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The Hive #1
DELIO, Phase One
When nearly every person on the planet becomes frozen a small group of survivors must navigate the darkest sides of human behaviour while learning about the creation of the world's first fully self-aware Artificial Intelligence.
In London, Yelena is trapped in a room after being sex-trafficked from Romania, and Alfie has one more drop to make then he's free of drug dealing forever.
In New York, Detective Joe Stephens is working a case. Life has worn him down. He's ready to end it. Poppy is a film-maker desperate to never go back to the UK, and Tripal is a clerk in a 7-Eleven that has a secret.
A secret that might be connected to why every human being on the planet just froze.
In London, Yelena is trapped in a room after being sex-trafficked from Romania, and Alfie has one more drop to make then he's free of drug dealing forever.
In New York, Detective Joe Stephens is working a case. Life has worn him down. He's ready to end it. Poppy is a film-maker desperate to never go back to the UK, and Tripal is a clerk in a 7-Eleven that has a secret.
A secret that might be connected to why every human being on the planet just froze.
Audible Audio
Published March 30, 2023
About the author
R.R. Haywood
71 books1,104 followers"One of the most original voices of our time." - Richard Moriarty, The Sun
"Whether it's gritty horror, spectacular sci-fi, or insane comedy, RR Haywood delivers in style." - Chris Riches, Daily Express
RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and more than 30 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.
His creations include the global sensation EXTRACTED, the riveting CODE TRILOGY narrated by Colin Morgan, the phenomenal UNDEAD Series, the blockbuster DELIO, PHASE ONE, and the chart-topping A TOWN CALLED DISCOVERY. His latest work, FICTION LAND, narrated by Game of Thrones star Gethin Anthony, has been hailed as "an outrageously funny tour de force."
A former police officer, Haywood now resides with his dogs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. He entertains audiences and shares his expertise on TikTok with his Writing Class for the Working Class.
"Whether it's gritty horror, spectacular sci-fi, or insane comedy, RR Haywood delivers in style." - Chris Riches, Daily Express
RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and more than 30 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.
His creations include the global sensation EXTRACTED, the riveting CODE TRILOGY narrated by Colin Morgan, the phenomenal UNDEAD Series, the blockbuster DELIO, PHASE ONE, and the chart-topping A TOWN CALLED DISCOVERY. His latest work, FICTION LAND, narrated by Game of Thrones star Gethin Anthony, has been hailed as "an outrageously funny tour de force."
A former police officer, Haywood now resides with his dogs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. He entertains audiences and shares his expertise on TikTok with his Writing Class for the Working Class.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
July 20, 2024
We learn about ‘the event’ through the eyes of a number of people: some in New York City, some in London, and others in a secret secure facility in Roswell, New Mexico. In Roswell, the first fully-aware artificial intelligence has been created, called DELIO. It’s creators, and in fact, all of the security at the site has one guiding principle – DELIO must never be allowed to escape. It’s just too dangerous.
The timeline and location jumps around quite a bit, but in fact this turns out to be an effective way of telling how DELIO does escape and how this impacts the world, whilst at the same time describing how this AI monster was created. The characters impacted in New York and London are a mixed bunch who each have something of their own story told. The best is a NYC cop who’s about to kill himself when it all kicks off. The worst are all of the British characters, each being irritating beyond belief and totally over the top.
This is the opening episode of a longer story. In effect it’s a scene setter. I like apocalyptic tales. They give the writer free range to describe situations we’ve never witnessed, to create a world from scratch. Ok, it’s a damaged world, but the rules we are governed by are all ripped up, and a new order needs to be created. Unless it’s complete disorder, of course. It’s too early to know which way this one will go, but by the end of this episode we’ll have already received a big pointer suggesting one likely direction. It does sound interesting.
I listened to an audio version, which probably increased my dislike of the characters from my side of the Atlantic, but which was otherwise excellently performed. I look forward to seeing/hearing what happens next… but with that singular reservation.
The timeline and location jumps around quite a bit, but in fact this turns out to be an effective way of telling how DELIO does escape and how this impacts the world, whilst at the same time describing how this AI monster was created. The characters impacted in New York and London are a mixed bunch who each have something of their own story told. The best is a NYC cop who’s about to kill himself when it all kicks off. The worst are all of the British characters, each being irritating beyond belief and totally over the top.
