Marissa Sliney: Free Press Staff
Everyone old enough to legally drive is dead or diseased. So who’s gunna drive you to the mall? This calamity has run down the whole world but this story takes place in London. Parents, teachers, neighbors, cops, all adults alike who survive are plagues with nauseating puss filled boils and gashes while their brains are so degraded, they turn into animals. Did I mention they’ve developed an appetite for humans? They are so demented from the disease they will do anything to survive.
This story begins a year after the disaster. Kids have grouped together for safety in buildings, away from these monsters. The main focus is on two groups in particular hiding out in supermarkets. The kids of Waitrose and Morrison. Though they have developed means of survival and many kids have found their niche whether it be fighting, inventing, or leading, the adults are growing more aggressive as food dwindles down.
Out of the blue, a mysterious new comer offers them sanctuary at Buckingham palace. No where else to turn they pack up and risk everything to make it through London and to this safe haven.
The kids learn rather quickly Buckingham Palace is not so perfect and the adults are not the only enemy.
My review:
Warning: This book is both dynamic and thrilling but may contain spine tingling suspense. For your safety, keep in mind before reading that your eyes may jump out of your head and run away out of fear. If you choose to read, you accept all of these risks, however be aware of your own physical conditions and limitations. If the heart stopping, jaw dropping tension could irritate any pre-existing condition, get over it and read the book anyway.
In all honesty The Enemy by Charlie Higson is a brilliant book. Higson gives you the reader a wide variety of dynamic characters to pick and choose from. Who is your hero? Who is your enemy? However don’t get attached to any character in particular, because at any moment in this hair raising story of survival anyone can go. These kids face tyranny, deceit, death, constant tragedy, and absolute horror at every sudden jerking twist on this rollercoaster of a plot.
I declare this book anything but a typical novel for the young readers out there.
So many characters have such vivid personalities and pivotal roles it’s hard to choose the main character but easy to find someone to identify with. Don’t be surprised when you’re running through the pages and immersing yourself in the idea of this post-apocalyptic world. Where ever your imagination goes… don’t expect a happy ending.
Read this book and ask these questions: Who am I when there are no more adults to tell me? More importantly, who am I when the adults turn against me? And last but and not least, who is the enemy?