H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education)

By Mark Walden

H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) is a top-secret school of applied villainy where children with a precocious gift for wrongdoing are sent to develop their talents into criminal mastermind. After all, 'villains have the best lines and wear the best costumes'. One small catch is that the children cannot leave until training is complete, six years later. With villainy comes a certain freedom of thought, and every year one student in particular will show exceptional talent - after all, it takes the best to produce the worst. This year there are two students: Otto Malpense and his new friend Wing Fanchu are both exceptionally bad, and they are definitely not keen on being held against their will for six long years . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9781408813324

Mark Walden

Mark Walden spent a decade as a video game designer and producer before becoming a fulltime writer and father. He has a BA in English literature and an MA in 20th-century literature, film, and television, both from Newcastle University. He is the author of the H.I.V.E. series and the Earthfall Trilogy and lives with his family in the United Kingdom.

Reviews for H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education)

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thirteen year old Otto Malpense runs the orphanage in which he lives. After the orphanage is threatened with closure he comes up with a plan to embarrass the Prime Minister. After the success of his plan Otto is abducted by a mysterious black clad figure. He wakes to find himself flying over the middle of the ocean in a helicopter on the way to an unknown destination. It is to H.IV.E., a secret school for villainous children, one that will teach them how to become criminal masterminds. Frustrated and what he perceives to be enforced imprisonment, Otto, along with his friends Wing, Shelby, and Laura, hatch a daring escape plan. Unfortunately another student’s experimental flesh-eating plant breaks out of the school’s hydroponics area, leaving the friends fighting for not only their lives, but the lives of everyone else at the school.This is an exciting, adventure story which has a place among the other series of this genre that are so popular.

[g33kgrrl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An over-the-top book about villian school training the evilest of evil children. I guess if the idea is to end up with less terrible evil people running the world, there are worse things I could think of. The book itself does remind one of Harry Potter, but promises secrets yet to be revealed and plots yet to be uncovered. Copying from the best does leave a lot of room to be quite enjoyable. I do look forward to reading more someday.

[ddbrown201 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A favorite from this year's book battle list. An inescapable school for young criminal masterminds? Check. Out of control plant taking over said school? Check. Escape plans in the works? Check.

[ailinel-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A quick youth read, the story follows Otto, a child who is kidnapped and taken to the Higher Institute of Villainous Education. There the most intelligent, clever, and powerful learn to become major influences on the world. A small group, however, see the school as a gilded cage and will do anything to escape it. Hints of the characters' pasts are given throughout, and the children begin to come into their own as they fight to survive their classes, keep the majority of their talent hidden, and find their way back home.

[mrslabraden · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I expected a lot more action and adventure from this book written with a male protagonist, Otto. The first two thirds of the book is a little slow, explaining how and why each character has been brought to the island headquarters of H.I.V.E., The Higher Institute of Villainous Education. The main character, Otto and his friends spend most of the book trying to figure out what made those in charge believe that they would each make good villains. After that, all of the main characters focus their energies on an attempt to escape the island, even though most of them have little to go home for. The real action begins when the teachers and the students of the institute find a common foe that they must learn to fight together.The characters seem underdeveloped in this story as do their relationships, but that could be because there are several sequels to this book that offer future opportunities for character development. Overall, this book wasn't bad, but I expected more.

[bduke_15 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was very obviously based on Harry Potter, but in quite an original way. A Hogwarts for bad guys. It was fun to make all the comparisons with HP - a teacher in the form of a cat, a student who messes up in all classes but excels with plants... It wasn't nearly as good as Harry Potter, but the concept was very interesting.

[mroc3827 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the HIVE series. the book follows the story of four students at HIVE. there is alot of eplaining how they got there in this book, but it is still great. this is a good book for middle schoolers and up. theres a lot of action. this a grea book i really liked it but there is to much talking in this book. It would be better if there was less talking.

[marared9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in a rather long series featuring Otto Malpense, a talented young hacker kidnapped to become a student at a school for villains. The story features plenty of action and will appeal to reluctant readers who like adventure and gadgetry. Some of the characters are rather stereotyped, and most of the teachers fail to live up to the "villain" role they are cast in, but overall it's a fun read.

[missboyer3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

H.I.V.E. is operated on a volcanic island in a distant ocean by G.L.O.V.E., a shadowy organization of worldwide wickedness. And, as 13-year-old master of mischief Otto Malpense soon discovers, here the slickest of young tricksters, thieves, and hackers have been brought against their will to be trained as the next generation of supervillains. Otto and his friends refuse to be held prisoner at the institution and develop a scheme to escape from the island, but they must defeat the all-seeing computer system, a seemingly undefeatable assassin in black, and a giant carnivorous plant to succeed.

[unschoolingnd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I have ever read, but I recommend it for ages seven and up. Some parts of it can get gross, like the part with the huge venus fly trap.