This is the opening episode of a longer story. In effect it’s a scene setter. I like apocalyptic tales. They give the writer free range to describe situations we’ve never witnessed, to create a world from scratch. Ok, it’s a damaged world, but the rules we are governed by are all ripped up, and a new order needs to be created. Unless it’s complete disorder, of course. It’s too early to know which way this one will go, but by the end of this episode we’ll have already received a big pointer suggesting one likely direction. It does sound interesting.
I listened to an audio version, which probably increased my dislike of the characters from my side of the Atlantic, but which was otherwise excellently performed. I look forward to seeing/hearing what happens next… but with that singular reservation.
March 23, 2023
Absolutely outstanding! I got so invested so quick I forgot to add it on here when I started it! After reading a few meh books this one has definitely dragged me out of my little slump. Characters again were amazing and I’m so invested!
May 12, 2023
Utterly brilliant, fantastic... excellent.
I was absolutely transfixed from beginning to end.
Delio is full of well crafted and relatable characters, thought provoking storytelling interwoven with philosophy, humour and a slow, ever creeping dread.
Just read it. 5 stars.
I was absolutely transfixed from beginning to end.
Delio is full of well crafted and relatable characters, thought provoking storytelling interwoven with philosophy, humour and a slow, ever creeping dread.
Just read it. 5 stars.
March 17, 2023
Gritty, shocking and thought provoking
Brutal but intriguing look at a world where advanced technology can put the future of humanity in jeopardy. How would humans with all their quirks, weaknesses and strengths manage is such an environment ?
This pulsating multi thread story line brilliantly lays bare the lengths disparate groups banded together take to face their demons as their lives come face to face with the shocking impact of technology running amok.
You stop reading, briefly, to ponder “how would I react in such circumstances ?” as RR weaves the harsh scenarios into life changing realities. Superb read !
Brutal but intriguing look at a world where advanced technology can put the future of humanity in jeopardy. How would humans with all their quirks, weaknesses and strengths manage is such an environment ?
This pulsating multi thread story line brilliantly lays bare the lengths disparate groups banded together take to face their demons as their lives come face to face with the shocking impact of technology running amok.
You stop reading, briefly, to ponder “how would I react in such circumstances ?” as RR weaves the harsh scenarios into life changing realities. Superb read !
Read
May 6, 2023This was really bad - very written by a man
May 30, 2024
Honestly, his books are like watching a movie!!
March 19, 2023
RR Haywood did it again!
This authors imagination is brilliant, this book left me craving more and to find out what happens next. I’ll be listening to it on Audible as soon as it’s out as that’s my favourite way to devour his many different books. I love the way he writes banter between characters and listening to it rather than reading it always makes it even more funny and enjoyable for me.
Anyhoo, I highly recommend this book (and all his other books!)
This authors imagination is brilliant, this book left me craving more and to find out what happens next. I’ll be listening to it on Audible as soon as it’s out as that’s my favourite way to devour his many different books. I love the way he writes banter between characters and listening to it rather than reading it always makes it even more funny and enjoyable for me.
Anyhoo, I highly recommend this book (and all his other books!)
March 27, 2023
Refreshing. Challenging. Graphic. Funny
I bought DELIO. Phase One because the premise sounded interesting. Not really new but a new perspective. The structure of the multiple plot lines is the challenging part. But given a little patience, it starts to feel natural. One thing that motivates the reader are the characters. You want to say they're stereotypes, but they're so much richer. And you know this is Book 1, so it's going to stop somewhere you don't want it to. So you keep thinking, Don't stop yet! don't stop yet. But it does. Rats! Yes, I think there's room in the budget for Book 2!
Go read this book!
I bought DELIO. Phase One because the premise sounded interesting. Not really new but a new perspective. The structure of the multiple plot lines is the challenging part. But given a little patience, it starts to feel natural. One thing that motivates the reader are the characters. You want to say they're stereotypes, but they're so much richer. And you know this is Book 1, so it's going to stop somewhere you don't want it to. So you keep thinking, Don't stop yet! don't stop yet. But it does. Rats! Yes, I think there's room in the budget for Book 2!
