BOOK REVIEW: The Enemy(Charlie Higson)

Book: The Enemy

Author: Charlie Higson

Rating: 8.5/10

This is the first book in a series Higson has written and he's made a good start


"They thought they would always protect you, You were wrong"


The Illness, The Disaster, whatever you want to call it struck, without warning.Everyone over the age of 14 got ill.

The luckier ones died... those that didn't are people no longer... They are the enemy. They are mindless creatures, with no resemblance to the humans they once were.


We join the Waitrose crew,  one of many groups of kids who have survived in a London populated by mindless Grown-ups who want to eat them.

They are fairly organised and they can fight. They can scavenge food out of the neighbourhood, But that's not enough anymore . Scavenging is becoming dangerous, grown ups are getting more daring and hungry each day.

Contending for food with grown-ups, dogs and the Morrisons crew(another group of kids) is becoming harder.
Then in one trip things change for the worse,   One of their number die, and their leader Arran is bitten.And at Waitrose itself Small Sam, a little kid, is taken.  Meanwhile at Waitrose large numbers of the mutated adults are appearing.The situation is bleak and when a random kid appear from no where offering safety it seems to good to be true.


Now they must embark on a perilous journey through London with the Morrisons crew, all on the advice of a kid in a patchwork cloak. Grown ups are everywhere,  but the promise of a safe sanctuary is worth the risk.


But not all will survive the skirmishes that errupt on their journey to Buckingham Palace and those who do may not like what they find.


Buckingham is to good to be true, few grown ups.The kids their are  organised, defended,  lead by a posh boy called David. Food is in it's multitudes.

But when asked to attack other groups of kids things start fraying, bitterness and feuds errupt and violence seems to be the predominant diplomatic tool. Can the leaders of Waitorse and Morrisons  convince the kids to do what's right not what's safe? and will  the warriors and little kids agree?  David want to rule the world, do they want to follow him?

Meanwhile Small Sam is on his own journey, having escaped his captors and avoided being eaten he will be exposed to the horror of human nature as he falls prey to non infected adults who have resorted to cannabalism  to survive. Him and a wierd kid known only as The Kid   must escape and find thier own sanctuary. In a city where even large groups struggle to survive what chance do little kids have, read to find out.




I really like this book, it doesn't use complex language so suitable for all reading abilities(although prehaps not all ages). The detail in places  is light but still grabs you.
Lots of films,books and tv shows have been made around the subjects of adults disapering, mutating ect ect. But Charlie Higson has done a masterful job that makes you want to read cover to cover non-stop. I can't wait for the rest of the series and hope they live up to the high standard set by this book.

If your a fan of adventure,mystery, with little snippets of gore and horror this book is definetly for you. and even if those aren't your areas ofinterest the way it's written and the struggle to survive in a world with no adults should make you interest.

I recommend going and buying this book if your looking for the traits listed above or just for a completely different experience.

This series shows promise and the next one is already on it's way to me. Give it a go.

(Those in the UK,USA and Germany remember you can buy this book by clicking the links provided below.)

Hope you found this reivew helpful,

The Devonian Book Reviewer

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