[boppisces · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thirteen year old Otto Malpense runs the orphanage in which he lives. After the orphanage is threatened with closure he comes up with a plan to embarrass the Prime Minister. After the success of his plan Otto is abducted by a mysterious black clad figure. He wakes to find himself flying over the middle of the ocean in a helicopter on the way to an unknown destination. It is to H.IV.E., a secret school for villainous children, one that will teach them how to become criminal masterminds. Frustrated and what he perceives to be enforced imprisonment, Otto, along with his friends Wing, Shelby, and Laura, hatch a daring escape plan. Unfortunately another student’s experimental flesh-eating plant breaks out of the school’s hydroponics area, leaving the friends fighting for not only their lives, but the lives of everyone else at the school.This is an exciting, adventure story which has a place among the other series of this genre that are so popular.

[samuelw_56895 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

We have all have heard it a million times before, but it still rings true – never judge a book by its cover. At first glance, H.I.V.E. appears to be good read; snappy, humorous and exciting, with a fun premise and a pretty nifty acronym. It's probably somewhere in the vein of Artemis Fowl, and it's even won an award, (apparently courtesy of 'Richard and Judy'.) All in all, it looks rather entertaining. It is only when one actually opens the book that the truth becomes apparent – H.I.V.E. is the work of an amateur. The prose is barely publishable, dotted with run-on sentences and questionable usage of commas (or lack thereof). Three pages in and I was thoroughly puzzled – why had this not been addressed by an editor? Slowly but surely, the answer became apparent. The writing may improve minimally over the course of the novel, but reworking H.I.V.E. to a professional standard would still be too mammoth a task for any human editor.But if the writing doesn't put you off, don't worry – there are plenty more flaws here. Walden's characters are among the most stereotypical and trite that I have ever come across. Far from being remotely villainous, they soldier through the novel with all the selflessness, teamwork and heroism of Harry Potter and his goody-goody buddies. It obviously never occurred to Walden that his original premise would require original characters – rather, he has dredged up the stock high-school cohort (the American cheerleader, the fat German kid and the nerd with inch-thick glasses, to name but a few.)The plot is not quite as unimpressive as the characters, but it is still predictable, clichéd and disjointed. It almost feels as though Walden, having come up with the idea of a school for villains, suddenly remembered that he needed a story to go with it, and scribbled down the most obvious thing that popped into his head. Indeed, for a book that relies so heavily on its premise, it handles that premise quite poorly. The entire idea is clearly absurd and should therefore be presented with a great deal more wit and humour than Walden can muster. For the first 70 pages, he treats it with such seriousness that it just comes off looking like failed realism.As for 'Richard and Judy' – they are clearly both deluded. The highest level of praise I will grant this novel is that it is bearable. (Just.) My advice: read something else. This book is not worth your time.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

13 year old Otto Malpense is kidnapped and wakes up on a helicopter where he meets an Asian boy, Wing Fanchu, who appears to have suffered a similar fate. They land at an island where they and about twenty other children are told that they have been handpicked to attend the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, a school for children destined to become villains. Many of the children are sent to the school by their parents who are also villains, but some of them, including Otto, don't wish to be there and intend to escape, in spite of being told that it is impossible. The students have classes in Stealth, Evasion, and Villainy Studies and leaving is not an option. Otto, and the friends he makes are determined to find a way to escape from H.I.V.E. It's a fast paced, very enjoyable story. One of my favourites this year.

[travenwill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

H.I.V.E, The Higher Institute of Villainous Education, is where kids who have a knack for getting into trouble are sent or kidnapped to. In this institute there is no escape. That is until Otto, a 13 year old orphan, is sent there. In this new world, he is being trained as a super villain and he wants no part of it. This book will keep students who love adventure entertained, but will leave others thinking something was missing. Sequels are sure to follow.

[hpiraino97 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am reading H.I.V.E. at home. First Otto wkes up on a plane and there is someone else on the plane who's name is Wing. They don't know how they got on the plane or when but now they are in a volcano as a school named H.I.V.E.

[chibimajo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Otto, an orphan, gets kidnapped and enrolled in an evil villians academy. Together with some other students, he plots ways to escape and get back to his normal life.

[phantasma_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks last month. This month I read H.I.V.E and, although they are superficially similiar (both about a young boy who is extremely smart with a talent for illegal activities and their education), they are actually nothing alike. H.I.V.E was much more entertaining, I cared about all of the characters, even the ones breeding the future villians. The action was fast paced and much of the dialogue made me smile (and laugh). I'd recommend this to anyone of any age. I cannot wait for the sequel (there MUST be a sequel!).

[lindabeekeeper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Otto Malpense is 13, but has already managed to topple the prime minister. This stunt has given him a one way ticket to boarding school, specifically the Higher Institute of Villainous Education. H.I.V.E. will prepare Otto to become the world's next supervillain. But all he can think of is escape. This is a great action book for boys.