The Hornets’ Nest
By Neil Mackenzie
Picture this: a world run entirely by bugs, but make it modern. Bees scroll Insectagram. Butterflies are full-blown fashion influencers. And four arthros — a scruffy ant named Anton, the unbothered queen-bee guitarist Honey B, the chaotic-good spider Spyder, and Wiggy, an earwig who could probably hack your school’s WiFi in his sleep — accidentally become the biggest indie band on the planet. They call themselves Them Creepy Crawlies, and once their first record drops, life gets loud, weird, and a little bit dangerous.
Meanwhile, way across the map inside The Nest, Queen Vespa is plotting something huge. Years ago, on the day of her royal wedding, her entire family was poisoned at the table. Vespa survived. Vespa remembered. And Vespa has been waiting. When her revenge plan finally crosses paths with our four favorite bandmates, the story shifts gears so hard you’ll forget to breathe.
What makes The Hornets’ Nest so addictive is how Neil Mackenzie blends two vibes that should not work together — and absolutely do. One half is a glittery, messy coming-of-age band story about going viral, finding your people, and figuring out who you actually are when the whole world is suddenly watching. The other half is a slow-burn revenge thriller starring a queen you’ll want to root for even when you probably shouldn’t. Honey B is the kind of girl-in-a-band you’ll want to be: quiet power, total style, zero interest in the usual rockstar script. Vespa is the morally gray icon your group chat will not stop arguing about.
The writing is funny, fast, and full of details that make this whole insect world feel weirdly real — algae toast at a music festival, dragonflies as private jets, a café called The Bee’s Knees, paparazzi cockroaches yelling outside restaurants. But underneath all the sparkle, the book actually cares about the stuff that matters at this age: friendship, burnout, climate, fame, the people you accidentally hurt, and the people who show up when everything falls apart.
If you love stories with a heroine who bites back, a friend group worth fighting for, and a plot that builds to something you genuinely cannot predict, The Hornets’ Nest is about to be your next obsession. It’s bold, brave, hilarious, and just a little bit feral — basically the literary equivalent of finding your new favorite band before anyone else has heard of them.
Article originally Published in the Summer 2026 Issue.