Go read this book!
September 24, 2023
Great concept but disappointing end
This book started so well and the concept behind it was brilliant.
As the novel progressed, the back story of how DELIO came to be was the best part of the story. Along the way, the author introduces many characters, some of which don’t really have any bearing on the overall storyline. The account of Gabriella in particular was exceptionally well written.
The ending took me by surprise and left me with so many questions. How did DELIO get out? What was the relevance of the pacemaker that Ruiz omitted from his application form?
This has the basis of a best seller, possibly even a movie adaptation but it needs to be extensively rewritten.
The ending was either rushed or the author plans on releasing a sequel, this wasn’t hinted at or stated however.
This book started so well and the concept behind it was brilliant.
As the novel progressed, the back story of how DELIO came to be was the best part of the story. Along the way, the author introduces many characters, some of which don’t really have any bearing on the overall storyline. The account of Gabriella in particular was exceptionally well written.
The ending took me by surprise and left me with so many questions. How did DELIO get out? What was the relevance of the pacemaker that Ruiz omitted from his application form?
This has the basis of a best seller, possibly even a movie adaptation but it needs to be extensively rewritten.
The ending was either rushed or the author plans on releasing a sequel, this wasn’t hinted at or stated however.
June 12, 2023
Decent plot but badly written. Reads like young adult fiction with underdeveloped, one-dimensional characters, unnatural dialogue, jumping from storyline to storyline and overusing repetition.
April 15, 2023
I loved the Extraction series and wanted to love this so much. I didn’t
One great character Tripal. The rest I was hoping the aggressive AI would put out of their misery.
The repetition was nausea producing.
Not what I was hoping for
One great character Tripal. The rest I was hoping the aggressive AI would put out of their misery.
The repetition was nausea producing.
Not what I was hoping for
October 6, 2023
Well, let's do some math. Four stars for the fiction part (of the science fiction whole). Fiction being the characters, the people who carry the story, push and pull and twist, each of them with their own darkness, their own past, that part is well written and made me read late into the night.
Next comes the science part. No spoilers - but you already know there is this first self aware AI at the centre of the story. The source of its self awareness is, well, that was one cheap trick, I though, but so be it, let it go, it's the story that matters, yes? And then I kept reading and discovering what this one and only AI can do, and there isn't even a slightest attempt at some sort of scientific explanation behind all that, some inner logic, anything really. That got to me. I can take a stretch of imagination if it involves a coherent system that makes sense within a story (for example the science in Star Trek universe), set of axioms from which a reader can more or less interpolate the possibilities, walk step in step with the author. So, no points for the science part.
Negative points for the ending. It is the first volume, I know, but it ends in such a cliffhanger that I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry (over my wasted time). That cliffhanger looks to me suspiciously like if the author painted himself into a corner. I know there needs to be some unfinished business that picks up in the next volume, but this, this is too much.
The whole book's premise hangs on this situation where most of the people on the planet are 'frozen' and it is up to two ragtag teams to do something about it. By the end of the book people are still frozen, the teams are still trying to do 'something' - the whole book is as frozen on the last page as it was on the first, with some flashbacks in between. The first chapter gives you a hint of the 'how' (it happened), the rest of the book gives you the 'why'. The 'now what?' hangs unchanged from the beginning to the end.
In the afterword the author says: "DELIO was written three years ago, but really it was created over decades of daydreaming about what would happen if everyone was frozen still. What would that look like? How would it sound? What about cars and planes and trains and things in motion? And why would everyone freeze? What would be the reason? I was captivated by those thoughts and over the years I’ve spent countless hours daydreaming about that exact scenario."
Well, after reading this book I think that this 'frozen world' is nothing more but a darling that needed to be killed.
Going back to the math - my sum total for this book is two stars. I finished it, after all. Now what?
