The Enemy (Enemy Series #1)

( 210 )

Overview

In the wake of a devastating disease, everyone sixteen and older is either dead or a decomposing, brainless creature with a ravenous appetite for flesh. Teens have barricaded themselves in buildings throughout London and venture outside only when they need to scavenge for food. The group of kids living a Waitrose supermarket is beginning to run out of options. When a mysterious traveler arrives and offers them safe haven at Buckingham Palace, they begin a harrowing journey across London. But their fight is far ...

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The Enemy (Enemy Series #1)

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More About This Book

Overview

In the wake of a devastating disease, everyone sixteen and older is either dead or a decomposing, brainless creature with a ravenous appetite for flesh. Teens have barricaded themselves in buildings throughout London and venture outside only when they need to scavenge for food. The group of kids living a Waitrose supermarket is beginning to run out of options. When a mysterious traveler arrives and offers them safe haven at Buckingham Palace, they begin a harrowing journey across London. But their fight is far from over—the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it.
Full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes, The Enemy is a fast-paced, white-knuckle tale of survival in the face of unimaginable horror.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

As the days pass, the situation has gone from frightening to terrifying. Kids are being picked 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.

Publishers Weekly
Lord of the Flies meets 28 Days Later in this disturbing postapocalyptic adventure. Higson (the Young Bond series) presents a kids-only world with shades of Michael Grant's Gone books, though in this case, a disease has turned everyone over the age of 16 into mindless, flesh-eating nightmares, terrorizing and devouring those unaffected. Packs of resourceful kids have holed up in supermarkets, constructing defenses, foraging for supplies, and fighting off feral “grown-ups.” For the group sheltering in a Waitrose store, it's a ceaseless battle for survival, where even the simplest expedition can prove fatal. When the possibility of a haven arrives, the Waitrose kids band with new allies as they make a hazardous trek across London to the promised land: Buckingham Palace. Alternately bleak and defiant, this splatterfest doesn't pull any punches (“The skin blackened, shriveled and split, the overripe flesh inside squeezing out.... This was what happened if any grown-up lived long enough to let the disease run its full course”) nor is any character safe. It's up to a sequel to sort out some plot threads, but this is a solid start. Ages 12-up. (May)
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up—In this dystopian thriller set in London, everyone over 16 is dead or diseased, and youngsters are in constant danger of being eaten by boil-infested grown-ups who roam the streets like zombies looking for children to kill. Led by teens Arran and Maxie and armed with makeshift weapons, a group of kids sets out from the uncertain safety of an abandoned supermarket to travel to Buckingham Palace, where a young messenger promises that food, medicine, and a haven are available. Along the way, Arran is killed. One youngster selfishly decides to stay behind with a secret stash of food and is there to tell Small Sam, who had been abducted and feared dead, where the others (including his sister) have headed. Sam's quest to find Ella parallels the story of the large group with similar run-ins with marauding adults and mistrustful children who scavenge about the city. The bleak setting is filled with decay, danger, and puss-oozing parents who have turned into butchers. On arriving at Buckingham Palace, Maxie decides that David, the teen leader there, is too tyrannical, and she must regain control of her brood and convince them to leave for a new location. The last chapter squelches any real hope for the future and will leave readers somewhat haunted and chilled about the doomsday scenario. Descriptive and suspenseful, this title is similar to but less imaginative than Patrick Ness's "Chaos Walking" series (Candlewick).—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Kirkus Reviews
Nearly two years ago, the world changed; everyone over 16 became horrifically ill and began to crave fresh meat. As supplies are exhausted and the vicious grown-ups grow braver, Arrum and Maxie, along with their band of refugees, must embark on a perilous journey across London to reach the safest spot in the city: Buckingham Palace. Multiple narrators both propel the action and provide an abundance of danger-wrought scenarios. Such division weakens character development somewhat, however, leaving the lead teens rather thin in personality-but this story's all about plot, anyway. Higson does an admirable job developing the survivalist theme; the addition of the crazed adults to the subgenre raises this above similar works, such as Michael Grant's Gone series. Avoiding many English colloquialisms, the text will be easily understood by an American audience, and readers unfamiliar with London's geography will appreciate the endpaper maps. Intrigue, betrayal and the basic heroic-teens-against-marauding-adults conflict give this work a high place on any beach-reading list. (Suspense. YA)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781423131755
  • Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
  • Publication date: 5/18/2010
  • Series: Higson's The Enemy Series , #1
  • Pages: 448
  • Sales rank: 137,230
  • Age range: 14 - 17 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.90 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 1.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Charlie Higson is an acclaimed writer of screenplays and novels, and also a performer and the co-creator of the British television programs The Fast Show and Bellamy's People. He is an expert on James Bond and is the author of the internationally best-selling Young Bond series. Charlie, a big fan of horror movies, is hoping to give readers many sleepless nights with the Enemy series. He lives in London. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/monstroso.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 210 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(132)

