| The Enemy | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Author | Charlie Higson |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Fourteen |
| Genre(s) | Horror, Young Adult, Thriller |
| Publisher | Puffin Books |
| Publication date | September 3, 2009 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 384 |
| ISBN | 978-0141384641 |
| OCLC Number | 373478708 |
The Enemy is a Young Adult horror novel by Charlie Higson. It is the first book in a series. The Enemy will be published by Puffin Books in the UK and Disney-Hyperion in the U.S.[1]
Contents |
Official summary
Puffin Books plot synopsis [1]
| “ | They’ll chase you. They’ll rip you open. They’ll feed on you...
When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician – every adult – fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city – down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground – the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there – alive? |
” |
Plot
A disease appears all over the world, in which people either die or become a crazed, bloodthirsty killing machine. Only those who stay out of the light or the ones under 14 can survive. Nobody else is immune. In London, England, a group of surviving children make their base in a Waitrose store.
A survivor named Small Sam is playing with action figures when crazed adults kidnap him and take him away. Maxie, the second-in-command of the group, is disappointed in the loss and realises that they will all just be picked off one by one. Meanwhile, a scavenger party, made of Arran (the leader), Achilleus (the tough one), Ollie (The smart one), Freak and Deak (Best friends good at street art) decide to explore a swimming pool building to find an old vending machine. They find it in the pool. However it is a trap. Deak is defeated and dragged away into the pool, dead. Freak is heartbroken. On the battle out of the building, Arran is bitten by a beautiful woman who he recognises, and becomes very ill.
The group return to base at Waitrose. At night, a boy in a patchwork coat ruses to the building for safety. The group rescue him and bring him inside. The boy's name is Jester, and he says he has made a base at Buckingham Palace with a group of other kids. He says that if the group travel there, they will be safe. Arran and Maxie like the idea, but one boy called Callum stays behind, as he is afraid of going outside. The group set off through Camden, on their way to the palace.
Meanwhile, Small Sam awakes in a grown-up base made at Arsenal Stadium. He escapes on an old bike and goes back to Waitrose. He finds Callum there, alone, and he tells Samm that the other kids went on a journey across London to Buckingham Palace. Sam sets off, leaving Callum on his own.
While in Camden, Arran and his group are attacked by adults. Arran, with his illness, ends up going mad. Seven of the group are killed. Just when the grown-ups are retreating, Arran, still mad with illness, chases them. Another group, lead by a girl called Sophie, mistake Arran for a grown-up and shoot him with an arrow. Maxie grabs Arran and he dies in her arms.
Sam makes his way into the London Underground. He is chased through the train tunnels until he finds his way to King's Cross. A man named Nick appears with a shotgun and saves Sam. Nick has made his home in a train with his wife.
Maxie and the group burn the bodies of the kids killed in the battle and, teamed with Sophie's group, contionue the journey to the palace. After looting a mall, they go through a park where zoo animals have escaped. Mutant gorillas kill of several members of the group. They escape and find more kids, losing against a group of grown-ups. One, a small girl, survives when she is rescued by the group. The rest die. Then, they manage to find the palace.
Small Sam wakes up in a prison cell with a girl called Rhiannon. Nick and his wife are actually cannibals and plan to kill and eat Sam and Rhiannon. Another boy, known only as "The Kid", rescues them. On the way out of the tube station, Nick and his wife find them and shoot Rhiannon. Rhiannon uses her last ounce of strength to take out Nick's wife. Sam and the Kid get out and back onto the street. Nick follows with a knife. He is about to kill them both but the disease kicks in because he has been exposed to sunlight. He explodes in boils and blisters and falls over dead. Sam and the Kid escape to the Tower of London, where another group of kids have made base.
Maxie and Ollie find that they don't trust the leader of the palace kids, David. He tells them to go and attack some other kids who have made a base on grounds beloning to David. A group of kids attack the base and wipe out their settlement. Their leader, John, kills Freak. Maxie is in a massive rage and almost kills John, but instead decides to take him hostage.
Callum, back at Waitrose, is dying of lonliness. He notices that the grown-ups are becoming more intelligent. They break into the shop and Callum lets them kill him.
Achillieus challenges John to a fight to the death to claim their land back. Achilleus manages to win by pretending to let his guard down, but, instead of killing John, he humiliates him by kissing him on the lips. Maxie tells the rest of the group that she doesn't trust the palace kids, and they decide to escape. David and Jester attempt to stop them, but Ollie saves them and the go together. But all the while the grown-ups are getting stronger, leaving a cliffhanger for the next novel.
References
- ^ a b "First look at The Enemy". The Young Bond Dossier. http://youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2009/4/6_First_look_at_The_Enemy.html. Retrieved April 6 2009.
External links
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