Next comes the science part. No spoilers - but you already know there is this first self aware AI at the centre of the story. The source of its self awareness is, well, that was one cheap trick, I though, but so be it, let it go, it's the story that matters, yes? And then I kept reading and discovering what this one and only AI can do, and there isn't even a slightest attempt at some sort of scientific explanation behind all that, some inner logic, anything really. That got to me. I can take a stretch of imagination if it involves a coherent system that makes sense within a story (for example the science in Star Trek universe), set of axioms from which a reader can more or less interpolate the possibilities, walk step in step with the author. So, no points for the science part.
Negative points for the ending. It is the first volume, I know, but it ends in such a cliffhanger that I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry (over my wasted time). That cliffhanger looks to me suspiciously like if the author painted himself into a corner. I know there needs to be some unfinished business that picks up in the next volume, but this, this is too much.
The whole book's premise hangs on this situation where most of the people on the planet are 'frozen' and it is up to two ragtag teams to do something about it. By the end of the book people are still frozen, the teams are still trying to do 'something' - the whole book is as frozen on the last page as it was on the first, with some flashbacks in between. The first chapter gives you a hint of the 'how' (it happened), the rest of the book gives you the 'why'. The 'now what?' hangs unchanged from the beginning to the end.
In the afterword the author says: "DELIO was written three years ago, but really it was created over decades of daydreaming about what would happen if everyone was frozen still. What would that look like? How would it sound? What about cars and planes and trains and things in motion? And why would everyone freeze? What would be the reason? I was captivated by those thoughts and over the years I’ve spent countless hours daydreaming about that exact scenario."
Well, after reading this book I think that this 'frozen world' is nothing more but a darling that needed to be killed.
Going back to the math - my sum total for this book is two stars. I finished it, after all. Now what?
May 11, 2023
( Format : Audiobook )
"How many colours in a rainbow?"
Ingenious story, but it is the way in which it is told that makes this book exceptional. A timeline divided essentially between now and ten years before, an AI kept isolated from the world with one of her two creators in the past, a handful of broken characters in the present, divided between London and New York, plenty of dialogue and, especially, reinforcing repetition such as 'Frozen. Unmoving. Unblinking', 'What's it all about, Alfie?' and 'Thick and black around her eyes, thick and red around her lips' which give an almost hypnotic lilt to the text, bringing the reader back often after a flurry of blood and violence.
Narration was performed with great skill and power by Laura Aikman. She has great pacing, fine modulation and skill voicing the numerous protagonists, involving the reader in such a way that she almost fades out leaving only the characters and the very visual situations. She is also interrupted on occasions by Vikas Adadm, who tells Tripak's j story, further background information, again with perfect modulation, and providing brief intervals of change of pace. Together, they give an excellent performance.A
This is not my usual choice of book genre but both the simple cover design and the title appealed to me and, since it came as a free download with the Audible Plus programme, I took a chance. So glad I did.
"How many colours in a rainbow?"
Ingenious story, but it is the way in which it is told that makes this book exceptional. A timeline divided essentially between now and ten years before, an AI kept isolated from the world with one of her two creators in the past, a handful of broken characters in the present, divided between London and New York, plenty of dialogue and, especially, reinforcing repetition such as 'Frozen. Unmoving. Unblinking', 'What's it all about, Alfie?' and 'Thick and black around her eyes, thick and red around her lips' which give an almost hypnotic lilt to the text, bringing the reader back often after a flurry of blood and violence.
Narration was performed with great skill and power by Laura Aikman. She has great pacing, fine modulation and skill voicing the numerous protagonists, involving the reader in such a way that she almost fades out leaving only the characters and the very visual situations. She is also interrupted on occasions by Vikas Adadm, who tells Tripak's j story, further background information, again with perfect modulation, and providing brief intervals of change of pace. Together, they give an excellent performance.A
This is not my usual choice of book genre but both the simple cover design and the title appealed to me and, since it came as a free download with the Audible Plus programme, I took a chance. So glad I did.
June 26, 2023
I enjoy nearly every book I read from RR Haywood, and this was very similar to the recent ones he has written – action packed, hodge-podge group of characters, weird humor, and then inappropriate language/behavior/actions, etc.
I guess I don’t really know why this is called “The Hive”. And the book does not have an ending – just a giant cliffhanger, which is kind of annoying. The author did well with painting a “typical” British scene and a “typical” American scene. I also liked how he had interesting diversity in his character choices. Evil AIs are very scary and some of this book did make me feel uneasy (there are several trigger warnings for it).