4 Star

(45)

3 Star

(11)

2 Star

(7)

1 Star

(15)

Your Rating:

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 211 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 20, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Great Imaginations Review of The Enemy

    There are exactly 665 ratings of this book on Goodreads. Only 665. It's a travesty. Why? This has to change. I'm going to do my part to help it along. There's an influx of dystopian and zombie novels as of late. It's the latest craze apparently. So why is the best one I have read yet not more popular? I don't get it!

    I'm not saying the others aren't good, but The Enemy is like a non-stop roller coaster ride. And there isn't a single lull in the action. It's full of gore, heart-stopping moments, and places where I forgot to breathe I was so scared. And the best part? There's a second book!

    Look I'll admit that the idea of "grown-up" zombies feeding on children is a slightly amateurish idea. But I promise you that the minute you start reading, you will completely forget this.

    Some of my reviews get technical where I talk about story elements, pacing, characterizations, and the like, but I don't really want to do that with this review. It's not necessary. Charlie can write a killer action story and that's all you need to know. He's not afraid to do what he needs to do to keep the story moving along, even if things have to get really scary.

    I guess I would call this a young adult novel. But it's very violent. You know how the Hunger Games is violent? I think this is even worse than that. I found myself cringing in a lot of places. But it didn't really bother me. I really, really loved this book. Zombies are like my favorite thing to read about lately. I don't really see that changing anytime soon. They scare the bejeezus out of me.

    So do me a favor. If you love dystopians, if you love reading about zombies, you need to add this one to your TBR list. Then you need to click on that list and move this book to the top. After you read it, come back here and let me know what you thought. I can't think of a single person that I wouldn't recommend this book to.

    13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 15, 2010

    Could be the beginning to a great series

    I found this book by accident and I'm very glad i did! Unlike a lot of stories, it doesn't just follow one main plot with one main character. Instead there are several thrilling, action packed story lines with the reader getting to see through many different characters perspectives. I was hooked by the end of the first page and ended up finishing the book in one day. After the cliff hanging ending, I am now eagerly awaiting the sequel!

    7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 25, 2010

    The most terrifying zombie book I've ever read...

    The Enemy / 978-1-423-14504-2

    I'm a big fan of zombie lit, and have read quite a lot of what's out there, but I can honestly say that "The Enemy" scared me far more than most anything else I've read.

    "The Enemy" starts hard and fast by plopping us in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, as a rag-tag band of kids struggle to survive against the infected grown-ups. We rapidly learn that some time ago, everyone over about sixteen became incredibly sick and eventually started shambling around killing and eating the uninfected children. The children that have survived thus far have banded together into small, tightly-knit tribal groups, struggling to eke out some semblance of survival. Without any adults to guide them, the children hover between disaster-induced maturity and touching youthful naivete, as the older of the children try to look out for the smallest and youngest in the groups.

    Part of what makes "The Enemy" so frightening is that the reader is frequently and harrowingly terrified for the young protagonists. Author Higson does a wonderful job of characterizing the many children that fill the pages of this excellent novel - the point of view switches frequently between the children, and each child is fleshed out thoroughly and realistically. The children are attuned enough to the realities of the situation to allow the reader to identify with and care for them, but they still make enough foolish mistakes to retain their childlike status in the eyes of the reader. And once the reader becomes intimately familiar with all the characters, and grows to like them, the dangers of Anyone Can Die really hit home - this is not a book where battles feel bland and anti-climactic because you *know* none of your favorite characters will get offed.

    I really cannot rave enough about the wonderful writing here - everything from the world-building to the characterization to the point-of-view switches is done remarkably well. The switches between the characters always flow naturally and never feel forced or clunky or cheap. The children are often delightfully Genre Savvy, as you would naturally expect urban children familiar with zombie lore to be, but always remain ultimately vulnerable, particularly as things get worse and the younger children are forced to confront the horrors of this new world. And the world building is done so well that I started to become deeply concerned about the fate of the older children - is the danger of infection over for them or are they inexorably doomed like their parents?

