by T. J. Bass
First published 1984
Tinker serves as a model worker in the Hive, following every rule without question. The authorities grant him sexual activation, and he discovers Mu Ren, a woman who shares his forbidden genetic markers. Their union violates the Hive's strict breeding controls and marks them both as enemies of the state. The Hive towers above its stunted, pink-blooded citizens, a massive organism that views any challenge to its authority as a threat requiring elimination. Outside the controlled environment, half-wild humans struggle to survive as the Hive's citizens hunt them for entertainment and sustenance. Tinker and Mu Ren must decide whether to submit to the system that created them or fight back against impossible odds. Their choice will determine not only their own fate but the future of all humans trapped within the Hive's suffocating embrace.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, speculative-fiction, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: dystopian-society, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Hive
Period: Future
279 pages · Paperback · Methuen
Content warnings: violence