Vor einigen hunderten Jahren begann eine Gruppe von Menschen den staatenbildenden Insekten nachzueifern und gründete - von der Umwelt vollkommen unbemerkt - einen Stock. Das Leben in diesem Stock ist für uns Menschen vollkommen unvorstellbar, denn es bedeutet die vollkommene Aufgabe jeglicher Individualität und die vollständige Unterordnung unter die Bedürfnisse der Gemeinschaft. Herbert zeichnet eine Gesellschaft die genau so aufgestellt ist. Es ist eine Gesellschaft, die vielleicht in der Tat besser als jede andere Form des Soziallebens geeignet ist, den Fortbestand der Menschheit auf lange Zeit zu garantieren, doch der Preis dafür ist unbezahlbar. Herbert stellt sehr deutlich die durch dieses Sozialsystem aufgeworfenen Notwendigkeiten dar, die fürchterlich zynisch erscheinen.Die Geschichte knüpft dort an, wo der amerikanische Geheimdienst damit beginnt sich für die Gegend zu interessieren in der dieser Stock untergebracht ist. Die ersten drei Agenten werden vom Stock innerhalb kürzester Zeit gefangen genommen und getötet. Aber der Geheimdienst schickt weitere Agenten - dies stellt den zentralen äußeren Konflikt des Romans dar, in Wahrheit geht es natürlich um das Gedankenexperiment wie dieser Stock funktionieren kann.Der Roman hat mir auch sprachlich sehr gut gefallen, auch der Übersetzer hat ganze Arbeit geleistet. Einen Schnitzer erlaubt er sich jedoch mehrmals: "I see!" wird übersetzt mit "Ich sehe!", darüber stolpert man jedes Mal wenn es im Text auftaucht. Abgesehen davon aber ein großartig erzähltes Buch, das sich auch stilistisch wohltuend von der Masse abhebt, das Tempo der Erzählung ist ebenso wie die Szenenwechsel perfekt gestaltet. Die Charakterisierung der Personen ist so eine Sache, denn die ist themenbedingt eigentlich fast ein Ding der Unmöglichkeit. Wie will man ein Individuum charakterisieren, dass keine Individualität haben darf. Herbert greift daher auf den Trick zurück, den Führungspersönlichkeiten des Stocks eine gewisse Unabhängigkeit zuzugestehen. Ein Kunstgriff der sehr gut gelingt und das aufgeworfene Problem so löst, dass keine schriftstellerische Leere verbleibt.Insgesamt also ein ausgesprochen gutes Buch, des Autors des Wüstenplaneten, der mit der Saga rund um Dune Weltruhm erreichte. Wer Dystopien mag, der ist auch in diesem Buch sehr gut aufgehoben, umso mehr als es sich auch sprachlich und stilistisch in eine Reihe mit den ganz großen Werken dieses Genres einreihen darf - und da sind "1984", "Fahrenheit 451" und "Schöne neue Welt" schon beachtliche Vorgaben.
As with most works from Frank Herbert, Hellstrom’s Hive is not only very good on the surface, it also works well on many different levels. And like most of his writing, all excellent, it is difficult to assess this work without references to his greatest work, Dune.First published in 1973, four years after Dune Messiah and three years before Children of Dune, many themes of Herbert’s Dune series can be seen in Hive, particularly a fascination with genetics and a dynamic econo-socialization. A fan of Dune will recall that the Bene Gesserit were particularly adept at arranged breeding patterns and the Bene Tleilaxu have a hive mentality, de-emphasizing individualism.The contrast between individualism and a group consciousness is a major theme in this work. Herbert has created a world (presumably modern day / current time United States) where a centuries old movement to replicate insect “hive” organizations in a human society have evolved to challenge the “wild” human population for dominance. In Herbert’s present day, though, America has become a police state and government agencies exist atop the country’s power structure. Most interestingly, and representative of his genius for writing, Herbert tells the story from the perspective of the hive and the American police state is the “outside” enemy. In his own words, this created a "peculiar kind of tension".This may also be seen as an allegory about communism. At the time of the writing, the U.S. and USSR were gripped in the global stalemate of the Cold War. Herbert’s Hive resembles an autocratic society by its genetically manipulated, highly specialized caste worker system. But here is where Herbert’s genius transforms this simple metaphor into something much more interesting as he describes similarities between our police state society and a hive like insect inspired one. Hellstrom’s Hive then can also be seen as a statement that not only could a police state be seen as a insect like drone system, but our reliance on "elite" leadership of such a state may not even be the most successful model.Taking his inspiration from the Hellstrom Chronicle, a 1971 film describing a Darwinistic struggle for survival between humans and insects that has elements of satire and sci-fi horror; Herbert makes use of his exceptional ability to produce well-crafted characterization to further create a first rate science fiction novel.Readers who enjoyed Dune will be pleasantly surprised to see that Herbert’s non-Dune writing was also first rate.
What do You think about Hellstrom's Hive (2007)?
A spy agency with its own problems is sent out out to check out a farm. This farm is owned by a world famous insect documentary maker. The town near the farm don't say much about Hellstorm's farm. No mere human really knows whats happening deep underneath. Two spies are A whole team is sent in to find the truth. We watch two spies watch the happening on this strange farms. But the whole time they are there they find them selves getting more and more nervous. But when night falls the Hellstorm's hive captures the pair where the join their fellow spy in death or other. I enjoyed this book. I found the hive very interesting and I wonder how they got from the average humans like us to what they have become today.
—Emma
It took me a while to get into this book, Herbert seemed to be stuck on the minutiae of the ego struggles of his main characters and building the framework of the two divergent civilisations but I was glad of it as the book progressed - after a while the mystery developed until I got a more broad picture of the scenario - the secret, strange evolution of übermensch inspired by the insect kingdom, the agency that stumbles across their existence not knowing or even suspecting the truth of what they are until...The descriptions of the hive and their culture is quite chilling and comes across all too real in some aspects. Equally the Agency are depicted as a bureaucratic, hierarchic, paranoid shadowy arm of U.S.A enforcement, as we have come to expect from such organisations.This wasn't what I would describe as a light read but it was enjoyable and interesting, especially in the light of Frank Herbert's journalistic interests. (There is an interesting article about him on Wikipedia)
—Bridie Knight
I was really excited to try another story by Frank Herbert and while there is a plethora of characters, theories and possibilities it is no Dune. Most of the characters are developed exquisitely and the settings come alive with dust, wind and scents through out the book. Good banter between key players, but no one character really stood out from the others as terribly exciting or important. The science fiction aspect, what can humans do to survive their shelf destructive nature, was unique to my reading and experience and enjoyable. Some of the points were a little creepy and hard to swallow, but not unbelievable. The role the government plays in this future is entertaining and really not far from what we have evolved into today. Overall a good quick read for random pondering, not an epic.
—Rebecca Hill
