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The Fear (An Enemy Novel, 3) Paperback – Illustrated, May 20, 2014
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DogNut and the rest of his crew, in search of the friends they lost during the fire, set off on a deadly mission from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace and beyond, as the sickos lie in wait. But who are their friends and who is the enemy in this changed world?
- Print length496 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLittle, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication dateMay 20, 2014
- Grade level9 and up
- Reading age14 years and up
- Dimensions5.63 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101484721446
- ISBN-13978-1484721445
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Editorial Reviews
Review
". . . Higson delivers an action-packed summer read."--Kirkus
PRAISE FOR THE ENEMY
"...the action is of the first order-Higson writes with a firestorm velocity that inspires to the sweeping reach of Stephen King's The Stand."--ALA Booklist
PRAISE FOR THE ENEMY
"The Enemy grabs you by the throat . . . and bites off your ear. It's kids versus zombies and no one is playing nice. The action--and boy, is there action--takes us through a London transformed by the unexplained illness that has turned every adult into a shuffling, drooling, kid-crunching machine. Bonus: zombie royals. Sheer fun."--Michael Grant, author of the Gone series
PRAISE FOR THE FEAR
"The third book in Higson's terrifying zombie series will continue to enthrall horror fans."--VOYA
About the Author
Charlie Higson is an acclaimed comedy writer, producer, actor, and genuine James Bond aficionado. He is the author of the adult thrillers Full Whack and King of the Ants the internationally best-selling Young Bond series: SilverFin, Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold, and By Royal Command and four books in the Enemy series.Charlie is a fan of zombie movies and believes that we shouldn't try to prevent young people from experiencing fear, because it helps prepare them for later life. When writingThe Enemy, he kept rachetting up the action and description in an attempt to frighten the pants off his ten-year-old son. He lives in London. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/monstroso.
Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Revised edition (May 20, 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 496 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1484721446
- ISBN-13 : 978-1484721445
- Reading age : 14 years and up
- Grade level : 9 and up
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.63 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #300,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Charlie Higson is an acclaimed comedy writer, producer, actor, and genuine James Bond aficionado. He is the author of the adult thrillers, Full Whack and King of the Ants; the internationally best-selling Young Bond series: SilverFin, Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold, and By Royal Command; and the YA apocalyptic thriller: The Enemy, which he wrote to frighten his ten-year-old son. He lives in London. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/monstroso
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the storyline compelling and engaging with its twists and turns. They describe the book as an entertaining read with good writing quality. Readers appreciate the variety of characters, including children. The book is thought-provoking and exciting until the end.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the engaging storyline. They find it compelling with non-stop action and three separate storylines that are connected in minor ways. The book is described as a fantastic take on post-apocalyptic stories with twists and turns that keep readers hooked until the end. Readers praise the series as epic, gory, and a must-read for fans of zombie stories.
"...It has excitement, twists, action, and some terribly tough, butt-kicking kids!..." Read more
"...This is by far the most intricate well thought out take on infected human zombies that I have ever read/seen/heard of...." Read more
"...The Enemy novels, however, are fantastic works of fiction. I loved reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes good writing...." Read more
"Ever since the first book, I've been sucked into this book series...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They appreciate the original plot with twists and turns that keep them hooked. The story moves quickly without unnecessary filler, making it an enjoyable read.
"...It has excitement, twists, action, and some terribly tough, butt-kicking kids!..." Read more
"...The plot is fun, original, and the characters are very unique. Read it!" Read more
"...An introduction to some new and interesting kids like Shadowman and Paul . And a coming together of the kids from book one...." Read more
"So exciting can’t stop reading , recommended my my 11 year old niece. I wish it was on Audible! Ready for book 4!" Read more
Customers enjoy the writing quality. They find the book engaging and recommend it as a good read.
"...I loved reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes good writing. The plot is fun, original, and the characters are very unique...." Read more
"...5/5 stars. Great author, seriously good writing." Read more
"...Great story. Great author. Great ideas." Read more
"This series is great and very well written. These were among the first zombie books I read and they are among the best...." Read more
Customers enjoy the variety of characters. They mention that most of the characters are children, and the villains are scary, powerful, and often disturbing.
