeping coming back, it takes away from the actual deaths and leaves us uncertain. But I suppose that’s the nature of spies! Def will be picking up the next book, and sorry for this all-over-the-place review!

[Martina Sanjaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

An significant improvement on this series. Now almost all team member got its golden moment, and yet make way for some more heroes. Don't know why, but I tended to gloss over the detailed fighting part. Still too much action jammed into too short part; thus the dizzy-then-gloss effect. Nicely satisfying end of a trilogy, so I think I should stop reading this series here, for a while.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do I think of this book?
This book was a plot-turner for the whole series where the rampaging A.I overlord is in number one the ruler of G.L.O.V.E ‘s body wanting to require otto malpense HIVE s star pupil and clone of number one with many unique abilities.What do you think will happen, who will cost their life in order to save hive, to find out keep reading this exciting book.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely epic, and could be the end of a HIVE trilogy if it chose. This book introduces HOPE, a supposedly heroic organization of the knight templar kind I despise, and they make an effective foil for GLOVE and our main characters. In this book, someone dies for real, setting up the dark tone of the rest of the series. What a great book.

[Pandu Kristian · Rating 1 out of 5]

membosankan. karakter tiap tokohnya kurang digali lebih dalam karena terus mengutamakan action. juga ada beberapa hal yang aneh yang seharusnya gak terjadi...

tapi actionnya benar-benar - tak perlu di pungkiri - bagus dan mgkn itu jadi daya tarik utamanya...

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't see this going where it went, and I'm happy it did. The plot seems to be ageing up a little from where it started, and I'm enjoying finding out more about the world H.I.V.E. is in. The writing is still very childish, but it's fun nonetheless.

[Owen Vogelgesang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly think this one was awesome

[Mindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Mark Walden's writing style, his characters and his imagination.

[Vishal Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Bond meets Artemis Fowl ... What fun!

[Tsaliara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i favor the ending so much. even if i already forgot about the story since i read it around 4 years ago, i still remember the ending vividly

[Colin Monutain · Rating 4 out of 5]

i finished this like a year ago

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to people who like action and plot twist. it is about how nero gets captured and otto and his friends go to try and save him.