A review by jenbsbooks
The Enemy, by Charlie Higson
3.0
I've read several stories with a premise of something causing all the adults to die off, leaving kids alone to fend for themselves (The Girl Who Owned a City, Apocalypsis, Gone, Night of the Purple Moon). In addition to any struggles that alone would create, the adults here don't die, but become zombie-ish monsters.
The story is told in a third-person, shifting perspective, from a variety of the kids originating in the Waitrose community (they meet others along the way, but the reader only gets into the heads of the kids we meet initially). It was a bit annoying as the perspective would shift in the different storylines (as the kids were separated). It would always end the chapter on a cliffhanger, and then shift to the other storyline.
This really was a gory story. As many others have mentioned, a "Lord of the Flies" feel. I can see there are several sequels, but I'm not sure I actually liked this enough to want to continue on ...
Although the setting is in England, there wasn't any of the British spellings (I just usually notice when there is, and wonder if it might confuse kids with the alternate lettering), and not much British slang either. I just found it interesting, as this did seem like one that I'd find it in!
The story is told in a third-person, shifting perspective, from a variety of the kids originating in the Waitrose community (they meet others along the way, but the reader only gets into the heads of the kids we meet initially). It was a bit annoying as the perspective would shift in the different storylines (as the kids were separated). It would always end the chapter on a cliffhanger, and then shift to the other storyline.
This really was a gory story. As many others have mentioned, a "Lord of the Flies" feel. I can see there are several sequels, but I'm not sure I actually liked this enough to want to continue on ...
Although the setting is in England, there wasn't any of the British spellings (I just usually notice when there is, and wonder if it might confuse kids with the alternate lettering), and not much British slang either. I just found it interesting, as this did seem like one that I'd find it in!