Charlie Higson’s brutal, blood-soaked book The Enemy shows how life would be without adults telling kids what to do. It’s a brilliant concept, but not one to suit readers who don’t like gore! Higson’s thrilling writing leaves the reader in suspense and begging for more; his irresistible pages are so overwhelming that you will find it hard to put down the book.
The novel’s plot is certainly one of its strong points. A terrible disease strikes everyone over the age of fourteen and causes them to either die or turn into hideous and hairless zombies, while the rest struggle to fight them off and find salvation. There is one particular group of kids called ‘the Waitrose crew’, who conveniently live in an abandoned Waitrose supermarket, that are mentioned throughout the book. They join forces with another group of kids called ‘the Morrison crew’ who also conveniently live in a Morrison shop. They all travel with a boy named Jester who surprisingly knows a place where it is ‘safe’. As they leave their safe houses to seek salvation, unforeseeable tragedies occur.
Throughout the novel a number of events occur simultaneously, and readers will be left wondering whether Higson will be able to tie up all the loose ends. While some parts of the story are concluded as the novel draws to a close, Higson leaves certain things hanging, a tactic that will almost certainly encourage you to soak up the sequel.
Overall The Enemy is a gripping read. I’d recommend this book to those who love gore, romance and violence woven together into an awesome adventure.