"...are all fabulous characters, for better or for worse, and you want to hear more and more about them...." Read more
"...The villains are scary, powerful, and many times, frankly disturbing and terrifying i.e. The Collector, St. George...." Read more
"...The plot is fun, original, and the characters are very unique. Read it!" Read more
"...There are a lot of characters and many of them die but the author does a good job of keeping you connected to the story by giving you enough time to..." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They describe it as compelling, interesting, and intense until the end. The author has great ideas and creates an intriguing story that keeps readers hooked until the end.
"...The book was very exciting to the end and it seems like he left it open for another book...." Read more
"Interesting but A bit boring. I stopped reading the series after book 3. I love the walking dead but this is nothing like it." Read more
"I love these books, they are compelling, edge of your seat, can't put them down until I read just one more page, lol can't wait for the sequel...." Read more
"Very thought provoking" Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2013The kids of London have survived a lot since the sickness changed all the mothers and fathers into sickos, but they have no idea about the other horrors waiting for them outside their strongholds. In Charlie Higson's third book in the Enemy series, The Fear, the kids are about to learn just how ugly things can get.
DogNut is determined to find Brooke. He isn't the only one who has lost friends or family in the fray of battle. A number of other kids are willing to leave the safety of the Tower to hike across the city and find those they lost. But traveling in London isn't as easy as it used to be. In addition to the dumb, mindless, shambling sickos, there are new kinds who have grown stronger thanks to all the kids they ate, who are growing accustomed to the sun, and who are smarter than anyone could have anticipated. DogNut and the others manage to make their way up the river, but when they get to Buckingham Palace, they find that not all groups of surviving kids are welcoming visitors out of the kindness of their hearts. Some have bigger aspirations.
For David, the ruler of the Palace, ruling all of London is all he can think about. With plenty of other kids to do his dirty work, he has plenty of time to plot against those who spurned him and those who refused to join his group. The girl DogNut is searching for, Brooke, was the one who started it all by taking the truck full of supplies she promised him for his protection and driving off to the Natural History museum to start her own group. While David doesn't want DogNut and the others to know about the group at the museum, DogNut didn't make it this far by being stupid. In fact, he was built for this world, not for holing up in some fortress pretending the world wasn't being devoured by sickos. Unwilling to remain a virtual prisoner, DogNut and his group manages to escape the Palace and David, but what they find outside might be worse than what was hidden inside.
Higson really has a great series going here. My only qualm about it all is that the stories aren't released in chronological order. They jump all around and each book seems to start earlier than the last, but end up later. It can be really confusing, especially when you are reading about something you know already happened, but can't quite fit the puzzle piece into the whole equation. I struggled with this a bit, but I have just allowed myself to sink into each book and enjoy it. It's a shame about the order of the books, because otherwise, this is a near perfect series. It has excitement, twists, action, and some terribly tough, butt-kicking kids!
Even though the sickos aren't true zombies, they still love to eat little kiddies. In fact, they are learning to think and plot and hunt, which, in my opinion, makes then all the more scary. Obviously, this makes the book pretty violent at times, but all the different kids' stories come together to make a true masterpiece. While DogNut was the focus, Courtney, Brooke, Shadowman, Jester, etc. are all fabulous characters, for better or for worse, and you want to hear more and more about them. As a chapter jumps to a new character, you find yourself wanting more from the one you just finished and still dying to dive into the next story. If you can get a student into this series, you will watch them plow through every book, they are really just that good!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2012Let me just say that before I read this book in the series, I was already thoroughly impressed with Higson's take on zombies. Don't be turned off by kids and thinking zombies. This is by far the most intricate well thought out take on infected human zombies that I have ever read/seen/heard of. From the beginning, Higson is never afraid to kill off his main characters which I love. Realistically speaking children are children, and the fact that they are children makes their deaths that much more touching and important within the story line. It is also impressive how Higson is able to examine and accurately portray how children 16 and under would react in such extreme situations. Not until you read The Fear do you accurately understand how well thought out and planned this series is. You learn exactly how each and every character is linked.
The books are very gritty, bloody, and realistic. You will see groups that are on the move, groups that are held up in fortresses, groups of warriors, and even some romance. The villains are scary, powerful, and many times, frankly disturbing and terrifying i.e. The Collector, St. George.
