Customer Reviews

The Enemy (An Enemy Novel)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Enemy is a good read. The pacing and plot are superb. This novel zips along at the speed of light! What stands out for me about this book is not only it's non stop action, but the fact that the author was able to work in some great character development along the way. This is a truly unique cast that we are treated to in this somewhat common story of a disease that kills off or infects the entire adult population of London. I've read quite a few books in this "end of the world" genre and while there's not much new with the storyline, these characters add a freshness to the tale that brings this one up to a new level. I really fell in love with some of these kids!

My only complaint with this one is that the dialogue is somewhat stilted in spots. The pacing of the story is so intense, the dialogue blips sometimes served as a roadblock to a very fast car chase. The author is expert at writing all the action, and I see this one having big appeal to high schoolers and adults. Be forewarned: there is a lot of violence in this story, and a lot of kids die. There are gruesome killings, hints at cannabalism, and disease crazed monkeys. All of this is made more compelling and grotesque because some of the kids involved are quite young. This is not a story for the squeamish.

I hope this continues as a series, as the author has set things up for a great next installment that I look forward to reading. I would give this 4.5 stars, and will recommend this to any fan of apocalyptic/dystopian fiction age 15 and up.

Warning: Contains strong language and scenes of violence, and once you begin reading you will not be able to put it down! This book is filled with heartstopping action and many surprises! If you liked the book called 'The Hunger Games' - this would be like a more violent, more gut-wrenching, more shocking cousin to that book.

If you would like to check out a trailer for The Enemy that does not give any spoilers - [...]

The world has been hit with an unknown disease that turns everyone over 16 into zombie like creatures that seek to kill the children they left behind. The book is set in London and follows the saga of a ragtag group of kids as they try to stay alive in a world turned upside down.

The kids have found refuge in the local supermarket. They have been there a year, but things are getting desperate as the older kids have to travel farther from their store base to find food to keep them alive. The older kids know it is only a matter of time until they cannot hold out any longer and are looking for a way out. They find it when an older boy arrives telling them to come to Buckingham Palace, where there they have set up a safe zone, with food and comfort within the palace walls. Knowing their plight is grim, the older kids decide they should leave the shelter of the store and make a dash to the palace. The story follows them as they make their way across London. Who will survive the trip, and when they get there what will they find?

Little Sam is a nine year old with an imagination who is stolen from the supermarket grounds by the grownups in the opening pages of the book. He keeps his wits and is able to escape only to find himself alone in the big city of London. The book follows his adventures as he strives to stay alive and make his way back to the little sister he left behind in the supermarket. He is a wonderful character who just wants to be a kid again, but is forced to grow up too fast in a world where everyone must take care of themselves.

The book is fast paced with plenty of zombie type violence. The world as Higson creates is a dangerous one and many characters do not survive their odyssey. We never learn why the new disease has affected grownups, but it really doesn't matter. These decomposing, flesh eating creatures are the things nightmares are made of. But they are not the only thing the kids have to worry about. All is not as it seems at Buckingham Palace and the kids have to determine who besides the diseased grownups are the enemy.

At its core the book makes one think how children and young teens would be able to cope and survive if left in a world without adult authority to fend for themselves. They find themselves longing for the structure and love their families provided, and note the unfairness of how they had to grow up too fast. The characters are wonderfully developed and this allows the reader to care about, cheer for and mourn with them. There were twists and turns in the novel I didn't see coming, something that is refreshing. I really enjoyed this one and found it hard to put down. There is a prequel book that will be released in North America later this year. I can't wait to read more about the fascinating world Charlie Higson has created in this series.

THE ENEMY tells of a disease that has struck everyone over the age of sixteen, killing most and turning the rest into cannibal zombies. Young survivors have barricaded themselves in buildings to fight them - and a group of especially determined survivors is running out of food. Offered a safe haven in Buckingham Palace, can they cross dangerous lands to reach it - then survive what it holds? A fine story of survival will reach mature teens seeking vivid leisure reads.

I see to be a sucker for these books where kis are left to there own judgemnt. Honesly, this bok is amazing for people who want a good thrill story.

I bought this book on a recommendation from an employee at Kidsbooks in Vancouver. I was really glad I listened. I read the book in less than two days. Could not put it down. If you like post-apocalyptic YA books, this is your book. It does deal with the issue of the dead reanimated or stricken (Zombies, Strangers, Mothers, and Fathers), who want to find the children and eat them.

Anyone older than 15 has turned into a flesh eating monster, so there are lots of gory scenes. This book and the series (the second book The Dead was just published) are not for the faint of heart. The book makes the reader think about what happens when all the adults are incapacitated or just aren't there to help. What you see is a Lord of Flies-ish like existence for the kids, but add to this the menacing, hungry Mothers and Fathers who are hungry for your flesh and blood.