I hope the next one comes out soon. But I have a feeling RR Haywood will move to something in between this book and book 2…
Audiobook narrators Laura Aikman and Vikas Adam rating: 4.4 stars
I had never heard Laura Aikman narrate before, and she was great. It was impressive how her normal narrating voice was British and then she would switch to American so effortlessly, then back to British. Vikas is good as usual, but he wasn’t as good as Laura at going from American to British to American.
I guess I don’t really know why this is called “The Hive”. And the book does not have an ending – just a giant cliffhanger, which is kind of annoying. The author did well with painting a “typical” British scene and a “typical” American scene. I also liked how he had interesting diversity in his character choices. Evil AIs are very scary and some of this book did make me feel uneasy (there are several trigger warnings for it).
I hope the next one comes out soon. But I have a feeling RR Haywood will move to something in between this book and book 2…
Audiobook narrators Laura Aikman and Vikas Adam rating: 4.4 stars
I had never heard Laura Aikman narrate before, and she was great. It was impressive how her normal narrating voice was British and then she would switch to American so effortlessly, then back to British. Vikas is good as usual, but he wasn’t as good as Laura at going from American to British to American.
May 4, 2024
This authors style of writing is really recognizable. I love being able to tell it's a book by this specific author and be reminded of other great books he wrote just by style alone. The sense of making a very serious situation and tragedy digestable with a witty style of writing is so fun.
I really enjoyed the plot and characters but just was a bit frustrated with the lack of any conclusion. Right when things were starting to pick up into something meaningful it ended. So it's a whole lot of build up with a payoff that was out of reach. I really hate not getting something to work with. Despite that complaint it was still a wonderful time.
The plot was slow building up this mystery on how the opening scene came to be. You knew the answer but getting the frequent flashbacks to see what led up to it was entertaining. It was more of a character focused story though overall as the plot didn't really get too complicated. You really dive in deep into the turmoil some of these main characters went through that is leading them to be very unlikely heroes. Again, just wish there was some more conclusive stuff revealed in this first book.
The voice actress on the Audible version made this feel like listening to a full cast, she's very talented and really breathes so much life into these characters.
I really enjoyed the plot and characters but just was a bit frustrated with the lack of any conclusion. Right when things were starting to pick up into something meaningful it ended. So it's a whole lot of build up with a payoff that was out of reach. I really hate not getting something to work with. Despite that complaint it was still a wonderful time.
The plot was slow building up this mystery on how the opening scene came to be. You knew the answer but getting the frequent flashbacks to see what led up to it was entertaining. It was more of a character focused story though overall as the plot didn't really get too complicated. You really dive in deep into the turmoil some of these main characters went through that is leading them to be very unlikely heroes. Again, just wish there was some more conclusive stuff revealed in this first book.
The voice actress on the Audible version made this feel like listening to a full cast, she's very talented and really breathes so much life into these characters.
November 13, 2023
Some good characterisation going on here, though the characters themselves seem a little too stereotypical (the nerdy tech guy, the misanthropic drunken NYC cop, etc). Started off well, and I liked the way we kept going back and forth between the story arcs, sometimes even from paragraph to paragraph. However the premise of how the AI takes advantage of the people at the base isn't plausible. Why put in an enormous amount of security measures and an EMP kill switch if you have a bunch of obviously unstable and easily influenceable characters going in and out of the facility when they please? Ollie in particular, who is clearly on the autistic spectrum, wouldn't be let anywhere near the AI, despite being its co-creator. In reality they would be seen as the weakest link in the safeguarding against the AI and would be monitored as such. I also found the chapter relating to the holocaust backstory to be unpleasant to read - it's as though the author suddenly got bored half way through the novel and decided to write a compressed version of Schindler's list. There wasn't a satisfying conclusion to the novel, either. I felt as though I had invested a lot of time in the characters for little payoff. I don't feel interested enough to continue with the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2024
I read this book because another Goodreads reader suggested it for me. I’m a fan of post apocalyptic fiction so, this not being a zombie book, I was intrigued.