For me it is very reminiscent of Robert Kirkman's series the Walking Dead in that there is a very large group of main characters that are all beautifully developed and work well together. I highly recommend this series
- Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2013I am a few years past the usual readership of young adult novels, and for the most part I try to keep my distance from them. The overt romance, and the simplistic plots put me off. The Enemy novels, however, are fantastic works of fiction. I loved reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes good writing. The plot is fun, original, and the characters are very unique. Read it!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2021Ever since the first book, I've been sucked into this book series. Book three gets further into the minds of David and the other groups as they have settled down a year after the bridge incident. I have never devoured a book series as fast as I have this one so far.
5/5 stars. Great author, seriously good writing.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2013Picks right up where book two left off, and lets you become intimate with characters you met in book two but didn't quite know. An introduction to some new and interesting kids like Shadowman and Paul . And a coming together of the kids from book one. Non-stop action, and compelling story line make this book a must read. I gave it five stars for all these reasons and the fact that it is a great book for my children , ages 14,12,and 12, and I to both read and talk about, which leads to better relationships with my children. They love the books as well and we have had many long conversations about them and the "what ifs " the books create .
- Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013This book was the best out of the three. I loved how the story came together and all of the twists and turns that broke off from the first two novels. The book was very exciting to the end and it seems like he left it open for another book. I have not found another book but if there is another or will be another, I will be there to grab a copy. Great story. Great author. Great ideas.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2022So exciting can’t stop reading , recommended my my 11 year old niece. I wish it was on Audible! Ready for book 4!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2012This series is great and very well written. These were among the first zombie books I read and they are among the best. I love the way the author draws you into each childs life and their story.The story moves quickly and there isn't lots of silly filler. I am off now to check out if the new book has been released.
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on March 10, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars the Fear
My son loves the complete books Set
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martine bushnaqReviewed in France on March 31, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Cool and good
Noice book, I must say it has shown me the way, the SUCC was too intense for me, I had to take a pause after all this.
- Antony SimpsonReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review from AntonySimpson.com
****Contains Spoilers****
The Fear by Charlie Higson is the third in The Enemy series (the first being The Enemy and the second The Dead).
The opening chapter describes The Collector and his search for new "toys" which we quickly discover means kids. This really sets the tone of the book. It it is different from The Enemy & The Dead, rather than just focusing on the children this book gives an insight in to the mothers and fathers, grown-ups, strangers - the diseased adults as well.
I got a little worried when after the opening chapter a page states: The action in this book begins five days before the incidents decribed at the end of The Dead. Having read The Dead when it first came out over a year ago, I was worried that I'd have to go back and re-read it before I could enjoy and understand The Fear. My worries were soon put at rest as I started to read. Charlie (Higson - the author) gives enough information about the characters and the events that have happened to them so that even if you hadn't read any of the previous books in the series you could pick it up and have an enjoyable read. If you have read the previous books you'll see the links to The Enemy & The Dead and it is these links that help you remember what has happened the previous two books as well as contribute to the over-arching story.
The story starts in The Tower of London with Dognut, Courtney, Marco, Felix, Al, Fin, Jessica and Olivia deciding to go in search of the others they lost at Lambeth Bridge a year ago. They all have their own individual motivations. Dognut wants to find Brooke (a mouthy girl who he fancies); Courtney (one of Brooke's best friends) is going to show she can be strong and brave to Dognut who she fancies and can't decide if she wants to find Brooke or not; Marco & Felix are going for adventure, Al is looking for his little sister Maria, Fin to look for some of his friends from Rowhurst (a private school from one of the previous books); Jessica because she's just split up from her boyfriend and wants to be away from him and finally Olivia who wants to find her brother Paul. They travel up the Thames by row boat, to avoid the diseased adults and stop when they see a group of children in Westminster at the Houses of Parliament.
Their boat unfortunately sinks and they are met by the leader of this group Nicola, elected by the other children as Prime Minister. They ask about the people they are searching for but they don't know anything. Nicola is also oddly suspicious of them. They ask about David and Nicola tells them that David has taken up residence at Buckingham Palace, but that he can't be trusted. Dognut and the group know they must travel by foot and that it will be dangerous. Nicola gives then a good meal and water. At the gates to The Houses of Parliament once the gates are open a group of kids barge in. They claim to be looters and begin to pick on a kid called Bozo whose on the gate. Dognut doesn't like seeing Bozo getting bullied and after a few exchanges the looters are fended off by Dognut and his group. It turns out these looters are from St. James Park and are led by a psycho child John.
