Dreadnought (H.I.V.E.) by Mark Walden (H.I.V.E.)

The world's most powerful villains have a problem. One of their own has gone rogue and is threatening global Armageddon, with himself at the head of a sinister new world order.
 
Meanwhile, Otto, Wing and other students from H.I.V.E. are en route to a training exercise in the Arctic as the ninety-three-percenter, owing to the proportion of students that make it back alive.
 
But before they arrive, events take over, and Otto, Wing and his most trusted villain-friends find themselves in the sights of the most dangerous man alive, with nowhere to run to.
 
My first exposure to the H.I.V.E. series was the short story Interception Point. It was included, alongside Joseph Delaney's The Spook Tale, in a £1 World Book Day publication. I have to admit that the story - although competently written - did not grab or involve me as much as I would have liked.
 
So, it was with a little apprehension that I began reading Dreadnought.

The opening was reminiscent of a Stephen King novel, it set the scene excellently and my fears seemed groundless. Then, after the prologue, we found ourselves at the Higher Institute of Villainous Education (H.I.V.E.) where we meet up again with the four young adults that are central to the story. For those not familiar with the series the four are: Otto Malpense, a criminal genius with a limitless mind, photographic memory and rare extra-sensory skills; Wing Fanchu, exceptionally skill in martial arts and numerous forms of self defence; Laura Brand, an expert with computers; Shelby Trinity, an all-American girl that is actually the world renowned jewel thief known as The Wraith.
 
I have to say that I felt that the chapters set within the Institute were the weakest in the book, and that it was when then Otto, Wing, Laura and Shelby left for the Arctic that things really got going. Mark Walden can certainly do action-packed adventure, and he does it very, very well.
 
Up until this point there had been something nagging at the back of my mind, something that I could not quite put my finger on. Then it came to me - there wasn't really anything villainous at all about either the H.I.V.E. or G.L.O.V.E. organisation. I then tried to work out exactly how Mark Walden could have made the kids and members of the organisations into real villains. The problem that he would have had is that in doing so he would be making them into terrorists and effectively glamorising terrorism; this is simply something that you cannot do. Parents and publishers would have been up in arms (if the book was ever published that is). So, I felt that although Walden came up with a fantastic and new angle for a young adult's adventure book, it was not one he could really explore in much depth. Instead he appears to have settled upon the safe option of organisational infighting, coupes d'état, and treachery, with the innocent citizens of the outside world left pretty much untouched.
 
The positives? Dreadnought is a gripping, action-packed and thoroughly enjoyable adventure that will appeal to both sexes. Mark Walden is a skilled author, the narrative showcases his excellent imagination and, most importantly of all, it is a lot of fun to read.

Negatives? There is little villainy on show (as mentioned above). Franz. Franz talks in supposedly comic bad English – it made me cringe and it didn't feel right in this day and age.
 
Fantasy Book Review would recommend Dreadnought, and the H.I.V.E. series itself, to young adults who love their James-Bond style adventure mixed in with a little Harry Potter.
 
About the author
Mark Walden spent ten years designing and producing video games for a living before the Higher Institute of Villainous Education crept into his mind, and he decided to become an author. The unlikely inspiration behind the top-secret school of villainy was, in fact, a Persian Blue cat named Otto. On noticing Otto's uncanny resemblance to the cat that Blofeld owned in the James Bond films, Mark began to wonder exactly how the world's evil genius's honed their skills and where the nefarious villains of tomorrow were trained ... and so H.I.V.E. was born.

7/10 James-Bond style adventure mixed in with a little Harry Potter.