Here we are introduced to two groups of survivors who didn’t freeze when an AI suddenly and inexplicably freezes almost all of humanity. One group is in London and the other in New York.
In New York a drunken police detective, a Sikh 7-11 clerk, an annoying Cockney female and a lot of homeless heroin addicts remain unfrozen while the streets are filled with people who are frozen. One wonders, with the millions of Americans who are taking prescription drugs and other medications, why it’s these people who escape the big freeze.
In London a Romanian woman who has been trafficked, a drug courier (who is really a nice guy) and a couple of heroin addicted veterans are the unfrozen.
We’re taken inside the brothel where there are graphic scenes of rape and abuse and we’re also treated to the woman’s brutal revenge upon the mistreaters while they’re frozen. Somehow I didn’t find it at all satisfying.
The Hive, although an interesting case study of various types of wrong behavior, didn’t grab me enough to pursue the series.
Here we are introduced to two groups of survivors who didn’t freeze when an AI suddenly and inexplicably freezes almost all of humanity. One group is in London and the other in New York.
In New York a drunken police detective, a Sikh 7-11 clerk, an annoying Cockney female and a lot of homeless heroin addicts remain unfrozen while the streets are filled with people who are frozen. One wonders, with the millions of Americans who are taking prescription drugs and other medications, why it’s these people who escape the big freeze.
In London a Romanian woman who has been trafficked, a drug courier (who is really a nice guy) and a couple of heroin addicted veterans are the unfrozen.
We’re taken inside the brothel where there are graphic scenes of rape and abuse and we’re also treated to the woman’s brutal revenge upon the mistreaters while they’re frozen. Somehow I didn’t find it at all satisfying.
The Hive, although an interesting case study of various types of wrong behavior, didn’t grab me enough to pursue the series.
July 19, 2023
I bought this on a whim at a reduced price based on an interesting synopsis and excellent reviews.
The story is interesting enough but I stopped reading at chapter 10 because the writing was unbearable.
'Washed-up cop' clichés (did we mention that he's washed-up?), and jumping between character arcs from one sentence to another, the book reads like somebody narrating an action movie script. There are so many short sentences written in simple tense.
"No air. No blood. On and off. Faster and faster. Images flash through her mind. Images of her life."
Add to that the endless cruciendo of 'the event' which reminds me of the never-ending gif of a truck driving into a pole but never quite reaching. I was starting to empathise with Yelena as I felt the author strangling me but never quite killing me.
Just wait for the inevitable Netflix series because the screenplay is already written for them.
The story is interesting enough but I stopped reading at chapter 10 because the writing was unbearable.
'Washed-up cop' clichés (did we mention that he's washed-up?), and jumping between character arcs from one sentence to another, the book reads like somebody narrating an action movie script. There are so many short sentences written in simple tense.
"No air. No blood. On and off. Faster and faster. Images flash through her mind. Images of her life."
Add to that the endless cruciendo of 'the event' which reminds me of the never-ending gif of a truck driving into a pole but never quite reaching. I was starting to empathise with Yelena as I felt the author strangling me but never quite killing me.
Just wait for the inevitable Netflix series because the screenplay is already written for them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
Time is immutable. It cannot be challenged, nor can it be stopped. You can’t go back any more than you can go forward. But sometimes. Just sometimes. Life has other plans.This is the first Haywood book I've read; I usually listen to them with my hubby. We both read the kindle book this time and I checked - there were new narrators for this audio. Hopefully he will continue with Colin Morgan, who is an amazing narrator, even if DELIO's duo was good.
DELIO draw me in immediately, like all previous Haywood books. It freaked me out. It made me feel ALL the feels. Haywood has a way of bringing humanity's ugliest and most beautiful qualities to the fore. He doesn't shy away from that which we don't want to see, so we can't either.
I'm so anxious for the rest of the trilogy! While not left on a cliffhanger, it certainly leaves you wondering what Deli has planned for the next phase(s).
May 24, 2023
Thoroughly DELIO-ightful
🧡 A dynamic duo in over their heads, an AI breakthrough, and a world frozen: all the ingredients I need for a good time. And to top it all off, it was funny. I particularly enjoyed Poppy’s very British humour, like how we make jokes to alleviate any awkwardness/anxiety/passing of time.
