The Enemy by Charlie Higson

Dec 16, 2010 by Peeptastic

As the days pass, the situation has gone from frightening to terrifying. Kids are being piked off the streets; the barricaded teens are surrounded by flesh-eating zombie adults. When a mysterious traveler arrives with an offer of refuge in London’s Buckingham Palace, they realize that they have no other option. What they can not yet understand is that their intense challenges will not end with their harrowing trip… Another hard-pulsing teen thriller by the author of the Young Bond series.

So, my track record with zombies hasn’t been so good. Not actual zombies, just zombie books. I’ve read a few and most I’ve given up on. Others I’ve rated very, very low. You know what? I liked this very creepy and disturbing book! I’ve been reading so many creepy books lately that I’ve decided to dedicate an entire bookshelf to them. Just in case, you know, you just NEED to read something that’s creepy and disturbing.

I don’t know why I picked The Enemy by Charlie Higson. I guess because I’d been seeing it everywhere and wanted to see what was the draw. It did not disappoint.

So yes, it’s a zombie book. Keep in mind that it’s not a zombie book for kids. It’s more of a zombie book featuring kids. And guess what? There’s a prequel (The Dead) that’s already out in the UK and I’m already trying to get my hands on a copy. It is a very well played out book.

If you had a problem with the Hunger Games and violence amongst kids, I’d suggest you skip this one. It’s graphic and violent and gory. But not in a shocking way. It’s more of a look into what it would be like for kids to survive during the zombie apocalypse.

There is very little downtime as things just keep happening. I don’t think I was ever bored reading it.
Small Sam had to be my favorite character throughout the lot. He was so determined. You’ll see what I mean when you read it. You’ll read it, won’t you?

You have these kids who are trying to get by after a disease leaves them fending for themselves, and all of the adults trying to eat them. These kids do a great job of it. They help one another. They have jobs. They have a clinic. They have defenses set up. They make do with that they have. If kids could be like this without a zombie apocalypse, parents would be beyond ecstatic. I do believe that the world would be a better place But seriously, these kids don’t give up. And we’re right there with them. It’s crazy, but really good. Of course, all the kids in the book aren’t so good. I suppose I can’t have my cake and eat it, too.

A fair warning: don’t get connected to anyone character in the book. There are flesh eating zombies out there, you know! Everyone is fair game!

Something that should have bothered me, but didn’t, was the differing point of views in the book. I liked seeing why a character did what they did or said what they said. Usually, something like that would be so annoying, especially given the amount of characters, but it all worked. One minute you think a character is annoying, then the next minute you’re in their head and you find out just why they’re being that way.

I’d recommend this to anyone who would like one of the better zombie books out there. It’s more than zombies, remember. It’s seeing these kids trying to survive. It’s so well played out that you don’t mind the gory details. It’s very, very believable as well. Need proof? You can read an excerpt here. Definitely worth a read. Surprisingly, it’s mostly free of foul language and sex and all. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Final verdict: 4 out of 5 Rarrs