Dognut and his group set off and at first all is fine. Until they see a large group of disease ridden adults. They get cornered in a dead end of a side street. They know there are too many to fight but as they're out of options that's what they do. Then another group of children save them and send the adults off running. This other group describe themselves as "hunters" and stated they are mercenaries that for payment from the settlements of kids they clear the streets of the adults killing as many as possible. Their leader Ryan. Dognut states that his group are on their way to Buckingham Palace and Ryan explains that he doesn't like David (the self appointed King) as he never paid them for some work they did for him. They urge Dognut to be careful and offer to get his group to Buckingham Palace safely - free of charge.
Dognut and his gang arrive at Buckingham Palace and are introduced to David and his right hand man Jester. David claims that he doesn't know where Brooke is. To make things worse David tells the group that Brooke abandoned them and didn't share the loot on the back of the Tesco lorry in The Dead. Dognut's group ask about their friends and family are looking for and David reveals that Maria (Al's little sister) is there. Maria tells the group that Brooke and some of the others have made Natural History Museum their home. Dognut finds away over Buckingham Palace walls and all but Al (who chooses to stay with his little sister Maria) escape and head to the Natural History Museum.
While all this going on their's a kid whose an observer and his name is Shaddowman. Shaddowman is a great addition to the story being generally a loner and gives Charlie (Higson - the author) a different method of telling the over-arching story whilst telling Shaddowman's story as well.
As Dognut and his group make their way to the Natural History Museum, David decides he needs kids that can fight and sends Jester on his way to find some. David makes an agreement with Nicola (from Parliament) that if he can rid St. James Park of the looters that they will join forces and rule together. David not just thinking about their part of London, or the whole of London but all of England. David's dastardly plan is for Jester to find kids that can fight to clear St. James' Park of the rough, looter kids living there. Whatever the group of kids there had always been the rule: Kids don't harm kids. The ememy are the grown-ups.
This twist gets you thinking, who are worse? The different groups of children plotting against one another (who have their minds intact) or the adults (who are acting with twisted minds because of illness). This is exactly what Charlie Higson (the author) wants you to ask yourself. Indeed it could be said that the theme of the book is about human nature and our nature to be selfish, greedy, power-seeking, even if that means the death and destruction of other human beings.
On the way to the Natural History Museum unfortunately Olivia gets killed by The Collector (the group do later go back and kill The Collector in what could be seen as a revenge attack). Dognut and his group arrive at the Natural History Museum and they finally find Brooke and the geeks. Brooke's changed a lot in a year, less mouthy (reporting that she had grown-up), short brown hair (her bottle blonde having grown out as the year passed) and wearing old fashioned clothing from the Museum. The kids catch up and Dognut tells Paul (Olivia's brother) what happened. Paul is distraught about learning of the death of his sister. Brooke reveals why she left David behind instead of sharing the loot from the Tesco lorry - because David shot a kid on Lambeth Bridge when the kid refused to move.
In the Chapters that follow Greg makes an appearance (the clever diseased adult from the The Dead) as The Fear begins to link The Enemy and The Dead together. Jester meets the Waitrose and Morrisons crew led by Blue and Maxie and it was at this point that I started to realise how clever of a writer Charlie Higson is.
Dognut and his group decide to head back to The Tower of London with Brooke going with them. But on the way the group are attacked by grown-up's and are forced to seek refuge in a tube station, but this is exactly where other diseased adults like to live as it's dark. They are quickly overwhelmed but then are saved by Blue and Maxie's gangs. Out of Dognut's group only Brooke survives, and she is taken to Buckingham Palace to the infirmary. Luckily David and Jester doesn't recognise her. Blue and Maxie are quick to join her in the infirmary after clashes with the rough looting kids from St. James' Park. David intends to keep them both in the infirmary so that he can take control of their groups.
While all this is going on Shaddowman has observed that the diseased grown-up's seem to be getting leaders - the more clever ones of the group. He realises that the more intelligent leaders can use tools (such as knifes and sticks) and that there is quickly becoming an army of diseased adults following these leaders.