💚 Cannot wait for the next instalment.
Soundbite
🎧 Spotless production. Loved it for excellent signposting of who was talking, for all the characterisation but especially the voice of DELIO, and for casting two veteran narrators in Laura Aikman and Vikas Adam.
Find more bird’s eye view audiobooks reviews at Audiobooks Nest.
March 15, 2023
Addictive, Fast Paced, Scare the Crap out of you A.I. Reality!
This is reality and sci-fi all wrapped into one scary fast paced “fiction”. RR Haywood is an amazing, brutally honest, funny indie author who brings characters to life like no other. I’ve read many of his series and this one did not disappoint. You are drawn into the characters so quickly that you miss them when you’re not reading. You then can’t wait for the next book when finished. All so relatable and flawed and heroic at once. Not for the faint of heart but highly recommend to someone looking for a change of pace from the usual fiction formulas. Don’t wait, read it now!!
This is reality and sci-fi all wrapped into one scary fast paced “fiction”. RR Haywood is an amazing, brutally honest, funny indie author who brings characters to life like no other. I’ve read many of his series and this one did not disappoint. You are drawn into the characters so quickly that you miss them when you’re not reading. You then can’t wait for the next book when finished. All so relatable and flawed and heroic at once. Not for the faint of heart but highly recommend to someone looking for a change of pace from the usual fiction formulas. Don’t wait, read it now!!
March 23, 2023
DELIO. Phase One. (The Hive. Book 1)
Wow! Firstly I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy this book, just didn’t seem my genre. Secondly I didn’t believe RR Haywood would be able to write another series as brilliant as The Undead.
I was so wrong on both counts. I read this in two days. Absolutely loved it! The characters are all likeable, and normal people, the storyline is just brilliant, it’s original and as with all Haywood’s books his style of writing enables you to visualise everything going on in your head because he’s just so darn good at writing!
Seriously pick up this book and read it! Enjoy it, then go for another of his series you won’t be disappointed!
Wow! Firstly I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy this book, just didn’t seem my genre. Secondly I didn’t believe RR Haywood would be able to write another series as brilliant as The Undead.
I was so wrong on both counts. I read this in two days. Absolutely loved it! The characters are all likeable, and normal people, the storyline is just brilliant, it’s original and as with all Haywood’s books his style of writing enables you to visualise everything going on in your head because he’s just so darn good at writing!
Seriously pick up this book and read it! Enjoy it, then go for another of his series you won’t be disappointed!
June 10, 2023
Just Brilliant
My partner and I love R R Haywood and we really love the Undead, so we were very excited to see this new story out while we were waiting for the next in the Undead Series.
My partner in particular is a big fan of AI and so this book was right up our street. We enjoyed every single page. Sometimes you can read a book and get annoyed when the story switches to different perspectives or timelines, but I was excited for every switch, because I enjoyed every narrative that played out in this book.
Would really recommend and very much hope there will be more to this series.
My partner and I love R R Haywood and we really love the Undead, so we were very excited to see this new story out while we were waiting for the next in the Undead Series.
My partner in particular is a big fan of AI and so this book was right up our street. We enjoyed every single page. Sometimes you can read a book and get annoyed when the story switches to different perspectives or timelines, but I was excited for every switch, because I enjoyed every narrative that played out in this book.
Would really recommend and very much hope there will be more to this series.
June 25, 2023
Excellent, concept is superb and the character build is brilliant lots of familiar troupes from Undead, Extraction, Code etc in the communication and chat between the build ensemble. Plenty more layers to peel back already and plenty of threads to pull.
The out of story in story tale about Gabrielle is brilliant and shows more craft to Heywoods use women as in previous books it is a criticism. I also like Poppy asa character and hope she is a mainstay.
The build for Delio is really interesting and really scary equal measure.
Looking forward to getting dragged into the next series of adventure from Mr Heywood
The out of story in story tale about Gabrielle is brilliant and shows more craft to Heywoods use women as in previous books it is a criticism. I also like Poppy asa character and hope she is a mainstay.
The build for Delio is really interesting and really scary equal measure.
