Walden, Mark 1952-

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Walden, Mark 1952-

Personal

Born 1952, in England; married; wife's name Sarah; children: Megan. Education: Newcastle University, B.A. (English literature), M.A. (twentieth-century literature, film, and television).

Addresses

Home—England.

Career

Children's author. Formerly worked as a video-game designer.

Writings

"H.I.V.E." NOVEL SERIES

H.I.V.E.: Higher Institution of Villainous Education, Bloomsbury (London, England), 2006, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2007.

The Overlord Protocol, Bloomsbury (London, England), 2007, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2008.

Escape Velocity, Bloomsbury (London, England), 2008.

Sidelights

Mark Walden's work as a video-game designer came in handy when he decided to change careers and become a writer. His novels in the "H.I.V.E." series feature many of the same qualities that make certain games more popular among teen players: likable characters, an extraordinarily villainous villain, cool superheroes with unusual skills, and the mission of fighting a threat posed by a cabal of conspiratorial, control-seeking adults.

In Walden's series opener, H.I.V.E.: Higher Institution of Villainous Education, readers meet thirteen-year-old Otto Malpense. An orphan, Otto is kidnaped along with dozens of other misbehaving teens. Having demonstrated a penchant for vice, these young people are transported to a secret school located on a remote island and forcibly enrolled in a six-year program designed to produce an alumni roster of successful criminals. Together with martial artist Wing Fanchu, computer geek Laura Brand, and jewel-thief prodigy Shelby Trinity, Otto hatches a scheme to thwart the aims of H.I.V.E. mastermind Dr. Nero and break free from the perverted and authoritarian boarding school. Although remarking that some of the villains in H.I.V.E. are "cartoonish" renditions of the fictional nemeses of James Bond, a Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that "Walden's characters are memorable." Reflecting a similar view, a Kirkus Reviews writer noted that "well-developed characters" and "a world that isn't as far-fetched as one might first surmise" are combined with Walden's "irreverent humor" to produce a fast-moving middle-grade adventure.

Dubbed "fast-moving fun" by Kliatt reviewer Paula Rohrlick, The Overlord Protocol finds Otto and company still trapped at the institute and beginning their second year. When he and Wing are allowed temporary leave to attend Wing's father's funeral, the boys cross the path of Cypher, a vicious supervillain who commands an army of talented and ruthless ninjas. Tragedy strikes after Otto and Wing are forced to be part of Cypher's efforts to obtain a computer intelligence that aids world domination, and Otto must join with Dr. Nero in order to stop the threat to mankind. In Booklist Diana Tixier Herald dubbed The Overlord Protocol "a real page turner" featuring "a wickedly compelling adventure," and School Library Journal critic Eric Norton cited the novel's "plot twists and startling revelations" as the root of its "appeal to [fans of] … action and intrigue."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2007, Francisca Goldsmith, review of H.I.V.E.: Higher Institution of Villainous Education, p. 53; March 1, 2008, Diana Tixier Herald, review of The Overlord Protocol, p. 70.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 2007, April Spisak, review of H.I.V.E., p. 488.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2007, review of H.I.V.E.; December 1, 2007, review of The Overlord Protocol.

Kliatt, January, 2008, Paula Rohrlick, review of The Overlord Protocol, p. 13.

Publishers Weekly, April 23, 2007, review of H.I.V.E., p. 52.

School Library Journal, June, 2007, Walter Minkel, review of H.I.V.E., p. 164; March, 2008, Eric Norton, review of The Overlord Protocol, p. 213.

Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2007, David Goodale, review of H.I.V.E., p. 169.