What is missing, well, I would like to see some stronger girl characters. In the next book, some girls have a little more prominence. Like the other reviewers, if you like Gone, Maze Runner, or the Hunger Games you will like this series. This book reads well for YA and adult readers.

i think this book is awsome! finished it in 1 night I'm only 13, ate up every word for all of u that liked I am legend, read this book. Contains plently of action and can't wait for the next one!
The Enemy

I'm Michael Grant, and I was lucky enough to get to read the Advanced Reader Copy of this book. I have to say: if you like GONE, HUNGER and LIES, you'll like THE ENEMY.

Non-stop action, great characters, surprises at every turn. I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I wished I'd written it. It really stayed with me.

Imagine a disease afflicting everyone over the age of 16. Those it doesn't kill become flesh-eating monsters preying on the children who have been left behind. Where would you live? What would you do? How would you defend yourself from the monsters that see you as food? Author Charlie Higson has imagined just such a scenario in THE ENEMY, an adventure set in post-apocalyptic London where kids have learned to fend for themselves.

THE ENEMY focuses on the Waitrose kids, who have set up their fortress in a supermarket where they have ready access to supplies and can easily defend the windowless building. Arran is the leader, holding everyone together. Achilleus is the warrior, helping kids to hunt and fight. There is Freak and Deke, two adventurous scouts who leave their tag wherever they go. And there is Maxine, the peacemaker who organizes the kids and makes sure no one gets left behind. The children have set up a fairly stable life, but know they can't last in their supermarket fortress forever. They are running out of supplies, and attacks from the flesh-eating adults are becoming more violent and frequent. In the first chapter, they've lost one of the kids to a raid.

When a stranger arrives telling them that there is plenty of food and safety in central London where children have set up a government in Buckingham Palace, they have a tough decision to make. Do they stay at Waitrose and wait out the siege? Or do they join forces with kids at neighboring markets and venture into the unknown in the hopes of finding a place better than what they've left behind?

The strength of THE ENEMY isn't just in Higson's action-packed writing, but in nuanced characters and the conundrums they face as they fight for their survival. When things at the palace aren't exactly as they seem, the Waitrose kids must choose carefully how to align their loyalties and remaining resources. The obvious choice would be to depict a world in which sheer brutality wins. But the novel is more complex than that. Higson's characters reflect the fact that there are many strategies for survival, including the abilities to outwit or simply outrun the enemy. Small Sam, who is abducted by the adults at the beginning of the book, finds that his best strategy is to employ his knack for fitting into small spaces where the grownups can't follow him. He is resourceful and good at hiding, which keeps him alive while he travels across London attempting to reunite with the rest of the Waitrose kids.

THE ENEMY is full of hard choices and interesting conundrums as circumstances pit personalities against each other in a fight not just for survival, but also for dominance. Higson peppers the novel with references to other well-known children's books that feature young people in terrifying circumstances, including PETER PAN, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and ogre tales from the brothers Grimm. As the children start banding together in larger groups and making decisions about how to govern themselves, I couldn't help but think of LORD OF THE FLIES. THE ENEMY is a strikingly modern version of this classic novel --- still taught in many classrooms today --- though it features more variety and complexity in its survival tactics and leadership styles then encountered on that lonely desert isle.

One of the things I enjoyed most about THE ENEMY is the interplay of the characters as their strategies and situations change. At one point, Maxie is left as the leader of the Waitrose kids. The palace has demanded that she use her best fighters to help subdue a neighboring group of children. One of her friends tells her, "There are two types of leaders in this world, Maxie. Wartime leaders and peacetime leaders. And they're totally different. They need different skills. A wartime leader needs to show no weakness. A wartime leader's got to show that one or two individuals don't really matter. What matters is the survival of the group. It doesn't matter...how we win this, just so long as we do." But Maxie is equally as convinced that brutality --- especially against other children --- isn't the answer. How she manages to bridge this conundrum in a situation where all parties are set against compromise is one of the book's great victories. Equally as fascinating is the way Achilleus, who is most inclined to use force as a solution, comes around to see her point of view.

THE ENEMY ends on a cliffhanger, suggesting there will be a second book. There are several mysteries that are unresolved, most notably where the disease comes from, the possibility of a cure, and whether or not the kids will become infected after they turn 16. I'm generally not a fan of "zombie" books, but this novel won me over by the strength of its plotting and characters, and through its sheer force of action and imagination. I found that I really cared about these kids and was rooting for them to win. It also made me want to ask others about what their survival strategy might be if they found themselves in a world like the one presented in THE ENEMY.

Everyone has secret strengths that are sometimes only visible in special circumstances. Higson knows this. Sometimes it takes a zombie novel for the rest of us to be able to see it.

Thrilling, scary and disgustingly graphic are only a few words to describe this zombie novel for young readers. Once you pick it up, it tears you along at break-neck speed! This is not for the easily spooked. This is not for the feint of heart. Read this book .... if you dare.