#hellstrom's hive

[the25centpaperback]

Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert, cover by R. Shore (1974)

[arcticdementor]

It is right and holy that we yield up our bodies when we die, that the compounds of our transient lives are not lost to that greater force manifested in our hive.

Hive-sign display over the central vat chamber, Hellstrom’s Hive, by Frank Herbert

[blue-mint-winter]

Review: Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert

Hellstrom's Hive is a story about a secret government agency finding a hidden society led by Nils Hellstrom, an ecologist and filmmaker of documentaries about insects. The agency is interested in Hellstrom because they think he's building a new weapon. The truth is much more dangerous.

It's a very Frank Herbert book, by which I mean the style, the themes and philosophy are typical for the author. Hellstrom's society is based on a beehive and the concept of humans imitating a bee society is explored in a very interesting, yet sometimes hair-raising, way, with all of its inhuman implications.

The action concentrates on the clash between the agency and the Hive. The agency wants to infiltrate, make contact, learn Hellstrom's secrets and possess the valuable knowledge, while the Hive takes every measure to remain hidden and protect its secrecy. The similarities and contrasts between these two organizations are interesting to observe.

The ending was great. Thankfully, the book didn't end like a predictable Hollywood spy movie. Instead, it had a much more thought-provoking and scary ending that shows something about human nature that even imitating a beehive can't erase. The agency and the Hive are truly just two sides of the same coin.

Hellstrom's Hive was a great read. 8/10

[blue-mint-winter]

Frank Herbert, Rój Hellstroma (Hellstrom's Hive)

[that-dinopunk-guy]

I recently went on another depression-fueled rampage buying cheap sci-fi paperbacks on eBay, and the first batch just showed up today.

That Godmakers cover is amazing.

[judahmaccabees]

The Abyss

get outta my universe dbags

let your absence endure

[le-tas-d-art]

Covers of Frank Herbert's novels The Dragon in the Sea and Hellstrom's Hive, by Mel Hunter and David K. Stone respectively

[assorted-things]

For what it's worth, I think someone far cleverer than me could get a really interesting academic essay about the way that the Horny In A Weird Way bits of Frank Herbert's work interact with the views on gender and sexuality expressed in the text... I have Thoughts on this but I'm nowhere near articulate enough to actually put them into words coherently...