Sci-fi fans who love Frank Herbert’s DUNE series will also enjoy HELLSTROM’S HIVE; the classic tale of a dystopian America threatened by a chilling enemy: insects. It’s a story of genetic manipulation that is as fascinating today as it was in 1973 when it was first published and is even more relevant in light of current debates about cloning and stem cell research.
Herbert based his novel on the 1971 film “The Hellstrom Chronicle,” which won the 1971 Academy Award for Best Documentary. The narrator was Dr. Nils Hellstrom, a fictional scientist, who filmed the documentary to warn humanity that insects may one day be the dominant species on Earth. The film is out of print, but I understand it was beautifully photographed with impressive sequences of insect wars and mating practices. In 2007 TOR Books published a new edition of HELLSTROM’S HIVE that is worth adding to their collection. The setting is Oregon in dystopian America, where Dr. Nils Hellstrom is making green movies on his farm. The Agency, an espionage branch of the government, believes Hellstrom is using his films as a cover while building a new experimental weapon. His farm is under surveillance, hoping to steal his metallurgical technology. Agency “watchers” are easily discovered and soon disappear. The Agency then sends their “A” team to find out what happened to their missing agents.
Hellstrom has secretly established an underground society, designed on the principles of the insect hive. The captured agents are sent to the “vats”, where members of the hive go to the end of their own lives to become food for the rest of the hive. And your society is on the brink of a discovery that is more horrifying than anything the government could imagine. Herbert is adept at conveying all the senses, and readers will experience each emotion alongside the characters. The members of their Hive are also quite convincing with their insects’ survival instincts, lack of individuality and emotion. The scene is so perfectly set that it becomes another character in the story. The suspense is fascinating as events unfold. Written in chillingly royal style, interspersed with notes and journal excerpts, this gripping adventure is a blood-curdling story. The tension mounts and the ending will keep you thinking long after you turn the last page. Publisher: Tor Books (April 2007) ISBN: 978-0-7653-1772-8 Pages: 336 Price: $ 14.95