Looking forward to getting dragged into the next series of adventure from Mr Heywood
May 16, 2024
Delio is an okay read.
It is intriguing and starts okay but as we go along things get a bit bogged down and it gets very sluggish as we trip from situation to situation.
Although I was interested in the coming-to-be of DELIO and what was happening as we got into the latter stages it was getting a bit repetitive and long-winded. Once again no main character was particularly likable or were victims of their, admittedly dreadful, circumstances.
In the end, because this is clearly another 'series' book you don't get any proper ending, just a pause ironically.
I don't if I'll pop a look at the other books - sorry.
It is intriguing and starts okay but as we go along things get a bit bogged down and it gets very sluggish as we trip from situation to situation.
Although I was interested in the coming-to-be of DELIO and what was happening as we got into the latter stages it was getting a bit repetitive and long-winded. Once again no main character was particularly likable or were victims of their, admittedly dreadful, circumstances.
In the end, because this is clearly another 'series' book you don't get any proper ending, just a pause ironically.
I don't if I'll pop a look at the other books - sorry.
March 11, 2023
RR Haywood has done it again!
If you have read any RR Haywood Sci fi, you already know he is amazingly talented as a writer and has mind-blowing stories woven with the most believable, lovable, and hilarious characters!
Whether you know his previous books or not, this is a must-read! Haywood has created a world as unbelievably believable as could be! The world's entire population is frozen except the few who must survive and figure out how to continue to survive! What caused everyone to freeze in present position? What can be done to stop the event?
Read this book!
If you have read any RR Haywood Sci fi, you already know he is amazingly talented as a writer and has mind-blowing stories woven with the most believable, lovable, and hilarious characters!
Whether you know his previous books or not, this is a must-read! Haywood has created a world as unbelievably believable as could be! The world's entire population is frozen except the few who must survive and figure out how to continue to survive! What caused everyone to freeze in present position? What can be done to stop the event?
Read this book!
August 6, 2023
I loved this book. As a sci-fi fan of 50 some years, much has been written about artificial intelligence. DELIO is such a fresh take on the potential evils AI can pose to human existence. I love authors who don't hold back on language and gore and allow their characters to speak naturally. Too many writers mollycoddle readers by watering down language, making much of their characters fall flat. With AI currently in the news and realizing AI will be a taking over many areas going forward, I await with excitement and some trepidation if any AIs became self aware.
October 19, 2023
I know I only gave this three stars, but I did enjoy it and hope there is a DELIO Phase 2 at some point.
So why only three - well, I suppose my sense of humour is different, and it went a bit over the top sometimes - for example - the DOG.
In places, I got a bit lost about whether the writer was doing a serious dystopian novel or an unfunny comedy skit.
Having said that I recommend it to anyone who is into Dystopian novels or indeed AI and as I say I hope we get Phase 2 at some time in the future.
So why only three - well, I suppose my sense of humour is different, and it went a bit over the top sometimes - for example - the DOG.
In places, I got a bit lost about whether the writer was doing a serious dystopian novel or an unfunny comedy skit.
Having said that I recommend it to anyone who is into Dystopian novels or indeed AI and as I say I hope we get Phase 2 at some time in the future.
September 1, 2024
The book is probably one of the most well-written by R.R. Haywood. Overall the dialog is much better. However, I don't think he uses an editor, or maybe not a good one. I would have found the story more relatable if the parts set in the U.S. used American English at least for the characters who are American. And he gets some factual things wrong. For example, there are no sergeants in the SEALS because the SEALS are NAVY. Even Marines cannot go to SEAL school. Little things like that, but I guess I have gotten used to reading fact-based science fiction.
March 5, 2023
I've read everything this author has available and I think this is his best work yet! Incredibly good character development and subtle reveals allowed me a really satisfying realisation of some of the characters motivations. And how he draws parallels between very human situations vs those of the AI.
The old woman's backstory wasn't for me as it lacked the sci-fi detachment which allows me to enjoy the darkness of these stories.
I very much look forward to further books in this series.
The old woman's backstory wasn't for me as it lacked the sci-fi detachment which allows me to enjoy the darkness of these stories.
I very much look forward to further books in this series.
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