Back at the infirmary at Buckingham Palace Brooke tells Blue and Maxie the truth about David. Meanwhile Paul (Olivia's brother) still bereaved goes to David and Jester slightly mad talking about how he can't trust anyone at the museum. David and Jester convinces Paul that they had caused Olivia's death and Paul agrees to go back to the Museum and release the diseased adults from the basement to set them loose on the kids. Paul tries to strangle one of the guards but fails. While the kid guarding the locked door comes round Paul pulls down his polar neck and reveals a bite from an adult - which is how the disease is spread. Paul opens the door and let's the grown-ups loose to get the kids in the museum.
The book ends there and I can't believe I have to wait over a year for the next part of the story. I received the book from Amazon on a Saturday afternoon and had finished it within twenty-four hours. It truly is an addictive page turner, especially if your into diseased adults and kids making an attempt at surviving the blood thirsty adults.
- SecretariatReviewed in Canada on December 15, 2013
3.0 out of 5 stars Least favourite of the series
I love zombie books. Yes, my life is shallow and boring and I, sadly, get my adrenaline rush from reading about people fleeing blood thirsty monsters. If you like zombie novels, even though this is a YA series, it is worth reading. The characters are well drawn and compelling and to be honest, I think it is much too gory and disturbing for kids. I suppose it qualifies as YA as there isn't any sex, but who wants sex in a zombie book anyway? Having said that, this is the weakest book in the series, but the series is worth reading, in order.
- DylReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars The best one of the series so far.
Wow! This series just keeps on powering its way along. I thought that the excitement would be starting to wear down, the novelty factor wear thin, the characters get less interesting.... not at all. If anything, this third book is the best of the lot. It continues the stories of surviving children in London after the breakout of something that turns everyone over the age of fourteen in either a dead person or a diseased, zombie like thing (a sicko). And these things are hungry for the blood of any surviving children that they can find.
This book mainly follows the story of Dognut, Courtney and a few others in their search for Brooke. Their journey takes them across London encountering other groups of children and sickos. These groups are interesting because they have evolved into differing formats. Some political, some warrior like, some regal, some technical. Each group has its own way of running things and thinks that it has chosen the best methods to survive. The `leaders' of these groups have different agendas too with some just wanting to keep their pocket of survivors alive, some wanting action, and others wanting power over others. Several things become apparent in that no one particular method is the `correct' method, power may not be as glamorous as it seems, and some people don't care who they tread on to get what they want. This topic opens up quite well and is easy to understand from the way events unfold.
The characters remain as interesting as previously. Dognut becomes a really likeable character whilst I had thought he would be a bit annoying after his actions in book 2 (The Dead (The Enemy)). A few new characters are also thrown into the mix to help add something different. Shadowman is possibly one of the better ones and hopefully more comes out about him in the future. The Collector is a particular nasty character that could have a few stomachs turning, and the Gym Bunnies are quite scary whilst being a tiny bit funny because of their name. Greg / The Butcher / St George returns and along with The Collector and Gym Bunnies continues to add another level of interest into what the sickos are capable of instead of just being braindead, shuffling, flesh hungry zombies.
The nature of the more grisly content continues as before and even manages to step up a level. As a seasoned horror fan I can be a bit immune to the disgusting, gruesome side of it all. Not much will make me feel horrified / scared / revolted / shocked. Some of the things that occur in this series of books will disgust some readers. The Collector is especially brutal and some of his actions are very graphic. You have been warned.
These books are clever in that they each tell their own stories based around specific groups of children, but they overlap each other. Events in one book are replayed in another from a different viewpoint, but not in a way that you feel you are reading the same thing twice. These links all seem to tally up correctly too. I have found myself thinking, "Hang on, that doesn't sound quite right", but then worked it out and realised that the timeline does all seem to be in good working order. One particular scene in this book surprised me, firstly in that I wasn't expecting anything like it to happen in the first place, but then by suddenly becoming part of a memorable scene from book 1 (The Enemy) and explaining who someone was in the Buckingham Palace scenes. In doing this it also answered the question I had whilst reading book 1 of, "I wonder what these kids had been doing for this to happen to them". I don't know if Charlie Higson had planned out the series of books events before writing them but I would be surprised if he hadn't because they all link together so incredibly well. Apparently, it seems that there are to be seven books altogether. I personally can't wait to find out what happens next in The Sacrifice (The Enemy).