Bonds Among Men: A Review of The Hive Queen

In her debut novel, The Bond, Robin Kirk portrayed the Weave, a society of women who had figured out how to dispense with men because of their penchant for exploitation and violence. Dinitra, her teenage protagonist, traveled from the Weave to the Bounty, where women also ruled. But because the women of the Bounty hadn’t managed to procreate without men, they kept those men as warriors and slaves under the rule of their mothers. Dinitra and one of those young men, 17-year old Fir, fell in love, a love doomed because Fir remained bonded to his mother and his brothers.

A devastating attack by the Weave upon the Bounty has now led Fir and his 19 brothers on a journey to freedom. In this sequel (which can be read as a stand-alone) he pines for his lost girlfriend and feels guilt over the death of his youngest brother during a perilous river crossing. On a search for the Remedy for a virus with which their mothers have infected them to maintain their loyalty, the battered brothers follow a boy guide to the hive of Queen Odile. Odile possesses a sweet nectar that not only cures the virus but also heals all wounds. It is highly addictive as well, and through it, Odile seduces Fir to abandon his brothers and marry her so she can give birth to her successor queen. She expects Fir to fight for her against her brother Zong, who killed their mother and now menaces the area of the Deep where the escaped men hope to live in peace. Torn between his brothers and Odile, Fir plots his escape from the hive, but his brothers have moved on. As he searches for them, Fir encounters violent gangs and negotiates shifting alliances among commanders, but he also finds surprising allies and the power of love for family and old friends.

The middle volume of Kirk’s science fiction series uses Fir’s perspective as a counterpoint to Dinitra’s. As men and women, their circumstances (and biology) may be different, but their desires for acceptance, friendship, and love are not. Nor are the temptations to abandon their bonds to others for a better chance of survival in a harsh world and a life of ease, addicted to magic potions. Fir may be the leader his mother chose, but he’s not the smartest. In order to survive, he has to rely on his brothers’ talents – particularly the gifted fysic (healer) Thorn. In a world torn by war and built on the leaders’ sacrifice of others, Fir struggles to be better, to take responsibility for his choices and actions, and to work with his brothers to find alternatives that heal and bring peace.