    If you like zombie books even a little bit, then you will love "The Enemy". I'm not 100% certain about the age target audience - personally, I found this book to be terrifying, and I'm an *adult*, but probably older kids can handle it as a solid horror/adventure story written from their perspective. While there is no sexual content, there is quite a bit of horror and violence, obviously, so do keep that in mind when shopping.

    ~ Ana Mardoll

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 3, 2012

    20 + Stars for this incredible book!

    WOW. JUST WOW. I read alot, and have written many reviews lately, but this book truly blew me away. Gripping, fast paced, extremely well written. Keeps you guessing. I was wary to read a zombie thriller, but im so glad i chose this book. It has quickly climbed into my top five, possibly top three, and I have read close to 100 fantasy fiction style books in a little over a years time. I am 27, and absolutely LOVED this book. Immediately bought the second, and have devoured 8 chapters of it already. 303 pages in the book. I easily read 100 or more pages at a time; tried to pace myself but just couldnt, i had to know what happened to the characters. I promise you will love this book, so many twists and turns. Off the charts. Happy reading everyone!

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 9, 2010

    Awesome!

    Great book. Thrilling an it will keep you guessing what will happen next. It has a suspenseful ending that keeps me yearning for the next book.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 7, 2012

    This book is AWESOME!!!!!!

    This book by Charlie Higson is action packed and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this to any zombie-lover or action-lover!

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 26, 2011

    BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!

    This is by far the best book i ever read!!!!! Its full of action and fast paced. Which is why i love it so much. I read the first 2 books and now im waiting for the 3rd book. It beat the "Hunger Games Series" and the "Maximum Ride Series" on my list!!! Its great. I totally recomend it! :)

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 21, 2013

    Amazing book

    This is the first book ive ever read where the author does the truly unexpected. As I read this book, I was captivated, griped, and amazed at this authors ability to turn a book into such an amazing possibility for entertainment. I reccomend this book to everyone who is willing to be thrilled, engaged, and has time on their hands to read this gripping novel. Thumbs up to the author!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 15, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    a very very good book, everyone should read this

    i found The Enemy while browsing the teen section at Borders. It is not all that easy to find books like this. The book starts off with a great opening story, that leaves you with some questions that you have to read a little farther to find out. As the book goes on, it has something for everyone. It has action, drama, horror, romance, and zombies. If you like any of these types of writing, then you should find this book, make sure your in a nice comfy spot, and turn the first page. This book also is good at keeping you glued to its pages. each tiny little story is almost over when you finish a chapter, and you feel like you have to keep reading to find out what happens next. One of the major themes in this story is about how well strangers can work together. With all these kids under 16 running around with lead pipes and baseball bats, you would think that this would all go to hell. But it does the exact oppisite. The gropup of kids this book focuses on, is well organized and well defended. Overall, this is a very very good book and i would recomend it to every teen out there. Why? Becuase this book holds your attention and doesnt let go. It has a little something for everyone in the world.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 18, 2012

    Great book

    Cant wait to read the next one

    1 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 10, 2012

    Not good

    I got the sample and read it and it seemed good. So i bought the book. This charged me for the book but i still have the sample and not the book. I want to read this book but i cant.

    1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 21, 2012

    No adult situation

    When reading it i could not get the adult situation that i can in books like rise again the fact that it was kids took some of the mature situation, dialouge, etc. The age level also affect some of the decisions in adults might of made. The concept of the book was good was not bad.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 4, 2012

    Awesome

    I am not even close to page 50 and already its awesome

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 12, 2012

    awesome

    One of the best books ever made

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 1, 2011

    The Enemy

    The Enemy is a great book it has a ton of greatness to it. If you liked the hunger games you will deffently love this book it has 75% fighting 20% of them running away from the zombies and 5% romance i highly recamond this book

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 12, 2010

    This book was not very good

    This book does not go very deep with details or characters. Throughout the book I felt no relation to the characters. It did have a good story, but the writing was not very good. I felt thte characters had hardly any personality, and the characters that did show the most were usually the bad guys. Overall, I would definetly not recommend this book.

    1 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 12, 2013

    Great book

    This was a really good book. You start to care for the characters and even get to see a little about what the zombies are thinking. This book has a lot of zombie action but also deals with the psychological aspect of a zombie invasion. It portrays how I think teens would act in this situation. Great book. Great series

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 1, 2013

    Stop

    Yall need to stop cussing bro

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 27, 2013

    To whoever is below me

    I dont know what the h you are thinking!!!! This is a great book and u should like it. Five stars bro!!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 11, 2013

    THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!

    U should buy this book and the the next 3!

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 211 Customer Reviews
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