Barry Lyga
Morgen Baden
Kids Can Press
ISBN 9781525300608
eISBN 9781525303876
ASIN B07WWGVHGL
This novel is the first collaboration between husband and wife team Barry Lyga and Morgen Baden. And as much as I am huge fan of Lyga’s works, I hope this is the first of many novels they work on together. My initial response was: “Wow! What an incredible read. I pray that The Hive is not prophetic. what an intense read. A page turner that kept me up way too late when I had to work in the morning.” Now I getup for work at 5am, and I stayed up reading until after 2am. I just could not put the book down. I think the power of this novel is the story can serve as a warning, but also as a prophecy of what might yet come. There are many cases where life ends up imitating art. We can only hope this does not become one of them.
This is the story of Cassie McKinney, she is the daughter of a world famous programmer. And he has believed in the hive and hive justice. Public shamming and doxing has become the norm. And Hive justice is the mob. The hive came into existence when the government took over social media and tried to put an end of trolling and doxing. People can upvote or down vote a punishment. And if you hide from the punishment it ups the ante.
Cassie is at a new school and gets in with the in crowd. But with one comment that someone else shares under her name turns her life upside down. She goes for anonymous to infamous. And the hive keeps cranking up the pressure. And now her life if threatened. Her mother at risk to her own life tries to hide Cassie, and soon a surprising ally comes to her aid. She has no where to turn, and only a small group of Hive outcasts to help her. But not everyone is as they appear. And with her life on the line can she figure out who to trust and who not to.
The story starts slow but once the Hive has focused on Cassie it turns to a breakneck pace. The story races from hiding, to secret meetings. To just trying to survive. You will find yourself cheering for Cassie, even though she had a momentary lack of judgement and came up with an incredibly mean jab. In some ways the story is like the case of Canadian Journalist, Ashley Csanady, who made a comment about Trump’s son and had giant sections of the web turn against her and focus on her. But for Cassie the consequences could be her life.
Lyga has written some incredible reads. And this is one of the best. Lyga and Baden have written a masterful story. It is an important story for our time. Not just for the young adult audience but for those of us who are older as well. It is an excellent story, and I hope as a culture we heed the warnings contained within.
Another excellent story by Lyga, and as mentioned I hope not the last from this team!
Books by Barry Lyga:
I Hunt Killers:I Hunt Killers (2012)
Game - I Hunt Killers #2 (2013)
Blood of My Blood - I Hunt Killers # 3 (2014)
I Hunt Killers Short Stories:
Down Time (2018)
Lucky Day (2014)
Career Day (2012)
Neutral Mask (2013)
Blood Boy (2014)
Brookdale High:
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (2006)
Boy Toy (2007)
Hero Type (2008)
Goth Girl Rising (2009)
Bang (2017)
Archvillian:
Archvillain #1 (2010)
The Mad Mask - Archvillian #2 (2011)
Yesterday Again - Archvillian #3 (2013)
The Flash Series:
Hocus Pocus (2017)
Johnny Quick (2018)
Tornado Twins (2018)
Other Books By Barry Lyga:
Graphic Novels in Your Media Center: A definitive Guide (with Alison A.W. Lyga - 2004)
Wolverine: Worst Day Ever (2009)
MangaMan (with Colleen Dorren 2011)
Unsoul'd (2013)
After The Red Rain (2015)
The Secret Sea (2016)
Thanos Titan Consumed (2018)
The Hive (2019)
...
Short Story Project 2017
The Ghosts at 95
Loving The University
The Ideas of March
Four Minutes
Pulse vs. the Killing Fiend
Her Decade
The Life Cycle of Stars (Ignition)
Bobby
Trading Worlds
When I Die
The Autopsying of Michael Edward Morgan
Meet Me Tonight
...
Contributed to:
Geektastic (2009)
Who Done It? (2013)
Author Profile and Interview with Barry Lyga
Author Profile and Interview with Randall Banner
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