Hive: Madders of Time Book One

By D L Orton

⭐️ Finalist for the 2025 Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize - Rated 9.5/10 by the BookLife Prize in Fiction ⭐️

In a crumbling biodome surrounded by endless seas and swarms of microdrones, humanity's last survivors cling to hope.

For Isabel, a dying scientist, and Diego, the man she loves, time is running out-literally. The Earth is ravaged, and the biodome that was meant to save humanity is failing. But when Isabel stumbles upon a long-lost time bridge, the possibility of changing the past emerges, offering one final chance to rewrite history.

There's just one problem: only one person can make the journey.

As they grapple with the weight of impossible choices, love, and regret, Isabel and Diego must decide whether altering the course of time is worth the risk. Will their sacrifice save the future, or will tampering with the past ensure humanity's extinction?

Tense, emotional, and thought-provoking, Hive is a story of survival, love, and the unforgiving paradox of time itself.

Engrossing doomsday thriller spliced with heart, humor, and second chances.

Publishers Weekly

D.L. Orton writes vividly, bringing us right into the scenes.

Independent Book Review

Beneath the story's smart-alecky exterior is a very smart interior, developing character relationships and] time-travel concepts in fresh, imaginative, and strangely relatable directions-considering they involve quantum physics and parallel universes.

Kirkus Reviews

Most remarkable is a longing to continue spending time with each of Hive's characters.

Independent Book Review

A gripping blend of science fiction, post-apocalyptic survival, and time travel intrigue

Manhattan Book Review

Characters that feel real, emotions that hit hard.

BookTrib

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1941368395
• ISBN13: 9781941368398
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Rocky Mountain Press
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

First in a Great Series

Review of Hive: Madders of Time - Book 1 by DL Orton I am a new reader of Orton’s sci-fi adventures in time travel. Evidently, there is a previous time-travel trilogy by Ms. Orton (Between Two Evils) involving the same main characters as this novel (the first of another trilogy), Isabel and Diego. In the Preface, Ms. Orton makes it clear that being new to her “world” will not be a problem…and it wasn’t. I do like science fiction, but I am rather picky about which sci-fi authors I read. Also, full disclosure, I prefer reading murder mysteries and historical fiction novels with the occasional science fiction novel dropped into the mix when I need a change of pace, world, time, etc. I do believe that it takes a different kind of reading for science fiction, and I like that change of pace. I am happy to say that after reading Hive, I have added Ms. Orton to my preferred sci-fi authors list. I also start reading slowly and carefully when reading sci-fi. I never know if the narrative will be filled with technical jargon that I understand better if I read it slowly at first. I really didn’t feel that was necessary as I read the Prologue of Hive…at least not at first. After the Prologue, chapters are called Entry 1, Entry 2, etc. I couldn’t help but hear in my mind a Star Trek captain saying, “Captain’s log Star date…” as I began each “chapter.” Honestly, it took me about halfway through the book to get a grasp of the beginning of each Entry before the chapter narrative began. Once I did understand the intro to each Entry, I realized that the intro sort of grounds the chapter. The intros ARE helpful. As with all books with good stories, I found myself reading faster and faster. I loved the story. I loved all of the characters…even the ridiculous government officials and the “bad guys.” It looks like book 2 in this trilogy is coming out November 2025. I can’t wait!