Otto Malpense has lived anything but a normal life. He was found on the steps of the St. Sebastian’s Orphanage nearly thirteen years before the novels opens. He was only a few months old and had no identification other than a white card that bore his name.
As he grew older, Otto became more mysterious, disappearing for long amounts of time when he was only a few years old. He would always declare that he had been in the orphanage the whole time when he would return hours later covered in dust. Otto later taught himself to read, and at the age of five, rigged the orphanage phone so that it wouldn’t report any phone calls to the telephone company, thus, giving them free phone service.
As Otto grew older, he gained an extremely accurate telegraphic memory that made regular schooling obsolete for him. He convinced Mrs. McReedy, the owner of the orphanage, to let him tutor himself instead of going to school.
In thirteen short years, Otto had taken over the orphanage and got it running better than ever before. He had managed to get the funds to rebuild parts of the dilapidated building by tricking companies into thinking it was all part of a BBC show about helping orphans.
However, Otto’s world begins to crash down around him when Mrs. McReedy receives a letter saying that the orphanage will be closed due to a revamping of the childcare system. This is all backed by the British Prime Minster, and Otto quickly takes it into his hands to see that the Minster’s plans do not go about as the older man wishes.
Otto travels to Britain’s coast after constructing a device that will help him take control over the Prime Minster. After Otto narrowly squeezes past security, his plan goes by without a hitch. The Prime Minster then says exactly what Otto wanted him to say, due to a bit of hypnotism and the use of the Minster’s visual prompter.
Otto feels relieved that his plan has worked and goes on to leave his hotel room. Right as he opens the door, he is merely greeted by a woman with a gun. She congratulates him on his days work, and zaps Otto with her weapon.
Otto awakes a few hours later on a helicopter flying over the ocean. Beside him is a tall and impressing look boy he later learns is Wing Fanchu. Neither boy knows what is going on, but they suspect that they will soon know as soon as they spot an ominous volcano with black smoke billowing from it.
Wing and Otto immediately learn upon arriving that this is The H.I.V.E., or The Higher Institute of Villainous Education. They, and about twenty other children, have been chosen to enter the six year Alpha program at H.I.V.E. They have all been hand selected for either their mischievous past actions or to uphold a family legacy. The only problem is, once you enter the H.I.V.E., there’s no way out until you graduation.
Otto and Wing are quickly swept into the everyday adventure of attending a school for Super Villains. A talking cat who was once a human and a computer entity named H.I.V.E.mind are just everyday occurrence. Add that in with Otto’s plan to escape the school, a rabid man eating plant, and the mysterious Dr. Nero that owns and runs H.I.V.E., and you have a sure fire formula for adventure.
H.I.V.E. is an action adventure no true lover of a good thrill ride should miss. A daring combination of the movie Sky High and the popular Harry Potter series, it is certain not to disappoint. It also presents a villain’s side of the story, which is rare to any form of entertainment. Even though H.I.V.E. claims to not train common criminals, the reader still grasps an often unobtainable glimpse of the dark side.